Cell phone carriers can now phase out their analog service

The abandonment of analog TV for all-digital broadcasts that will come next year has gained much attention, while something similar happening now has kept a lower profile. Cell phone carriers can now phase out their analog service, freeing up spectrum for digital communications. Unlike broadcast TV, where the vast majority of sets in use were built for analog service, embracing all-digital service isn't a big deal for cell phones because nearly all wireless customers have had digital handsets for years.

An order adopted five years ago by the Federal Communications Commission allows carriers to phase out their analog service as of Monday. AT&T Mobile and Verizon Wireless are doing that. The other national carriers, Sprint/Nextel and T-Mobile, never offered analog service. Smaller carriers also might phase out analog, although they don't have to. A few folks who held onto their big, old analog phones for a decade or more will just have to get used to a new, sleeker digital model, but their numbers aren't great. But for some niche applications, such as the wireless home-security business, the end of analog transmissions is a big event.