newbie questions

looking through the alt.cellular.* comments have left me increadibly
confused. I am currently with fido - I like that it is pay as you go.
But I would like to learn what else is out there. I'd greatly
appreciate some on what the best company is for price, service,
coverage and quality?

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› See More: newbie questions

"keith" <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:

> I'd greatly
> appreciate some on what the best company is for price, service,
> coverage and quality?
>
>

Wow, that's like predicting where the next tsunami is going to hit or
hurricane is going to landfall. Too many variables to compute. We don't
even know where you live!

Let's be more local specific. Go to your favorite breakfast restaurant.
Everyone you see who has a cellphone on them simply ask them what carrier
they use and how they like the price/service/coverage/quality.
Disgruntled, screwed cellphone customers will always tell you when
they've been screwed. It's the finest information you can have for YOUR
area.

Are you associated with any group of people? club? company? Ask around
that group, too. Get as much information on each carrier you can and set
up a little rating system, again, specific to the area you intend to use
the phone most.

Don't listen to anyone who works for a cellphone company or reseller.
They'll all lie to their own mother about how wonderful everything is,
even if the phone in their pocket couldn't call her unless they were
standing on tiptoes on top of the building....

It's a government-caused snarled mess all about making money with the
least amount of real service....

Generally speaking, the 800 Mhz cellphone carriers have much more range
than the 1900 Mhz PCS carriers, just because of radio physics. 1900 Mhz
goes as far as 2 miles....800 about 4 to get reliable service. Building
canyons, mountains, forests all cause lots of reflections and service
suffers. No amount of BS can change radio physics, just more towers.

Don't get hung up on price. Cellphones are all expensive to own and to
operate. Verizon, for instance, now forces nationwide service on
customers, dropping all regional plans with lots of minutes. If you're
not a nationwide traveler, it screws you out of lots of airtime minutes.
Conversely, some small companies are great if you never leave the city
they serve and along the interstates between their cities where towers
are put up. If you drive in the country, NO SERVICE, no matter how cheap
it is. Worthless. It's a big balancing act....made worse by a
government that doesn't force coverage down their throats and lets them
get away with providing coverage in profitable urban areas while
neglecting less profitable markets their license prevents someone else
from covering. The whole mess can be laid at the feet of the FCC.

I'm on Alltel in SC, coming off Verizon, both 800 Mhz carriers. I have
an Alltel regional plan with 800 minutes for $39/mo with free LD and
unlimited nights/weekends and M2M minutes with other Alltel customers,
nationwide from inside my area. If I go to Florida sailing, I buy 100
minutes nationwide for $10, in blocks of 100 minutes that don't expire.
It makes more sense to me than 350 minutes for $40 just because it works
in California.

I've also been a cellphone customer since the first 2 towers were erected
in Charleston, SC....many years ago. Before that I had a "carphone" at
$3.50/minute! Cellphones are cheap!

Larry wrote:

> I'm on Alltel in SC, coming off Verizon, both 800 Mhz carriers.

The original poster mentioned FIDO, which is a GSM carrier in Canada.
Clearnet is another one doing GSM and, I think, iDEN a la Nextel (as a
separate service). Telephone companies Telus and Bell Canada both have
wireless operations. I have no idea which Canadian carriers are on which
frequency, though.

--
Steve Sobol, Professional Geek 888-480-4638 PGP: 0xE3AE35ED
Company website: http://JustThe.net/
Personal blog, resume, portfolio: http://SteveSobol.com/
E: [email protected] Snail: 22674 Motnocab Road, Apple Valley, CA 92307

Larry/Steve - thanks very much - this is helpful. By the way, I live
in Toronto, Canada.

"keith" <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:

> Larry/Steve - thanks very much - this is helpful. By the way, I live
> in Toronto, Canada.
>
>

No problem! Come to Charleston, SC and get on Alltel.

IT'S ABOVE FREEZING IN CHARLESTON!....(c;

Larry wrote:

> No problem! Come to Charleston, SC and get on Alltel.
>
> IT'S ABOVE FREEZING IN CHARLESTON!....(c;

Is it in the 70s? 'Cause that's how warm it is in Southern California this
week. Was beautiful down in Laguna Niguel yesterday, and in West Hollywood
on Tuesday. Visited both places to do some onsite work for clients this week.

It's even warm here in the High Desert, where it gets quite nippy in the
winter months because we have high winds coming down from the mountains.
(Yup. 100-115 in the summer, 35 degrees overnight in the winter! FUN!)




--
Steve Sobol, Professional Geek 888-480-4638 PGP: 0xE3AE35ED
Company website: http://JustThe.net/
Personal blog, resume, portfolio: http://SteveSobol.com/
E: [email protected] Snail: 22674 Motnocab Road, Apple Valley, CA 92307

Steve Sobol wrote:
> It's even warm here in the High Desert, where it gets quite nippy in the
> winter months because we have high winds coming down from the mountains.
> (Yup. 100-115 in the summer, 35 degrees overnight in the winter! FUN!)

So on the average its 75 degrees, and you're complaining?

--
If John McCain gets the 2008 Republican Presidential nomination,
my vote for President will be a write-in for Jiang Zemin.