[net.rumor] AT&T phones to no longer have bells?

rees@apollo.UUCP (06/01/84)

    If "Bell" is such a dirty word, why are we still building phones with
    bells in them?

Actually, I just bought a Western Electric (oops, AT&T) phone a couple
weeks ago, and on the box was a message about how newer models have
electronic ringers instead of bells.  This was just a plain old desk
phone.  Is AT&T really going to phase out bells?  The phone in the box
had a bell.