Analog cuts out: old cell network to be shut off

Don Day February 17th, 2008

The TV industry isn’t the only one going through the end of the analog era. AT&T Wireless and Verizon Wireless will shut of their analog voice networks Monday - signaling an end to the first generation of cellular technology. AT&T says more than 99.9% of its traffic is already digital - and they’ve been pushing to get the final converts. There is still some fallout - some home security alarms use the analog network, as do older vehicles with OnStar. And this:

Among cell-phone subscribers, the analog sunset is most likely to hurt so-called “glovebox users,” said IDC analyst Scott Ellison. These are users, often elderly, who just keep a cell phone in the glovebox in case their cars break down. They usually don’t feel a need to update their handsets.