Free and clear nationwide question.

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.sprintpcs (More info?)

I was thinking about going to sprint at the end of my cingular contract and
I was looking at the sprintpcs website. I just noticed that there is an
option to add "Sprint PCS Free & Clear America" for $5 so I could enjoy no
additional charges for roaming. I had been under the impression that was
included in the Free and Clear Nationwide plan. Can anyone verify or
explain that? I just logged into the site and typed in my zip 38401 and
went to the Free and Clear Nationwide link and the 500 minutes for $40 is
what I was considering. If I had to pay for roaming in TN every time I got
away from Sprint's PCS network I don't see where Sprint would be very cost
efficient. The majority of the state is in the light green analog roaming
as far as Sprint's coverage goes. They cover most of the major interstates
but, that's about it.

Ben

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.sprintpcs (More info?)

DynoSauR <dynosaurREMOVE@wolfplayer.us> wrote:
> I was thinking about going to sprint at the end of my cingular contract and
> I was looking at the sprintpcs website. I just noticed that there is an
> option to add "Sprint PCS Free & Clear America" for $5 so I could enjoy no
> additional charges for roaming. I had been under the impression that was
> included in the Free and Clear Nationwide plan. Can anyone verify or
> explain that? I just logged into the site and typed in my zip 38401 and
> went to the Free and Clear Nationwide link and the 500 minutes for $40 is
> what I was considering. If I had to pay for roaming in TN every time I got
> away from Sprint's PCS network I don't see where Sprint would be very cost
> efficient. The majority of the state is in the light green analog roaming
> as far as Sprint's coverage goes. They cover most of the major interstates
> but, that's about it.

Free and Clear covers any spot in the nation that has Sprint coverage. That's
all the major cities and a large number of smaller areas too. Roaming off
Sprint costs 69 cents/minute, though. F&CA allows you to roam off Sprint at
no additional charge as long as 50% or less of your airtime usage is off
Sprint.
>
>

--
JustThe.net Internet & New Media Services, http://JustThe.net/
Steven J. Sobol, Geek In Charge / 888.480.4NET (4638) / sjsobol@JustThe.net
PGP Key available from your friendly local key server (0xE3AE35ED)
Apple Valley, California Nothing scares me anymore. I have three kids.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.sprintpcs (More info?)

"Steven J Sobol" <sjsobol@JustThe.net> wrote in message
news:16adnUVh0_m2irXcRVn-vg@lmi.net...
> DynoSauR <dynosaurREMOVE@wolfplayer.us> wrote:
> > I was thinking about going to sprint at the end of my cingular contract
and
> > I was looking at the sprintpcs website. I just noticed that there is an
> > option to add "Sprint PCS Free & Clear America" for $5 so I could enjoy
no
> > additional charges for roaming. I had been under the impression that
was
> > included in the Free and Clear Nationwide plan. Can anyone verify or
> > explain that? I just logged into the site and typed in my zip 38401 and
> > went to the Free and Clear Nationwide link and the 500 minutes for $40
is
> > what I was considering. If I had to pay for roaming in TN every time I
got
> > away from Sprint's PCS network I don't see where Sprint would be very
cost
> > efficient. The majority of the state is in the light green analog
roaming
> > as far as Sprint's coverage goes. They cover most of the major
interstates
> > but, that's about it.
>
> Free and Clear covers any spot in the nation that has Sprint coverage.
That's
> all the major cities and a large number of smaller areas too. Roaming off
> Sprint costs 69 cents/minute, though. F&CA allows you to roam off Sprint
at
> no additional charge as long as 50% or less of your airtime usage is off
> Sprint.

How vague, i just needed confirmation that I would have to pay another $5 on
top of the Free and Clear Nationwide to get the Free and Clear America so
that I would not be charged roaming charges when in the light green area of
the map. I'll post a link to the Nashville, TN area just so you can see
what pitiful coverage Sprint has here.
http://activate.sprintpcs.com/maps/mkt/large/Nashville_TN.gif If "light
green" Roaming is not free in TN then Sprint isn't worth having as far as
I'm concerned.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.sprintpcs (More info?)

If you have the $5 America option, you have service anywhere there is color
on that map; SPCS in the dark green areas and roaming in the light green
areas. I know from experience that Sprint PCS has better coverage overall
(SPCS and roaming) than the Cingular GAIT Nation plan. SPCS used to sell a
specific Free & Clear America plan, but decided to just offer it as an
option for all F&C plans. You can think of the Free & Clear plan as the GSM
Nation plan and F&C America option as the GAIT Nation plan.

Chris

"DynoSauR" <dynosaurREMOVE@wolfplayer.us> wrote in message
news:jdXVc.4110$rP2.3362@hydra.nntpserver.com...
>
> "Steven J Sobol" <sjsobol@JustThe.net> wrote in message
> news:16adnUVh0_m2irXcRVn-vg@lmi.net...
>> DynoSauR <dynosaurREMOVE@wolfplayer.us> wrote:
>> > I was thinking about going to sprint at the end of my cingular contract
> and
>> > I was looking at the sprintpcs website. I just noticed that there is
>> > an
>> > option to add "Sprint PCS Free & Clear America" for $5 so I could enjoy
> no
>> > additional charges for roaming. I had been under the impression that
> was
>> > included in the Free and Clear Nationwide plan. Can anyone verify or
>> > explain that? I just logged into the site and typed in my zip 38401
>> > and
>> > went to the Free and Clear Nationwide link and the 500 minutes for $40
> is
>> > what I was considering. If I had to pay for roaming in TN every time I
> got
>> > away from Sprint's PCS network I don't see where Sprint would be very
> cost
>> > efficient. The majority of the state is in the light green analog
> roaming
>> > as far as Sprint's coverage goes. They cover most of the major
> interstates
>> > but, that's about it.
>>
>> Free and Clear covers any spot in the nation that has Sprint coverage.
> That's
>> all the major cities and a large number of smaller areas too. Roaming off
>> Sprint costs 69 cents/minute, though. F&CA allows you to roam off Sprint
> at
>> no additional charge as long as 50% or less of your airtime usage is off
>> Sprint.
>
> How vague, i just needed confirmation that I would have to pay another $5
> on
> top of the Free and Clear Nationwide to get the Free and Clear America so
> that I would not be charged roaming charges when in the light green area
> of
> the map. I'll post a link to the Nashville, TN area just so you can see
> what pitiful coverage Sprint has here.
> http://activate.sprintpcs.com/maps/mkt/large/Nashville_TN.gif If "light
> green" Roaming is not free in TN then Sprint isn't worth having as far as
> I'm concerned.
>
>

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.sprintpcs (More info?)

"DynoSauR" <dynosaurREMOVE@wolfplayer.us> wrote in message
news:jdXVc.4110$rP2.3362@hydra.nntpserver.com...
<snipped>
> How vague, i just needed confirmation that I would have to pay another $5
on
> top of the Free and Clear Nationwide to get the Free and Clear America so
> that I would not be charged roaming charges when in the light green area
of
> the map. I'll post a link to the Nashville, TN area just so you can see
> what pitiful coverage Sprint has here.
> http://activate.sprintpcs.com/maps/mkt/large/Nashville_TN.gif If "light
> green" Roaming is not free in TN then Sprint isn't worth having as far as
> I'm concerned.

Suit yourself. As mentioned, if one adds the F&CA option to the account, one
doesn't have to worry about whether they are roaming or not. To answer your
first sentence above, yes ... you would need to pay another $5 month for the
F & CA option if you wanted free roaming. If you find that do less than 7
minutes of incoming or outgoing roaming within a monthly billing period, you
can just call up SPCS and remove that option from your account. (Roaming
costs $0.50 min for incoming or local outgoing calls, and add another $0.25
/ min. if your outgoing roaming call is a LD call.)

SPCS does offer a 2 week trial period to see whether the phone and coverage
are working for you in the areas you normally go to. You still would
responsible for the first month's plan fee & activation.

Bob

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.sprintpcs (More info?)

In article <WqTVc.3089$rP2.846@hydra.nntpserver.com>,
dynosaurREMOVE@wolfplayer.us says...
> I was thinking about going to sprint at the end of my cingular contract and
> I was looking at the sprintpcs website. I just noticed that there is an
> option to add "Sprint PCS Free & Clear America" for $5 so I could enjoy no
> additional charges for roaming. I had been under the impression that was
> included in the Free and Clear Nationwide plan. Can anyone verify or
> explain that? I just logged into the site and typed in my zip 38401 and
> went to the Free and Clear Nationwide link and the 500 minutes for $40 is
> what I was considering. If I had to pay for roaming in TN every time I got
> away from Sprint's PCS network I don't see where Sprint would be very cost
> efficient. The majority of the state is in the light green analog roaming
> as far as Sprint's coverage goes. They cover most of the major interstates
> but, that's about it.
>

I haven't read the other responses yet. There's a blurb in the
description of the Free&Clear plans that mentions using the Sprint PCS
network with no roaming and no long distance charges. I haven't looked
at it in detail, butI believe that's a dig at Verizon where it's
possible to be on their network and roaming at the same time.

I don't think Verizon has charged for that roaming for some time, but I
still think that's where it's from.

I no longer have access to SPCS systems to confirm, but I think you're
in a corporate-served area, so that $5/month for Free&Clear America
covers you if you roam on someone else's network. F&CA (for short),
asks that less than 50% of your total usage be roaming, but other than
that, you're covered.

--
RØß
O/Siris
-+-
"A thing moderately good is not so good
as it ought to be. Moderation in temper
is always a virtue, but moderation in
principle is always a vice."

Thomas Paine, "The Rights of Man", 1792

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.sprintpcs (More info?)

In article <4T1Wc.7743$2L3.6445@newsread3.news.atl.earthlink.net>,
usirsclt_No_Spam_@earthlink.net says...
> SPCS does offer a 2 week trial period to see whether the phone and coverage
> are working for you in the areas you normally go to. You still would
> responsible for the first month's plan fee & activation.
>

Actually, right before I left, SPCS changed it to not even being
responsible for the Activation Fee, either.

--
RØß
O/Siris
-+-
"A thing moderately good is not so good
as it ought to be. Moderation in temper
is always a virtue, but moderation in
principle is always a vice."

Thomas Paine, "The Rights of Man", 1792

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.sprintpcs (More info?)

DynoSauR <dynosaurREMOVE@wolfplayer.us> wrote:

> How vague, i just needed confirmation that I would have to pay another $5 on
> top of the Free and Clear Nationwide to get the Free and Clear America so
> that I would not be charged roaming charges when in the light green area of
> the map.

Then you should have said that's what you were trying to confirm. F&CA gives
you free roaming anywhere in the USA as long as 50% or less of your usage
is roaming. F&C gives you no roaming charges *only* on Sprint PCS networks.

Next time, be a little more specific when you ask your question.

--
JustThe.net Internet & New Media Services, http://JustThe.net/
Steven J. Sobol, Geek In Charge / 888.480.4NET (4638) / sjsobol@JustThe.net
PGP Key available from your friendly local key server (0xE3AE35ED)
Apple Valley, California Nothing scares me anymore. I have three kids.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.sprintpcs (More info?)

O/Siris <0siris@spr?ntpcs.c?m> wrote:

> I haven't read the other responses yet. There's a blurb in the
> description of the Free&Clear plans that mentions using the Sprint PCS
> network with no roaming and no long distance charges. I haven't looked
> at it in detail, butI believe that's a dig at Verizon where it's
> possible to be on their network and roaming at the same time.

Well, sure it is. If you have a Verizon Local DigitalChoice plan and your
home area is in City A, and you go to City B, you will be charged roaming in
most cases. In my case, when I lived in Cleveland, my home area included all
Verizon networks in Ohio, plus Detroit, but if I had a local plan and traveled
to, say, Dallas (to pick a random example), I'd be paying roaming even though
Verizon has native coverage there.

However, let us not forget that it's the same situation with Sprint if you
choose a local plan.

> I don't think Verizon has charged for that roaming for some time, but I
> still think that's where it's from.

They will on a *local* plan. They won't on America's Choice, National Single-
Rate (AC=Free & Clear on Sprint, NSR=F&CA on Sprint) or on North America's
Choice (no roaming/LD in US, and in major cities in Canada and Mexico).

--
JustThe.net Internet & New Media Services, http://JustThe.net/
Steven J. Sobol, Geek In Charge / 888.480.4NET (4638) / sjsobol@JustThe.net
PGP Key available from your friendly local key server (0xE3AE35ED)
Apple Valley, California Nothing scares me anymore. I have three kids.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.sprintpcs (More info?)

In article <jdXVc.4110$rP2.3362@hydra.nntpserver.com>,
"DynoSauR" <dynosaurREMOVE@wolfplayer.us> writes:
[snip]
> How vague,

Seemed pretty clear to me. Then again: I had no problem
understanding the SPCS brochure, either.

> i just needed confirmation that I would have to pay another $5 on
> top of the Free and Clear Nationwide to get the Free and Clear America so
> that I would not be charged roaming charges when in the light green area of
> the map.

Yes.

> I'll post a link to the Nashville, TN area just so you can see
> what pitiful coverage Sprint has here.
> http://activate.sprintpcs.com/maps/mkt/large/Nashville_TN.gif If "light
> green" Roaming is not free in TN then Sprint isn't worth having as far as
> I'm concerned.

It is in the light green areas *if* you pay the extra $5 for F&CA
*and* you spend less than 50% of your time roaming in those areas.

--
Jim Seymour | PGP Public Key available at:
WARNING: The "From:" address | http://www.uk.pgp.net/pgpnet/pks-commands.html
is a spam trap. DON'T USE IT! |
Use: jseymour@LinxNet.com | http://jimsun.LinxNet.com

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.sprintpcs (More info?)

"O/Siris" <0siris@sprîntpcs.côm> wrote in message
news:MPG.1b92b1acec6cd2b49896a3@free.teranews.com...
> In article <4T1Wc.7743$2L3.6445@newsread3.news.atl.earthlink.net>,
> usirsclt_No_Spam_@earthlink.net says...
> > SPCS does offer a 2 week trial period to see whether the phone and
coverage
> > are working for you in the areas you normally go to. You still would
> > responsible for the first month's plan fee & activation.
> >
>
> Actually, right before I left, SPCS changed it to not even being
> responsible for the Activation Fee, either.
>
> --
> RX_
> O/Siris
> -+-

I would have said the very same thing Rob, however, the only thing I could
find on SPCS's site was something like that was said in a May P/R on
Sprint's site. Couldn't find anything on SPCS's site.

Bob

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.sprintpcs,alt.cellular.verizon (More info?)

In article <b9adncUn87moHrTcRVn-vw@lmi.net>, sjsobol@JustThe.net
says...
> Well, sure it is. If you have a Verizon Local DigitalChoice plan and your
> home area is in City A, and you go to City B, you will be charged roaming in
> most cases. In my case, when I lived in Cleveland, my home area included all
> Verizon networks in Ohio, plus Detroit, but if I had a local plan and traveled
> to, say, Dallas (to pick a random example), I'd be paying roaming even though
> Verizon has native coverage there.
>
> However, let us not forget that it's the same situation with Sprint if you
> choose a local plan.
>

I've added Verizon's NG into the middle of this discussion. I hope
they don't mind.

I can no longer locate where it is that I heard this, and I don't
*think* it was Sprint PCS while I worked there. I seem to remember
reading somewhere, though, that this was more than just a case of
local area plans. That the bought-up nature of some Verizon areas
was such that, even as a Verizon customer, you could be roaming (and
your phone would actually indicate roaming) even while using the
Verizon network. It was the kind of roaming where, just to use an
example from SPCS by analogy, even the * and # codes could be
different in that roaming area.

So when I saw Sprint's claim of "and no roaming while on the Sprint
PCS network", my understanding has always been of it being a dig at
that.

Hopefully, I've made what I understand to be so more clear for you,
Steve. And maybe someone with better knowledge of Verizon's history
can either confirm or refute my understanding of how Verizon's
network works (or, at least, how it did work at one time in the
past).


--
RØß
O/Siris
~+~
"A thing moderately good is not so good
as it ought to be. Moderation in temper
is always a virtue, but moderation in
principle is always a vice."
Thomas Paine, "The Rights of Man", 1792

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.sprintpcs,alt.cellular.verizon (More info?)

That the bought-up nature of some Verizon areas
was such that, even as a Verizon customer, you could be roaming (and
your phone would actually indicate roaming) even while using the
Verizon network.
---

Yep, that's correct. For example, back in 2000, My Verizon phone roamed in
Linn and Benton counties on you guessed it - Verizon. This was part of the
growing pains of combining multiple cell phone companies under one name,
each using different hardware for switching and other infostructure. This
particular problem has long since been "fixed" at least superficially -- my
phone now shows Verizon, non-roaming. There is a SID and NID boundry which
for whatever reasons coincide with folks dropping calls when driving through
this area. Given that both are native Verizon, you'd think they could work
out the hand-off issues, but they never have.

One example of different hardware effecting feature availability: Eugene
Oregon has old Motorola switches which cannot adjust the amount of time (or
rings) that you hear before going to voicemail. Portland and Salem Oregon
use Lucent switches which can adjust the amount of time, and number of rings
prior to going to voicemail. Verizon is sometimes jokingly called "version"
wireless because features are not consistent across the country.

This situation is getting better over time, as you would expect. For the
most part, my phone works fine anytime I'm on Verizon's native network these
days. Roaming on other CDMA carriers is somewhat frustrating as it is
anything but transparent. When I roam, even digitally, I tend to lose voice
mail indication, SMS text messaging, data, and in some cases even lose
caller ID. I can roam and place and receive calls, but that's the only
roaming function that is guarenteed to work. By comparison, both AT&T TDMA,
and GSM has for years provided completely seemless roaming-- all features
work so well you don't really even need to know you're roaming. GSM folks
even get data when roaming. Maybe the CDMA carriers will someday have
seemless roaming.

-Dan

PS: Lots of things got a whole lot better in the last couple years when
Verizon converted their nationwide coverage to digital. When we had a lot of
analog areas, things got pretty iffy even for very basic service (like
receiving calls reliably).

--
Eugene, Oregon -- Pacific Northwest
http://cell.uoregon.edu

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.sprintpcs,alt.cellular.verizon (More info?)

As far as I know, with VZW it is all a matter of plans.
Local Plans: Get roaming charges outside home area.
America's Choice: No roaming in any VZW native area & Free roaming on the
Extended Network (Roaming Partners)
National Single Rate: Same as America's Choice PLUS free roaming anywhere
in the US where your phone can get a signal.
I have found that all features work whenever in any VZW native area and
sometimes when on the Extended Network - including Internet connections thru
the phone and from my laptop.

"RØß Vargas" <robjvargas@comcâst.net> wrote in message
news:MPG.1b95d6fbfe0f0ab5989690@netnews.comcast.net...
In article <b9adncUn87moHrTcRVn-vw@lmi.net>, sjsobol@JustThe.net
says...
> Well, sure it is. If you have a Verizon Local DigitalChoice plan and your
> home area is in City A, and you go to City B, you will be charged roaming
in
> most cases. In my case, when I lived in Cleveland, my home area included
all
> Verizon networks in Ohio, plus Detroit, but if I had a local plan and
traveled
> to, say, Dallas (to pick a random example), I'd be paying roaming even
though
> Verizon has native coverage there.
>
> However, let us not forget that it's the same situation with Sprint if you
> choose a local plan.
>

I've added Verizon's NG into the middle of this discussion. I hope
they don't mind.

I can no longer locate where it is that I heard this, and I don't
*think* it was Sprint PCS while I worked there. I seem to remember
reading somewhere, though, that this was more than just a case of
local area plans. That the bought-up nature of some Verizon areas
was such that, even as a Verizon customer, you could be roaming (and
your phone would actually indicate roaming) even while using the
Verizon network. It was the kind of roaming where, just to use an
example from SPCS by analogy, even the * and # codes could be
different in that roaming area.

So when I saw Sprint's claim of "and no roaming while on the Sprint
PCS network", my understanding has always been of it being a dig at
that.

Hopefully, I've made what I understand to be so more clear for you,
Steve. And maybe someone with better knowledge of Verizon's history
can either confirm or refute my understanding of how Verizon's
network works (or, at least, how it did work at one time in the
past).


--
RØß
O/Siris
~+~
"A thing moderately good is not so good
as it ought to be. Moderation in temper
is always a virtue, but moderation in
principle is always a vice."
Thomas Paine, "The Rights of Man", 1792

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.sprintpcs,alt.cellular.verizon (More info?)

RØß Vargas wrote:

> I've added Verizon's NG into the middle of this discussion. I hope
> they don't mind.

Hopefully not. It's on-topic.

> I can no longer locate where it is that I heard this, and I don't
> *think* it was Sprint PCS while I worked there. I seem to remember
> reading somewhere, though, that this was more than just a case of
> local area plans. That the bought-up nature of some Verizon areas
> was such that, even as a Verizon customer, you could be roaming (and
> your phone would actually indicate roaming) even while using the
> Verizon network. It was the kind of roaming where, just to use an
> example from SPCS by analogy, even the * and # codes could be
> different in that roaming area.

OK, the only way I can see this happening is if you have a 1900MHz phone and
you travel somewhere where Verizon only has 800MHz - or (more likely) vice
versa. They're doing a lot of 1900 MHz *overlays* now, but they used to be
mostly 800 MHz, except for the former Primeco markets and the areas in Florida
where there were legacy 1900 MHz networks. For a year or two, VZW stopped
selling phones that weren't tri-mode phones, so it wasn't an issue.

> Hopefully, I've made what I understand to be so more clear for you,
> Steve. And maybe someone with better knowledge of Verizon's history
> can either confirm or refute my understanding of how Verizon's
> network works (or, at least, how it did work at one time in the
> past).

As most of the regulars in the SPCS and Verizon newsgroups know, I was a
Verizon customer for almost four years; from September 2000 to August 20th of
this year (assuming Verizon has properly cancelled my account). I started with
them shortly after the company came into existence. I think I have a pretty
good recollection of what happened, but maybe others could confirm my memories?
I'm pretty sure I'm right.

--
JustThe.net Internet & New Media Services, http://JustThe.net/
Steven J. Sobol, Geek In Charge / 888.480.4NET (4638) / sjsobol@JustThe.net
PGP Key available from your friendly local key server (0xE3AE35ED)
Apple Valley, California Nothing scares me anymore. I have three kids.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.sprintpcs,alt.cellular.verizon (More info?)

In article <MPG.1b95d6fbfe0f0ab5989690@netnews.comcast.net>,
RØß Vargas <robjvargas@comcâst.net> wrote:

> Hopefully, I've made what I understand to be so more clear for you,
> Steve. And maybe someone with better knowledge of Verizon's history
> can either confirm or refute my understanding of how Verizon's
> network works (or, at least, how it did work at one time in the
> past).

If you're out of your home area, but within the scope of Verizon's
free-roaming area, you'll get one roaming indicator (it depends on the
phone), but won't be charged roaming charges. If you're not within the
scope of Verizon's free-roaming area, you'll get a different roaming
indicator, and will be charged roaming charges.

On my phone, the difference between the two indicators is whether the
indicator is solid or it blinks.

--
Stop Mad Cowboy Disease: Vote for John Kerry.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.sprintpcs,alt.cellular.verizon (More info?)

"Dan Albrich" <junkmail@shaney.uoregon.edui> wrote in message
news:X7ednVubRLf1vbHcRVn-iw@comcast.com...
> That the bought-up nature of some Verizon areas
> was such that, even as a Verizon customer, you could be roaming (and
> your phone would actually indicate roaming) even while using the
> Verizon network.
> ---
>
> Yep, that's correct. For example, back in 2000, My Verizon phone roamed
in
> Linn and Benton counties on you guessed it - Verizon. This was part of
the
> growing pains of combining multiple cell phone companies under one name,
> each using different hardware for switching and other infostructure. This
> particular problem has long since been "fixed" at least superficially --
my
> phone now shows Verizon, non-roaming. There is a SID and NID boundry
which
> for whatever reasons coincide with folks dropping calls when driving
through
> this area. Given that both are native Verizon, you'd think they could
work
> out the hand-off issues, but they never have.
>
> One example of different hardware effecting feature availability: Eugene
> Oregon has old Motorola switches which cannot adjust the amount of time
(or
> rings) that you hear before going to voicemail. Portland and Salem Oregon
> use Lucent switches which can adjust the amount of time, and number of
rings
> prior to going to voicemail. Verizon is sometimes jokingly called
"version"
> wireless because features are not consistent across the country.
>
> This situation is getting better over time, as you would expect. For the
> most part, my phone works fine anytime I'm on Verizon's native network
these
> days. Roaming on other CDMA carriers is somewhat frustrating as it is
> anything but transparent. When I roam, even digitally, I tend to lose
voice
> mail indication, SMS text messaging, data, and in some cases even lose
> caller ID. I can roam and place and receive calls, but that's the only
> roaming function that is guarenteed to work. By comparison, both AT&T
TDMA,
> and GSM has for years provided completely seemless roaming-- all features
> work so well you don't really even need to know you're roaming. GSM folks
> even get data when roaming. Maybe the CDMA carriers will someday have
> seemless roaming.
>
> -Dan
>
> PS: Lots of things got a whole lot better in the last couple years when
> Verizon converted their nationwide coverage to digital. When we had a lot
of
> analog areas, things got pretty iffy even for very basic service (like
> receiving calls reliably).
>
> --
> Eugene, Oregon -- Pacific Northwest
> http://cell.uoregon.edu
>
>
Question: When roaming in analog, do all the AT&T TDMA and GSM features
work?

I have roamed with digital CDMA coverage in KS and everything except EN/MOU
worked - qnc even worked. Digital CDMA coverage around here is almost
everywhere. When checking most non-CDMA carriers around here roam in analog
over most of the state.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.sprintpcs,alt.cellular.verizon (More info?)

In article <cgh7pf$ith$1@ratbert.glorb.com>, sjsobol@JustThe.net
says...
> OK, the only way I can see this happening is if you have a 1900MHz phone and
> you travel somewhere where Verizon only has 800MHz - or (more likely) vice
> versa. They're doing a lot of 1900 MHz *overlays* now, but they used to be
> mostly 800 MHz, except for the former Primeco markets and the areas in Florida
> where there were legacy 1900 MHz networks. For a year or two, VZW stopped
> selling phones that weren't tri-mode phones, so it wasn't an issue.
>

Steve, have you seen Dan Albrich's response to me? On my newsreader,
it's dated the 25th, 12:15AM. That was what I understood to be so.
Dan says it's no longer so and, if I read it correctly, hasn't been
so for some time. But it *does* sound like the kind of operation
that Sprint was intending to dig at with it's "no roaming on our
network" claim.

--
RØß
O/Siris
~+~
"A thing moderately good is not so good
as it ought to be. Moderation in temper
is always a virtue, but moderation in
principle is always a vice."
Thomas Paine, "The Rights of Man", 1792

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.sprintpcs,alt.cellular.verizon (More info?)

RØß Vargas wrote:

> In article <cgh7pf$ith$1@ratbert.glorb.com>, sjsobol@JustThe.net
> says...
>
>>OK, the only way I can see this happening is if you have a 1900MHz phone and
>>you travel somewhere where Verizon only has 800MHz - or (more likely) vice
>>versa. They're doing a lot of 1900 MHz *overlays* now, but they used to be
>>mostly 800 MHz, except for the former Primeco markets and the areas in Florida
>>where there were legacy 1900 MHz networks. For a year or two, VZW stopped
>>selling phones that weren't tri-mode phones, so it wasn't an issue.
>>
>
>
> Steve, have you seen Dan Albrich's response to me?

Read it an hour or two after I followed up.

> so for some time. But it *does* sound like the kind of operation
> that Sprint was intending to dig at with it's "no roaming on our
> network" claim.

Sure. I'd imagine that's exactly what it was.



--
JustThe.net Internet & New Media Services, http://JustThe.net/
Steven J. Sobol, Geek In Charge / 888.480.4NET (4638) / sjsobol@JustThe.net
PGP Key available from your friendly local key server (0xE3AE35ED)
Apple Valley, California Nothing scares me anymore. I have three kids.

 

[d]

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.sprintpcs (More info?)

I've been told by at least 2 different Sprint Reps that this free & clear
stuff will depend on your city. To expound, Lufkin Texas offers 100
additional minutes w/o any roaming charges when off the sprint network,
however, Houston offers up to 1/2 of your anytime minutes off network for
any additonal minutes. Here in Hereford Texas, NOTHING is offered. Now
how's that for a marketing mix(up)....

But did you notice that O/Siris & Bob Smith both miss the question?

Focus guys, you usually give right on answers. Try again perhaps.
"DynoSauR" <dynosaurREMOVE@wolfplayer.us> wrote in message
news:WqTVc.3089$rP2.846@hydra.nntpserver.com...
> I was thinking about going to sprint at the end of my cingular contract
and
> I was looking at the sprintpcs website. I just noticed that there is an
> option to add "Sprint PCS Free & Clear America" for $5 so I could enjoy no
> additional charges for roaming. I had been under the impression that was
> included in the Free and Clear Nationwide plan. Can anyone verify or
> explain that? I just logged into the site and typed in my zip 38401 and
> went to the Free and Clear Nationwide link and the 500 minutes for $40 is
> what I was considering. If I had to pay for roaming in TN every time I
got
> away from Sprint's PCS network I don't see where Sprint would be very cost
> efficient. The majority of the state is in the light green analog roaming
> as far as Sprint's coverage goes. They cover most of the major
interstates
> but, that's about it.
>
> Ben
>
>
>

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.sprintpcs (More info?)

"d" <d@ere.com> wrote in message news:412de103$1_2@127.0.0.1...
> I've been told by at least 2 different Sprint Reps that this free & clear
> stuff will depend on your city. To expound, Lufkin Texas offers 100
> additional minutes w/o any roaming charges when off the sprint network,
> however, Houston offers up to 1/2 of your anytime minutes off network for
> any additonal minutes. Here in Hereford Texas, NOTHING is offered. Now
> how's that for a marketing mix(up)....
>
> But did you notice that O/Siris & Bob Smith both miss the question?

First off, Rob (Osiris) did answer twice in this thread ... As for yours
truly, I also added my two cents on 8-22-04 @ 10:14 AM and 8-23-04 @ 8:52
AM.

As for Hereford, TX, I had absolutely no problem finding that Hereford, TX
is in the Amarillo, TX calling area and F&CA is offered as an option to the
F & C plans as a $10 option for 100 roaming minutes. The reason why the SPCS
$5 option is not offered is that the Amarillo market is probably covered by
one of SPCS affiliate providers.

So, what was your point again?

Bob

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.sprintpcs (More info?)

d wrote:

> I've been told by at least 2 different Sprint Reps that this free & clear
> stuff will depend on your city. To expound, Lufkin Texas offers 100
> additional minutes w/o any roaming charges when off the sprint network,
> however, Houston offers up to 1/2 of your anytime minutes off network for
> any additonal minutes. Here in Hereford Texas, NOTHING is offered. Now
> how's that for a marketing mix(up)....

Yes, it does depend on your city. If your city is in an area served by Sprint
itself, it's 1/2 of your anytime minutes. If you are in an area served by
another company affiliated with Sprint, the affiliate company is the one that
maintains the network and markets the service under the Sprint PCS name, and
you may not be able to get the same deal.

(And I answered the original question earlier in this thread)

--
JustThe.net Internet & New Media Services, http://JustThe.net/
Steven J. Sobol, Geek In Charge / 888.480.4NET (4638) / sjsobol@JustThe.net
PGP Key available from your friendly local key server (0xE3AE35ED)
Apple Valley, California Nothing scares me anymore. I have three kids.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.sprintpcs (More info?)

In article <412de103$1_2@127.0.0.1>, d@ere.com says...
> I've been told by at least 2 different Sprint Reps that this free & clear
> stuff will depend on your city. To expound, Lufkin Texas offers 100
> additional minutes w/o any roaming charges when off the sprint network,
> however, Houston offers up to 1/2 of your anytime minutes off network for
> any additonal minutes. Here in Hereford Texas, NOTHING is offered. Now
> how's that for a marketing mix(up)....
>
> But did you notice that O/Siris & Bob Smith both miss the question?
>

I don't believe that I did. By the time I got into it, the conversation
had shifted slightly.

F&CA *does* depend on the area in which you establish service.
Affiliate companies are not required to participate in F&CA, and at
least one didn't at the time I stopped working for SPCS. All of the
others went "halfway" with either that 100 minute option, or an even
smaller 50 minute one. I'd heard that one of the affiliates was
considering full participation, but never saw it actually go into
effect.

--
RØß
O/Siris
-+-
"A thing moderately good is not so good
as it ought to be. Moderation in temper
is always a virtue, but moderation in
principle is always a vice."

Thomas Paine, "The Rights of Man", 1792