End of the traditional (POTS) phone system ?

[Redneck in training]

I used to work for a telco in Europe about 9 years. We had 60V battery for the switch that could supply about 300A for about 3-4 hours before the voltage dropped to 58V. If the expected outage was longer that few hours we started a diesel generator (I think it was bigger than 100 kW).
Now we live about 12 miles from closest small town in rural Iowa. Our mobile used to ring but to be able to talk we had to leave the house and talk outside. Since there is weak cell signal available I purchased Wilson repeater with Yagi antenna and now we have full signal anywhere in the house. Since our mobile work inside now we dropped our land line. We were keeping it just for the case the DSL would be available in our area but since I think it will not happen we dropped it. I need to make sure that 911 has correct address in their database.
We have Hughes network satellite for internet. It used to really suck but they apparently launched new satellite, replaced our dish antenna and modem and it works reasonably good. But it is expensive at 120/month for 10 gigs day/10 gigs night data.
Speaking about smart phones: I think they are useless. Battery lasts about a day, there are many features that I will never use etc. ( I have a Blackberry paid by my employer) When I go for work to foreign country I buy local phone for about $20 plus prepaid SIM for another $20. The battery last two weeks between charges with about 8 hours of talk time. I usually buy phone with dual SIM ports so I can put in both my BB and local SIM and have both connection available.

 

[charlz]

Was thinking about starting a thread on this topic because here in Michigan the worthless, pandering Legislature has passed a bill that will enable providers to begin phasing out landlines in 2017. I pay an obscene $83 a month for a landline and so called "high speed internet" (1.52 mbps download max) AND I DON'T EVEN MAKE VOICE CALLS ON THE LANDLINE (hearing loss). So, I am basically paying ONLY for Internet access and because the provider (Frontier) blatantly lied to me, I got suckered into a two year contract.

What I want to understand is just how I am supposed to get internet access here when and if my landline is taken out...although I have an Android cell that I use for texting, most days I am lucky to get 1 1/2 bars of service which is almost worthless.

I am rural enough that I can't get cable or DSL so I have fixed wireless through a company called Digis. Looking at their website they are part of JAB group of companies which provide similar service in various states. Doesn't look like they cover your state (Coverage Area | Jab Broadband) but maybe there is a local company with similar technology, take a look in the phone book.

 

[3930dave]

I used to work for a telco in Europe about 9 years. We had 60V battery for the switch that could supply about 300A for about 3-4 hours before the voltage dropped to 58V. If the expected outage was longer that few hours we started a diesel generator (I think it was bigger than 100 kW).
Now we live about 12 miles from closest small town in rural Iowa. Our mobile used to ring but to be able to talk we had to leave the house and talk outside. Since there is weak cell signal available I purchased Wilson repeater with Yagi antenna and now we have full signal anywhere in the house. Since our mobile work inside now we dropped our land line. We were keeping it just for the case the DSL would be available in our area but since I think it will not happen we dropped it. I need to make sure that 911 has correct address in their database.
We have Hughes network satellite for internet. It used to really suck but they apparently launched new satellite, replaced our dish antenna and modem and it works reasonably good. But it is expensive at 120/month for 10 gigs day/10 gigs night data.
Speaking about smart phones: I think they are useless. Battery lasts about a day, there are many features that I will never use etc. ( I have a Blackberry paid by my employer) When I go for work to foreign country I buy local phone for about $20 plus prepaid SIM for another $20. The battery last two weeks between charges with about 8 hours of talk time. I usually buy phone with dual SIM ports so I can put in both my BB and local SIM and have both connection available.

Excellent points about smartphones Ladia. For a "communication" tool, the battery life is a joke - many people don't think about this until a major disaster strikes, additional fuel is then days or longer away.... do you really want to waste the precious gas sitting in your vehicle charging voracious phones ? DIY'ers and preppers will usually have charge options lined up ahead of time; the average consumer, not so much.

At 2 weeks (what I used to easily get out of my 2 older Nokias. One was comfortably more than that, with the optional factory batt pack), battery charge life becomes useful to me.

Only went away from those Nokias because I was changing carriers after many years - the semi-smart phone I have now was selected in part for it's runtime - call it 4 or 5 days with my use pattern. Not what I consider great, but gets me away from having a mostly tethered smartphone everyday.

Motorola had a basic phone a few years back. Traditional solid Mot design, with killer battery life. It was designed for 3rd World markets - a customer will pick battery life over everything else, if he has to spend hours on a bicycle generator stand pedalling to recharge his phone ! I'd buy that model in a heartbeat, if I could get one activated locally. I'd probably get 2+ months on a charge, with that phone.

Rgds, D.