7 ms·
I'm not from the US, but I have worked with the US telecoms industry. The original reason for this was due to the numbering plan. In most countries a special 'a
by ctwo 9y ago
I'm not from the US, but I have worked with the US telecoms industry. The original reason for this was due to the numbering plan. In most countries a special 'area' code was chosen for mobiles, however in the US they decided to just allocate mobile numbers in the existing area codes (NPAs). At least in the early days of cellular it cost the providers more to connect a call to a cell phone and so someone has to pay it. In a numbering plan where it is possible to tell a number is mobile just by looking you can put that cost onto the caller, but if it looks like a landline then the caller would feel hardly done by getting charged extra. So that extra cost was put onto the cell phone user accepting the call.
This is hearsay from colleagues so may not be 100% accurate, but it makes sense to me.
- Kluny 9y ago> but if it looks like a landline then the caller would feel hardly done by getting charged extra This was a tricky bit of grammar but I believe it's 100% correct.
- npsimons 9y agoWell, it's supposed to be "hard done by", but that doesn't make it much better. I'm personally pleased to see a more sophisticated way to phrase something, but unfortunately it's not a common idiom these days (at least state side), so it can be a little confusing.
- danellis 9y agoIn what way is it "more sophisticated"?
- rasz 9y agoYou can migrate your landline number to a cellphone plan in Europe. There is no way to know whats on the other side when you are making a call.
- dx034 9y agoBut I believe it's only been possible since the days of VoIP where it has the same cost to the provider.
- Rjevski 9y agoI own a little telco provider and for some time I had a landline UK number as my primary number on my cell phone - it's definitely possible and easy. The only reason I went back to a mobile number is that some web forms insisted on entering a mobile number and wouldn't accept my "landline".
- dalore 9y agoNot in every country in Europe. UK for instance you can't (is that considered Europe now?). You can't even keep your landline when you move house.
- stordoff 9y ago> You can't even keep your landline when you move house. You can if its within the same exchange area.
- dalore 9y agoSo not really.
- aloicious235 9y agoYes UK is in Europe and I think will be for the next few million years - oh you meant the Political body - the European Union. Oh yes we're still in that and will be for a few years at least. As to the landline number, you can keep your landline number if you don't move into an area where the phone numbers 'region' code is not applicable. Just like I am sure that is the case for every other country in the world (or thereabouts). I am curious to know with regard to USA phone numbers where I cannot tell a mobile from a landline by just looking at the number (e.g, UK Mobile numbers can be identified because they are 07xxx numbers) but US mobile numbers look like landlines and have the same area code. Can you move to a different state and keep your number even if the area code for that state is completely different?