THE STEREOTYPE of the mobile phone user as a business executive in a flash suit and a big red car is undergoing a rapid transition. Tradesmen, farmers and doctors are just some of those who are now to be found with the proverbial plastic oblong stuck to their ear.
"There are 140,000 mobile phone users in Ireland now, and we estimate that by the year 2,000, that number will have increased to half a million," says Jonathan Stanley, joint managing director of Let's Talk Phones. He and his partner, Greg Leniston, opened their new chain of shops only a month ago, but already they say they have brought the price of mobile phones down by hall, which will, they claim, mean that more and more people will be buying mobiles
"So far, Eircell has been subsidising the phones, and we have been passing on more of the subsidy than other outlets," claims Greg Leniston.
Top of the range mobiles from Let's Talk Phones cost £250, but there are also models available for less than £100. Leniston reckons that with ESAT Digifone having won the second mobile phone licence, prices will continue to fall, particularly the cost of calls. "According to Denis O'Brien, of ESAT, the cost of calls could go down by 25 per cent in the first three years after Digifone gets up and running," says Leniston.
So what does it cost to have a mobile phone, after you have purchased your hand set? "Eircell offers a £60 connection fee and a monthly rental of £18," says Leniston. "Calls cost 30p per minute at peak times, and 21p during off peak times." He is quoting prices for a GSM mobile phone, which is a new model with a worldwide network and confidentiality guaranteed. Analogue mobile phones the original mobile phones do not have these advantages (the fact that calls can be screened on Analogue mobiles gave rise to the respective Charles and Diana phone scandals).
The GSM network, because it is still being developed, is less comprehensive on a nationwide basis than the Analogue network, although this will change in the next year. Running costs for an Analogue phone are only slightly different than for a GSM mod the rental is more expensive, but the connection fee is lower, as are some of the prices of individual calls.
With the proliferation of mobile phones, the importance of "mobile phone etiquette" has to be stressed, says Greg Leniston "You shouldn't have your mobile switched on when you are in a restaurant, or in church. It is also a bit impolite to be constantly using your mobile when you are meeting with people face to face."
He adds that, for obvious safety reasons, people who do not have hands free models in their cars should pull over when they are using their phones.
With the new compact, handbag friendly sized mobile phones women are proving to be more avid customers, according to Leniston, but the typical buyer of a mobile phone is still predominantly male.
Peter Tobin, airport employee
PETER TOBIN is manager of operations with Aer Rianta at Dublin Airport, which he describes as a roving commission "At any time during my working day I could be in the boarding area, on the airfield, or in the fire station. I'm always out and about. But because aviation is a do it now rather than later, time critical kind of thing, I need to keep in touch with people who are looking for decisions right away. The mobile gives me the flexibility to do that." He uses a hands free mobile in his car, thus extending his working day without actually spending more time at the airport.
The mobile comes into its own in freezing winter conditions "On the odd occasion when there is snow, we have to bring in snow ploughs and snow blowers to clear the runway with military style precision. I have to coordinate closely with the airside manager and with the airlines, who need to know the status of the runway. I can do all this on the mobile."
He rarely diverts calls, which makes for embarrassment sometimes if the phone goes off in the middle of an important meeting. "It seems to ring very loud when you're trying to get out of the room to answer the call."
Philip Doyle, electrician
PHILIP DOYLE, of Philip Doyle Electrical Contractors in Blackrock, Co Dublin, has had his mobile phone for five years "I couldn't live without it now. In the year after I got it, my business tripled. People want an answer from an electrician right away. With the mobile, I'm able to give it to them."
The one drawback about his accessibility is that clients can sometimes pester him with phone calls just when he is in the middle of a job which has to be finished urgently. There is also the problem that, when he takes a call on the road, his Analogue phone can sometimes crackle and the line get cut off "The Analogue network gets over loaded if there are too many people using it at the same time in the same place," he says. "There are certain areas which arc black spots for this problem, like Dun Laoghaire main street."
Vincent Hughes, grain farmer
VINCENT HUGHES, a grain farmer who lives near Bagnelstown in Co Carlow, has had a mobile phone for two years "I run an agricultural contracting business, so I have to be available to customers. With the mobile, people can find me any time if they need me to do work. They don't have to wait until I'm at home for lunch or in the evenings."
As we speak (he on his mobile, of course), he is sitting in a lorry with a load of sugar beet for a queue outside the Carlow factory "I have to get this load of sugar beet washed out of the lorry, but the wash out machine at the factory is broken. I thought I'd be home by 5.30 p.m. to see my wife's brother before he goes off to America, but I'm going to be delayed. With the mobile I can at, least phone home and let them know.
He also finds the mobile phone useful when it comes to ordering supplies "At certain times of the year we might be leaving the yard as early as 7 am but most businesses don't open until % a.m. With the mobile I can make calls while I'm on the move." He and his brother (who works with him) both have mobiles, but he doesn't know of any other farmers in his area who have them yet "The price is coming down all the time, so I'd say they'll be getting more popular. But cost wise it has not been expensive for me in relation to the business it provides."
Ronan O Kelly, TV presenter
RONAN O'KELLY is a presenter on RTE's TV fashion programme, Head to Toe and also a presenter on FM 104's Friday night Planet X programme. He used to sneer at people with mobile phones but finally succumbed last September and bought one "I'm never around, I'm always on location. With the mobile, people can contact me wherever I am." For Planet X he uses his mobile phone to do live reports from various night spots around Dublin.
He is careful not to let the mobile intrude upon his social life I prefer not to use it in pubs and cafes where I'm meeting friends. Mobiles can be very obtrusive in company." He also finds the cost of making calls prohibitive "The prices for making calls are ridiculous. I'd make more calls if they were cheaper. I have the phone mainly so that other people can ring me."
He uses an Analogue phone "I'm not pushed about privacy, so I don't care if anyone scans my calls. There's very little I'd want to hide. I'm not that interesting."
Stephen Quinn, supermarket employee
STEPHEN QUINN, son of Feargal Quinn, who works as the fruit and vegetable specialist for Superquinn, is another mobile phone devotee. He is on the road most of the time, and uses a hands free model in his car. He is in constant communication with the fruit and vegetable managers in the individual Superquinn stores, keeping them abreast of prices and making sure they have enough of the products they need.
Many of his growers also have mobiles "When John Keogh, our cabbage grower, is out picking in the field in the early morning, I ring him and tell him just how many cabbages we need. He could be two miles from the nearest phone it saves a lot of time if he uses a mobile."
Dr Harry Finnegan, doctor
PRIVACY and confidentiality are of major importance, however, for the many doctors who rely on mobile phones to keep in touch with their patients. Dr Henry Finnegan, president of the Irish Medical Organisation as well as a GP in Ballinasloe, Co Galway, says that Analogue mobiles are of no use to doctors because they do not protect the confidentiality of patients. He uses a GSM mobile so that his calls cannot be scanned, but points out that the GSM network is still not universal, and there are areas of idea of Dublin which are still not covered "Doctors should find out whether their practice is in an area that is part of the GSM network before they go for a mobile phone", he advises.
He finds that the major advantage of his mobile is that he can be contacted at all times, even while he is driving from Ballinasloe to Dublin or vice versa. He no longer has to rely on a member of his family 19 be by the phone at home to answer phone calls. When he is out on call, he can find out before returning home whether any other patient in the same area is looking for him "In the past I might be out in a rural area on a call. I'd get home to find that someone else from the area I had just visited wanted me to call and I'd have to retrace my steps, maybe 15 miles. The mobile can save a lot of time that way."
Avril Carville, hotel receptionist
AVRIL CARVILLE (20) from Mount Merrion, Co Dublin, was pleased with her Christmas present of a mobile phone from her boyfriend, a Guy Fagan. She says "I work as a hotel receptionist, so I don't need the mobile for work. I'll be using it for social calls in the evenings and at weekends. I spend a lot of time on the phone. She is also appreciative of the come in handy if she breaks down or finds that she is running late "I feel safer having it.
Avril's friends, not to mention her mother, are apparently always complaining that she is difficult to contact, but this will now be a thing of the past. Does that mean she will never be off the phone? "There is an off button," she replies. Guy adds "I will make sure she isn't sitting up at the bar talking into her phone all the time. There's nothing worse than seeing a stable of phones up at the bar." Avril concludes "I just don't want to miss out on anything."
