
Living Without a Cellphone - ringshall
http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10000872396390444549204578022641193306214
======
aaronchall
I got rid of my cellphone because no one calling me was anyone I wanted to
talk to.

I used to be a financial/investment advisor, and those calling were mostly
financial service wholesalers (insurance and annuities) and other commercial
calls. Whenever I felt a vibration in my jacket's breast pocket, my stress
levels would soar, and more than half the time it was imagined. Now I feel
free, plus I'm probably saving $100 a month.

I'm now a programmer at a bank, and my wife can get me at my desk at work. I
got a small tablet (a Nexus 7) with a data plan (attached to my wife's phone
plan so it's cheap!), and I paid $20 to switch my phone number to Google
Voice. Now when someone calls, they can leave voice-mail or text me, and it
shows up in my gmail on my tablet. I added a Zagg hard-shell bluetooth
keyboard and it's like I'm carrying around a little laptop.

I feel like it's an awesome change that has really improved my quality of
life. I love to brag about making the change, in hopes that others might be
inspired to follow suit, thanks for the opportunity.

------
junto
German resident here. I have pre-pay with a Vodafone subsidiary with a €10
data flat rate as an additional add-on.

My wife just has pre-pay and we have free calls between each other. Our total
monthly bill is ~€20 per month.

The idea of paying $65 per month, per person is crazy. Is that a standard
average cost?

~~~
miguelrochefort
In Canada, the cheapest iPhone plan you can find is $200 upfront + $80/month.

If you bring your own device, expect to pay $65/month for unlimited talking,
unlimited messaging, and 1GB of data. Additional data usually costs around
$5/250MB.

That's in 2015.

~~~
danpat
I cut costs way down by getting a "data-only" SIM for my iPhone and using a
VOIP provider.

Call quality in poor signal (e.g. 2G) areas is terrible, but in urban areas
with HSPA or LTE, it works great. I talk very little.

Look for the "flex-rate" plans that Rogers/Telus/etc offer. I sometimes pay as
little as $5/mo if I don't use my phone, it scales with data usage.

~~~
miguelrochefort
No carrier ever accepted to sell me a data-only plan for my phone. I've been
trying for a long time...

~~~
danpat
The trick is to ask for a tablet SIM or mobile internet SIM for a laptop.
Don't say it's for your phone.

------
atemerev
I am tracking my productivity day-by-day. It's generally sloppy, but there
were a few outliers where I got done a lot. All these days had one thing in
common: I forgot my smartphone at home.

~~~
jacquesm
That's my main reason (and battery life) for not having a smartphone. I have
the attention span of a gnat and a smartphone would totally wreck my
productivity. My general way of dealing with addictive substances is to ban
them from my life entirely, that seems to work well so far.

~~~
revorad
except HN? ;)

~~~
jacquesm
I _really_ tried, I swear.

~~~
mod
As a techie, I find it exceedingly hard to ban myself from here. Setting up a
work-around for browser blocks, dns blocks, etc--takes a couple of minutes at
best, not to mention there's a ton of pages where they just use the api and
create their own interface.

I usually just edit my hosts file now, because it prevents the 2-second
"ctrl+t, n, enter" combo and makes me think about what I'm doing.

I don't restrict myself outside of working hours.

------
X4lldux
$65 a month?! shit,that's high! For 1GB od full speed internet, and after that
unlimited lowspeed, with morze then enough calls, I pay $7.34 in Poland.

~~~
MrRadar
Don't forget that pays for coverage of a land area roughly twice as big as the
entire EU[0] with no roaming charges. Also, this article is from 2012 and has
outdated prices. If you go prepaid you can get 2.5 GB for $35 with unlimited
voice and text[1] or 5 GB for $30 with 100 minutes voice and unlimited
text[2]. Or pay-what-you-use for voice, text, and data[3] (great for people
who need a phone but hardly use it or with highly-variable use). Of course you
can also pay a lot more for worse plans, but savvy shoppers have decent
options available to them these days.

[0]
[http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=%28land+area+of+the+us+...](http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=%28land+area+of+the+us+-+land+area+of+alaska%29+%2F+land+area+of+eu)
(I excluded Alaska because most of that state doesn't have cellular coverage
and the parts that do make up for the parts of the mainland that don't.)

[1] [https://www.cricketwireless.com/cell-phone-
plans](https://www.cricketwireless.com/cell-phone-plans)

[2] [http://prepaid-phones.t-mobile.com/prepaid-plans#other-
month...](http://prepaid-phones.t-mobile.com/prepaid-plans#other-monthly-
plans)

[3] [https://ting.com/rates](https://ting.com/rates)

------
anigbrowl
Article is from 2.5 years ago, during more recessionary economic times, and
possibly meant to influence the 2012 election by the focus on economic pain -
you might recall the BS 'Obamaphone' meme from that time.

------
pincubator
I stopped using a cellphone when I moved to US --it was way more expensive
than what I used to have in my home country (so I just simply said "nope.").
Now when people ask my phone number, I just give my Google voice (which is
free text/talk within US). If I am traveling to a conference, for the sake of
emergency, I just use a potato phone with prepaid credit -- which I connect
its number to Google Voice, so everyone who calls my Google voice number are
automatically being redirected to my temporary phone. So I get that going for
me.

------
techsupporter
This is the big reason why I switched to T-Mobile. Yes, the coverage is
limited outside of urban and suburban areas. I live in a major city so it
works for me. My AT&T Wireless bill had crept up to about $280 and that's with
one line "grandfathered" onto their smartphone data block. (AT&T started
requiring that smartphones have a data package or be blocked entirely from
data if the smartphone was already on the account. This one already was so the
block was put in place. Six months later, AT&T declined to exempt MMS "data"
from the data block, so the user's picture and group messages died. Tech
support said I could put a $30 data feature on there to restore MMS.)

Now, for ~90% of the coverage I had with AT&T, I pay $179 and that's with
interest-free financing of my wife's new mobile phone. Once that is paid off
in a year, the bill drops to $160. That's seven SIMs, or five mobile phones
and two data-capable tablets, and now the smartphone user who couldn't have
MMS on AT&T has it, just like all five lines have 1GB of high speed data
(going over is free, but rate-limited).

If I wanted to go cheaper, there's Cricket Wireless, MetroPCS, Red Pocket
Mobile, Harbor Mobile, Page Plus, or any number of MVNOs (mobile virtual
network operators) and resellers that have popped up in the past year or so.
Heck, Cricket could drop my bill to $100, though I'd lose the tablet data.
Family plans have never felt so inexpensive.

~~~
gk1
I'm in a very similar situation that you were in: I'm on Verizon with 3 lines,
1 of them grandfathered into unlimited data. Over several years the monthly
bill has crept up to $230-$250.

Since it went up slowly I never thought much about it, until I reviewed last
year's finances and realized what had happened.

T-Mobile is looking very enticing.

~~~
ajford
Do it. T-Mobile is great. And they will pay your ETFs.

Customer service is great. I recently had a billing mishap (their end, ended
up $30 over) and to make it up to me, they discounted my account by $30/month
for a yr. This is magical compared to the shitty customer service with Sprint
and Version.

------
ericfontaine
It is possible to get by with a mobile device without cell service. Just need
occasional email checks at open wireless spots. All the more reason to setup a
router with EFF's open wireless.
[https://openwireless.org/](https://openwireless.org/)

------
metasean
The purposes of the Communications Act of 1934 were "regulating interstate and
foreign commerce in communication by wire and radio so as to make available,
so far as possible, to all the people of the United States a rapid, efficient,
nationwide, and worldwide wire and radio communication service with adequate
facilities at reasonable charges, for the purpose of the national defense, and
for the purpose of securing a more effective execution of this policy by
centralizing authority theretofore granted by law to several agencies and by
granting additional authority with respect to interstate and foreign commerce
in wire and radio communication, there is hereby created a commission to be
known as the 'Federal Communications Commission', which shall be constituted
as hereinafter provided, and which shall execute and enforce the provisions of
this Act."[1] In other words, it was preventing, or rather, dismantling, a
telephone monopoly.

The Communications Act 1996 expanded it to support “a pro-competitive, de-
regulatory national policy framework designed to accelerate rapidly private
sector deployment of advanced information technologies and services to all
Americans by opening all telecommunications markets to competition..."[2] In
other words, it was expanding it to cover more than radio and phones.

I wonder if the cellphone lock-in policies mentioned in the article (e.g.
Carlene, who can't afford the early termination fee) are considered anti-
competitive, and therefore could potentially fall under the scope of the 1996
Communications Act?

\---

[1]
[http://www.criminalgovernment.com/docs/61StatL101/ComAct34.h...](http://www.criminalgovernment.com/docs/61StatL101/ComAct34.html)

[2]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communications_Act_of_1934#cit...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communications_Act_of_1934#cite_note-17)

------
colinbartlett
Can we update the article headline to include "(2012)" please?

------
bcg1
I've not had a cell phone for over 10 years, except for a period of time when
my job wanted me on call, so they paid for a blackberry... even then however I
very rarely used it except a way to check my email without having to get out
my laptop.

In any case, I haven't found it inconvenient hardly at all, except in the
occasional situation such as a car breakdown. I do find it inconvenient when
traveling however, but I usually only travel once or twice a year so I usually
just load some minutes onto an old tracphone for those occasions

It is not really a money issue for me because I could probably afford to stay
up to date with the latest and greatest gadget if I wanted to, but it is more
of a philosophical issue for me. It seems phones today are designed to command
as much of your attention as possible, and it seems that most of the phone
usage that I observe is not a necessity. There's nothing wrong with that per
se, but I do believe it makes it more difficult to live a balanced life. It is
essentially the same reason that I don't watch or pay for television and
movies.

These days, I'm not even sure it is less convenient to live the way I do...
with all of the security & surveillance issues that have been cropping up, I
am glad that I have inadvertently sidestepped a lot of the issues that are
being revealed.

------
lottin
It's not a big deal living without a cell phone. I have been living without a
cell phone and have only bought one recently because I grew tired of having to
justify myself every time someone asked why I didn't have a bloody phone. For
me the reason for buying a phone is 100% social pressure, it does not make my
life easier or more pleasant in any way, au contraire.

------
csense
I'm still in the dark ages when it comes to phones. I have a pay-as-you-go
flip phone of approximately 2008 vintage, and I've never owned anything more
powerful phone.

I pay a couple hundred a year depending on usage.

If I want to get on the Internet when I'm out and about, I just find a place
that offers free wifi (such as a library or fast food restaurant). Then break
out the laptop or tablet.

Judging by what others are saying about their cellphone bills in this thread
and elsewhere, this simple life hack has saved me thousands of dollars over
the years, and will save me thousands more.

I think most people massively overpay for their cellphone plans -- the minor
increase in convenience isn't worth the four-figure price tag.

------
undrwatr
It's amazing how people think the only options are unlimited or nothing. A
prepaid ptel 5c/min 2c/text plan is great for essential communication. Combine
with a forwarding service like Google voice where you can turn on/off text and
call forwarding and the costs are extremely low. But the fear of overages and
unwillingness to manage the details drive a lot of people to choose no
service.

All those stories about thousand dollar bills were great marketing that drove
tons of low usage customers to unlimited plans.

------
brohoolio
Old article but I switched carriers recently to cut costs.

We switched from sprint to ting and went from $160 a month to like $70 for two
lines. I didn't like having to watch my data usage so we switched to t-mobile
and we've got unlimited everything for I think around $80-90.

We ended up buying used one generation old iPhones (5s) which were about half
the cost of buying the same model in the store. With t-mobile they do wifi
calling, so I don't really care if the signal is weak in my basement.

------
ilaksh
I have been paying like $99 for a plan with a bunch of data and minutes I
don't use. I changed the plan and its down to I think $60. I should have
cancelled and found something cheaper than a regular Verizon contract. Only
reason I didn't was because it would take some work to find the right
alternative. I know I am still getting screwed though.

------
littletimmy
A happy compromise is using a bar phone. I use a nokia; it doesn't distract me
plus people can still call me in case of disaster.

------
tkdc926
I recently switched to ConsumerCellular. My wife and I share 750 minutes, 1500
texts and 150 mb of data. All for $40 per month. Plus we can call each other
for free. Data might seem low, but our data usage away from home is extremely
low. At home we use our WiFi. And best of all, no contract required.

------
Gnarl
Everyone should immediately drop cellphones and wireless equipment for health
reasons. I did so more than ten years ago after developing headaches from the
radiofrequency exposure from cellphones. Then I began looking into the
science. Deep. Some people will develop symptoms quicker than others and the
reason is yet unknown but everyone is affected. Its a matter of time and
exposure before symptoms manifest. In the beginning the symptoms of exposure
are predominantly neurological, like headaches, fatigue and poor sleep. Ignore
that and the ultimate end-point will be cancer as your immune-system
competence will be reduced to a point where cancer will be able to take hold.
Yes, radiofrequency radiation, especially 3G/UMTS is an excellent cancer-
promotor as has just been confirmed in a robust replication study from
Germany. An overview here: [http://microwavenews.com/news-center/rf-animal-
cancer-promot...](http://microwavenews.com/news-center/rf-animal-cancer-
promotion)

I know many are addicted to their mobile devices and I'm not against
technology (I'm an IT consultant myself) but I'm against the wireless industry
basing their delivery infrastructure and end-user devices on a long-time known
hazard: pulsed radiofrequency radiation. Known hazard you ask? Yes, even
declassified US army reports and east-bloc scientific literature from the
60's, 70's warn of the neurological and genotoxic effects of low-level
microwaves:
[http://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/7915657](http://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/7915657)
See, they were researching low-level microwaves as a stealth weapon against
dissidents & adversaries. Now you've practically got military grade weaponry
in your pocket.

Please don't be naïve. Reduce your exposure now.

------
p_kolya
I'm not frequent user of mobile phone and paid around 10$ per month in Russia
before ruble fall, now it's around 5$. It's per-minute/per-megabyte tariff.

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aboutus
Funny, every time I asked a mobile carrier sales rep about going pre-paid,
they discouraged me. "You'd hate it" they'd say. But I've saved a lot of money
since doing so, and with no more mysterious charges on my cellphone bill that
no one can account for.

------
bcook
1st world problems...

Edit: As a lower-middle-class American, my (budgetary) choice to be without a
cell-phone has not impacted my quality of life in any noticeable way. The
linked story says nothing more than "life without modern conveniences is
relatively inconvenient." How is that illuminating, in any way?

But yeah... my original comment is kinda deserving of downvoting, if I'm
honest.

~~~
imjustsaying
Anecdotally speaking, cell phones have appeared to be pretty saturated in all
the developing countries I've been in.

I bought my current phone for about $55. It's got a quadcore 1.3ghz processor,
512MB of RAM, a decent screen but a mediocre front and back camera. It might
have some backdoors in it though, as it's got some software I can't uninstall
without rooting.

The plans, minutes, and internet bandwidth in developing countries have been
far cheaper than say Verizon's (perhaps no longer available) plan for 1GB of
data for $40. The plans range from about $2 for 1GB in some countries to $16
for 1GB plus a chunk of talk and messaging time.

