Life of the TDMA networks

I have a couple of questions as I contemplate purchase of TDMA phones:

1) Anyone with an informed opinion about the life of the AT&T (now Cingular
Blue) and Cingular (Cingular Orange) networks. Are towers being deactivated
on a regular basis. Will it all end in a few months?

2) Assuming the answer to the above is "not any time soon" - has Cingular
mentioned combining their Cingular Blue and Cingular Orange networks?

Thanks,

Henry

---

› See More: Life of the TDMA networks

Hybyd2 wrote:
> I have a couple of questions as I contemplate purchase of TDMA phones:
>
> 1) Anyone with an informed opinion about the life of the AT&T (now Cingular
> Blue) and Cingular (Cingular Orange) networks. Are towers being deactivated
> on a regular basis. Will it all end in a few months?
>
> 2) Assuming the answer to the above is "not any time soon" - has Cingular
> mentioned combining their Cingular Blue and Cingular Orange networks?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Henry
>
>


According to my Cingular pals, they're deeply involved with integrating
the blue and orange. As far a TDMA coverage is concerned, all carriers
balance their service offerings based on demand, and as clients move
from TDMA to GSM, especially in highly urbanized areas, TDMA is slowly
becoming a ghost town. Months? Not likely, but in a year or two it may
become difficult to find TDMA equipment useful for anything more than a
obsolete paper weight.

--
jer email reply - I am not a 'ten'

"Hybyd2" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I have a couple of questions as I contemplate purchase of TDMA phones:
>
> 1) Anyone with an informed opinion about the life of the AT&T (now
Cingular
> Blue) and Cingular (Cingular Orange) networks. Are towers being
deactivated
> on a regular basis. Will it all end in a few months?

I don't think it will be just a few months, as there are still a lot of TDMA
users. Probably at some point they will force everyone to switch, but there
are still some areas of the country with virtually no GSM service, and I
don't think that they're going to want to alienate their hard core TDMA base
for no good reason.

Maybe when they turn off AMPS in 2007, they'll also turn off TDMA

Certainly you don't want to pay a lot for a TDMA phone. They are available
very cheaply on places like craigslist.org. I just bought a pristine V60T
for $10, and activated it on Beyond Wireless prepaid
(http://gobeyondwireless.com). It's a good way to get a cheap phone with
excellent coverage, for urgent use only. Minutes cost from 10 to 15 cents
each, and they don't expire, or require a monthly top-off like Tracfone. The
fact that AT&T/Cingular is allowing a company like Beyond Wireless to
effectively take all the cost sensitive prepaid customers, indicates that
they must not care because they will shut off TDMA in the not-to-distant
future.

A while back, AT&T said that they will be keeping the TDMA network up for
the "foreseeable future," which means nothing.

Where I live (Silicon Valley), I get good TDMA and CDMA coverage, but
terrible GSM coverage. I've seen the same thing in Atlanta, where my mother
can no longer call me on her AT&T phone, since she let them switch her from
TDMA to GSM.

"Jer" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Hybyd2 wrote:
>> I have a couple of questions as I contemplate purchase of TDMA phones:
>>
>> 1) Anyone with an informed opinion about the life of the AT&T (now
>> Cingular Blue) and Cingular (Cingular Orange) networks. Are towers being
>> deactivated on a regular basis. Will it all end in a few months?
>>
>> 2) Assuming the answer to the above is "not any time soon" - has
>> Cingular mentioned combining their Cingular Blue and Cingular Orange
>> networks?
>>
>> Thanks,
>>
>> Henry
>
>
> According to my Cingular pals, they're deeply involved with integrating
> the blue and orange. As far a TDMA coverage is concerned, all carriers
> balance their service offerings based on demand, and as clients move from
> TDMA to GSM, especially in highly urbanized areas, TDMA is slowly becoming
> a ghost town. Months? Not likely, but in a year or two it may become
> difficult to find TDMA equipment useful for anything more than a obsolete
> paper weight.
>
> --
> jer email reply - I am not a 'ten'

Curious if once the blue and orange networks are integrated if that means
the prepaid customers who now have access only to the blue will
automatically gain access to both.

Russell

Russell wrote:
> "Jer" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>
>>Hybyd2 wrote:
>>
>>>I have a couple of questions as I contemplate purchase of TDMA phones:
>>>
>>>1) Anyone with an informed opinion about the life of the AT&T (now
>>>Cingular Blue) and Cingular (Cingular Orange) networks. Are towers being
>>>deactivated on a regular basis. Will it all end in a few months?
>>>
>>>2) Assuming the answer to the above is "not any time soon" - has
>>>Cingular mentioned combining their Cingular Blue and Cingular Orange
>>>networks?
>>>
>>>Thanks,
>>>
>>>Henry
>>
>>
>>According to my Cingular pals, they're deeply involved with integrating
>>the blue and orange. As far a TDMA coverage is concerned, all carriers
>>balance their service offerings based on demand, and as clients move from
>>TDMA to GSM, especially in highly urbanized areas, TDMA is slowly becoming
>>a ghost town. Months? Not likely, but in a year or two it may become
>>difficult to find TDMA equipment useful for anything more than a obsolete
>>paper weight.
>>
>>--
>>jer email reply - I am not a 'ten'
>
>
> Curious if once the blue and orange networks are integrated if that means
> the prepaid customers who now have access only to the blue will
> automatically gain access to both.
>
> Russell
>
>


Personally, I don't have a clue, but I'd bet they do. I'll ask when I
next see them.

--
jer
email reply - I am not a 'ten'

"Jer" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Russell wrote:
>> "Jer" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>> news:[email protected]...
>>
>>>Hybyd2 wrote:
>>>
>>>>I have a couple of questions as I contemplate purchase of TDMA phones:
>>>>
>>>>1) Anyone with an informed opinion about the life of the AT&T (now
>>>>Cingular Blue) and Cingular (Cingular Orange) networks. Are towers
>>>>being deactivated on a regular basis. Will it all end in a few months?
>>>>
>>>>2) Assuming the answer to the above is "not any time soon" - has
>>>>Cingular mentioned combining their Cingular Blue and Cingular Orange
>>>>networks?
>>>>
>>>>Thanks,
>>>>
>>>>Henry
>>>
>>>
>>>According to my Cingular pals, they're deeply involved with integrating
>>>the blue and orange. As far a TDMA coverage is concerned, all carriers
>>>balance their service offerings based on demand, and as clients move from
>>>TDMA to GSM, especially in highly urbanized areas, TDMA is slowly
>>>becoming a ghost town. Months? Not likely, but in a year or two it may
>>>become difficult to find TDMA equipment useful for anything more than a
>>>obsolete paper weight.
>>>
>>>--
>>>jer email reply - I am not a 'ten'
>>
>>
>> Curious if once the blue and orange networks are integrated if that means
>> the prepaid customers who now have access only to the blue will
>> automatically gain access to both.
>>
>> Russell
>
>
> Personally, I don't have a clue, but I'd bet they do. I'll ask when I
> next see them.
>
> --
> jer
> email reply - I am not a 'ten'

Appreciate the effort, Jer.

Russell

Please excuse my ignorance. You said your mother could no longer call you on
her GSM phone. Does it mean she can only reach people in GSM-covered areas?

"Steven M. Scharf" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "Hybyd2" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>> I have a couple of questions as I contemplate purchase of TDMA phones:
>>
>> 1) Anyone with an informed opinion about the life of the AT&T (now
> Cingular
>> Blue) and Cingular (Cingular Orange) networks. Are towers being
> deactivated
>> on a regular basis. Will it all end in a few months?
>
> I don't think it will be just a few months, as there are still a lot of
> TDMA
> users. Probably at some point they will force everyone to switch, but
> there
> are still some areas of the country with virtually no GSM service, and I
> don't think that they're going to want to alienate their hard core TDMA
> base
> for no good reason.
>
> Maybe when they turn off AMPS in 2007, they'll also turn off TDMA
>
> Certainly you don't want to pay a lot for a TDMA phone. They are available
> very cheaply on places like craigslist.org. I just bought a pristine V60T
> for $10, and activated it on Beyond Wireless prepaid
> (http://gobeyondwireless.com). It's a good way to get a cheap phone with
> excellent coverage, for urgent use only. Minutes cost from 10 to 15 cents
> each, and they don't expire, or require a monthly top-off like Tracfone.
> The
> fact that AT&T/Cingular is allowing a company like Beyond Wireless to
> effectively take all the cost sensitive prepaid customers, indicates that
> they must not care because they will shut off TDMA in the not-to-distant
> future.
>
> A while back, AT&T said that they will be keeping the TDMA network up for
> the "foreseeable future," which means nothing.
>
> Where I live (Silicon Valley), I get good TDMA and CDMA coverage, but
> terrible GSM coverage. I've seen the same thing in Atlanta, where my
> mother
> can no longer call me on her AT&T phone, since she let them switch her
> from
> TDMA to GSM.
>
>

John Smith wrote:
> Please excuse my ignorance. You said your mother could no longer call you on
> her GSM phone. Does it mean she can only reach people in GSM-covered areas?
>

No. His post was discussing his assertion that in some areas (including
Atlanta where his mother lives) the GSM coverage is not up to par with
the old TDMA network (many others have found the same situation). She
evidently can't make any calls from her home with her GSM service. It
has nothing to do with his location.

Per [email protected]:
> His post was discussing his assertion that in some areas (including
>Atlanta where his mother lives) the GSM coverage is not up to par with
>the old TDMA network (many others have found the same situation).

Here's one more.

Never even *thought* about not being able to connect with my TDMA phones - the
concept just wasn't there.

With my GSM phones, sometimes I can get a couple bars in my home; sometimes it's
just dead.... and it seems like almost a minute-to-minute thing.
--
PeteCresswell