A globalized world, but divided in telephony.
In a globalized world connected by the Internet and satellite television, phone companies still find ways to interfere with communicating ease. Exclusive phones and mobile networks, incompatible equipment and varying public infrastructure all pose obstacles in international telephony. This can especially be seen between the U.S. and Europe.
Cell Phones
Cell phones themselves may not differ much between the U.S. and Europe, being made from the same global manufacturers as Samsung, Apple and Nokia. But cell phone networks have differed greatly. As of 2011, though, more integration is seen. For example, European countries use the Global System for Mobiles network which allows for easy international connection among European countries. Some U.S. cell phone companies are now configuring their phones for this network, including T-Mobile and Cingular.
Landline Phones
Landline, or fixed, phones as they're called in Europe, also don't show many differences in themselves between U.S. and European makes. But methods of connecting to local telephone companies do differ. For example, if you brought your wall phone from your kitchen in America and tried to plug it into a telephone jack in Europe, it might not work. You'd need an adapter. Some places, though, are converting to the American format.
Pay Phones
Pay phones may seem to be going the way of the rotary phone, but they're still around, with one major American-European difference. Many European pay phones don't accept coins but only prepaid phone cards that you swipe in the phone booth like a credit card. The disadvantage is that, instead of paying for only one phone call at a time with loose change, you'd have to buy a batch of phone calls at a time by buying the card. One exception is Great Britain, where payphones accept coins and credit cards.
History
The differences between phone service and technology in the U.S. and Europe go back to the beginnings, when telephony was just emerging. According to the book, "America Calling: A Social History of the Telephone to 1940," notes that while American entrepreneurs saw phone service as a marketable consumer service, European administrations viewed the phone as simply a public resource that met a basic need to connect. Further, while more individual families in America had private phones to stay connected in rural areas, Europeans at this time relied on banks of phones strategically placed in closer-knit communities. In the 21st century, though, the cell phone has brought more similarities than differences in phone use among Americans and Europeans.
Tags: cell phone, accept coins, between Europe, European countries, globalized world, phone companies, phone service
