This paper provides empirical results concerning the negotiation of access and joinability by mobile phone users. It shows
how access is embedded in a gift-giving economy (giving one’s number for example). It also shows that the more users make
themselves available on the mobile phone, the more their mobile phone traffic increases (both incoming and outgoing). This
remarkable result is discussed in terms of the reciprocity involved in the management of mobile phone relationships.
Key words: Access – Joinability – Mobile phone – Use