End Of Land Lines in College Dorms is Fast Approaching

[Mike Temporale]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6955990/' target='_blank'>http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6955990/</a><br /><br /></div><i>"Freshman Max Bender uses the phone plugged into the wall of his American University dorm room so rarely that he forgot it was there. "Hey," he said the other day when he walked in and saw it on top of the microwave. "We do have a land line." Starting next fall, AU students conditioned to cell phones will find few of those wired artifacts as the school all but eliminates traditional phone service in its residence halls."</i><br /><br />This news might not matter to many of us, however it does show how much the cellphone has changed things. When I went to university we had party lines, and it was shared between 6 or so people, and no one had a cellphone. :(

[kagayaki1]

As someone who just recently graduated from college, I can tell you the landline is not entirely dead. Why? Many college dorms have commercial grade construction, with metal framing and extra thick concrete floors. In the four dorms I lived it, this tended to create interference with the signal, especially for GSM-based phones.

I could go down to the end of the hall and make a call, but when it came to getting a job, I couldn't afford to have bad reception. I used a calling card with the landline religiously.

Also, most campuses have a fairly robust PBX system for intracampus communication, and I don't think cell phones are going to displace that. It's possible the handsets will stay just for that alone (but maybe without outside dialing access.)

[drummrsanonymous]

Marshall University has actually gone a step further and replaced land-lines in 8 of the 10 dorms with cell phones. The two excluded dorms are 15-story towers, so I highly expect it's interference (more importanly the expense to overcome it) keeping those two locked to land lines. It's actually a pretty good deal for students: no extra charge on room and board, unlimited local and long distance, and it's portable. :)

If only I could take the SIM card from the school phone and use it in my smartphone. :? Now I end up with 2 cell phones

Since more and more students are getting cell phones before heading off to college, so this may become a more popular route.

[Mike Temporale]

It's actually a pretty good deal for students: no extra charge on room and board, unlimited local and long distance, and it's portable. :)

Wait, they provide you with a phone and it's paid for?! Wow... The silly party line I had in University, I had to pay for! That's great.

If only I could take the SIM card from the school phone and use it in my smartphone. :? Now I end up with 2 cell phones.

So the phone they provide you with isn't GSM? I guess that's ro prevent you from passing the SIM card around to everyone out there. :?

[Jerry Raia]

Things sure have changed. When I was in college all I knew was who had a keg in their room. :drinking:

[SnozBerries]

Yeah, it’s amazing how times have changed. I graduated 6 years ago, and at that time, not many people had cell phones in college. VoIP will probably be the final straw for traditional phones on college campuses since every college has a high speed internet connection.

[kagayaki1]

Yeah, it’s amazing how times have changed. I graduated 6 years ago, and at that time, not many people had cell phones in college. VoIP will probably be the final straw for traditional phones on college campuses since every college has a high speed internet connection.

Well said, I agree completely. And with the way tuition is increasing lately (demand is everything), they should be able to cover the costs of rolling this out.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4499641

Maybe there's some correlation here...campus phone technology:tuition increase rate. Hmm...

[BR]

Cool, I wish I had a paid cell phone in college provided my school. But I dont know one of my friends who has a land line. I am a recent college grad and everyone I know is using cell phones. Unfortunately, my roomates and I had to get a landline because our cell phones do not work in our apartment but beside us we are the only ones. When I tell people to call my landline they laugh and say "Who has a land line anymore? You are the only person I know with one"