Northern Michigan Coverage

[TZ]

Does anyone have any experience with Verizon's American Choice plan in northern lower Michigan? I drove from Grand Rapids to Boyne City a week ago on 131 and my phone went to full roaming just north of Cadillac. I thought, according to the Verizon maps, it would be in their network all the way up along 131 and into Boyne...

I've got the latest PRL and ERI so that wasn't the problem....
Thanks!

With the America's choice plans, you will be roaming as soon as you go north of the new SprintPCS digital coverage which extends to Traverse City. If you need to use your phone around Boyne, your only option with Verizon is the Single Rate Nation Plans. They are expensive and do not include any night and weekend minutes, however they do avoid roaming charges. I wish Verizon would bring back the Single Rate Region Plans. Verizon does not have any good plans for Michigan residents who travel to Northern Lower Michigan, at least not right now. I am still on the Region plan, and I will never change it because I use my phone in Northern Lower Michigan all the time.

[CDMA]

The last post was mine, forgot to log in. The maps don't really show coverage up there, they just show coverage up I-75, and over to Traverse City along M-72.

[hoenuts]

I trying to decided between Verizon and Sprint. I live in lower MI but travel to Grayling. I was thinking about Verizon. Buy after reading the Anonymous user about Sprint -- I can't decide ? -- Who ever wrote that about Sprint -- please email me -- or anyone can -- hoenuts@cablespeed.com -- please help

[roadman1977]

Your best bet is to find a carrier that offers a no-roaming plan. Do not pick Sprint or Verizon for Northern Lower Michigan as they only cover right along I-75 and Traverse City. If you travel to any of the smaller towns you will pay roaming fees.

[CDMA]

No roaming charges anywhere in the USA with Verizon Single Rate.

I suspect you're going to have to go with Cingular or TMobile. Cingular's preferred nation looks like all rural and no urban (ie you're roaming in Lansing and Grand Rapids, but covered in Sleeping Bear Dunes and Traverse City). With a TMobile plan, you go all over Traverse City, the Leelenau peninsula, Boyne City, Alpena etc with their GSM partner in that area, NPI Wireless. (And they don't charge you extra for it either). TMobile is missing key coverage in other places like Minnesota, which is why I have Verizon, but Michigan is one of the best states for TMobile coverage. The best map of GSM coverage in Michigan is not on the TMobile site, however; but on NPI Wireless -- it shows it in large scale, in detail, and where service is in the process of being added.

Verizon (direct) does not offer the regional plans any more, but Cellnet Communications a reseller of Verizon is authorized to sell the regional plans that Verizon used to offer which includes all of Michigan. Cellnet is not authorized, however, to sell Verizon's national plans. We've always been able to receive calls with Verizon when up north. My rep is Rich Debolt, Cellnet Communications, 248-283-5274, if you would like further information. Cellnet has offices in Southfield, Birmingham, and Madison Heights. Info is also available on their website, www.cellnetonline.com.

[MGM]

I drove from Holland MI into the Upper Pennisula last week and was speaking with my daughters as I drove across the Mackinaw Bridge with my T-Mobile service (through NPI Wireless at that point). Once I hit the U.P. signal was gone. Around the Holland/West Michigan area there are a lot of dead zones though...

[bobt]

Can any of you confirm whether T-Mobile's coverage extends to the Nubs Nob ski area in Harbor Springs? (Across the road from Boynes Highland ski area.) I ski there weekend during the winter and am considering changing my coverage over to T-Mobiles national plan.

Thanks!

[CDMA]

It will roam on NPI Wireless. They cover the whole N.W. Lower. Not sure how good their signal is there, but I would bet it's good considering the area. I am also thinking about going T-Mobile on the Region 3000, but I am waiting for the big Cingular GSM announcement in November to see what their roaming coverage and rate plans will be like. check out (NPI Wireless.com) to see the N.W. Michigan (GSM) coverage.

[bobt]

Just a follow-up to my earlier post asking about T-Mobile coverage in the Harbor Spring area (at Nubs Nob ski area):

T-Mobile coverage throughout the Petoskey and Harbor Springs countryside is excellent. I have skied there the last two weekends, and I got 2-bar and 3-bar signals even on the chair lift at Nubs Nob. I was expecting good coverage in the towns, but I was expecting to lose the GSM signal when I headed up the roads to the ski areas. Very happy with the NPI roaming agreement that T-Mobile put in place for northern Michigan...

[CDMA]

I am also very happy with the NPI agreement. Check out my other post "My new T-Mobile service".

[photoeditor]

Does anyone know if Verizon's America's Choice coverage is about to expand in Michigan? Alltel -- one of Verizon's biggest roaming partners nationally -- already has almost all or indeed all of their CDMA properties included in the America's Choice plan, and now they're starting to convert all the CenturyTel territory they acquired in Michigan (the whole state except for the bit east of Flint) from TDMA to CDMA. And Northern Wisconsin, too. If this follows past patterns, that should be a lot of new America's Choice coverage.

[CDMA]

If they change their PRL to prefer Alltel in N.E. Lower Michigan instead of CellularOne, it would improve reception around Mullett Lake Mi, but it could hurt reception in other areas. Since Alltel is changing to CDMA, I think Verizon should change their roaming list back to CenturyTel/Alltel, the way it was last year. Keep in mind, neither CellularOne or Alltel of Northern Lower Michigan are included in the current America's Choice plans.