The Omnibus

Issue date: 4/15/04 Section: Feature

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The informational age of improving technology most Southwest Baptist University students were born into has witnessed phenomenal growth in the world of cellular communication.

During the time the average SBU student has lived, the world watched cellular service utilization transform from an elite luxury to a common convenience. According to a survey by the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association's Annualized Wireless Industry, the number of estimated subscribers to wireless service has skyrocketed from 340,213 in December 1985 to 158,721,981 subscribers in December 2003.

Cell phones are now considered a necessity to most high school and college students. This is evident even on the SBU campus. Out of the 66 students surveyed at SBU, 79 percent said they had cell phones with usage rates ranging from once to 50 times a day, a statistic that shows an increasing trend in cell phone use.

"Certainly the largest segment of subscribers [to cellular service] is business people and the upper and middle class families who were some of the first people who bought cell phones and continue to be our primary users," Sales Manager for Alltel, Tom Bryan of Salina, Kan. said. "The fastest growing demographic information is that of teenagers, though, these last couple of years."

The increased access and broadened spectrum of users is due to many factors, including the dropping costs customers must pay to have and maintain a cell phone.

"Not the actual price, but what the customer has to pay has come down tremendously," Bryan said. "It is so much easier to get a phone and get service now."

The CTIA survey results indicated an average monthly cost decrease of nearly $50 since 1985.

Owning a cell phone today also entails many more opportunities than before.

"Phones and service do so much more than just provide conversation today," Bryan said.

Possibilities for cellular communication seem endless. Currently, individuals are also able to utilize the internet and their e-mail service via their cell phone, take and e-mail pictures and enhance their communication experience with features like games, walkie talkies or text messaging. Companies in the United States are now trying to catch up to other nations with video cell phones available.

Cell phone stores in Bolivar include Alltel, Russell Cellular and The Cellular Connection.

Purchasing a cell phone today, compared with the process and charges of even 10 years ago, is much more convenient and appealing. The world of communication has opened up thousands more opportunities through the cellular developments of the past decade, and students can benefit from the increased convenience to contact home for a low long-distance cost, if any at all. Cell phones make contact while traveling much easier and more convenient. 

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