Long, long ago, in the days when the Detroit Pistons were winning basketball championships and Michael Jackson was just slightly eccentric, cellular phones were a commodity reserved to business professionals and the rich.
How times have changed.
The Digest.com reports that 54 percent of American households have at least one cell phone, and according to a survey by Arizona State University, 50 percent of college students polled said they own one.
Kris Groninger, the manager of Simply Wireless of Indiana, 3300 N. Everbrook Lane, said many customers are attracted to the security that owning a cell phone gives them.
"If your car breaks down, it's not like you can just hitch a ride like you could in the old days," he said.
The benefit of being able to call for help in an emergency is only one of the reasons more people are buying cell phones. Most wireless service companies are offering plans with free long-distance minutes, which suits college students staying in touch with their families.
"I use it to call home a lot, because it's free," said freshman Allen Wilson.
The Telecommunications Act of 1996, which deregulated much of the communications industry and opened up markets to more competition, led to cheaper rates for wireless service.
Plummeting prices opened the door for more people, including cash-strapped college students, to go cellular.
Freshman Laura Smith said she spends more time on her cell phone than the traditional phone in her residence hall.
"I think I spend 1,500 to 2,000 minutes per month (using a cell phone)," she said.
The Arizona State poll reports that 28.3 percent of the college students responding said cell phones are a necessity for a good social life.
John Benrod, manager of Cellular Connection in Muncie, mentioned that many younger people and single adults nearly abandon their home phones because they spend so much time out of the house, between school, work and social activities.
"It suits a lot of (their) needs," he said.
European countries rely much more heavily on wireless connections than the United States, where traditional, land-line phones still rule the roost (even though nearly one-fifth of American cellular customers say their mobile phone is their primary.
Groninger admits the quality of service is still keeping cellular phones from overtaking their wired counterparts, even though, when long distance calls are factored in, they usually cost less to own.
Of the students surveyed in the Arizona State study who did not own cell phones, most said the cost of a monthly cellular bill was the biggest deterrent.
The threat of health problems associated with cell phone usage also keeps some from going the wireless route, although the FDA has found no solid evidence that radio frequencies emitted by cell phones can lead to cancer or other problems.
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