Mobile Carriers and Phones I Have Used Over The Years

Original image found at Mobile Collectors

Inspired by Dave2 posting his recent mobile carrier switch, I thought I would share my history with cell phones.

March 1992

I had attended the CES show in Las Vegas for the first time in January 1992 and so many people had cell phones. I decided it was time I got one. So I got home and visited the nearest Cellular One store in Provo, UT. The salesperson told me I could borrow the Motorola DynaTAC “brick phone” for a week. Call as much as I wanted to, which at the time it was all on a per-minute billing. I want to say it was 55-cents a minute for all locals calling across the Salt Lake and Utah County areas.

While that phone was tough to carry and could only last about an hour of call time between charges, I was hooked. It was so cool to be anywhere and make a phone call. I ended up buying the Motorola MicroTAC (I had the beige model pictured above). I had a discount on my cell phone calls where each local minute was 25-cents and roaming was capped at $1.25 a minute regardless of what state or area I was in.

November 1997

Ericsson T28

As the years went on and I upgraded my phones – spending at least $1200 for phones like the Motorola StarTAC – which was an analog only voice only phone. I ended up towards the end of 1997 switching to AT&T and getting an Ericsson flip phone. I had that phone for over 5 years until I switched to Sprint. And that was on a per minute plan. I am so happy that plans are all inclusive.

The Sprint Years: 2003-2013

Treo 755p on Sprint
Original image found at PCmag.com

Being with Sprint was a love hate relationship. Their service for the first few years I was with them was great. In April 2006, I got a Treo 600 – my first smartphone. It was a great phone and one that I eventually upgraded to a Treo 755p which I loved and used for a few years. My last phone with Sprint was an iPhone 4S, which I used until I switched back to AT&T after years of declining service and support with Sprint.

And not to mention my bill going up so often. It started out with 5 phones at $155 a month, then to $176 and then to $205. No amount of bitching or complaining would do anything, most often being on hold with their pathetic support on my iPhone 4S in downtown SLC, having my calls drop multiple times a day.

Back To AT&T

iPhone 5S
Original image found at Android Authority
And since September of 2013, I’ve been back with AT&T. I have had 4 phones in the last 10+ years: iPhone 5S, iPhone 6S Plus, iPhone 8 Plus and now an iPhone 13 mini. For the most part, I am happy with AT&T. While my bill is sitting at $226 a month for 5 phones and an iPad with HBO Max included for free and all lines have unlimited data with tethering (which is not unlimited), I rarely have service issues and went many years with no marketing emails and texts (they have since found their way back). I guess you could say I am comfortable with them. I get free roaming in Mexico and International calling is $10 a day and any additional phones on my plan during the same day is $5 a day.

Summary

So unless something drastic happens with their service or my plan, AT&T is where I stay. I occasionally check costs to switch and it’s always more to jump ship. Plus the hassle to replace 5 phones. At some point here soon, I will have 2 phones drop off my plan, which will help reduce the cost (the users of those 2 phones pay me each month) and any hassle should I switch carriers.