End of old AT&T contracts

[RCatherK]

Has anyone heard anything about Cingular notifying customers receiving cellular service under old AT&T contracts that those contracts are about to expire by the end of this year? A cingular rep told me a few weeks ago that I should expect a letter soon stating that my AT&T phones will no longer work on the cingular network as of 1/07, and that I will need to migrate over to a cingular contract before then. I have not received any such letter nor have I seen anything about this in the newspaper.

Has anyone else?

[SteveW]

Originally Posted by RCatherK

Has anyone heard anything about Cingular notifying customers receiving cellular service under old AT&T contracts that those contracts are about to expire by the end of this year? A cingular rep told me a few weeks ago that I should expect a letter soon stating that my AT&T phones will no longer work on the cingular network as of 1/07, and that I will need to migrate over to a cingular contract before then. I have not received any such letter nor have I seen anything about this in the newspaper.

Has anyone else?

Interesting. Perhaps you or the mods should put this in the Cingular Forum. You will probably find more AT&T/Cingular experts there. You can click on the little triangle icon below your name to send a request to the mods.

[Scrumhalf]

Are you on TDMA or GSM?

[Fire14]

It sounds like you might have a TDMA phone, but I don't know about the 1/07date since it should be 2/08 that they will shut down Analog & TDMA, but there is an exception if they have no more customers on both before that date they can shut it down sooner.

As for GSM contracts, I have heard a couple of horror stories that old out of contract Blue customers are being converted over, without their knowlege & still using their Blue SIM's. Which doesn't make a lot of sense.

[Jay2TheRescue]

This is confusing. There is a similar thread in the Cingular forum.

-jay

[dallison]

when i called cust care today for promos, they didnt say anything

[RCatherK]

Sorry, Jay, there IS a similar thread in the CIngular forum. I re-posted my original question there after another member suggested I do so. I think you'll find the most current posts there.
Rosemary

[the_bosun_mate]

I have an expired AT&T contract but I have a GSM phone "SIM CARD". Cellular wants $18. per phone and for me to purchace new phones just too update to to their System (new phones + new Sim card+ keep same phone #). The funny thing is that my AT&T phone has better coverage than my daughters cingular phone. It works where her phone can't pick up a signal?? People laugh when i tell them this. I recently was talking to a person who use to repair cell phones. He told me to hold on to my AT&T Cell phone until at least January for the following reasons. Cingular only bought AT&T cell Accounts. A company SBC now owns AT&T and all of the AT&T hardware. Thus, my phone because of its frequency is still using AT&T hardware. BUT, AT&T is buying Southern Bell who really owns Cingular. Thus, if the sale goes through the Cingular Logo and System may be all converted to the old AT&T logo and system. I am confused as hell, so I am just sitting tight to see if the by-out is approved and what happens next??

[Jay2TheRescue]

Yeah, all you siad is true, Cingular will be changing to the AT&T name soon. Before the change takes place they need to get you onto their billing system though. To make the transition to AT&T Cingular needs all current AT&T customers on their billing system to avoid confusion.

-jay

[SteveW]

Originally Posted by the_bosun_mate

I have an expired AT&T contract but I have a GSM phone "SIM CARD". Cellular wants $18. per phone and for me to purchace new phones just too update to to their System (new phones + new Sim card+ keep same phone #). The funny thing is that my AT&T phone has better coverage than my daughters cingular phone. It works where her phone can't pick up a signal?? People laugh when i tell them this.

I recently was talking to a person who use to repair cell phones. He told me to hold on to my AT&T Cell phone until at least January for the following reasons. Cingular only bought AT&T cell Accounts. A company SBC now owns AT&T and all of the AT&T hardware. Thus, my phone because of its frequency is still using AT&T hardware.

Phones vary in their ability to pick up a signal. This is sometimes called "radio frequency sensitivity" or just "RF". Virtually all phones that Cingular sells these days can receive both the former AT&T Wireless main frequency and the Cingular main frequency. Therefore I doubt that the difference in coverage you have experienced is due to the frequencies the phones use. It is more likely that you have a phone with better RF sensitivity than your daughter's (yours is a Nokia or Motorola perhaps?)

Originally Posted by the_bosun_mate

BUT, AT&T is buying Southern Bell who really owns Cingular. Thus, if the sale goes through the Cingular Logo and System may be all converted to the old AT&T logo and system. I am confused as hell, so I am just sitting tight to see if the by-out is approved and what happens next??

This is a bit mixed up, but the general idea is right. Simply put, SBC has bought what remained of AT&T and renamed itself AT&T. SBC is now trying to buy Bellsouth. This has been approved by the DOJ, but not yet by the FCC. AT&T and Bellsouth together own Cingular (which in turn has assimilated the former AT&T Wireless). Everyone assumes that the FCC will approve the Bellsouth purchase and Cingular will be rebranded AT&T. This branding change is fairly independent of technical, service and billing system changes.

This to say that Cingular services and policies now will probably not change when it is rebranded to AT&T. Therefore, I don't see an advantage to you in waiting. As you stated, if you want a new phone, you have to sign a new Cingular contract and there is normally a fee associated with this. Others may advise you on how to negotiate around the fee.


SW

[Fire14]

Originally Posted by the_bosun_mate

I have an expired AT&T contract but I have a GSM phone "SIM CARD". Cellular wants $18. per phone and for me to purchace new phones just too update to to their System (new phones + new Sim card+ keep same phone #). I am confused as hell, so I am just sitting tight to see if the by-out is approved and what happens next??

You shouldn't have to pay any fee to migrate over to Cingular from AT&T Wireless. They are suppose to waive the fee.

As for being confused, As others have posted how & why they will be changing the name. To prevent Confusion, Cingular is going to want all Blue (old AT&T Wireless) customers to migrate over in advance of them changing their name to prevent this "Confusion"

[Fire14]

Originally Posted by Jay2TheRescue

Yeah, all you siad is true, Cingular will be changing to the AT&T name soon. Before the change takes place they need to get you onto their billing system though. To make the transition to AT&T Cingular needs all current AT&T customers on their billing system to avoid confusion.

-jay

I believe by the end of this month, all Blue customers will be converted to the Orange billing system. I know I was converted at the beginning of the month & believe I read somewhere they were to have it completed by Nov. 06

[walkguru]

you can only ride this ole blue horse so long.

[Fire14]

Originally Posted by walkguru

you can only ride this ole blue horse so long.

I am kinda getting this feeling more & more from people I keep talking to know the time is coming for us Blue leftover models to get an New Orange paint job.

I have been going over the cost's & it's not looking good on the additional cost's it would be.
I am also checking other carriers cost's just as an alternative (not that we have many good choices around here).

[walkguru]

Originally Posted by Fire14

I am kinda getting this feeling more & more from people I keep talking to know the time is coming for us Blue leftover models to get an New Orange paint job.

I have been going over the cost's & it's not looking good on the additional cost's it would be.
I am also checking other carriers cost's just as an alternative (not that we have many good choices around here).

well, it was sweet but time to move on i guess. i know how you must feel tho, i had blue but switched to orange before the buyout/merge. if i had blue now i would go kicking and screaming. yeah they offered up some really nice plans back then.

[Fire14]

Originally Posted by walkguru

well, it was sweet but time to move on i guess. i know how you must feel tho, i had blue but switched to orange before the buyout/merge. if i had blue now i would go kicking and screaming. yeah they offered up some really nice plans back then.

That's part of my concern, I don't believe & haven't heard of many "Special" offers to migrate over & am hoping they come out with either free 7-7 N&W and/or a Share SMS plan, then I can justify the move. With 900 Anytime mins on a $59.99 plan & unlimited incoming SMS with 1000 Shared SMS, and 2 teenage daughters It's not easy.

[walkguru]

Wirelessly posted (Walkguru's: LG-CU500 Obigo/WAP2.0 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 UP.Link/6.3.0.0.0)

Originally Posted by Fire14

That's part of my concern, I don't believe & haven't heard of many "Special" offers to migrate over & am hoping they come out with either free 7-7 N&W and/or a Share SMS plan, then I can justify the move. With 900 Anytime mins on a $59.99 plan & unlimited incoming SMS with 1000 Shared SMS, and 2 teenage daughters It's not easy.

Wow that is a sweet plan. It will be hard to match that.

[fb]

Yeah, the old ATT contracts are pretty hard to beat, which is why we won't leave ours. But every time you call with a question, they try to get you to migrate.

We have 1850 anytime, 7 pm nights, free incoming SMS, 4 lines for 105 or so including all taxes. No one else can touch that.

fb

[Fire14]

Originally Posted by fb

Yeah, the old ATT contracts are pretty hard to beat, which is why we won't leave ours. But every time you call with a question, they try to get you to migrate.

We have 1850 anytime, 7 pm nights, free incoming SMS, 4 lines for 105 or so including all taxes. No one else can touch that.

fb

Yes they are & your definitely doing better then me, we have 4 lines & I didn't get the 7PM N&W and with the SMS plan we are paying around $120.00 +, of course with the new Orange billing my bill is coming out cheaper for some reason by almost $10.00, I don't know if my FAN discount went up or they are doing it differently or being it was the 1st month of the new bill it was a fluke.