In 2008 carriers are to begin turning off the United States’ oldest cellular network, in a move that will force customers update to new digital service plans and devices.

So, starting with February 19, 2008, cell phone carries, including AT&T, Alltel and Verizon Wireless, will be turning off their analog networks. Other main cell phone carriers, such as Sprint Nextel and T-Mobile USA, do not have analog networks and thus, their costumers won’t be affected by this move.

However, AT&T, Alltel and Verizon Wireless have been telling their analog users about the shutdown for some time now and have offered them new digital service plans and phones.

But who will be in fact affected by this process?

There are three main categories of devices that are to be affected by the shutdown: cells phones, cars equipped with older communication systems and home alarm systems. So, if you have a cell phone that is more than five years old and it has no new capabilities such as texting or Internet features for example, it means that your mobile phone is analog and it will be useless after February 19, 2008. According to carriers, it seems that only less than 1 percent of all United States’ cell phones are analog, but with 250 million pieces in use, that could still mean a lot.

Next, car communication systems such as General Motors’ OnStar, Mecerdes-Benz’s TeleAid and Lexus Link will also be affected by the shutdown. And thirdly, home burglar and fire alarms that use the analog network as the main of backup link between the house and an alarm center won’t work anymore starting with the second month of 2008.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) decided in 2002 to allow carriers to shutdown their analog networks in 2008, in a move that will free up the radio spectrum, which will be more efficiently used with digital technology.