Even as Evanston’s land-based phone market grows more competitive with phone giants MCI and Ameritech vying for business, students and city residents are turning to a third option: cell phones.
According to Matt Naka, assistant store manager at Verizon Wireless, 630 Davis St., students are “absolutely” buying cell phones instead of traditional land-based lines.
“It’s becoming a necessity to have a cell phone,” Naka said.
Naka said Verizon saw an increase in sales early September as parents came and purchased cell phones for their children, who were moving back to school.
“A lot of parents wanted the kids to use their (cell) phones as their primary phones,” he said. “It’s a lot cheaper to call home.”
Music senior Emily Price said she decided to get a cell phone this year because she is involved in more activities and needed the flexibility.
Price said she and her roommate have reduced the cost of their land-based line by canceling their long-distance service, and they plan to end voice mail, three-way calling and other features duplicated in their cell phones.
“I didn’t have the extra money to put a cell phone on top of my phone line, but then I realized I could replace my phone with it,” Price said.
“Basically, the only reason we’re keeping the (land) line is because we need it for the computer,” she said.
Price, who pays about $40 a month for a Sprint PCS plan, said she thinks the cell phone reduces her costs because she does not have to pay the taxes and access fees bundled in Ameritech accounts.
Ameritech local plans vary according to how many calls are placed and the various features that customers select, Ameritech spokesman Aaron Schoenherr said.
“We know that cell phones are increasing in popularity, but there’s always going to be a need for a land line in the home,” Schoenherr said. “The two are complementary to us rather than competitive.”
Cell phone plans range in price as well, but area dealers estimated that using a cell phone as a primary phone costs from $35 to $50 a month.
Ameritech previously also was notorious for poor customer service and long waits for new lines.
Kellogg student Vicki Nakata, who primarily uses her cell phone, recalled service problems with Ameritech when she and her roommate tried to install a second line.
Nakata said it took three different phone calls before an Ameritech technician came to fix their second line.
“I have Ameritech because I dial up (to the Internet),” Nakata said. “I had a cell phone package that included long-distance, which actually worked out to be cheaper.”
But Ameritech has invested heavily in improving its service over the past year, Schoenherr said.
He said repair calls now are answered in about 25 hours, installation usually occurs within seven days and phone calls are picked up after about 46 seconds, four times faster than a year ago.
Ameritech also recently launched a new flat-rate plan that includes unlimited local calls within 15 miles for $12.50 a month.
But representatives from various companies said the bottom line in the telecommunications industry is competition, and that means more options for customers.
“You want to pick the company that’s going to be the most flexible and meets your needs, and there are a lot of ways to do that,” Schoenherr said.
