Network Integration of Cingular/ATTWS

>the supply of
>replacement handsets is likely to dry up.
>

It pretty much looks like there aren't any TDMA handsets right now. Looking at
the Cingular web site and the Cingular local store - there are only GSM
handsets. I haven't been to an AT&T store recently but suspect that that is the
same situation there as well.

E-Bay might be the only source soon!

--
John S.
e-mail responses to - john at kiana dot net

---

› See More: Network Integration of Cingular/ATTWS

>Nobody
>is required to continue TDMA for any particular time line. However, if
>I'm wrong about that, I'm certain someone will jump in here.

There is no requirement to continue TDMA service like there is for AMPS.

I jumped in!

--
John S.
e-mail responses to - john at kiana dot net

"John S." <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> >the supply of
> >replacement handsets is likely to dry up.
> >
>
> It pretty much looks like there aren't any TDMA handsets right now.
Looking at
> the Cingular web site and the Cingular local store - there are only GSM
> handsets. I haven't been to an AT&T store recently but suspect that that
is the
> same situation there as well.
>
> E-Bay might be the only source soon!
>
> --
> John S.
> e-mail responses to - john at kiana dot net

I have two Sony-Ericcson t62u (GAIT) phones that I am holding onto. Cingular
will re-activate them for me for free. I'll need them when I travel to
certain areas of the country.

[POSTED TO alt.cellular.cingular - REPLY ON USENET PLEASE]

In <[email protected]> on Tue, 2 Nov 2004 13:51:41 -0500, "Alan"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>I have two Sony-Ericcson t62u (GAIT) phones that I am holding onto. Cingular
>will re-activate them for me for free. I'll need them when I travel to
>certain areas of the country.

I personally don't see much need for GAIT phones anymore, now that GSM overlay
is pretty much done and there will soon be integration of ATTWS and Cingular
GSM networks. Even for emergency use in rural areas, I would simply use an
old AMPS phone and long-life battery, since even unactivated phones can always
connect to 911, and old AMPS phones tend to have higher power (and thus better
range) than GAIT phones.

--
Best regards, HELP FOR CINGULAR GSM & SONY ERICSSON PHONES:
John Navas <http://navasgrp.home.att.net/#Cingular>

>I personally don't see much need for GAIT phones anymore, now that GSM
>overlay
>is pretty much done and there will soon be integration of ATTWS and Cingular
>GSM networks.

I am seriously thinking of taking my TDMA DOR plan and becoming a GSM only type
of service.

I am still resisting but I haven't been anyplace in the past year that isn't
also covered by GSM. oops.... there was one place but it also wasn't covered by
TDMA or AMPS - but SPRINT PCS had wall to wall coverage.

--
John S.
e-mail responses to - john at kiana dot net

[POSTED TO alt.cellular.cingular - REPLY ON USENET PLEASE]

In <[email protected]> on 02 Nov 2004 23:20:38 GMT,
[email protected]pamfree (John S.) wrote:

>... I haven't been anyplace in the past year that isn't
>also covered by GSM. oops.... there was one place but it also wasn't covered by
>TDMA or AMPS - but SPRINT PCS had wall to wall coverage.

Instead it has holes where you'd think service is a given. Go figure.
The reason I dropped SprintPCS.

--
Best regards, HELP FOR CINGULAR GSM & SONY ERICSSON PHONES:
John Navas <http://navasgrp.home.att.net/#Cingular>

>oops.... there was one place but it also wasn't covered by
>>TDMA or AMPS - but SPRINT PCS had wall to wall coverage.
>
>Instead it has holes where you'd think service is a given. Go figure.
>The reason I dropped SprintPCS.

Well, I still have 3 phones (family type of thing) on Sprint PCS. But I don't
carry one any more!

We (family) have 3 Sprint PCS phones, 3 Cingular phones (one GAIT and 2 TDMA),
and 2 AT&T WS phones, one DOR and one GSM and finally one (for data) T-Mobile
SIM in an AirCard.

--
John S.
e-mail responses to - john at kiana dot net

In article <%[email protected]>,
John Navas <[email protected]> wrote:

> [POSTED TO alt.cellular.cingular - REPLY ON USENET PLEASE]
>
> In <[email protected]> on 02 Nov 2004 23:20:38
> GMT,
> [email protected]pamfree (John S.) wrote:
>
> >... I haven't been anyplace in the past year that isn't
> >also covered by GSM. oops.... there was one place but it also wasn't covered
> >by
> >TDMA or AMPS - but SPRINT PCS had wall to wall coverage.
>
> Instead it has holes where you'd think service is a given. Go figure.
> The reason I dropped SprintPCS.

Try driving on I-10 from New Orleans to Los Angeles and see how much
native Sprint coverage you have. West of San Antonio, very little.

In article <[email protected]>, spamfilter0
@navasgroup.com says...
>
> I personally don't see much need for GAIT phones anymore, now that GSM overlay
> is pretty much done and there will soon be integration of ATTWS and Cingular
> GSM networks. Even for emergency use in rural areas, I would simply use an
> old AMPS phone and long-life battery, since even unactivated phones can always
> connect to 911, and old AMPS phones tend to have higher power (and thus better
> range) than GAIT phones.

Again, I must point out that this isn't true in all areas. The GSM
overlay is only done for Cingular and ATTWS. Large portions of Texas,
and I suspect other states, are covered by other TDMA/AMPS carriers WHO
HAVE NOT CONVERTED despite what the Cingular GSM map shows. Vast
stretches of rural areas and almost all cities under 20,000 people don't
have GSM and won't for some time. But then maybe you consider a city of
20k rural.

Picking up ATTWS won't make hardly any difference in Texas since they
and Cingular have almost the same coverage (the old A & B carriers).
ATTWS might have a FEW more out-of-the-way spots than Cingular but
Cingular has vastly better quality (and yes I've used both). Since
we're not listed as one of the areas to be divested I guess they're
going for filling a few holes.

Several problems with going with an AMPS phone. First of all there is
no GSM/AMPS (non GAIT) phone so you'd have to get an all-amps one. Will
Cingular even activate it on a GSM plan? Will they activate a TDMA/AMPS
phone on a GSM plan even if you only want the amps--I doubt it. Then
you loose the digital features including SMS and VM indicators (yes they
do work in most roamer areas)--not good for some of us. Also battery
life was horrible when in AMPS mode--if it's a handheld better have
plenty of spare batteries.

I hope the other carriers don't take too long to convert but I've done
quite a bit of roaming across Texas in the last couple of months and so
far I have not seen any evidence of new GSM areas.

--
Jud
Dallas TX USA

[POSTED TO alt.cellular.cingular - REPLY ON USENET PLEASE]

In <[email protected]> on Wed, 03 Nov 2004
01:21:34 GMT, Jud Hardcastle <[email protected]>
wrote:

>In article <[email protected]>, spamfilter0
>@navasgroup.com says...
>>
>> I personally don't see much need for GAIT phones anymore, now that GSM overlay
>> is pretty much done and there will soon be integration of ATTWS and Cingular
>> GSM networks. Even for emergency use in rural areas, I would simply use an
>> old AMPS phone and long-life battery, since even unactivated phones can always
>> connect to 911, and old AMPS phones tend to have higher power (and thus better
>> range) than GAIT phones.
>
>Again, I must point out that this isn't true in all areas. The GSM
>overlay is only done for Cingular and ATTWS. Large portions of Texas,
>and I suspect other states, are covered by other TDMA/AMPS carriers WHO
>HAVE NOT CONVERTED despite what the Cingular GSM map shows. Vast
>stretches of rural areas and almost all cities under 20,000 people don't
>have GSM and won't for some time. But then maybe you consider a city of
>20k rural.

I consider most of Texas to be rural (and do my best to avoid it).

>Several problems with going with an AMPS phone. First of all there is
>no GSM/AMPS (non GAIT) phone so you'd have to get an all-amps one.

You can get either a TDMA/AMPS phone or an old AMPS-only phone. Either is
dirt cheap, and as I wrote, old AMPS phones tend to have higher power (and
thus better range) than GAIT phones.

>Will
>Cingular even activate it on a GSM plan? Will they activate a TDMA/AMPS
>phone on a GSM plan even if you only want the amps--I doubt it.

As I wrote, not necessary for emergency calls.

>Then
>you loose the digital features including SMS and VM indicators (yes they
>do work in most roamer areas)--not good for some of us.

For you and some others, yes, but not for many (most?) of the rest of us.

>Also battery
>life was horrible when in AMPS mode--if it's a handheld better have
>plenty of spare batteries.

My big old clunky AMPS phone has excellent battery life.

>I hope the other carriers don't take too long to convert but I've done
>quite a bit of roaming across Texas in the last couple of months and so
>far I have not seen any evidence of new GSM areas.

Now that the ATTWS-Cingular merger is done, I think you'll see GSM conversion
accelerate, and TDMA quickly become unattractive.

--
Best regards, HELP FOR CINGULAR GSM & SONY ERICSSON PHONES:
John Navas <http://navasgrp.home.att.net/#Cingular>

"John Navas" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> [POSTED TO alt.cellular.cingular - REPLY ON USENET PLEASE]
>
> In <[email protected]> on Tue, 2 Nov 2004 13:51:41 -0500,
"Alan"
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> >I have two Sony-Ericcson t62u (GAIT) phones that I am holding onto.
Cingular
> >will re-activate them for me for free. I'll need them when I travel to
> >certain areas of the country.
>
> I personally don't see much need for GAIT phones anymore, now that GSM
overlay
> is pretty much done and there will soon be integration of ATTWS and
Cingular
> GSM networks. Even for emergency use in rural areas, I would simply use
an
> old AMPS phone and long-life battery, since even unactivated phones can
always
> connect to 911, and old AMPS phones tend to have higher power (and thus
better
> range) than GAIT phones.
>
> --
> Best regards, HELP FOR CINGULAR GSM & SONY ERICSSON PHONES:
> John Navas <http://navasgrp.home.att.net/#Cingular>

Looking at the coverage maps for the area in question, (Adirondaks area of
NY), it looks like TDMA has way more coverage than GSM. At least on the map

>Try driving on I-10 from New Orleans to Los Angeles and see how much
>native Sprint coverage you have. West of San Antonio, very little.

Well, although not recently from New Orleans to San Antonio (had excellent
service when I did) but I-10 west to LA for the most part is covered. Not a lot
of issue recently.

--
John S.
e-mail responses to - john at kiana dot net

On Wed, 3 Nov 2004 14:37:24 -0500, "Alan" <[email protected]> said in
alt.cellular.cingular:

>Looking at the coverage maps for the area in question, (Adirondaks area of
>NY), it looks like TDMA has way more coverage than GSM. At least on the map
>

Some of the coverage makes no sense at all. I seem to recall that
Killington is not covered.