# Why are cell phones so expensive? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 9, 2005, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-cell-phones-so-expensive/325400 "2005-10-09T14:26:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2005, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-cell-phones-so-expensive/325400/21 "2005-10-11T19:14:23Z")
> [@lawoot](#): > > I’d buy one. All I want is a box that takes phone calls. I don’t NEED my phone to play games, tell me where I’m standing, remember phone numbers and so on. I can do those things by myself, thank you. Seriously, you can remember all those phone numbers? I must have 40 in mine. Do you carry an address/phone book, too? ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2005, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-cell-phones-so-expensive/325400/22 "2005-10-11T19:16:02Z")
> [@SmartAleq](#): > > Well, [here’s](http://www.phonescoop.com/articles/recycling/index.php?p=tr) an article which points out at least one reason cell phones shouldn’t be cheap: > > Well, here’s an article which points out at least one reason cell phones shouldn’t be cheap: > "There is an even deadlier reason why it is critical that old phones don’t get tossed away- people are literally dying for them. The legacy of “blood diamonds” is well known, however the fact that a similar arrangement exists to mine coltan (Columbium Tantalum) is lesser known. Tantalum is a superconductor, " Well, that article was written by a scientific illiterate, so I’m not sure how much credit I want to give to him from a political awareness viewpoint. While tantalum will become a superconductor if you lower the temperature to some ridiculously low level, the feature that makes it desirable for capacitors is [its ability to form a thin oxide layer.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tantalum). And tantalum capacitors have been around long before cell phones, so I’m not sure why this writer is picking on cell phones in particular, and not DVD players or computers. ---
**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2005, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-cell-phones-so-expensive/325400/23 "2005-10-11T19:17:29Z")
> [@aeropl](#): > > The good news: Companies are competing to produce really cheap phones. Motorola designed one to cost less than $40. > The bad news: They are only being sold in third world countries. Plus, there’s the recent problem in America of needing a gps function to activate a phone. The Verizon Wireless store refused to activate my old second-hand phone because of the new FCC requirements. Apparently that phone is now junk, because it’s illegal to activate it. ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2005, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-cell-phones-so-expensive/325400/24 "2005-10-11T19:58:44Z")
> [@Eleusis](#): > > [Used Motoral StarTac, $14.95. He wants a used StarTac, I’ll _give_ him mine. With a car charger, wall outlet charger, leather clamshell and two good batteries. Works on the Sprint PCS network. ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2005, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-cell-phones-so-expensive/325400/25 "2005-10-11T20:16:32Z")
> [@Cardinal](#): > > Plus, there’s the recent problem in America of needing a gps function to activate a phone. The Verizon Wireless store refused to activate my old second-hand phone because of the new FCC requirements. Apparently that phone is now junk, because it’s illegal to activate it. I’ve got to believe that is a load of BS designed to intimidate you into buying a new phone. I am in the position where I am able to get my hands on the upcoming phones that will be sold by a different major US carrier and I can say that all of the phones I’ve seen for late this year/early next year release were without GPS functionality. ---
**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2005, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-cell-phones-so-expensive/325400/26 "2005-10-12T04:16:13Z")
> [@Pork Rind](#): > > I’ve got to believe that is a load of BS designed to intimidate you into buying a new phone. I am in the position where I am able to get my hands on the upcoming phones that will be sold by a different major US carrier and I can say that all of the phones I’ve seen for late this year/early next year release were without GPS functionality. This wasn’t gps that would tell you where you were, it was supposedly for 911 calls. Has anyone else heard about this? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-cell-phones-so-expensive/325400.md?page=1)