No cellphones – a burden or a blessing?

December 2, 2010 - 10:05 AM by David

Yesterday will always be remembered in Israel as day of the great cellphone collapse. Millions of Cellcom mobile phone users around the country were unable to make calls or send and receive text messages on Wednesday after a malfunction occurred in Cellcom’s core network.

This was the worst technical problem since the founding of the company, Cellcom CEO Amos Shapira told reporters at an evening press conference in Tel Aviv, attempting to calm the ruffled nerves of the nation.

Though service was available in some parts of the country, it is estimated that about half of a total of 3.3 million Cellcom customers were unable to use their phones. The malfunction began at roughly 10 a.m., and service was only restored to most customers late Wednesday evening.

It was only mid-afternoon that I realized that my cellphone had been exceptionally quiet for a few hours. After checking out the news on the radio, I understood why.

The lack of cellphone use threw the country into a tizzy, and for some users, it was like their right hand had ceased to function.

Cellcom staffers were inundated at service centers throughout the center of the country, where most of the service was disrupted, by irate customers demanding their cellphones be restored to use, damn the reasons.

Certainly, in today’s information society, mobile phones are vital for many people – and in some instances are linked to life-saving security and medical services. However, for the vast majority of Cellcom subscribers, their cellphone is just a convenience, albeit a convenience that has evolved into a necessity.

As inconvenient as it may have been for many Cellcom customers Wednesday – trying to get in touch with their children, or their clients, or their doctor – there was also something quite liberating taking place. Like throwing our yokes off, we were temporarily unburdened by the ubiquitous little mobile device in our breast pocket.

Maybe some people took advantage of the communication lapse to catch up on work piled up at their office, pick up that unopened book on the counter, or remember to take care of more personal communication with family members.

The Cellcom fiasco had its silver lining – it reminded us that our lives are more than our mobile devices. I can’t wait to call people to tell them.

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