Less than two more months of analog service
If you’re one of the remaining million or so cell phone users with an analog handset, it’s time to think of upgrading. If you don’t, you will find your phone non-operational on the morning of February 19. That’s the day that any remaining analog networks must be shut down. This affects major networks AT&T, Alltel, and Verizon, and any MVNOs (Tracfone) that work off their analog networks. If you’re unsure if your phone is digital or not, there are a few ways to make certain.
“If you don’t know whether your current handset is digital or analog, there are several ways to find out,” according to the FCC. “If your wireless phone has advanced features such as text or instant messaging, Internet browsing, an MP3 player or an integrated camera, it is digital.”
Also, if your phone looks like this:
Then it’s probably analog.
Another actual test is that if your phone has a SIM card, it’s digital. Of course, if you’re on Verizon or Alltel — or an MVNO thereof — you won’t have a SIM card anyway. But if you’re on AT&T, you might want to check on that.
They say that abolishing analog will make the digital spectrum operate in a more efficient manner. We’re pretty sure that cost of operation is part of that efficiency.
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