It must be that the author has no life!

Many restaurants that allow walk-in dining without a reservation have short-range private paging systems. They hand you a pager when you check in, and you give it back when your table is ready. Many hospitals have similar systems for surgical waiting rooms; the next-of-kin is given a pager that goes off when the surgery is complete or the staff has a message.

These systems are much nicer than "JOHN SMITH, PARTY OF 10, YOUR TABLE IS READY!" or "PLEASE COME TO THE DESK" announcements continually blaring over a public address system.

Pagers still have a niche; like all technology, the role has evolved.