Different generations, different questions about making phone calls
The son overheard me explaining to my mother about the phone call. It is completely clear to him the difference between making calls using the telephone function or via WhatsApp, so he has no problem understanding it. VoIP, all clear. Also the point that VoIP requires data volume and that it makes a difference whether it is in the WLAN or requires mobile data volume: no problem.
But he has a completely different question for me, which again surprises me (and which my mother, from a different generation, had no problem understanding): “How do I know whether I’m calling a cell phone or a landline phone?”
Well, you can tell by the area code. 01xx are cell phone numbers, while for example Hamburg 040 or Berlin 030 or Tübingen 07071… The son interrupts me: “Okay, but I don’t dial the area code, 040, do I?” – Yes, if you are making calls within the same local network, i.e. within Hamburg, then you do not need to dial the area code.
The son continues to ask: “Yes, I still have to dial 040 on my cell phone, even if I’m in Hamburg. It’s somehow always unclear to me when I have to vote for it and when I don’t.” – Yes, ok, the cell phone network is different than the local network. That’s why it has a different area code, 01xx, not 040.
The son checkmates me: “Yes, but you also have a landline number on your cell phone, and I can also reach you with the landline number if you are somewhere else. How can that be then? Wouldn’t the area code have to change if you’re in a different town? And when do I have to vote for them?”
It’s simple – and yet amazingly complicated in detail.
(Molinarius)