How Long? (AT&T - Cingular)

Do you mean to ask, "How long before the old att tdma network is
completely shut down?"? Former att customers can switch to any
network/phones they want to.
Nobody seems to know. There is not much advantage in waiting until the
last minute anyway.


Mark wrote:
> How long before former AT&T customers will be forced into switching
> over to Cingular phone/plans?

---

› See More: How Long? (AT&T - Cingular)

At some point, if you want to continue having wireless telephone
service, you will have to either migrate to cingular or port your number
to a different carrier.

Mark wrote:
> Well, here is the reason I asked.
>
> I'm on a business account and found out from a co-worker that there is
> a phone number we can call to get equipment upgrades, so I called.
>
> I wanted to upgrade my phone to the Moto V3 but when I was hesitant
> when they could only give me a silver one, the gal begin to tell me
> that the day is going to come when the old AT&T network was going to
> be eliminated and at some point we would need to migrate over to the
> Cingular side.
>
> Do you think she was wrong? (I opted to stay with what I have for the
> time being)
>

Mark wrote:

>Well, here is the reason I asked.
>
>I'm on a business account and found out from a co-worker that there is
>a phone number we can call to get equipment upgrades, so I called.
>
>I wanted to upgrade my phone to the Moto V3 but when I was hesitant
>when they could only give me a silver one, the gal begin to tell me
>that the day is going to come when the old AT&T network was going to
>be eliminated and at some point we would need to migrate over to the
>Cingular side.
>
>Do you think she was wrong? (I opted to stay with what I have for the
>time being)
>
>
>

I think it depends on whether you have a TDMA plan or a GSM plan. I
have an ATTWS GSM plan, and I have had no mention of needing to switch
to a Cingular plan. In fact, I got a letter a few months back saying
that regional plans have been upgraded to national coverage with no
domestic long distance charges.

TH

"Jerome Zelinske" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> There is not much advantage in waiting until the last minute anyway.

There is if you're currently using TDMA and if that TDMA coverage is better
than the GSM coverage in your area. No point in moving to an inferrior
service until you're forced to.

Sorry, I thought I answered all of your questions. Exactly which
question do you still have? As I stated previously, nobody seems to
know exactly when cingular will shut down the tdma network. cingular
will likely continue in business for decades, now as gsm and soon as
wcdma. My guess is the former att tdma network will not last much more
that another year or less.


Mark wrote:
> At some point, Cingular will not be in business as well, but you
> missed my point/question entirely.
>

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

In <[email protected]> on Tue, 01 Nov 2005
14:12:53 GMT, Jerome Zelinske <[email protected]> wrote:

> Sorry, I thought I answered all of your questions. Exactly which
>question do you still have? As I stated previously, nobody seems to
>know exactly when cingular will shut down the tdma network. cingular
>will likely continue in business for decades, now as gsm and soon as
>wcdma. My guess is the former att tdma network will not last much more
>that another year or less.

Cingular is already WCDMA (UMTS/HSDPA).

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

It is my understanding that cingular has launched/overlaid it's entire
network with gsm, therefore the gsm coverage is just as good as the tdma
coverage was.


JohnF wrote:
> "Jerome Zelinske" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>
>> There is not much advantage in waiting until the last minute anyway.
>
>
> There is if you're currently using TDMA and if that TDMA coverage is better
> than the GSM coverage in your area. No point in moving to an inferrior
> service until you're forced to.
>
>

In article <[email protected]>, jeromez1
@earthlink.net says...

> > There is if you're currently using TDMA and if that TDMA coverage is better
> > than the GSM coverage in your area.
> >
> It is my understanding that cingular has launched/overlaid it's entire
> network with gsm, therefore the gsm coverage is just as good as the tdma
> coverage was.
>

YMMV. GSM at my house has NEVER been full bars like TDMA was (GAIT
phone). Also since they started "tuning" the joint GSM system it's
dropped another bar. Not far enough to be a problem but noticably weaker
than TDMA.

And don't forget that some of us roam outside the major cities onto
other carriers--GSM is still not available at all in many rural areas
and small towns. It would make sense for SOME people to stay on a TDMA
plan as long as possible.
--
Jud
Dallas TX USA

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

In <[email protected]> on Tue, 01 Nov 2005 06:59:45
-0800, Joseph <[email protected]> wrote:

>On Tue, 01 Nov 2005 00:29:57 GMT, Jerome Zelinske
><[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>There is not much advantage in waiting until the
>>last minute anyway.
>
>Unless you have an AT&T Wireless plan that has superior advantages to
>ones offered by cingular. Switching to cingular will automatically
>mean that you get charged for both incoming and outgoing text messages
>whereas with ATTWS you were only charged for outgoing messages.

On the other hand you get Rollover, which ATTWS plans don't have. There are
always pros as well as cons.

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

Mark wrote:

> Now, if somebody comes back and says that isn't true that the AT&T
> network is incorporated with Cingular or something like that, explain
> to me why a Cingular phone will not work on a AT&T "Plan"?
>
> Sorry for the confusion...I'm just trying to get a layman handle on
> this whole thing.

If it's a tdma device, your days are numbered. If you're in
SC or NC, you're already dark, and OK or TX it's gettin
pretty dim.

Cing doesn't want to run two billing systems either.

The whole thing makes more sense to me if I think of it as
Cing buying a customer list(ATTWS) and selling, trading,
turning off everything else in the deal (to save money).

Like M$ buying a competing product, then offering those
users an upgrade to the M$ product and deep six'ing the
"obsolete" product. That list is long ;-)

Also, the goal of just about every cell provider is a
monthly charge of at least $50 per subscriber. Most are
within a few $ of that goal, it's in their annual reports!

-larry / dallas

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

In <[email protected]> on Tue, 01 Nov 2005 08:55:10
-0800, Mark <[email protected]> wrote:

>Let me try this again because obviously the communication problem is
>with me if everybody is misunderstanding my question.....
>
>This woman told me that at some point, AT&T phones would be no good on
>the Cingular network, GSM as well.
>
>She had no clue or wouldn't tell me, but she said one of the reasons
>that AT&T former customers had little choice for upgrading was because
>the "entire" network would be changed over to Cingular and former AT&T
>customers would need to switch over.
>
>Better? -
>
>Now, if somebody comes back and says that isn't true that the AT&T
>network is incorporated with Cingular or something like that, explain
>to me why a Cingular phone will not work on a AT&T "Plan"?

1. TDMA service is being phased out, so ATTWS (and Cingular) TDMA phones will
eventually stop working.

2. An ATTWS GSM plan means an ATTWS SIM, and a locked Cingular GSM phone
won't work with an ATTWS SIM. Likewise a locked ATTWS GSM phone won't work
with a Cingular SIM (i.e., on a Cingular plan). The key word there is
"locked" -- if GSM phones are unlocked, then they will work with pretty much
any GSM SIM (if they have the necessary bands). Cingular will unlock Cingular
phones on request, but not ATTWS phones. 3rd parties can unlock either
phones.

3. The ATTWS ("blue") network is being integrated into the Cingular
("orange") network, meaning that it will eventually disappear. That's not
really a problem, since ATTWS GSM handsets will roam freely on the Cingular
network in the absence of an ATTWS signal.

>Sorry for the confusion...I'm just trying to get a layman handle on
>this whole thing.

Not your fault -- Cingular's desire to herd customers to Cingular GSM makes it
more confusing than it needs to be.

--
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, 01 Nov 2005
> 08:55:10
> -0800, Mark <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>Let me try this again because obviously the communication problem is
>>with me if everybody is misunderstanding my question.....
>>
>>This woman told me that at some point, AT&T phones would be no good on
>>the Cingular network, GSM as well.
>>
>>She had no clue or wouldn't tell me, but she said one of the reasons
>>that AT&T former customers had little choice for upgrading was because
>>the "entire" network would be changed over to Cingular and former AT&T
>>customers would need to switch over.
>>
>>Better? -
>>
>>Now, if somebody comes back and says that isn't true that the AT&T
>>network is incorporated with Cingular or something like that, explain
>>to me why a Cingular phone will not work on a AT&T "Plan"?
>
> 1. TDMA service is being phased out, so ATTWS (and Cingular) TDMA phones
> will
> eventually stop working.
>
> 2. An ATTWS GSM plan means an ATTWS SIM, and a locked Cingular GSM phone
> won't work with an ATTWS SIM. Likewise a locked ATTWS GSM phone won't
> work
> with a Cingular SIM (i.e., on a Cingular plan). The key word there is
> "locked" -- if GSM phones are unlocked, then they will work with pretty
> much
> any GSM SIM (if they have the necessary bands). Cingular will unlock
> Cingular
> phones on request, but not ATTWS phones. 3rd parties can unlock either
> phones.
>
> 3. The ATTWS ("blue") network is being integrated into the Cingular
> ("orange") network, meaning that it will eventually disappear. That's not
> really a problem, since ATTWS GSM handsets will roam freely on the
> Cingular
> network in the absence of an ATTWS signal.
>
>>Sorry for the confusion...I'm just trying to get a layman handle on
>>this whole thing.
>
> Not your fault -- Cingular's desire to herd customers to Cingular GSM
> makes it
> more confusing than it needs to be.
>


Hmmmm.... sounds like the merger isn't going as smoothly as you are trying
to portray it other threads. I see hurdles here that are not experienced in
other merged companies. Thanks for the confirmation.

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

In <[email protected]> on Tue, 01 Nov 2005 16:28:20
-0800, Mark <[email protected]> wrote:

>>2. An ATTWS GSM plan means an ATTWS SIM, and a locked Cingular GSM phone
>>won't work with an ATTWS SIM. Likewise a locked ATTWS GSM phone won't work
>>with a Cingular SIM (i.e., on a Cingular plan).
>
>Why?

That's what locking is all about. Locking is a way to keep subscribers from
making off with phones that have been subsidized by the carrier.

>>3. The ATTWS ("blue") network is being integrated into the Cingular
>>("orange") network, meaning that it will eventually disappear. That's not
>>really a problem, since ATTWS GSM handsets will roam freely on the Cingular
>>network in the absence of an ATTWS signal.
>
>Again, Why? I guess this is the type of converstation that is best
>done face to face.....Why will an AT&T "sim"/"phone" not work on a
>Cingular phone if it's all intergrated?

Again, the subsidy lock. For more information, see
<http://www.phonescoop.com/glossary/term.php?gid=100>.

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

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

In <[email protected]> on Tue, 1 Nov 2005 18:22:46 -0700,
"Scott" <[email protected]> wrote:

>"John Navas" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>news:[email protected]...

>> Not your fault -- Cingular's desire to herd customers to Cingular GSM
>> makes it
>> more confusing than it needs to be.

>Hmmmm.... sounds like the merger isn't going as smoothly as you are trying
>to portray it other threads. I see hurdles here that are not experienced in
>other merged companies. Thanks for the confirmation.

Only in your dreams.

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

You'll have to define what "overlaid" means. Apparently it doesn't mean
you'll get a signal in as many places as TDMA. GSM definitely does NOT have
as good of coverage as TDMA in my area. Until they fill in the gaps there's
a distinct advantage to staying with TDMA.

"Jerome Zelinske" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> It is my understanding that cingular has launched/overlaid it's entire
> network with gsm, therefore the gsm coverage is just as good as the tdma
> coverage was.