Verizon phone often Extended Network in Madison, WI

[yuri1419]

I'm a VZW subscriber, using a V60s in Madison, WI. As I noted in this thread:
http://www.wirelessadvisor.com/forum...ead.php?t=1998
my phone is commonly on Extended network. I've made it a habit to just check out of curiosity, and in the last week, I've found it on Extended in the following places:
Inside Home Depot on Verona Rd.
Inside Target by West Towne
Inside Menards by West Towne
My near west side house (Monroe-Nakoma-Odana area)
Inside My office downtown- Wisconsin Ave
Inside Copps' Food Center by Westgate.

Most of those times, it's getting a 4-5 bar extended network signal, which is always been System ID 5- USCC. I know it's not roaming, but it's stupid that I have to make sure that my phone hasn't grabbed onto another carrier that is roaming, since it's not rare that it looses VZW native coverage in the midst of the city.

Do I just find the few holes that VZW has, or is this like anyone else's experience in this market? I'm amused by the fact that it was the V60s that drew me to VZW over USCC when selecting a carrier, but I'm frequently using USCC's network anyway.

[sillybilly]

USCC is the strongest carrier in Madison and most of southern WI. Cingular and Sprint also have good coverage in Madison,WI. Verizon used to be PrimeCo in WI and is 1900mhz in WI so that might explain a lot of your building penatration issues. Lately, a lot of my friends are reporting problems with USCC and getting calls and voicemails around Madison. I think that they maybe starting to have capacity problems because everyone seems to go with USCC!! It would be nice if some of the other carriers would start expanding their services in southern WI!!!

[yuri1419]

What band does Sprint use in Madison? I've seen the phone sometimes stop on the solid triangle, and figure it has to be Sprint. It did this to me today at Copp's- so I rebooted the phone and it picked up USCC that time....

[sillybilly]

Sprint is also 1900 mhz.

[Steve B]

You probably have already done this, but just in case, try updating your PRL with OTA. I live in the Seattle metro area and mine rarely goes into Extended Network, although, when mine does, I still don't have issues with my service. Good luck trying to get it straightened out.

[SQFreak]

Notice what you said - they're almost all "inside." VZW uses 1900MHz frequencies which have poorer building penetration (yes, even Sprint PCS, and even VZW Florida - that's why Alltel and ATTWS are both included in Florida). You'll get most of your features on USCC's network, probably including IN-Network Calling.

[yuri1419]

Originally Posted by SBacklin

You probably have already done this, but just in case, try updating your PRL with OTA. I live in the Seattle metro area and mine rarely goes into Extended Network, although, when mine does, I still don't have issues with my service. Good luck trying to get it straightened out.

I do the OTA update regularly- probably did it last at the beginning of July. My service still works fine, I'm just suprised how often it goes Extended in a reasonably large city.

I'm dissapointed that I've found it necessary to check out the phone status and network before I make a call from anyplace indoors, as it's not always on USCC when it's off VZW, as I'm not going to pay roaming charges while at the grocery store 2 miles from home. And while it's in my head to do that before making a call, my wife won't and really shouldn't. She'll be sticking with her USCC talktracker TDMA phone for the forseeable future..... although last I checked, it was completely No Signal in the other grocery store (Woodman's west)

[AnthroMatt]

USCC probably has better CDMA coverage than TDMA by now.

[yuri1419]

Probably. But it's not an issue... if she uses the phone twice a month, it's noteworthy. There's a lot of talk time on that phone... it just keeps adding up and never going away. I use it for long distance calls, but she won't- says the voice quality is too poor for her hearing.

[AnthroMatt]

Originally Posted by yuri1419

if she uses the phone twice a month, it's noteworthy.

Too funny. I wish my wife used hers as sparingly!

[mwseifert]

I agree.... Verizon Wireless's native coverage in Madison, WI is abysmal at best. The far east side, in particular, has terrible Verizon coverage, and in some areas no coverage whatsoever. They also have terrible building penetration down in Fitchburg around Berbee. I'm one of those unfortunate people who need a good national plan (with the BREW features so I can get my e-mail while on-the-go) but at the same time I need some rural coverage in Wisconsin as well, down in places like Monroe, or up by Tomah and La Crosse. US Cellular, while a great company, cannot offer me the nationwide services that I need, but I've become increasingly annoyed by Verizon's lack of expansion in the city of Madison proper, and while I understand the reliance on extended network coverage out in the rural areas, I cannot tolerate the continued reliance on such coverage in the city of Madison itself and I think Verizon falls back on it way too much. I'm weighing my options, and if carriers like AT&T and Cingular (which I've had in the past and were OK for me too) pick up a few more rural zones with their GSM phones, I'm seriously considering switching to them because their native GSM coverage in the city of Madison is much, much better than Verizon's from what I've seen, using friends' phones. I've pleaded Verizon on numerous occasions to expand their coverage in the city, but my request has fallen upon deaf ears and I don't have the patience with them to pursue this endlessly. I also wish the people in their stores were kept more informed of network expansion. Their stores should have someone who is "in the know" on future expansion, where coverage is good, and where it isn't. On more than one occasion I got "we're always the last people to know" as the response from one of their store people. Whether it's their fault that they don't know or if it's an internal communications problem from the higher-ups, that still isn't the response I should get from them.

[Sprint PCS 411]

I would suggest either Cingular (because of rollover) and they use ATTs network also

or

Tmobile, maybe but that maynot be the way to go for you since you travel the nation.

Maybe Sprint PCS they have pretty good coverage in WI and use Verizons coverage as roaming

[sillybilly]

Sprint is better than Verizon in Madison,WI and once you are in the rural areas, Sprint digital roams with/on USCC!!

[agentHibby]

I would think Verizon knows there network is crap in WI
I don't think it is any harder than other area to build more cells in those areas. I do noticed that Verizon on their maps show more coverage so they are building more towers, but I would think in Madison to Greenbay to have great network like they do in Texas and Florida.

[sillybilly]

Originally Posted by agentHibby

I would think Verizon knows there network is crap in WI
I don't think it is any harder than other area to build more cells in those areas. I do noticed that Verizon on their maps show more coverage so they are building more towers, but I would think in Madison to Greenbay to have great network like they do in Texas and Florida.

As much advertizing that VZW does in southern WI, you would think that they have great service here!! They are always running full page ads in the papers and you always hear ads on the radio for VZW. I feel sorry for someone that buys into the VZW hype here in southern WI!!

[yuri1419]

I wouldn't go as far as calling VZW crap, just dissapointing. If they didn't have USCC to fall back on, then they'd be crap. Well, OK, maybe their network is crap, but thanks to the roaming agreements, it doesn't make my end user experience that awful.

I was up in the air on USCC vs VZW, and it came down to one thing- VZW had a phone I wanted, the V60s. If USCC only had that phone, I'd be their customer.

(Why the v60s? Speakerphone, not loaded with gimmicks and toys, tri-mode, and iSync compatible. USCC couldn't offer me that. I get the idea I'm the first person ever to go to VZW because of a phone.

[mwseifert]

Originally Posted by yuri1419

I wouldn't go as far as calling VZW crap, just dissapointing. If they didn't have USCC to fall back on, then they'd be crap. Well, OK, maybe their network is crap, but thanks to the roaming agreements, it doesn't make my end user experience that awful.

I was up in the air on USCC vs VZW, and it came down to one thing- VZW had a phone I wanted, the V60s. If USCC only had that phone, I'd be their customer.

(Why the v60s? Speakerphone, not loaded with gimmicks and toys, tri-mode, and iSync compatible. USCC couldn't offer me that. I get the idea I'm the first person ever to go to VZW because of a phone.

VZW's Madison network IS crap. It's partially because they fall back on USCC so much. It's also because their "Can You Hear Me Now" dude has never ever visited this state. I also would say that you're not the first one to go to VZW for their phones. I had similar network needs to you, and I thought Verizon would solve the problem. The reason I stuck with the phone was because someone assured me the towers were to improve in short order....WRONG!!! I went to Verizon for national coverage, and also because at the time, they were the only ones serving up the LG VX4400. USCC is probably the best carrier here, but my biggest complaints with them are lack of viable network options with the data services, and they always seem to be the last people to roll out new phones, features, etc.

[yuri1419]

Not even USCC has perfect coverage- my phone usually goes no coverage at my church- 300 block of North St, just off East Wash. Obviously a weak spot for 3 different sources, as it doesn't even fall back to analog.

[mwseifert]

One of my many beefs about the VZW network in Madison is that not only is the coverage spotty, but it's so bad that my phone, and my wife's phone, spend so much time searching for a usable signal that the battery drains very quickly. Whenever I visit family in Chicago, or travel to another major city (like NYC last week) I get great coverage and my phone can actually hold a decent charge. Here in Madison, my home, I have to charge my phone every day, or every other day, so that it's usable. Absolutely ridiculous.

[yuri1419]

it doesn't have to be that bad. I only charge my V60 2-3x/week, and I usually leave it on overnight.

[warriorfootball9]

Originally Posted by yuri1419

What band does Sprint use in Madison? I've seen the phone sometimes stop on the solid triangle, and figure it has to be Sprint. It did this to me today at Copp's- so I rebooted the phone and it picked up USCC that time....

Sprints nationwide network is 1900Mhz.