If you're wary of getting a cellular phone because you're afraid of paying high prices for something you'd use only occasionally, you may be in luck.
GTE Mobilnet, one of the largest cellular phone service providers in Santa Cruz County, announced a new rate plan earlier this month that might give some relief to cellular phone customers tired of having to pay for services they don't use.
Nearly one in 10 Santa Cruz County residents uses a cellular phone these days, according to one local sales manager. This is up fivefold from 1990; and more are private individuals rather than businesses. Growth has been especially strong in the last two years, after the Public Utilities Commission relaxed regulations.
Providers can now offer group rates and discounts for off-peak air time more easily. There's also more competition, driving prices down and making it more of a buyers' market.
GTE introduced a plan Jan. 10 designed to accommodate those buyers. It divides the central coast of California, from Santa Rosa to Santa Barbara, into seven geographic zones. Customers pick one of these as their primary calling area, and calls made or received within the selected zone cost 39¢ a minute. Calls outside the selected zone in California cost 79¢ a minute; and out-of-state calls cost 99¢ a minute. If customers sign up for one year of service, they pay $29.95 a month in service fees plus any per-minute charges. For a two-year contract, the tab drops to $24.95 a month, not counting the $25 initial activation charge.
Santa Cruz is part of the South Bay zone, along with Santa Clara County. Other zones are North Bay, which includes Napa, Sonoma, Solano, and Marin Counties; East Bay, comprising Alameda and Contra Costa Counties; Peninsula, covering San Francisco and San Mateo Counties; Monterey County; San Luis Obispo County; and Santa Barbara, which covers both Santa Barbara and Santa Maria.
"This plan is aimed at cellular users who spend most of their time in one geographic area," said GTE marketing director Mike Cymbrowski. "It's probably best for those who use less than 200 minutes of cellular time a month."
Some cellular phone outlets that administer the new plan have noticed more business headed their way.
"I'd say we've had about 20% more signups just this past week," said Dennis Regan, owner of Pacific Cellular and Fax, located on 41st Avenue in Santa Cruz. Most of these have been at his Santa Cruz store, but he expects the Monterey and Salinas locations to follow suit within the next week or two.
Other vendors haven't seen a difference. "I haven't seen any more business than usual," said Pat Conley, manager of Cellular Fax-Express Rio del Mar Boulevard in Aptos. Although the store's ad in the Yellow Pages indicates that it sets up GTE cellular service, Conley said he hadn't even heard of the plan.
For Santa Cruz cellular customers, the new plan offers an alternative to an existing local plan. Cellular One of Santa Cruz has offered a local discount package since mid-1995. All calls placed or received within Santa Cruz County cost a maximum 36¢ a minute, and can drop to as low as 27¢ a minute with increased usage. Calls outside the county but within the 408, 415, 510, and 707 area codes cost 59¢ a minute, and calls in the rest of California cost 79¢ a minute. Out-of-state calls cost 99¢ a minute. Cellular One issues one-year service contracts with $36.00 monthly fees for this plan; initial activation costs $25.
"Our plan works well for people who spend the bulk of their time in the county," said Cellular One sales manager Bob Fisher. "If you commute over the hill a lot, the GTE plan might be better for you. We're glad they're doing this, because it gives our customers more flexibility in choosing the right cellular service plan."