End of 2004, I was able to get a pager at the local Radio Shack (we actually have three of them on the island where I live, which is really weird...we don't have three of anything else). Even had a number that ended in 4000, so the cops calling my duty pager when someone in custody needed to speak with an attorney could easily remember it.
Two years later, I needed coverage for an entire island when we picked up a second contract. I realized pager coverage was way to spotty where I live, and I didn't want the cops calling me as backup every time (nor did we need a rep for being impossible to reach when we're contractually obligated). At a cost of something like 100 times more, I got an office cell phone for on-duty calls.
You should have seen the folks at the same Radio Shack in 2006 when I asked for a new pager (I was hoping another carrier might have better coverage). They looked at me like I had said I needed a saddle for my dinosaur.
