Now I'm Officially Confused

I'm a long time AT&T Wireless Services customer. I was curious about
upgrading my cell phone to something with Bluetooth and then dropping my
land line with Qwest. So I go into my local Cingular store and ask the
helpful sales rep there about the phones available, explaining that I am an
AT&T Wireless Services customer from way back.

He told me that in just a few months I would have to change my plan to a
Cingular plan anyway because of the recent merger and resulting agreements
between AT&T and Cingular. AT&T was going to cease to exist. I would
terminate my old AT&T account, and get a new Cingular account. I would be
receiving information in the mail and email regarding this necessary change.

So now that there is, apparently, not going to be a name change for
AT&T/Cingular, and AT&T is going to continue as a company, what is actually
going to happen? Am I going to have to end my account with AT&T and get a
new account with Cingular? All I want is to get a new, Bluetooth enabled
phone and continue my current service plan as it stands today. I have never
had an issue with AT&T and since the merger that record stands. My bill is
always accurate and easy to read. The website works perfectly for paying my
bill online.

I don't want any of the service I am currently receiving, which I think is
outstanding, to change. What are my options?

---

› See More: Now I'm Officially Confused

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

In <[email protected]> on Tue, 22 Nov 2005 16:02:31 -0800,
"Kevin" <[email protected]> wrote:

>I'm a long time AT&T Wireless Services customer. I was curious about
>upgrading my cell phone to something with Bluetooth and then dropping my
>land line with Qwest. So I go into my local Cingular store and ask the
>helpful sales rep there about the phones available, explaining that I am an
>AT&T Wireless Services customer from way back.
>
>He told me that in just a few months I would have to change my plan to a
>Cingular plan anyway because of the recent merger and resulting agreements
>between AT&T and Cingular. AT&T was going to cease to exist. I would
>terminate my old AT&T account, and get a new Cingular account. I would be
>receiving information in the mail and email regarding this necessary change.
>
>So now that there is, apparently, not going to be a name change for
>AT&T/Cingular, and AT&T is going to continue as a company, what is actually
>going to happen?

AT&T Wireless was merged into Cingular, and the resulting company, a joint
venture between SBC and BellSouth.

AT&T (without the Wireless) is merged into SBC, and the resulting company is
called "the new AT&T".

SBC intends to resurrect the AT&T Wireless brand (not company name) for the
wireless service it sells. There's no clear word (only speculation) on what
BellSouth will do about branding, or what brand(s) will be sold through
independent dealers -- that might still be Cingular.

>Am I going to have to end my account with AT&T and get a
>new account with Cingular?

It will have to be a Cingular plan and SIM no matter what it's called. The
old ATTWS blue network and SIMs are being phased out.

>All I want is to get a new, Bluetooth enabled
>phone and continue my current service plan as it stands today. ...

That's not an option, especially if your phone is "TDMA".

>I don't want any of the service I am currently receiving, which I think is
>outstanding, to change. What are my options?

1. Stick with your current ATTWS phone and plan as long as you can.
2. Switch to Cingular, and get a new Cingular phones and Cingular plan.

--
Best regards, FAQ FOR CINGULAR WIRELESS
John Navas <http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Cingular_Wireless_FAQ>

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

In <[email protected]> on Tue, 22 Nov 2005
19:09:38 -0500, "Elmo P. Shagnasty" <[email protected]> wrote:

>In article <[email protected]>,
> "Kevin" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> All I want is to get a new, Bluetooth enabled
>> phone and continue my current service plan as it stands today.
>
>Get an unlocked GSM 850/1900 phone from Ebay, put your SIM in, and go.

Won't work if he's still on TDMA (as he seems to be).

--
Best regards, FAQ FOR CINGULAR WIRELESS
John Navas <http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Cingular_Wireless_FAQ>

I was told by a cingular rep that as long as I have an AT&T sim and
phone I will not have to change over to the cincgular network. I
recently lost my phone, but my contract was just finishing up. I too
wanted to keep my old AT&T family plan (nights and weekends at 7, free
incoming text mesages, etc) so I went on ebay, bought an at&t phone and
then got 10 AT&T sims for $10, s I should be set for a while.

Somewhere around 23 Nov 2005 08:34:08 -0800, while reading
alt.cellular.cingular, I think I thought I saw this post from
[email protected]:

>I was told by a cingular rep that as long as I have an AT&T sim and
>phone I will not have to change over to the cincgular network. I
>recently lost my phone, but my contract was just finishing up. I too
>wanted to keep my old AT&T family plan (nights and weekends at 7, free
>incoming text mesages, etc) so I went on ebay, bought an at&t phone and
>then got 10 AT&T sims for $10, s I should be set for a while.
I understand getting the phone (or any unlocked phone), but what good do the
sims do? Wouldn't they have to be activated under your name? Doesn't seem
likely that they would be doing this, but I don't really know.

--
Marty - public.forums (at) gmail (dot) com
"Those are my principles, and if you don't like them...
well, I have others." - Groucho Marx

Thank you, John. Yes, I'm still on TDMA, which I have been told is not
going to be supported in the very near future. Thus, the confusion on my
part. The impression I get is that I will be forced, eventually, to make
the switch to GSM technology.

"John Navas" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> [POSTED TO alt.cellular.cingular - REPLY ON USENET PLEASE]
>
> In <[email protected]> on Tue, 22 Nov
> 2005
> 19:09:38 -0500, "Elmo P. Shagnasty" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>In article <[email protected]>,
>> "Kevin" <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>>> All I want is to get a new, Bluetooth enabled
>>> phone and continue my current service plan as it stands today.
>>
>>Get an unlocked GSM 850/1900 phone from Ebay, put your SIM in, and go.
>
> Won't work if he's still on TDMA (as he seems to be).
>
> --
> Best regards, FAQ FOR CINGULAR WIRELESS
> John Navas <http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Cingular_Wireless_FAQ>
>

Correct. TDMA is being phased out.

In <[email protected]> on Wed, 23 Nov 2005 13:27:26 -0800,
"Kevin" <[email protected]> wrote:

>Thank you, John. Yes, I'm still on TDMA, which I have been told is not
>going to be supported in the very near future. Thus, the confusion on my
>part. The impression I get is that I will be forced, eventually, to make
>the switch to GSM technology.
>
>"John Navas" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>news:[email protected]...
>> [POSTED TO alt.cellular.cingular - REPLY ON USENET PLEASE]
>>
>> In <[email protected]> on Tue, 22 Nov
>> 2005
>> 19:09:38 -0500, "Elmo P. Shagnasty" <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>>>In article <[email protected]>,
>>> "Kevin" <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>
>>>> All I want is to get a new, Bluetooth enabled
>>>> phone and continue my current service plan as it stands today.
>>>
>>>Get an unlocked GSM 850/1900 phone from Ebay, put your SIM in, and go.
>>
>> Won't work if he's still on TDMA (as he seems to be).

--
Best regards, FAQ FOR CINGULAR WIRELESS
John Navas <http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Cingular_Wireless_FAQ>

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

In <[email protected]> on Wed, 23 Nov 2005 11:46:58
-0800, Marty <[email protected]> wrote:

>Somewhere around 23 Nov 2005 08:34:08 -0800, while reading
>alt.cellular.cingular, I think I thought I saw this post from
>[email protected]:
>
>>I was told by a cingular rep that as long as I have an AT&T sim and
>>phone I will not have to change over to the cincgular network. I
>>recently lost my phone, but my contract was just finishing up. I too
>>wanted to keep my old AT&T family plan (nights and weekends at 7, free
>>incoming text mesages, etc) so I went on ebay, bought an at&t phone and
>>then got 10 AT&T sims for $10, s I should be set for a while.

>I understand getting the phone (or any unlocked phone), but what good do the
>sims do? Wouldn't they have to be activated under your name? Doesn't seem
>likely that they would be doing this, but I don't really know.

If the SIM is already activated, it can simply be moved to a different phone.

--
Best regards, FAQ FOR CINGULAR WIRELESS
John Navas <http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Cingular_Wireless_FAQ>