I dislike mobile phones intensely, but will admit that sometimes they are very practical - Eg - calling taxi after night out, calling for pizza from pub/sofa or calling up emergancy services when you're stuck some where and need rescuing from imminent death. So what I propose is a phone with no number. This gives you all the convinience of being able to ring out, with none of the irritation of paying money so that people and telesales companies can bother you. I know you could just not give your number or keep your phone turned off, but I have issues with both these solutions which I'm too hungry to discuss right now (damn that croissant picture) but will outline at some later time or if any one presses the point.
-- Zircon, Jan 28 2002

baked... http://www.usatoday...sposable-phones.htm
...by two different companies.
these phones can make outgoing calls only. [mihali, Jan 28 2002]

Guardian Wireless phone http://www.800webma...dian%20Cell%20Phone
911 and 611 dial-out only. [dana_renay, Jan 29 2002]

Single Use Emergency Only Cellphone Single_20Use_20Emergency_20Cellphone
More specialised version of [Zircon]'s idea. (Shameless self promotion, too) [kmlabs, Jan 17 2005]

There'd be more room in the phoneset for electronics!
-- reensure, Jan 28 2002


Wouldnt this be open to abuse - i.e. prank/offensive calls that were untraceable?
-- La-La, Jan 28 2002


What's the issue with keeping your phone turned off?

Aren't phone numbers used to route the call stream and bill you? I don't think you can receive audio without having a number associated with you in some way.
-- jutta, Jan 28 2002


I'm with jutta. This is baked if you consider turning off the ringer to your phone. It's almost philosophical: Does a phone really have a number if you can't hear it ring?
-- seal, Jan 28 2002


RT: In my country anyway, airtime is chargeable for incoming calls too. But I do not think 'refused calls' attract any tariff.
-- neelandan, Jan 28 2002


Making a phone numberless really refers to not sharing your phone number with anyone else. This can be done quite simple. Using the menu-options on your phone you can block your number form being shown. Every handset has its own naming conventions. Officially know as "CLIR" Calling Line Identification Restriction. This means who wever you will call, they will not see your number.

So work through the manual of your phone and you can have a numberless phone Today!
-- spekkie, Jan 28 2002


First of all [La-La] prior to incoming caller recognition on landline net works there were prank and nusence callers. And these people were caught. I take your point that it would be open to abuse, but if your out going signal had some kind of carrier identification code which law enforcement/phone companies could identify your phone with in case of reported misuse then the problem could be rectified. It could even lead to such calls being treated more seriously - as in order to stop them people would have to report them.

[jutta] current technological reasons i.e. no audio without number would have to be addressed, can't imagine it'd be too difficult. Maybe a whole new network is required.

[seal] if its not possible at the moment due to call stream and billing, surely that shows that its halfbaked

If I turn my phone off the likely hood is that there will be some kind of answering system that will allow people to leave messages for me. Okay I could disable this but people not being able to phone me in the first place would save them time listening to 'this phone is switched off' messages

[Rods Tiger] Whatever happens I'm gonna have to pay for a mobile. Theres no such thing as a free one. if one of its applications is people ringing in then I am paying for this 'privalage'

[spekkie] sure I can fiddle with the tech bits of my handset to stop it sending out my number to those that I call, but what happens (heaven forbid) should someone ask me my number face to face? ( you remember; the old-fasioned way of communication* ) If they're a buddy or aquaintance; then I'll have to explain (and risk offending them) that I don't like people knowing my number - with a numberless phone the answer is - "I don't have a number" which makes it clear that its not personal

* the irony of being sarcastic about face to face communications whilst typing messages over the 'net to a bunch of people I'll probably never see, is most definatly NOT lost on me.
-- Zircon, Jan 28 2002


[mihali] I like the disposable phone bit. I might consider using one. It would be my first cell phone. cheers.

This doesn't *quite* render my idea baked ;-) as I would prefer a permanent, durable unit with the numberless feature. One of my main uses would be outdoorsports i.e. hillwalking etc. It would be good if the device could incorporate a whole buch of other gizmos too.
-- Zircon, Jan 29 2002


I just saw a tv advert yesterday for a mobile phone that pretty much covers this. It allows you to dial 911 and *611 (which here, at least, is the number to reach the operator) so you can make a call by credit card. There is no monthly service fee; just the purchase of the phone. There is no inbound number to the phone.
-- dana_renay, Jan 29 2002


So, it seems to be baked then, if [dana_renay] can come up with a link.
-- angel, Jan 29 2002


As if by magic, there it is.
-- angel, Jan 29 2002


ta-da!
-- dana_renay, Jan 29 2002


But can this device call up the pizza place? or the indian?, and what about calling in to work sick, whilst on route to, say, Alton Towers?

All I want is a mobile phone normal in all respects apart from it has no number.
-- Zircon, Jan 30 2002


One ofthe refugees from the wreckage of 911 seems to be playing my uni some time soon in all his androgenous glory. Its all a bit much for me...I think I'll go hide til some people with actual musical instruments (preferably loud ones) come along
-- Zircon, Jan 30 2002


oooo!ooo! 911 have a greatest hits album quick everyone...to the shops!
-- Zircon, Jan 30 2002


The phrase 'the wreckage of 911' tends to have other connotations now, which might explain why you don't hear much of them. (I'd never heard of them in the first place, but that's just me.)
-- angel, Jan 30 2002


Woah

Good point.

No Bad taste intended.
-- Zircon, Jan 30 2002


If you don't want people to call you, block your number on outgoing calls, and don't give it out to anyone. Ever.

Seems quite simple to me.
-- waugsqueke, Jan 30 2002


[waugsqueke] Ah yes, but we'd have to live in some utopian society where will power is infinate, plus see my comments abot the danger of offending people by refusing to give out your number.
-- Zircon, Feb 01 2002


Isnt it just landline numbers that telesales people call as there are no listings for mobile numbers as yet?

Mobile phones are the death of many a phone box.
-- LardyBloke, Feb 01 2002


[LardyBloke] I didn't thinks so my self but then.....

I was just listening to a consumer advice program on the radio the other day, they reported the sorry tale of some hapless teenager who fell foul of power selling over the cellphone after his parents gave him a mobile. He signed up for a load of extra ring tones 'n' stuff and even gave out his bank details. It was a cold call appparently.
-- Zircon, Feb 02 2002


I'm pushing the bounds of my knowledge of mobile networks here, but I think that it is possible to have a phone with no dialable* inbound number without changing much. For security reasons, mobile units have unique ID codes which are much longer than just the 10 digits (or however many your local dialing plan requires) people use to call you. The wireless provider has to maintain a database of these ID codes and the numbers that map to them so that inbound calls can be terminated. Billing reports are generated by querying the database with the ID code to get the correct billing number. There's no reason why that database couln't contain a null value for inbound phone number. The wireless provider would just have to maintain account numbers for billing purposes separately from inbound phone numbers.

*Emergency services could still have a back door to get the ID code for your phone and ring you if the need arose, but that would require special intervention on the part of the wireless provider and would bypass the regular dialing plan completely.

This technique would completely defeat cold calls from serial dialers, as no combination of digits could possibly map to your phone. Caller ID would simply show a null (or possibly all-zeros) value when you dial out.
-- BigBrother, Feb 19 2002


I voted for bcs it is FUNNY!
-- mobdir, May 06 2007


I'm with the others who are suggesting you just use a blocked number and not give it out to anyone.

If you are worried about offending them, just say it's for outgoing calls only, which is the truth.
-- Night, May 07 2007


I think its funny in your description about being hungry and noting the Croissant picture..Hilarious! Good idea btw..Croissant from me
-- quantass, Nov 30 2007



random, halfbakery