Calling Cards: Still a Popular Calling Alternative

These days, you see cell phones practically everywhere. In fact, according to the wireless market research firm EMC, over 140 million Americans (more than half) owned and used cell phones at the end of 2002, making the United States the second largest cellular market in the world, after China. Despite this fact, calling cards are still very popular with a wide range of people, including businesspeople. Why is this?

There are a number of reasons that are brought up when examining the issue of the calling card's continued popularity.

The most popular: reliability. As any frequent user of cellular phones can attest, cellular networks are notoriously spotty. For example, despite vast improvements in coverage, many cellular phones receive no signal in rural/mountainous areas. With some carriers, even in big cities, it can be difficult to connect to the network during times of heavy traffic (such as weekend evenings). And, of course, it seems that cell phones have a tendency to run out of batteries at the most inopportune times. With a calling card, you don't have to worry about running out of batteries, getting a signal, or being able to access the network; when you find a landline phone, you complete the call.

Along the lines of reliability, safety is also a legitimate reason for carrying and using calling cards. It's always nice to know that you have a means of contacting someone in the event of an emergency, no matter what the charge of the cell phone's battery or the state of the cellular network, as well as in situations where you may be out of cash and need to make important calls.

But perhaps the most overlooked reason for using calling cards: cost control. With so many employees carrying work-provided cell phones these days, a company's communications bill can easily rocket out of control. Non-plan minutes, roaming charges, and long distance calling can make monthly cellular bills painful to pay. Additionally, it is significantly easier to monitor who your employees are calling with calling cards, as many carriers organize and display calling card information on their bills. And perhaps most importantly, calling cards can offer much lower per-minute rates than some cellular plans.

Of course, cellular phone usage would not be growing so rapidly if it was not an extremely convenient and effective means of communicating on-the-go. Businesses and consumers alike rely heavily on wireless technology in their everyday lives, and that trend is likely to continue.

Nonetheless, while cell phones' coverage, reliability, and battery life still show room for improvement, calling cards remain a dependable and cost-effective means of conducting business and keeping in touch when away from the office.

Contact ATX

To learn more about ATX Calling Card solutions, please contact an ATX Consultant at 800-220-ATX2 or visit the Calling Card page on our web site.

For more information about ATX's Wireless services, please read our article in the June issue of ATX Dialogue at http://www.atx.com/dialoguejune2003/wirelesscommunications.html

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