Some people will look at all of my telephone options, and think I might be spending too much money on phone services. However, let’s first look at the US national average phone bill which is $65. This is to assume unlimited voice, SMS, and data. Choosing one of the big 3 carriers is a bit more expensive. All together, I am paying about $70/month for everything which is a little more than the national average, and I get so much more. So, here is how it goes:
- Mint Mobile: $180/year for 5GB of data per month
- T-Mobile: $15/month for 1000 minutes, 1000SMS, and 1GB of data
- Pagers Direct: $335/2 years (About $13/month)
- Life Wireless: $0 for 500 minutes, unlimited SMS, 25MMS, and 1GB of data.
- Callcentric: $18 for unlimited incoming calls
- Faxage: $5/month + 5¢ per minute
- LocalPhone: $1/month
Mint Mobile is my primary telephone line. When I make a call, I will use this line. Most of my incoming calls ring this line, and it is the number I provide in my [Cellular] page. With that being said, it is the most important telephone number. While I pay $180 per year for service, this does not include the taxes which last time was $23 in addition to the $180.
Next, the T-Mobile number is a telephone number I had since 2005 when I had service with a company called Grand Central. Eventually, Google bought them, and that because Google Voice. Then a few years ago, Google Voice completely screwed up their service which forced me to move the number to a voicemail system. Eventually, I moved the number to T-Mobile’s Connect plan which is how it is so cheap – but with limited functioning. This number is SIM 2 of my iPhone 14 Pro Max, so I am not using a second phone to carry my 2 main numbers. There are still people that would call my current T-Mobile number.
Pagers Direct is as the name implies – is a pager number. This may sound counter-intuitive, and backwards, but this number is provided to very important people that keeps in regular contact with me. If I should be in a lot of pain, I will set my phone to not ring, with the exception of the pager app installed on my phone. In the event of an emergency, the person call the pager number, and follow the instructions. Once I receive the page, I will return the call.
Life Wireless is a lifeline provider. In my case, they provide 500 minutes, unlimited SMS, 25MMS (picture messaging), and 1GB of data. This is cutting it very close to the resources I currently use. In addition, Life Wireless does not support eSIM, so there would be no way I could move this number to my primary phone. With that in mind, this number is the main number for a Pixel 7a which supports 1 nano-SIM (used), and 1 eSIM (available). I would rarely need to make calls, and even with this number currently provided (as of 2023-11-19) on my site, I don’t receive calls. The 7a is turned off at 5PM, and turned on at 9AM.
The Callcentric numbers are my international and voicemail number. The voicemail number is as the name implies for voicemail. This number is provided on my domain registry contact information, and if anyone needs to reach me regarding my domains, they can leave a message. However, most of the time, I would get calls about web design services, or SEO optimization – neither of which I requested. These unethical businesses will not leave a voicemail, so there is no issue there. The Australian, Canadian, and UK numbers all ring a SIP client on my 7a, and is likely used by personal people.
Faxage is as the name implies intended for faxes. This is an eFax service. A fax will be sent to my number. A server will collect the fax, and convert it into a .pdf file. The file is. then attached to an email, and emailed to me. Since I never receive any faxes, this $5/month with no included minutes/pages is the best option for me.
LocalPhone holds my US International number. This is because LocalPhone is the cheapest for the role this number services. All other numbers are through Callcentric.