Oh my God yes I remember that!!! Paying for ringtones... Funny how you can't remember when certain things just fizzle out like that.
In 1982 there was a catastrophic bushfire on this coast. Dad had taken my sister and I to the beach (an hour from where we lived in Melbourne at the rime... I was 10 and my sister was 8) as it was so hot - I remember burning him leaves falling around us from the fires some thirty km away. We had tea at my uncle's house who by then has already moved there. As we were driving home the evacuation order came out on the radio so we turned back to telly uncle who we knew had gone to bed, and we couldn't call of course as no mobile. My mum was beside herself as she was listening to the radio in Melbourne about the fires and had no idea how close we were to them or indeed where we were , because NO MOBILE PHONES. So yes, though they drive us nuts as well, they are useful in emergencies!