SPCS in Canada

[Note: I'm posting twice, with different questions, to try to keep
the topics focused.]

I'm the "IT guy" for a small business that operates internationally.
As things currently stand, the wireless phone situation is kind of
non-optimal, financially and administratively. I'm looking into
switching everybody over to one carrier. SprintPCS is one of the
possibilities, but current users of two of the three existing
providers have some concerns.

One concern is SPCS' coverage in Canada and Mexico. (I'm not even
going to bring up Europe and Asia.) Can anybody relate their
experiences with SPCS, or SPCS partner, coverage in (either of) those
two countries?

Is there any other U.S. cellular service provider that does coverage
in Canada or Mexico better than SPCS?

I'm not overly interested in rate discussions atm. I imagine I'll
work that out with SPCS, should it come to that.

Thanks,
Jim
--
Jim Seymour | "There is no expedient to which a man will not
jseymour@LinxNet.com | go to avoid the labor of thinking."
http://jimsun.LinxNet.com | - Thomas A. Edison

Jim Seymour wrote:

> Is there any other U.S. cellular service provider that does coverage
> in Canada or Mexico better than SPCS?

None of them natively cover either country. I assume you're asking about roaming?


--
Steve Sobol, Professional Geek ** Java/VB/VC/PHP/Perl ** Linux/*BSD/Windows
Apple Valley, California PGP:0xE3AE35ED

It's all fun and games until someone starts a bonfire in the living room.

In article <e9o1n3$9he$1@jamiebaillie.com>,
Steve Sobol <sjsobol@JustThe.net> writes:
> Jim Seymour wrote:
>
>> Is there any other U.S. cellular service provider that does coverage
>> in Canada or Mexico better than SPCS?
>
> None of them natively cover either country. I assume you're asking
> about roaming?

I rather figured that. Roaming or otherwise: Which is most likely
to keep my people reliably covered?

--
Jim Seymour | "There is no expedient to which a man will not
jseymour@LinxNet.com | go to avoid the labor of thinking."
http://jimsun.LinxNet.com | - Thomas A. Edison

There's plenty of CDMA coverage in Canada from Bell Canada (800) and
Telus (1900), and SPCS phones roam well on both. I've done it, and it
was 65 cents per minute.

There's not much CDMA in Mexico. I even think one of the formerly-CDMA
carriers either went GSM or was bought by a GSM carrier and dissolved.
I can't find SPCS's Mexico coverage map right now, but I think SPCS
phones roam on Iusacell, and I can't find a coverage map on their
website either (www.iusacell.com). But if there is coverage where
you're going, it works fine, according to one friend who's done it.

I don't know who Verizon roams on.
http://mobileoptions.vzw.com/international/index.html
They have a "North Americas Choice" plan as well as a la carte roaming.

I remember seeing once a map of the GSM coverage that Cingular roams on
and it was extensive. Look here:
http://www.telcel.com/gsm/international/howtodial2.htm

Jim Seymour wrote:
> [Note: I'm posting twice, with different questions, to try to keep
> the topics focused.]
>
> I'm the "IT guy" for a small business that operates internationally.
> As things currently stand, the wireless phone situation is kind of
> non-optimal, financially and administratively. I'm looking into
> switching everybody over to one carrier. SprintPCS is one of the
> possibilities, but current users of two of the three existing
> providers have some concerns.
>
> One concern is SPCS' coverage in Canada and Mexico. (I'm not even
> going to bring up Europe and Asia.) Can anybody relate their
> experiences with SPCS, or SPCS partner, coverage in (either of) those
> two countries?
>
> Is there any other U.S. cellular service provider that does coverage
> in Canada or Mexico better than SPCS?
>
> I'm not overly interested in rate discussions atm. I imagine I'll
> work that out with SPCS, should it come to that.
>
> Thanks,
> Jim

--

Frank Harris in San Francisco with a A920