Re: Emergency 911 use ONLY

larrypointer@the_net.com wrote:
>
> I see no need to get a cellphone. I only get a few calls a month on
> my home phone, and besides the home phone being cheaper, I need a home
> phone line for my internet (no other connections available in this
> rural area).
>
> ...
>
> Thanks
>
> Larry

I was in the same situation as you. Rural, dial-up Internet, and I
needed a cell phone for emergency use only.

After a little experimenting, I ended up with a T-Mobile pre-paid
phone.
(I bought a Motorola V195 and the reception and battery life are
excellent!) You can buy a pre-paid phone at a normal outlet, such as
Walmart, or directly from T-Mobile at their web site.

I suggest that you go to www.t-mobile.com and check out their pre-paid
phones. Also make sure to check their coverage map of your area.
(You don't want to buy a service that won't work where you live!)
Most
offers on the web site come with $25 in free service which will last
for
three months.

Initially, you'll have to buy at least one $10 card every three months
to keep
your phone number active. After you've bought a total of $100 worth
of time,
the renewal time increases to one year! This means that, if you don't
use up
your balance, you'll only have to spend $10 per year to keep your
account alive.
www.t-mobile.com has all the details. They call this the "Gold
Rewards" plan.

Good luck!

Rick, a happy pre-paid T-Mobile customer

On 2008-02-23, rostalb <rostalb@vfemail.net> wrote:

> I was in the same situation as you. Rural, dial-up Internet, and I
> needed a cell phone for emergency use only.
>
> After a little experimenting, I ended up with a T-Mobile pre-paid
> phone.

Especially for rural areas, you'll want to use the Personal Coverage Check
on T-Mo's website. It seems accurate (at least for my part of Southern Cali)
and since T-Mo does not have quite as large a footprint as some of the other
carriers, you'll want to make sure you have coverage.




--
Steve Sobol, Victorville, CA PGP:0xE3AE35ED www.SteveSobol.com
Geek-for-hire. Details: http://www.linkedin.com/in/stevesobol