Ameritech, one of the largest providers of local phone service in the Midwest, says it is losing about 30,000 lines a month in Illinois alone, many to customers who switch to wireless phone service or to cable companies which provide alternate telephone services, including high speed Internet service. Ameritech spokesman Mike King attributes the loss of business to strict regulatory laws and the growth of technology. Those companies can invest all their money into providing newer, different services. They have a lot more latitude to businesses and to consumer needs. While cheaper telephone bills and free features like caller ID and call waiting are bringing new customers to wireless providers, cell phones may not be the perfect solution.
People like to talk.
There's a new wireless customer every 2 seconds in the United States, or about 35,000 per day, according to Pemble. Among the newcomers are corporations that are considering wireless service in light of an increasingly global work force. Kubira understands why more companies are going wireless. Ameritech, meanwhile, is scrambling for ways to stop customers from hanging up on local telephone service. The company supports regulatory changes that, among other things, permit it to provide long-distance services.