Cell Phones vs Landlines - the Advantages and Disadvantages - Research Paper Example

Phones have become such a necessity in life that without them one feels like he is missing something. Phones have evolved a lot from what they were only a few years ago. In the past, one did not have so much choice when it came to deciding between cell phones and land lines. Cell phones had restrictions that made their use as a primary telecommunication means impractical and very expensive. While this has since changed, there are still numerous factors to be considered when making a choice on which one to have or both. A research has shown that seven to nine percent of Americans use cell phones only with no landlines though most Americans combine the use of both landlines and cell phones (Westcott, p41). A cell phone is a short-range communications device that receives and broadcasts low power digital radio signals to and from cell sites which are located throughout populated areas. Older cell phones transmitted analogue signals with some transmitting both digital and analogue signals until 2008 when the support of analogue signals stopped. On the other hand, landline phones are usually linked to a main central utility via telephone lines. Local regulatory commissions normally control the pricing of landline use. Traditionally, landlines were the ones used for homes and offices but nowadays more people have switched to cell phones. This presentation seeks to examine the pros and cons of cell phones and land lines from different perspectives in terms of their use and possession and provide one with knowledge to enable him or her make an informed decision when choosing to have one or both telecommunication devices. Advantages of cell phones Portability: Unlike land lines, cell phones are very portable and one can carry them along anywhere and use them anywhere where there is a service provider signal. They can be conveniently carried around and used in places where land lines are absent, for example while on the highways. Mobility: One can use cell phones while on the move and hence save a lot of time which would have been wasted by being stationary and waiting for the phone call, especially for a busy individual. Besides, one does not have to miss important calls while on the move. Emergencies: In cases of accidents, one can easily call the ambulance or police while at the scene. One can even take pictures of the accident scene if he has a phone with a camera. In cases where one may be lost, one can call for directions or if he has a GPS enabled phone, the emergency services can trace his position and come to his rescue. Versatility: Today’s mobile phones are not just phones. One could play games, browse the internet, take and view pictures and listen to radio, mentioning but a few. Land lines can only receive and make calls and maybe display the time and date. Professional use: The mobile professional can find it very useful to have an up-to date, wireless connected graphic display anywhere and anytime which can be provided by smart cell phones. A doctor moving around the hospital wards can consult dosage charts, laboratory test results and updated contradictions on prescribed drugs. A stocks trader can generate comparative stock prices graphs, currency exchange rates and future performance predictors (Watt & Lilley, p1035). Disadvantages of cell phones Connectivity: Sometimes signal reception can be poor, like on planes or while underground, limiting connectivity. Nuisance: In places where silence is important, like in hospitals, movie theatres and libraries, the ringing and talking via mobile phones can be a big nuisance. Misuse: some people use phone cameras and Bluetooth to invade other people’s privacy. Stress levels: Cell phones use can increase stress levels. A good example is when an individual receives frequent calls from his boss at odd times to solve work related issues. Safety concern: Individuals, who talk on cell phones while on the road, either walking or driving, can easily cause accidents since their talking on the phone reduces their concentration on the road. VoIP: With the numerous VoIP and cell phone service providers, connecting to local services, such as the 911 emergency call service, may be cumbersome and difficult. Health concerns: cell phone waves may be harmful to user’s health. Research on this issue has been conflicting though the link between cell phone use and brain cancer is yet to be established (Balch, p661). Nevertheless, it is better to be cautious and use an earpiece to reduce the effects of the radiation from the phones. Battery: A cell phone user has to always remember to charge the phones battery. Even if it lasts for long in standby mode, it still needs to be charged. Forgetting to do so may cause a lot of inconvenience as the phone’s battery may go flat just when one needs the phone most. Cost: Cell phone use is often more expensive, especially for someone who communicates a lot over the phone. Mobile phone rates change according to the time of the day and furthermore, cell phone service providers within the US normally charge whether one makes or receives a call, meaning one often uses more airtime than he realizes. Landlines advantages With the growing popularity of cell phones, and their ever increasing penetration into the market, most people have abandoned using their land lines and rely mostly on their cell phones for their day-to-day telecommunication needs. Sometime ago, there are those who made predictions that land lines use would be wholly abandoned resulting to a world that mostly relied on cell phones. In practice however, this has not actually come to pass and may not fully happen soon. This is because the land line still has substantial merits that make others who possess cell phones supplement their communication with them. These advantages are: Cost: land lines use is much cheaper than cell phones. The cost of cell handsets may be dropping by the day but in overall, the cost of land line phone sets are still lower. Landline rates tend to be at a flat rate as compared to cell phone services which are charged depending on whether it is peak or off peak times. Some telecommunication bureaus in some counties like China offer free landline and landline exchange for use at home. In addition, these institutions of government offer special discounts and packages for business use, resulting in huge savings. Fees: land lines charge only long distance calls, not roaming fees; cell phones charge both. Battery: Land lines do not require frequent charging and do not run out of battery power. Even with the battery life of cell phones getting better, it is still to a certain extent finite, particularly when actively talking. For short conversations the battery is not such an issue but for one who wants to chat with a best friend for many hours may get disappointed and have to drop the call from a dead battery. Even the batteries of cordless landlines have better battery life than that of cell phones. Environment friendly: landlines are healthy and green. Landlines do not have toxic batteries and toxic radioactivity to humans. Safe: The fact that landline signals get transmitted through physical cabling makes landline use safer. Unless someone else gets access to the telephone cables, and has a unique phone that can pick signals from the cables, data and conversations transmitted through the cables remain private. The data can be encrypted to further secure it, as it is with telephones used by intelligence officers and senior officials in the government. It is therefore no wonder that credit companies request their clients to call from landlines (home phones) so as to ensure that the credit data exchanged remains safe. Clarity: Land line signals tend to be clearer as compared to that of cell phones. In areas where cell phone signals are nonexistent or poor, especially in the rural areas and in some cases in high-rise buildings, many people have preference for land lines. Furthermore, cell phone coverage can sometimes intermittent, so that in a building where one day one experiences a perfect signal reception, he may not get any signal on a different day. This may happen regularly and become irritating to the cell phone user, especially when one has to drop an important call for lack of a clear signal. Land line signals are very consistent, irrespective of the phone location. Emergency cases: land lines hold possible advantages in times of emergencies. While numerous cell phones have GPS capabilities, land lines allow the emergency services to locate the origin of the call straight away. This may save some seconds which in emergency situations can matter immensely. Ninety nine out of a hundred Americans can dial 911 during emergency situations with almost half of those calls coming from cell phones. In one test carried out, slightly over a tenth of the cell phone calls did not get through and only one percent of those responding to emergencies from cell phones were able to identify the location of the person making the call (Jensen & Draffan, p122). In emergency instances where the caller is not able or does not know his location, there is no guarantee of quick response from emergency service providers as they may not be always be able to trace the callers location. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the US has since directed the 911 operators to make steps towards being able to locate cell phone callers as fast as they do land line callers and that all new cell phones are GPS enabled. These rules were to be in operation by 2005 but they have been hampered by the necessity to upgrade both the 911 center technology and cell phone designs. Disadvantages of land lines Connection: The main disadvantage of land lines is that they have to be physically connected by use of wires to a larger system in order to work. A phone jack has to be plugged onto the phone and onto the cable in the wall to connect it to relays and cables that are controlled by the telephone company. The numerous cabling systems, apart from being bulky, can be very costly as every new customer has to be wired separately. Some phone companies though, transmit data using relay towers as a way of reducing cabling costs. Versatility: land lines need physical connections which make them less versatile than cell phones. For instance, apart from the wiring connecting the land lines being costly to install, they in addition have to be maintained. Poverty in some countries drives people to vandalize phone cables for their valuable metal resulting to extra expenses for the phone companies who have to replace the cables regularly. Conclusion When choosing between which one to get between cell phones and land lines, it is important to carefully look at the pros and cons of both so as to be in a better position to make an informed choice. The purpose for which the phone is to be used for is also a factor that should be considered in the decision making. Works cited Balch, P.A. Prescription for Nutritional Healing (Fourth Edition).New York: Avery, 2006 Federal Communications Commission (2008) Wireless 911 Services. Viewed on 16th February 2010 http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/wireless911srvc.html Jensen, Derrick and Draffan, George Welcome to the Machine: Science Surveillance, and the culture of control .Canada: Chelsea Green Publishing, 2004 Watt, A., Lilley, Ayers, D., George, R., Wenz, C., Hauser, T., Lindsey, K. and Gustavsson, N. SVD unleashed USA: Sams Publishing, 2002 Westcott, Jean Riescher, Digitally Daunted: The Consumer’s Guide to Taking Control of the Technology. Herndon, VA: Capital Books, 2008 Read More