My giant, old Motorola brick phone still works! Why?

[astro]

I found my first cellular phone, a giant Motorola “brick” handheld phone just like this one, in the attic the other day, and plugged it in just for laughs. To my astonishment it receives some sort of “Your phone is not registered on the network” message from Verizon. As far as I know you can’t even buy an analog service phone anymore. Why are they still interfacing with it? Could i get this monster put back in service?

[pool]

I’m pretty sure what kind of phone yo mean, but your link does not work.

[InternetLegend]

Try this link (the other one had an extra “http//” in it).

I know that I sometimes get only an analogue signal on my modern cellphone, so maybe that’s what you’re picking up with the relic. After looking through the Verizon site, I found this FAQ:

Can I use an existing phone with Verizon Wireless service?

We can activate your existing phone provided it is compatible with our CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) digital network.

Although a wireless phone may be compatible with our network, we cannot guarantee the equipment’s performance nor can we honor the manufacturer’s warranty on wireless phones not purchased through Verizon Wireless or its authorized agents.

This suggests that they won’t let you use any phone that’s not digital-capable. Perhaps a few years ago, you could have used it.

When I searched for more information about analog service, I found this interview with a Verizon tech, who said:

Verizon is also slowly phasing out analog service in favor of digital, as analog is expensive to maintain and digital is much more reliable. Also, people speculate that digital is safer anyway, as the higher wattage in the analog phones are thought to be bad for the head.

This may be why they’re requiring digital equipment now.

[GorillaMan]

There’s also a fairly obvious reason that any big company would want to phase out any analogue that still exists - it’s inherently insecure (remember the grotesque Prince Charles transcipts?)