NATCHEZ — They’re everywhere these days. They can be seen — or heard — in movie theatres, restaurants, cars, on the streets and even in the office. Some play movies, some play music and some take photos, but they all have one thing in common — they keep the world connected.

With an estimated 219,000,000 users nationwide, cellular telephones are a way of life for almost everyone and Miss-Lou businesses are no different.

“We’ve been using cell phones in delivery trucks since they came out,” said Don Blankenstein, owner of Blankenstein’s Supply and Equipment in Natchez. “It’s expensive, but necessary these days. It’s now commonplace to have them.”

Blankenstein said that his company has at least 10 phones in service.

“It enables us to conduct business better,” he said. “They can use them to check voicemails from anywhere at anytime.”

Even companies that don’t provide cell phones to employees are not blind to the benefits of being able to stay in constant contact.

“We don’t provide them, but we should — especially for our drivers,” said Brandy Nelson, assistant manager of Domino’s Pizza in Natchez. “If something happens, how else can we get in touch with them?”

Nelson said that most Domino’s delivery drivers have personal cell phones and use them for business purposes.

In a business where staying connected means everything, Cable One in Natchez makes sure all field technicians carry cell phones.

“We’ve been providing field techs with phones for several years now,” Cable One Office Manager Dorothy Champion said. “We want them stay in touch. If the radio gets tied up, they can call in.”

“I keep it on me 24/7,” Cable One Lead Technician Richard Lambert said. “I’m in constant contact with other techs and the corporate office in Arizona.”

Callon Petroleum provides cell phones to supervisor-level employees and Corporate Secretary Bob Mayfield said that it just makes good business sense to provide them.

“It’s for the convenience of the company,” Mayfield said. “It has been very beneficial on numerous occasions.”

Natchez’s Centennial Wireless store offers wireless plans to suit almost any business, Sales Represenative Jason Dinger said.

“If a business comes in and needs phones, we can create a plan just for them,” Dinger said. “We have a lot of customers that are businesses.”

Dinger said businesses can either set up one account for multiple phones or set up individual accounts for each phone.

“Most businesses in Natchez get a standard account and share the minutes between employees,” Dinger said. “A lot of them just get a big bucket of minutes to use.”

Dinger said over the past two or three years, a lot of companies have decreased the number of phones they provide to employees.

“Several companies make the employees get their own phones now,” he said.

Dinger said Centennial Wireless does provide cell phones to their employees, but strictly for business purposes only.