Sometimes she does not want to be found.
"It's nice not to worry," Karen Rand said. "I can go out and just be gone."
Rand is not part of the growing population with a cell phone. She said it is too expensive and unnecessary, because she can just borrow one from a friend if she needs to.
This year, 650 million cell phones will be sold, and 730 million will be sold next year, according to an MSN technology article.
Verizon Wireless is the largest and oldest cell phone company in the world and provides services to 40.4 million people, according to the Verizon Web site.
Cell phone companies' revenues are mostly profit, because all they have to do is maintain the networks and invest in new technology, said Sean Donaldson, a Verizon customer.
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Verizon invests $4 billion every year to maintain and expand its high-quality network, according to the Web site.
I don't think landlines will continue to exist, said Meredith Porter. Everything is becoming digital and wireless, she said.
"It will be kind of freaky if our five-year-old kids are running around with cell phones," she said.
Rand said it is bothersome to see people walking around and talking on their cell phone headsets when it seems like they are not talking to anyone.
"There is a serious cell phone addiction," she said. "I don't understand why it is such a big deal."
Cell phones can now be used for more than just talking. Customers have the option to purchase services such as text messaging, picture messaging and Internet access with cell phones.
Depending on options, landline telephones cost between $20 and $30 a month. Cell phone plans typically cost $40 a month or more.
According to the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association Web site, 5 percent of Americans have dropped landlines completely.
Rand said the worst thing about not having a cell phone is trying to get in touch with friends on weekend nights.
It is not easy to find a pay phone, she said.
"Even if you find a pay phone, they are usually in shady areas," she said.
Porter said those inconveniences prompted her to buy a cell phone. Pay phones are disappearing, she said, probably because they are not profitable anymore.
Porter, who just got a cell phone a month ago, said she could easily switch back to having a landline.
"I think it's easy not to have a cell phone, but I don't think most people are like that, especially in our generation," she said.
