This is a technology question. Why can't I call an out-of-town cell phone from my land line? I can call cells within my area codes (there are several in Houston), but not cells issued from area codes outside my area. I get error messages that the number is not a working number. Or I get prompted to leave a message which the other party never receives. Doesn't matter where the physical cell phone is.
...cell phones suck...
shareAre land lines...a waste of copper ?
Can you call land lines outside the Houston area from your land line without getting the recording you mentioned? If so, then I don't know the answer (call your phone company and ask them). If not, then maybe my response below will explain it.
This is a technology question.Unfortunately (for you) the answer has nothing to do with technology, it has to do with finances.
I have the same issue, but it's because my land line carrier (AT&T) wants to charge me extra for national long distance (regardless of whether the number I want to call is a land line or a cell). If I were willing to pay an extra monthly fee, I could call throughout the US from my land line without any additional charges.
BTW, you probably can call outside your area code from your land line. Unless your plan explicitly blocks long distance numbers (sometimes added to keep children from racking up charges), you may just need to add the prefix "1" to the phone number you're trying to reach. If you want to test it (without it costing you), call a friend's cell phone (with the added "1" prefix) when they're at your place (or you know they won't answer), let it ring a few times, but hang up before you get their voicemail (which would then cost you for a long distance call).
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