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Phone Service
- Thread starter DAWGFISH
- Start date
Kurt
Admin
Alltel has been the choice for most for awhile now. Some other providers might have caught up I don't know. There is an older thread - a search of the forum will find:
http://www.sowal.com/bb/showthread.php?t=364&highlight=phone
http://www.sowal.com/bb/showthread.php?t=364&highlight=phone
No matter who your provider is they usually "roam" or use the same network.... My verizon works great down there, my wife's Sprint PCS works ok, and my previous provider was Cingular and it worked well too. Most of the locals and real estate folks in the area that I know have/use Alltel Mobile.
Smiling JOe
SoWal Expert
That is not my understanding. My understanding is that Alltel's coverage is the best for this area because they use more competitors cell towers than any other company. Cingular stinks, but since they merged with AT&T, they may have a little better coverage. For the most complete coverage in this area, Alltel is the only way to go. However, if you need service only from your condo for a week, you may find that whatever provider you have will work fine for your needs. Reception is hit or miss with most every service provider.wetwilly said:
I know someone who went through 3 service providers within 3 weeks before switching to my recommendation of Alltel. I guess some people have to have first hand experience.
Last edited:
ShallowsNole
Beach Fanatic
I left Alltel for Nextel, and while we are *moderately* happy with Nextel, my husband became disenchanted with Nextel when his phone was stolen and their customer service could not/would not track where it was being used. In contrast, when he worked with the Sheriff's Office, a lady in Freeport was murdered and the killer was located in North Carolina via her missing Alltel phone. A family share plan is also now important to us, which Nextel no longer offers. So all things considered, we will be back with Alltel when our contracts expire.
There are different wireless network technologies in the US.
Cingular/ATT, are TDMA/GSM network technology. I believe T Mobile is as well.
Verizon and Sprint are CDMA network technology.
Nextel had its own network with its own technology (can't recall the name of its technology just now); interesting that they are merging with Sprint now.
I am not sure which network Alltel is on; I think it is TDMA/GSM but that is a rusty guess because I have not been in wireless for a few months.
Even though Verizon and Sprint have the same type of networks, that does not mean they automatically roam on each other's network--that is only if they do not already have their own towers in the area. So, in a city like Denver, Sprint may be the best performing but in NY Verizon may be the best. It depends on where they companies have invested in towers. Where they have not made investments, they then make roaming agreements with the carrier in the area that has the same technology. So, say Verizon had lots of towers in Birmingham, Alabama and Sprint did not, then Sprint may pay Verizon to 'roam' on their network. But Cingular/ATT does not because it is a different network technology.
So if someone's Verizon phone works in SoWal, that does not mean the Cingular phone would work as well or vice versa because of the network technology.
Other wireless brands like Virgin just pay to use some other carriers network, like Sprint. So when you see Disney come out with kids' phones , they are not creating a Disney network, just a Disney brand phone service that uses someone else's network.
Cingular/ATT, are TDMA/GSM network technology. I believe T Mobile is as well.
Verizon and Sprint are CDMA network technology.
Nextel had its own network with its own technology (can't recall the name of its technology just now); interesting that they are merging with Sprint now.
I am not sure which network Alltel is on; I think it is TDMA/GSM but that is a rusty guess because I have not been in wireless for a few months.
Even though Verizon and Sprint have the same type of networks, that does not mean they automatically roam on each other's network--that is only if they do not already have their own towers in the area. So, in a city like Denver, Sprint may be the best performing but in NY Verizon may be the best. It depends on where they companies have invested in towers. Where they have not made investments, they then make roaming agreements with the carrier in the area that has the same technology. So, say Verizon had lots of towers in Birmingham, Alabama and Sprint did not, then Sprint may pay Verizon to 'roam' on their network. But Cingular/ATT does not because it is a different network technology.
So if someone's Verizon phone works in SoWal, that does not mean the Cingular phone would work as well or vice versa because of the network technology.
Other wireless brands like Virgin just pay to use some other carriers network, like Sprint. So when you see Disney come out with kids' phones , they are not creating a Disney network, just a Disney brand phone service that uses someone else's network.