Stay Connected on the Road

When cell phones first became commonplace, in the late 1990s, coverage was pretty much confined to a proscribed service area, with “confined” being the key word in this sentence. People in Phoenix were lucky if they could get a hold of someone in Tucson, and so long-distance calls were still largely the domain of the telephone companies. We all remember the “10-10-220″ commercials, selling long-distance calls for so many cents by the minute, but we sure don’t miss them.

Expanded Coverage

Sprint was one of the first big companies to patch together a nationwide network, and with long-distance minutes being indistinguishable from local minutes on cell phones, it spelled the end for companies like Excel, which made their daily bread in the land-locked, long-distance trade. By the time smart phones came around, it was a rarity to find service providers that didn’t offer nationwide coverage.

Bringing People Together

This allowed college students to take their contract phones off to school with them, or for sales professionals to be able to stay in contact with their employers no matter where they were. Even in today’s global business environment, where company representatives may be sent overseas, simply replacing the SIM card in one’s mobile phone can provide continuity in communications that was unimagined just a few years ago.

Staying connected on the road is the way in which truckers can remain in touch with their families at any hour of the day or night. Cell phones bring people together, and they help save lives. Modern mobile technology allows wedding plans to be coordinated across continental divides. It provides peace of mind to those undertaking long-distance trips. Throw in GPS technology, traffic alerts and weather apps, and the prospects of travel become far less daunting than ever before.