[Jerrek]

Well, to understand why you pay to receive a call, you must look a little deeper into the telecommunications industry.

In North America (and countries that use the North American Numbering Plan, i.e. countries with country code 1 [U.S., Canada, Guam, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Haiti, etc.]), a phone number has three parts and is formed as follows:

NPA-NPX-XXXX.

NPA is the area code. NPX is the exchange code. XXXX is the line number. Calls are classified into two main categories. Local and long distance.

A local call is defined by a fixed geographic area. This can be part of an area code, the entire area code, other area codes, and part of other area codes. For example, Toronto itself has an area code of 416, but the surrounding area has an area code of 905. All calls made in the 905 area to 416 are considered local, and vice versa. But if you want to make a call from 905 to 905 and the call has to go through the 416 area, it can be long distance.

(The technical detail of a local call is any call that can be completed by a level 5 switch. A level 5 switch can take call, complete a call, and hand it to other switches. If only level 5 switches are required to complete the call, it is local.)

Local calls are not charged. They are included in your line rental from your local carrier. Your local carrier is responsible for completing local calls only. In my case, I use Bell Canada, but I can pick from AT&T, Sprint, and various other companies.

A long distance call requires a level 4 switch to complete it. To gain access to a level 4 switch, you must dial a prefix before the number. For direct dialling it is a "1." If you try to call a local number and use the "1" you will get a recording telling you that the call can't be completed as dialled (and it is indeed not possible, since you requested a level 4 switch and a level 4 switch will not connect to the same level 5 switch twice). If you want help, or an operator, you can dial a "0" before the number.

"011" is a special prefix... It indicates that you want to access a DSM-500 switch located in either Chicago, New York, or Seattle (*all* international telephone traffic goes through those points, period.).



ANYWAYS, back on track... Long distance is not so free. At the moment I pay 3 UK pence a minute for calls anywhere in North America. I don't make too many long distance calls, but if I did, I can get unlimited North America calling for about 9 UK pounds a month. Or unlimited European calling for 30 UK pounds a month. Etc.




So, come cellphones. Cellphone companies "buy" exchanges. For example, the exchange 519-722-xxxx is owned by Fido, my cellphone company. So if someone in the 519 area makes a local call to me, 519-722-1111, he is not charged. But who pays for the call? I mean, more than one company is involved in terminating the call.

So, you pay it if you own the cellphone. If you make a long distance call to the cellphone, you still pay for receiving the call.

So, airtime was introduced. For a given deal, you would get X minutes of airtime. Local calls made, and all calls received, goes down your airtime. If you make a long distance call from your cellphone, it costs airtime + long distance charges.

For me, I get 1,000 weeknight and weekend minutes and 250 weekday minutes per month for 15 UK pounds. Long distance calls are an extra 5 UK pence a minute. Any minutes over those assigned are charged at 7 UK pence a minute.


Personally I don't have a use for a cellphone other than an emergency tool. I don't make an awful lot of calls, and I certainly don't receive too many calls. I am usually near some kind of phone, and at home I have a toll free number for myself and my parents. That way I, or my dad, or a friend, can call me at anytime, from anywhere in North America from a payphone for free, and I will be charged 5 UK pence a minute. So ya, if I get stranded in Nevada, a cellphone is useful (if there is coverage...), but otherwise there is the toll free number...