| In cars, offices, restaurants, shopping malls and | | | | particularly among teenagers. AT&T Wireless |
| everywhere else in the country, cellular phone | | | | offers many plans that include text messaging, |
| ownership is becoming the rule, not the exception. | | | | often with rates as low as 1 cent per message. |
| Everybody has one, it seems -- and many of | | | | Text messaging is especially useful when you |
| them are using ATT Wireless. | | | | want privacy, or when talking on your ATT |
| ATT Wireless had a steady, successful business | | | | Wireless mobile phone is not feasible. |
| on its own, and then joined with Cingular in 2004 | | | | What if you already have a cell phone through |
| to become even more powerful. Customers with | | | | another provider and want to switch, but don't |
| AT&T Wireless phones found that their plans | | | | want to change your phone number? Luckily, it's |
| got even better: Cingular offers "rollover" minutes, | | | | now possible in most cases to bring your old cell |
| meaning if you don't use all your AT&T | | | | phone number with you when you join ATT |
| Wireless phone minutes one month, they carry | | | | Wireless [ For years, cell phone providers "owned" |
| over into the next month. | | | | certain numbers, but no more. The courts put an |
| Also, when Cingular and AT and T Wireless | | | | end to that practice in 2003, and now customers |
| combined, it combined ATTtheir coverage areas, | | | | can usually switch from one service to another |
| too. Between them, nearly the entire country is | | | | without having to get a new phone number. This |
| covered by Cingular or AT&T Wireless | | | | keeps competition high, because companies no |
| mobile service. (AT&T Wireless plans ought | | | | longer "own" their customers' phone numbers and |
| to be good: The company has been in the | | | | thus could lose them to other providers. |
| telephone business for more than 120 years!) | | | | ATT Wireless and Cingular work hard to ensure |
| What kind of plans does ATT Wireless offer? | | | | their customers' satisfaction so they won't move |
| There are individual plans and family plans, each | | | | to a different company. And when people are fed |
| designed to match your particular AT and T | | | | up with other plans, they can come to |
| Wireless phone needs. One popular option is | | | | AT&T and Cingular to see what they have |
| FamilyTalk, where all the members on the plan | | | | to offer. |
| can talk to each other for free. Say you, your | | | | Don't have a cell phone yet? You're not alone, |
| spouse, and your child all have AT T Wireless | | | | though the number is decreasing. AT&T |
| phones. Now you can call each other as often as | | | | Wireless and Cingular can walk you through the |
| you like without using up your minutes. (And | | | | process if you're unsure what kind of plan and |
| those leftover minutes roll over into the next | | | | phone you need. There's no time like the present |
| month, too!) | | | | to become part of the future! |
| Text messaging has become very common, too, | | | | |