New Cingular feature coming in October

Here is a press release I got from Cingular. After reading this I wanted
one right away.

CINGULAR WIRELESS, SBC COMMUNICATIONS, AND BELLSOUTH INTRODUCE UNIQUE
DEVICE FOR ROUTING INCOMING WIRELESS CALLS TO WIRELINE NUMBERS


FASTFORWARD FURTHERS WIRELESS-WIRELINE INTEGRATION BETWEEN CINGULAR AND
SBC COMPANIES, BELLSOUTH

FastForward Cradle Allows Cingular Customers to Rollover Even More
Minutes

ATLANTA, Sept. 9, 2003 –Cingular Wireless and its parent companies SBC
Communications Inc. (NYSE: SBC) and BellSouth (NYSE: BLS) today
introduced
FastForward™ – one of the wireless industry’s first devices to marry the
convenience of wireless service with the value of a wireline phone. The
patented FastForward device – which works exclusively with Cingular
Wireless service – will be available beginning Oct. 1.

This unique device – designed as a cradle to hold a wireless phone –
simply plugs into an electrical outlet. When the Cingular Wireless phone
is “cradled,” calls to the wireless phone are forwarded to a designated
landline phone, while the wireless phone’s battery is automatically
re-charged. Cingular customers with a FastForward device can get
unlimited
incoming wireless calls (minutes) forwarded to their landline phone in
the
local calling area – without the minutes counting against their monthly
wireless calling plan for just $2.99 per month plus the cost of the
device. The service is free to SBC residential local phone company
customers who receive a single bill for Cingular wireless and landline
services, and BellSouth customers who sign up for a combined bill and
two
other features.

For Cingular Wireless and its parent companies, SBC Communications Inc.
and BellSouth, the introduction of the FastForward device is part of a
larger initiative to create a new category of products that simplify the
calling process and change how people communicate. By integrating
wireless and wireline services and networks, the companies are
delivering
unique and differentiating offerings that will help SBC companies and
BellSouth acquire and retain customers, while at the same time helping
Cingular grow its subscriber base.

“In a sea of complex communications options, simplicity is refreshing,”
said Marc Lefar, chief marketing officer, Cingular Wireless.
“FastForward
simplifies our customers’ lives by giving them greater control over
their
communications – wireless or wireline, at home or on the go.”

Here’s how FastForward works:

Simply add the landline number to the wireless phone’s address book and
insert your wireless phone into the FastForward cradle. An indicator
light illuminates on the cradle, showing the forwarding service is
active.
Now, calls that would have gone to your wireless phone will ring the
designated landline telephone. To deactivate, just press the CANCEL
button
on the front of the device and remove the wireless phone from the
cradle.

FastForward will be available throughout Cingular’s coverage area
beginning Oct. 1, and in Puerto Rico later this year.
“FastForward is yet another example of how Cingular provides
cost-effective, creative solutions for its customers. Along with
Rollover™, this will set Cingular apart from the pack of ‘me-too’
wireless
carriers by providing a service that our research indicates customers
want,” continued Lefar.

“Through our initiative with Cingular we’re creating truly
differentiated
products that will fundamentally change how our customers access and use
communications services,” said Ray Wilkins, president, SBC marketing and
sales. “Integrating wireless with core telephone services will
differentiate us from competitors and help us gain and retain
customers.”

"The integration of wireless and wireline has always been important to
BellSouth and its customers. With virtually all of our wireline
customers
capable of being served by Cingular, this announcement is significant,"
said Dick Anderson, president customer markets, BellSouth.

The new FastForward device can be purchased as a stand-alone item at all
Cingular Wireless retail locations for just $39.99. SBC residential
customers purchasing new Cingular Wireless service can call their
consumer
service centers* and also purchase the device for the same amount plus
tax, shipping and handling. (Compatible wireless phones must be
purchased
separately. Customers also need to add unlimited call forwarding to
their
Cingular Wireless service calling plan for a charge of up to $2.99 a
month
to not have minutes count against their wireless calling plan. The
service
is free to SBC and BellSouth with certain packages.)

SBC Communications Inc. and BellSouth each already have introduced
service
bundles that provide conveniences such as one-stop shopping, a single
bill
and discounts for both wireless and wireline services. FastForward is
just
one more benefit to being a customer of both Cingular Wireless and an
SBC
or BellSouth local phone company.

Initially, the FastForward device will be compatible with select Nokia
and
Motorola wireless phone models. Additional FastForward-compatible
wireless phones, including Sony Ericsson and Siemens, should be
available
as early as Nov. 1.

More Wireless – Wireline Integration

FastForward is one in a series of exclusive products and services
recently
announced from Cingular Wireless and its parents designed to simplify
the
calling process for wireless customers. For example, in June, Cingular
Wireless, SBC Communications Inc. and BellSouth announced
MinuteShareSM,
a new service enabling SBC or BellSouth residential customers to share a
single bucket of wireline long distance (in states where SBC Long
Distance
is authorized to sell service) and wireless local and long distance
minutes. MinuteShare is available in select SBC markets now and is
expected to launch more broadly this autumn.

The companies also will implement a single voice mailbox for both
wireline
and wireless phones, giving customers greater convenience and
simplicity.
These strategic initiatives are aimed at creating a world of truly
integrated telecommunications services. For more information about
FastForward, please visit www.cingular.com or call 866-CINGULAR.

*The FastForward device is available through SBC customer service
centers
only to SBC residential (not business) customers who become new Cingular
customers. SBC residential customers who are existing Cingular
customers
will be referred to Cingular Wireless to purchase the FastForward
device.
Combined billing for existing Cingular customers will not be available
in
Connecticut until approximately Dec. 3, 2003.

About Cingular Wireless

Cingular Wireless, a joint venture between SBC Communications (NYSE -
SBC)
and BellSouth (NYSE - BLS), serves more than 23 million voice and data
customers across the United States. A leader in mobile voice and data
communications, Cingular is the only U.S. wireless carrier to offer
Rollover™, the wireless plan that lets customers keep their unused
monthly
minutes. Cingular has launched the world's first commercial deployment
of
wireless services using Enhanced Data for Global Evolution (EDGE)
technology. Cingular provides cellular/PCS service in 43 of the top 50
markets nationwide, and provides corporate e-mail and other advanced
data
services through its GPRS, EDGE and Mobitex packet data networks.
Details
of the company are available at www.cingular.com.

About SBC Communications
SBC Communications Inc. (www.sbc.com) is one of the world's leading
data,
voice and Internet services providers. Through its world-class networks,
SBC companies provide a full range of voice, data, networking and
e-business services, as well as directory advertising and publishing. A
Fortune 30 company, SBC is America's leading provider of high-speed DSL
Internet Access services and one of the nation's leading Internet
Service
Providers. SBC companies currently serve 56 million access lines
nationwide. In addition, SBC companies own 60 percent of America's
second-largest wireless company, Cingular Wireless, which serves more
than
23 million wireless customers over its nationwide voice and data
networks.
Cingular was the first company in the United States to commercially
launch
EDGE technology. Internationally, SBC companies have telecommunications
investments in 22 countries.

About BellSouth Corporation
BellSouth Corporation is a Fortune 100 communications services company
headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. BellSouth serves more than 45 million
local, long distance, Internet and wireless customers in the United
States
and 14 other countries.
Consistently recognized for customer satisfaction, BellSouth provides a
full array of broadband data solutions to large, medium and small
businesses. In the residential market, BellSouth offers DSL high-speed
Internet access, advanced voice features and other services. BellSouth
also offers long distance service throughout its markets, serving both
business and residential customers. The company’s BellSouth AnswersSM
package combines local and long distance service with an array of
calling
features; wireless data, voice and e-mail services; and high-speed DSL
or
dial-up Internet service. BellSouth also provides online and directory
advertising services through BellSouth® RealPages.comSM and The Real
Yellow Pages®.

BellSouth owns 40 percent of Cingular Wireless, the nation's second
largest wireless company, which provides innovative data and voice
services.


--
Frederick
Freelance Foto Service

[posted via phonescoop.com]

fjclaus@photographyspecialist.com (Frederick Claus) wrote in message news:<vlrvbar6oivj14@corp.supernews.com>...
> Here is a press release I got from Cingular. After reading this I wanted
> one right away.
>
> CINGULAR WIRELESS, SBC COMMUNICATIONS, AND BELLSOUTH INTRODUCE UNIQUE
> DEVICE FOR ROUTING INCOMING WIRELESS CALLS TO WIRELINE NUMBERS
>
>
> FASTFORWARD FURTHERS WIRELESS-WIRELINE INTEGRATION BETWEEN CINGULAR AND
> SBC COMPANIES, BELLSOUTH
>
> FastForward Cradle Allows Cingular Customers to Rollover Even More
> Minutes

What is the stupid device for, other than to get you to spend $40?

Why can't they simply "sell" you Call Forwarding for $2.99/month?

Or do it for free? I'm a T-Mobile customer. My phone has a
"forward when unavailable" setting. If I select that, calls to my
mobile get forwarded to any number I choose if my phone is out
of range or off. I have it permanently set to forward to my home
when unavailable, and when I get home, I shut the phone off.
Voila! "Fast Forward" without a gimmicky $40 cradle and without
a $3/month fee. (T-Mo gives free forwarding as part of most
voice plans.)

Now without the cradle, you'd be forced to manually forward calls
by using the phone's keypad if Cingular doesn't have a "when
unavailable" option, but it sounds to me like the only function of
the cradle is to put the phone in and out of forwarding mode for
you. Convenient, perhaps, but hardly the great advance in
technology the press release implies!

Or am I missing something?

Todd Allcock wrote:
> fjclaus@photographyspecialist.com (Frederick Claus) wrote in message news:<vlrvbar6oivj14@corp.supernews.com>...
>
>>Here is a press release I got from Cingular. After reading this I wanted
>>one right away.
>>
>>CINGULAR WIRELESS, SBC COMMUNICATIONS, AND BELLSOUTH INTRODUCE UNIQUE
>>DEVICE FOR ROUTING INCOMING WIRELESS CALLS TO WIRELINE NUMBERS
>>
>>
>>FASTFORWARD FURTHERS WIRELESS-WIRELINE INTEGRATION BETWEEN CINGULAR AND
>>SBC COMPANIES, BELLSOUTH
>>
>>FastForward Cradle Allows Cingular Customers to Rollover Even More
>>Minutes
>
>
> What is the stupid device for, other than to get you to spend $40?
>
> Why can't they simply "sell" you Call Forwarding for $2.99/month?
>
> Or do it for free? I'm a T-Mobile customer. My phone has a
> "forward when unavailable" setting. If I select that, calls to my
> mobile get forwarded to any number I choose if my phone is out
> of range or off. I have it permanently set to forward to my home
> when unavailable, and when I get home, I shut the phone off.
> Voila! "Fast Forward" without a gimmicky $40 cradle and without
> a $3/month fee. (T-Mo gives free forwarding as part of most
> voice plans.)
>
> Now without the cradle, you'd be forced to manually forward calls
> by using the phone's keypad if Cingular doesn't have a "when
> unavailable" option, but it sounds to me like the only function of
> the cradle is to put the phone in and out of forwarding mode for
> you. Convenient, perhaps, but hardly the great advance in
> technology the press release implies!
>
> Or am I missing something?


No, Todd, you're not missing anything. Cingular has the same
forwarding options as anybody else. I treat my inbound calls the same
way you do - with a soft forward to a landline number. I do this to
put voice mail into one place. What wasn't clear to me was... does
the cradle avoid recurring feature charges? And it seems to me
another carrier had something similar - only in reverse, landline to
cellular forwarding via cradle.

--
jer email reply - I am not a 'ten' ICQ = 35253273
"All that we do is touched with ocean, yet we remain on the shore of
what we know." -- Richard Wilbur

When the phone is in the device and forwards a call to your land line
phone it does'nt eat your minutes unlike regular forwarding which does
eat your minutes no matter what phone number you forward to , this
sounds great for the customer who happens to have crappy service in
there home they can simply put their phones in this device getting the
benefits of a good land line connection for their wireless phone, if you
have a cordless in your home your still mobile,cool.

elecconnec@aol.com (Todd Allcock) wrote in article
<de37a2e0.0309092147.2d134deb@posting.google.com>:
> fjclaus@photographyspecialist.com (Frederick Claus) wrote in message news:<vlrvbar6oivj14@corp.supernews.com>...
> > Here is a press release I got from Cingular. After reading this I wanted
> > one right away.
> >
> > CINGULAR WIRELESS, SBC COMMUNICATIONS, AND BELLSOUTH INTRODUCE UNIQUE
> > DEVICE FOR ROUTING INCOMING WIRELESS CALLS TO WIRELINE NUMBERS
> >
> >
> > FASTFORWARD FURTHERS WIRELESS-WIRELINE INTEGRATION BETWEEN CINGULAR AND
> > SBC COMPANIES, BELLSOUTH
> >
> > FastForward Cradle Allows Cingular Customers to Rollover Even More
> > Minutes
>
> What is the stupid device for, other than to get you to spend $40?
>
> Why can't they simply "sell" you Call Forwarding for $2.99/month?
>
> Or do it for free? I'm a T-Mobile customer. My phone has a
> "forward when unavailable" setting. If I select that, calls to my
> mobile get forwarded to any number I choose if my phone is out
> of range or off. I have it permanently set to forward to my home
> when unavailable, and when I get home, I shut the phone off.
> Voila! "Fast Forward" without a gimmicky $40 cradle and without
> a $3/month fee. (T-Mo gives free forwarding as part of most
> voice plans.)
>
> Now without the cradle, you'd be forced to manually forward calls
> by using the phone's keypad if Cingular doesn't have a "when
> unavailable" option, but it sounds to me like the only function of
> the cradle is to put the phone in and out of forwarding mode for
> you. Convenient, perhaps, but hardly the great advance in
> technology the press release implies!
>
> Or am I missing something?

[posted via phonescoop.com]

jer <gdunn@airmail.ten> wrote in message news:<bjn29f$tvo@library2.airnews.net>...

> No, Todd, you're not missing anything. Cingular has the same
> forwarding options as anybody else. I treat my inbound calls the same
> way you do - with a soft forward to a landline number. I do this to
> put voice mail into one place. What wasn't clear to me was... does
> the cradle avoid recurring feature charges?

It looks like it's all a smoke-and-mirrors thing with billing- IF you buy
cradle for $40 AND you're an SBC or BellSouth landline customer
THEN you qualify for a special $3/month "all-you-can-forward" plan.

Currently, IIRC, Cingular counts forwarded calls against your plan
minutes (i.e. forwarding a 10 minute call eats 10 minutes)- when I
first signed with Cingular (back when they were SBMS in my area)
forwarded calls only "cost" one minute of airtime, regardless of
length. (In fact, when they changed it, I was sent a letter allowing
me to opt out of my contract and cancel service because of the
change, but I chose not to- Cingular was my "personal" phone and
I rarely used forwarding.)

My business phone is w/T-Mo, and forwarding is free- sort of.
Customer service tells me that there is some theoretical maximum
number of minutes I'm allowed to forward, but no one can tell me
what that number is, nor, apparently, have I ever exceeded it!

> And it seems to me
> another carrier had something similar - only in reverse, landline to
> cellular forwarding via cradle.

GTE, way back when, sold a specially modified Nokia 100 that was
800-MHz analog cellular and a 49MHz cordless home phone. When
it was in range of it's base it switched to 49MHz, and back to
cellular when you left the house. I'm sure the 4 people who bought
them really liked them! ;-) The weirdest thing about the phone was
that it played a fake dialtone when acting as a cell phone,
presumably to work consistently wherever you used it. Instead of
dialing and then pressing "Send", you pressed "Send" first, got a
"dialtone" then dialed. After dialing, you could either press "Send"
again to initiate the call, or do nothing. A few seconds after you
stopped entering digits, the phone would assume you were done
and place the call. Back when I sold pre-paid phones, I got a bunch
of these units (without the 49MHz base stations) really cheap. I
sold them to elderly customers mostly, because there was very little
learning curve- it worked just like a cordless phone.

Actually, you miss the idea in certain situations.

Scenario:

You have SBC or BellSouth as your telephone line at home. You have
Cingular Wireless as your cellular telephone. But there's a problem --
your Cingular Wireless number is long distance from your home telephone
number. So, you buy the 2.99 montly call forwarding service, but for
each call that is forwarded, you also get stiffed with long distance
charges. Because of the intra-lata call area and stuff, they're more
expensive than calling even Alaska, Hawaii, Gwam, or the Virgin Islands.
You may not realize how common this situation is in the vast rural
United States. Take North Dakota, for example. In the entire state,
you can only get a local phone number in 7 cities. (Williston,
Dickinson, Minot, Bismarck, Jamestown, Grand Forks, and Fargo) If you
live in a city other than those, your phone number will be from the
nearest city (which in many cases is more than 90 miles away). Although
BellSouth, Cingular, and SBC do not operate in the Upper Midwest, it
doesn't really matter there anyway, but that's just an example of the
luxuries that people from rural areas don't have that metro-city
dwellers do have.

> What is the stupid device for, other than to get you to spend $40?
>
> Why can't they simply "sell" you Call Forwarding for $2.99/month?
>
> Or do it for free? I'm a T-Mobile customer. My phone has a
> "forward when unavailable" setting. If I select that, calls to my
> mobile get forwarded to any number I choose if my phone is out
> of range or off. I have it permanently set to forward to my home
> when unavailable, and when I get home, I shut the phone off.
> Voila! "Fast Forward" without a gimmicky $40 cradle and without
> a $3/month fee. (T-Mo gives free forwarding as part of most
> voice plans.)
>
> Now without the cradle, you'd be forced to manually forward calls
> by using the phone's keypad if Cingular doesn't have a "when
> unavailable" option, but it sounds to me like the only function of
> the cradle is to put the phone in and out of forwarding mode for
> you. Convenient, perhaps, but hardly the great advance in
> technology the press release implies!
>
> Or am I missing something?

morpheus926@hotmail.com (Alex Raymond) wrote in message news:<vlvcnu9kiqnt46@corp.supernews.com>...
> When the phone is in the device and forwards a call to your land line
> phone it does'nt eat your minutes unlike regular forwarding which does
> eat your minutes no matter what phone number you forward to

You missed my point. The change in billing for forwarding is a BILLING
issue- it has nothing to do with "magic box" you stick your phone in!

Cingular is simply choosing to stop counting forwarding against plan
minutes if you meet certain conditions- buy the magic box, pay
$3/month, and be an SBC or BellSouth customer. Again, my point is
that the cradle isn't required from a technology standpoint- it doesn't
actually "do" the forwarding- it simply, for lack of a better description,
runs a "macro" on your phone, making it go into forwarding mode.

> this
> sounds great for the customer who happens to have crappy service in
> there home they can simply put their phones in this device getting the
> benefits of a good land line connection for their wireless phone, if you
> have a cordless in your home your still mobile,cool.

I agree- I just hate "smoke-and-mirror" technology. My point is that
there's no "magic" in the stupid cradle that accomplishes this, and folks
without a "cradle-compatible" phone shouldn't be denied access to the
service, but you can bet your sweet bippy that Cingular will tell you
you have to have the magic cradle "to make it work", and therefore
a new cradle-compatible phone (with obligatory two-year contract
extension!) to use the service.

T-Mobile gives me this service now with any phone, no cradle, no
monthly fee, no limitation on who I can forward to and no stipulation
as to who my landline company is.

I guess my real point was that this a service-provider-controlled
feature, not a hardware one. Let's say, instead of this, Cingular
offered to sell you an "answering machine cradle" for your phone
for $40. When you stick your phone in it, it automatically plays
your voice mail messages without you having to push any buttons
on your phone. This is really the same thing- it simply automates
something your phone and provider can already do! The change
in price structure of Cingular's call-forwarding service is the
smoke-and-mirrors part, making it seem like the cradle has something
to do with making the magic happen.

About Dakota <glaeske@yifan.net> wrote in message news:<3F602079.7020500@yifan.net>...
> Actually, you miss the idea in certain situations.

Not really- I just chose not to rant about the "local" thing- it was
"outside the scope" my cradle tirade!

> Scenario:
>
> You have SBC or BellSouth as your telephone line at home. You have
> Cingular Wireless as your cellular telephone. But there's a problem --
> your Cingular Wireless number is long distance from your home telephone
> number. So, you buy the 2.99 montly call forwarding service, but for
> each call that is forwarded, you also get stiffed with long distance
> charges.

No, in that case you wouldn't qualify for the service- at least that's
the implication in their PR. Besides, how many people would your
scenario apply to? Cingular is the B-side cell carrier in most if not all
SBC or BellSouth residential areas. It would be difficult to have a
Cingular number that was LD from your residential SBC or BellSouth
service unless you were trying to (to establish a "local number"
presence in a nearby city, for example.)

> Because of the intra-lata call area and stuff, they're more
> expensive than calling even Alaska, Hawaii, Gwam, or the Virgin Islands.
> You may not realize how common this situation is in the vast rural
> United States. Take North Dakota, for example. In the entire state,
> you can only get a local phone number in 7 cities. (Williston,
> Dickinson, Minot, Bismarck, Jamestown, Grand Forks, and Fargo) If you
> live in a city other than those, your phone number will be from the
> nearest city (which in many cases is more than 90 miles away). Although
> BellSouth, Cingular, and SBC do not operate in the Upper Midwest, it
> doesn't really matter there anyway, but that's just an example of the
> luxuries that people from rural areas don't have that metro-city
> dwellers do have.

True, but I'll give rural Missouri as my example. Like in your example,
Cingular markets to much of rural MO, but SBC doesn't provide service
in all of those area like they do in the Kansas City and St. Louis metros.
Smaller rural telephone companies and co-ops service the sticks, so this
Cingular "FastForward" service wouldn't apply to those people anyway.

In your example, do rural telephone customers 100 miles from, say,
Bismarck have the same local telco?

Todd Allcock wrote:
> About Dakota <glaeske@yifan.net> wrote in message news:<3F602079.7020500@yifan.net>...
>
>>Actually, you miss the idea in certain situations.
>
>
> Not really- I just chose not to rant about the "local" thing- it was
> "outside the scope" my cradle tirade!
>
>
>>Scenario:
>>
>>You have SBC or BellSouth as your telephone line at home. You have
>>Cingular Wireless as your cellular telephone. But there's a problem --
>>your Cingular Wireless number is long distance from your home telephone
>>number. So, you buy the 2.99 montly call forwarding service, but for
>>each call that is forwarded, you also get stiffed with long distance
>>charges.
>
>
> No, in that case you wouldn't qualify for the service- at least that's
> the implication in their PR. Besides, how many people would your
> scenario apply to? Cingular is the B-side cell carrier in most if not all
> SBC or BellSouth residential areas. It would be difficult to have a
> Cingular number that was LD from your residential SBC or BellSouth
> service unless you were trying to (to establish a "local number"
> presence in a nearby city, for example.)
>
>
>>Because of the intra-lata call area and stuff, they're more
>>expensive than calling even Alaska, Hawaii, Gwam, or the Virgin Islands.
>> You may not realize how common this situation is in the vast rural
>>United States. Take North Dakota, for example. In the entire state,
>>you can only get a local phone number in 7 cities. (Williston,
>>Dickinson, Minot, Bismarck, Jamestown, Grand Forks, and Fargo) If you
>>live in a city other than those, your phone number will be from the
>>nearest city (which in many cases is more than 90 miles away). Although
>>BellSouth, Cingular, and SBC do not operate in the Upper Midwest, it
>>doesn't really matter there anyway, but that's just an example of the
>>luxuries that people from rural areas don't have that metro-city
>>dwellers do have.
>
>
> True, but I'll give rural Missouri as my example. Like in your example,
> Cingular markets to much of rural MO, but SBC doesn't provide service
> in all of those area like they do in the Kansas City and St. Louis metros.
> Smaller rural telephone companies and co-ops service the sticks, so this
> Cingular "FastForward" service wouldn't apply to those people anyway.
>
> In your example, do rural telephone customers 100 miles from, say,
> Bismarck have the same local telco?

Yes, I know people that live almost 350 miles away that have the same
local telephone company. People in the "Big Four" (Minot, Bismarck,
Grand Forks, Fargo) are usually the only ones that have choices between
more than carrier for a local telephone number. There are remote areas
of the state that had to start their own telephone co-operatives to even
get service (i.e. you will see companies that may only serve a few
hundred people). On another but unrelated note, does anyone else think
that if a company acquires spectrum for an area but does not use it that
it should be given to a company that will (for example, there are only 2
"statewide" cellular carriers in ND - each covering about 60% of the
state. Many carriers (such as T-mobile, Verizon, Western Wireless,
Sprint PCS, and Nextel, to name a few) have spectrum licenses for the
entire state, but 25% of the state does not any cellular coverage
whatsoever (many rural doctors have satellite phones). This prevents
local co-operatives from picking up the slack as there is no more
spectrum available for North Dakota.)

About Dakota <glaeske@yifan.net> wrote in message news:<3F60B7A2.2040703@yifan.net>...

> On another but unrelated note, does anyone else think
> that if a company acquires spectrum for an area but does not use it that
> it should be given to a company that will (for example, there are only 2
> "statewide" cellular carriers in ND - each covering about 60% of the
> state. Many carriers (such as T-mobile, Verizon, Western Wireless,
> Sprint PCS, and Nextel, to name a few) have spectrum licenses for the
> entire state, but 25% of the state does not any cellular coverage
> whatsoever (many rural doctors have satellite phones). This prevents
> local co-operatives from picking up the slack as there is no more
> spectrum available for North Dakota.)

I agree completely. I understand it takes time and money to create a
cellular service, but there should be some kind of deadline- if you don't
have an operable system within x# of years after receiving the license
you forfeit it. (Perhaps such a system already exists- we're way
outside my expertise here!)

The communication satellite business works that way. If you get an
orbital license you have multiple deadlines to deal with- so many years
to begin construction of a satellite, then another date you must launch
by and another date to commence delivery of service. Missing any of
them can cause you to forfeit your license. DirecTV blew one not too
long ago and lost an orbital license. (It was a fairly undesirable orbital
location they probably would have never used anyway.)

But certainly a lot of PCS licenses are being wasted nationwide. I'm still
waiting for T-Mobile to start the service in Sioux City, IA for which
they've been licensed for quite awhile!

absolutely

dont waste your cash on the cradle. you can do the same thing with codes on the phone.

Cingular has been selling Fast Forward for a long time with SBC. In fact we have worked with it as a proto type project. It failed out here in the west. The cradles are a warranty nightmare. It was supposed to allow SBC customers to have a way to forward their cell calls to their work/home lines without using minutes. Of course this encourages the use of SBC as a landline. What it turned out to be instead was a project where if a customer had bad service but one bar we used the fast forward so they could at least get calls. The other thing we did was use fast forward on a add a line without the cradle (because any forwarded calls work and not just to SBC landlines but also cell phones and any calls within a 100 mile radius of the area code of the phone). This way a customer has two numbers going to one phone. The cradle was useless most of the time. The service has been great. I have 2 lines forwarded to one line. This way I can get work calls without having to give out my personal number. About time fast forward roles out nationwide.

Thats what I was thinking, they have had fast forward for years. You can do the same thing with codes on the phone, no need to pay for a cradle.

HAs anyone actually looked at the information from Cingular on call
forward? Here is the link to the call forward info page:
http://www.cingular.com/customer_service/fast_forward. Do you see
anywhere it states you must forward To a SBC phone? You don't. It will
work with any landline company. The press release staes "a designated
landline phone". The only connection to SBC is that SBC customers may
not have to pay the 3.99 for the unlimited call forwarding.
The only call forward Cingular has is call forward immediate. Therefore
when it is turned on, all calls will be forwarded. Sure you could enter
your house, spend a couple of minutes turning on call forward and then
plug your phone into a charger. That would be exactly the same as
plugging into the Fasforward device. When you were about to leave you
would have to manually turn call forward off. Wouldn't it be convenient
to do the same thing bu just plugging you phone into the charger (Fast
forward cradel) and removing it from the cradle and pusing 1 button to
turn it off?
There is one hitch though: it looks like the only way you can get the
unlimited call forward is to buy the cradle. I may be wrong but i will
check that. If you don't have that unlimited Call Forward feature, all
call forwarded minutes will be charges as if you answered the phone in
the location of the phone that the calls are being forwarded to.


--
movak