When did you get your first cell phone?

[csziggy]

29. 2002 I was going in for surgery and knew afterwards I would not be able to get to a phone

Then in 2008 when we moved into our new house there was the problem we get no cell signal in the house. We're over a ridge from the closest cell tower (about 2-3 miles to our southwest) and the nearest cell tower on this side of the ridge is about ten miles away.

Until they developed smart phones that could get calls through WiFi, we were out of luck. When my landline went down one winter I had to spend nearly an hour outside in a drizzle at 37 F just to get a tech scheduled for repair.

It's still a problem. Apparently the CenturyLink support people do not understand rural living and being without a cell signal. Last time (in February) my internet went out, the only way to contact them for repair was to drive somewhere with WiFI (Walmart) and use their Chat function. That's after the tech scheduled for a Saturday claimed he tried to call us (on the cell that we had TOLD them was not working rather than the landline that was) and couldn't reach us or find our location.