Cellular service Alaska style: usage of cell phones is high in Alaska ... and new technology, such as camera phones, is bringing Alaska on par with the rest of the nation.

• Author: Colby, Kent L.

That wireless device known as a cell phone (poking out from the user s pocket or purse, clipped to a belt, or likely held to his or her ear) is changing. And no place are the changes more evident than in Alaska. Cellular service in the state, not even two decades old now, has grown like none other before it: ownership just made a big switch; the phone number you keep will conform; and the technology is fast evolving.

The cell phone, oft described as the Swiss Army knife of information and features, is becoming indispensable and has gained a high level of market acceptance and penetration in Alaska. Costs are lower and usage is higher. Companies want their employees to be reachable at all times. New phones, expanded coverage, lower rates and improved technology all contribute to making the cell phone an essential personal belonging and a tool most businesses cannot do with out. It is not uncommon to have one phone for personal and another for business use.

It's My Number and I Want to Keep It

Hold that phone. The Federal Communications Commission is forcing Local Number Portability. That is, you'll be able to take your telephone number with you if you choose to transfer from one cellular carrier to another. The regulation went into affect back in November. No city in Alaska is in the nation's top 100 Metropolitan Statistical Areas. Thus, providers in state do not have to meet the requirement until May 24 of this year.

Some pundits that monitor the industry proclaim number portability as one of the-if not the-most important issues in the coming year. The ruling means a cellular customer can now safely print a cell phone number on a business card and confidently shop for better rates or service from a competing company. While telephone numbers are a personal thing, the ruling more likely offers the biggest advantage to Alaska corporations. Companies with a lot of cellular numbers now have the leverage of portability in negotiating better deals. "In addition, you will be able to switch from a wire line carrier to a wireless carrier or vise versa," says Mary Ann Pease, vice president of corporate communications for Alaska Communications Systems. Until now, companies with large numbers of cellular phones were essentially held hostage by their cellular provider. Number portability will give businesses and individuals, alike, the power to negotiate the best rate plan for their operation. Not to mention listing cellular phone numbers on company...