New Cingular sites in Iowa??

[omni]

I heard through the grapevine that Cingular is planning several towers in Western Iowa, especially around Hwy 30. They got a huge dead area there. Has anyone else heard that or am I just chasing ghosts on this one??

[jones]

Cingular Wireless to Invest Nearly $70 Million in Minnesota, Nebraska and Iowa to Enhance Service Quality and Expand Coverage
Company to Build 95 Cell Sites to Better Serve its Customers


MINNEAPOLIS, Aug. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Cingular Wireless, the country's largest wireless provider, announced it will invest $68 million throughout its Northern Plains region in 2005 to install nearly 100 new cell sites as part of a $6.2 billion commitment to enhance and expand its ALLOVER(SM) network nationwide. The Northern Plains region includes: Minnesota, where new 30 cell sites are being built; Iowa, with 53 sites to be built; and Nebraska, 12 sites to be built.

The network improvements will enable Cingular customers in the region to experience the highest level of voice service quality and offer some of the most advanced data services to more customers in more places.

"Better coverage is what wireless consumers want, and better coverage is exactly what Cingular is delivering," said Jeff Harkman, vice present and general manager of the Northern Plains region. "We continually make improvements to our network so that our customers have a quality wireless experience."

Cingular customers will have access to some 45,000 cell sites nationally by the end of 2006. The company already offers customers access to the largest digital voice and data network in America, and the Northern Plains region is an important part of that network.

[agentHibby]

What I understand is that they plan for about 100 cell sites in 2006 is what the Cingular store in Des Moines said.

GSM has so many holes in Iowa is not even funny. If Cingular can build out Iowa That will give people a reason to have a GSM phone to use when traveiling around the state of Iowa.

[maximus]

GSM coverage in Iowa has been a joke. Hopefully cingular can turn that around. Even nextel has better coverage. I've lived there for about a year and I've only met 3 people with gsm phones.

[Dogma]

Even if Cingular builds out the sites they say they are going to, I would not own a GSM phone if living in IA! Between US Cellular, Verizon, Midwest Wireless, there is a already a good 800 Mhz CDMA foothold in the state. GSM has a long way to go.....years were talking.

[agentHibby]

Only people you will find with GSM phones in Iowa are people who live in Metros and only do traviling on Metros and Freeways.

ZaphodB has family in Iowa and I don't think any of them are with Iowa Wireless any more.

I hope that GSM coverage will get better, but I think it will be several years until it gets up to par.

Nextel Partners has most of the state covered
In Aug I was told all of the Red in Iowa is now finished and some areas white are now covered.
http://www.nextel.com/assets/images/coverage/mkt58.gif

[Dogma]

Originally Posted by agentHibby Only people you will find with GSM phones in Iowa are people who live in Metros and only do traviling on Metros and Freeways. http://www.nextel.com/assets/images/coverage/mkt58.gif

Iowa has metro areas?!?

alright, we'll call DESM a metro area!!

[observer]

Originally Posted by Dogma Iowa has metro areas?!? alright, we'll call DESM a metro area!!

Phew, I thought you meant the metro areas of Spirit Lake, Algona, or Winterset!

[Charlyee]

I was actually pleasantly surprised by how much GSM coverage is in Iowa. Here is a part of the post from last November's trip:

agenthibby and observer, just came back last night from IA. You two were absolutely correct about GSM coverage. Here is what I found:

Travelled on I43 from WI to I39 in IL......full signal on my 6230
I39 to I90 to I88 across IL...................full signal
I88 to I80 in IA to Des Moines..............full signal
I 35 S. from Des Moines to Osceola.......full signal but no web access.
34W from Osceola to near Kent, IA......The signal dropped to no service within 5 miles west of Osceola. Just outside of Osceola is the tallest tower I have ever in in this part of the country.

My Verizon phone (3589i) stayed between full bars and 3 bars. At the Lodge we stayed in between Kent and Lennox North of Hwy 34, the Verizon phone went from Extended Network to full roam.

One of the things I did notice was that were I did have Cingular coverage the signal strength was always full bars.

[observer]

Cingular's coverage map definitely shows most of Iowa as a no-talk zone!

But if you go to the national coverage map for local carrier i wireless, you'll see a lot of color.

http://www.iwireless.com/plans_nationwide.asp#


There's more GSM out there than you think, go use it!

[salemcell]

Originally Posted by observer Cingular's coverage map definitely shows most of Iowa as a no-talk zone! But if you go to the national coverage map for local carrier i wireless, you'll see a lot of color. http://www.iwireless.com/plans_nationwide.asp# There's more GSM out there than you think, go use it!

tell them like it is , observer. gsm coverage is growing steadily in iowa. granted western iowa is slow in building out in gsm , but if you look at the upper west side you will recieve coverage and the eastern side is growing steadily. just got back from atlanta this morning and never had a problem with gsm coverage . gsm is a major contender in the u.s. but like every technology it needs time to grow. i used to be a major fan of cdma , but since i have had gsm ...i do not want to go back. long live gsm.

[Dogma]

I have noticed Cingular has added a few towers between Cedar Rapids and Marshalltown on Hwy 30. So you should presumably hold a call all the way from C.R. to Ames.

[Obi-Wan]

I traveled to Davenport IA a few weeks ago and never had a problem. Didn't notice IA was not a large GSM market. I guess on the eastern side service is fine. Haven't been to much farther into the state - lol

[maximus]

There is native coverage between Sioux City and I believe Orange City on Hwy 60.

[gadgetHacks_er]

I moved to Cedar Falls from the KC area a few years ago and of course CF had plenty of coverage. We recently moved to Grundy Center and I can only get a signal strong enough to use (2 to 3 bars) in a couple parts of town. When I head north towards 20 I have some coverage, but it breaks in and out between 14 and CF/W'loo.

I'm with Cingular and I went into their store and they told me that Grundy Center is in the middle of a "no coverage area". I asked if anyone else could provide coverage out here and they told me it's dead to all the providers in this region.

Does anyone else know otherwise? I'd like to keep the plan I'm on now with Cingular, but if there's something better out there I'd definitely considering switching!

If you guys know of anything in this area, please let me know!!!

---------------------------------------------------------
Get more out of your gadgets --> http://www.gadgethacks.com

[maximus]

Sorry to say it but if you want better coverage in Grundy Center (Is it pronounced grundy or grindy?...I've heard both) you'll probably have to switch to a cdma carrier (US Cellular or Midwest Wireless (soon to be alltel)). In my experience Iowa is probably the worst state for GSM coverage and one of the best for CDMA.

I used to live down the road just outside Gilman and had T-mobile when I moved there. I had to go to the attic to make a phone call. Since my switch to alltel I've had great coverage everywhere in Iowa.

Your other option which may not be possible anymore (I've heard TDMA coverage is to be turned off in Iowa soon) is to go find an old GAIT (tdma) handset and see if you can get GAIT added to your account.

Edit: This is assuming that Cingular is NOT planning on putting up a tower in/near Grundy Center.

[Dogma]

Originally Posted by gadgetHacks_er If you guys know of anything in this area, please let me know!!! --------------------------------------------------------- Get more out of your gadgets --> http://www.gadgethacks.com

I am a subscriber to Midwest Wireless, which is soon to become Alltel. Do yourself a favor and purchase a plan from them. They have a tower right in Grundy Center. When in the CF and Waterloo area you will roam on Verizon's network, as the two companies are roaming partners. My guess is all MWW customers will benefit when Alltel finally takes the reigns, with an expanded coverage area as home network and possibly more handsets to choose from.?.

US Cellular has a good network in IA as well, but they are substantially smaller than Alltel as a whole. Alltel is also known to have good roaming agreements with Verizon....so I see it as a win-win. Good coverage in the "sticks" and good coverage in the city.

[iowacingular]

Originally Posted by gadgetHacks_er I moved to Cedar Falls from the KC area a few years ago and of course CF had plenty of coverage. We recently moved to Grundy Center and I can only get a signal strong enough to use (2 to 3 bars) in a couple parts of town. When I head north towards 20 I have some coverage, but it breaks in and out between 14 and CF/W'loo. I'm with Cingular and I went into their store and they told me that Grundy Center is in the middle of a "no coverage area". I asked if anyone else could provide coverage out here and they told me it's dead to all the providers in this region. Does anyone else know otherwise? I'd like to keep the plan I'm on now with Cingular, but if there's something better out there I'd definitely considering switching! If you guys know of anything in this area, please let me know!!!

Cingular just put up two new Cingular owned towers along Highway 20 between I-35 and Waterloo last month. They have one south of Iowa Falls, and one straight North of Holland about 8 miles North of Grundy Center. You should have Cingular service soon if not already there.

[aaronp]

Originally Posted by Dogma I am a subscriber to Midwest Wireless, which is soon to become Alltel. Do yourself a favor and purchase a plan from them. They have a tower right in Grundy Center. When in the CF and Waterloo area you will roam on Verizon's network, as the two companies are roaming partners. My guess is all MWW customers will benefit when Alltel finally takes the reigns, with an expanded coverage area as home network and possibly more handsets to choose from.?. US Cellular has a good network in IA as well, but they are substantially smaller than Alltel as a whole. Alltel is also known to have good roaming agreements with Verizon....so I see it as a win-win. Good coverage in the "sticks" and good coverage in the city.

hey , when alltel takes over midwestwireless are the people from midwest wireless going to be switched over to alltel ? or are we going to have open a new account ?
thanks
aaron

[agentHibby]

Originally Posted by aaronp hey , when alltel takes over midwestwireless are the people from midwest wireless going to be switched over to alltel ? or are we going to have open a new account ? thanks aaron

Once the transaction is complete you will automatically become an Alltel customer. You will get to keep your midwest wireless plan at that point. You can stay on your old midwest wireless plan if you like to go to an Alltel plan. Once you make a change to a new Alltel plan, you can't go back to a midwest wireless plan.

[aaronp]

Originally Posted by agentHibby Once the transaction is complete you will automatically become an Alltel customer. You will get to keep your midwest wireless plan at that point. You can stay on your old midwest wireless plan if you like to go to an Alltel plan. Once you make a change to a new Alltel plan, you can't go back to a midwest wireless plan.

cool thank you for the help