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| | #1 |
| I made my first post! Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 1
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Any opinions on best cellular coverage in northern lower peninsula of Michigan, Saginaw north to Alpena? I travel to other parts of US, so I'm looking for good national coverage in mostly Florida and Texas. I've tried AT&T and it seems to have a lot of dead spots. Some people have told me Verizon. Any real experience would be helpful. Cruzzing[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] |
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| | #2 |
| Wireless Consultant Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Denver Posts: 1,403
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The two cellular carriers in the N. LP are Cellular One and Alltel, formerly CenturyTel. Also there is coverage along the interstate with T-moble, and Sprint covers up to Traverse City. Verizon users will roam on Alltel. AT&T users may roam on Cellular One or Alltel. While AT&T and Verizon have similar coverage across the U.S., each has its good and bad spots. You might improve your service switching to Verizon if you are having trouble with AT&T. There is a comparison of the two and their own "Network" coverage at: AT&T/Verizon, Network Comparison -Bill |
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| | #3 |
| Fresh Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Posts: 42
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Hey Bill, My local Verizon guy told me that there is a deal going on up in Michigan right now. He said Verizon was trying to buy someone out (would that be Alltell??) He said if it goes through coverage for Michigan would be much better on the Verizon network. Have you heard anything about this??? I am hoping it is true. My hubby goes up to Manton (near Cadillac I think) to snowmobile and if they do we can use our Verizon phones to talk mobile to mobile without roaming charges. Let me know if you have heard about this... thanks. |
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| | #4 |
| New house = No free time Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Davison, Michigan Posts: 1,305
Phone(s): LG 9700, Palm Pre Provider(s): Verizon, Sprint Devices: 80 Gig iPod, GPS, PDA, Satellite Radio Thanks: 0
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I use Verizon all over Michigan and I have never had a problem with it in any area except the U.P. and there were only a couple of bad spots there (I travel a lot between St. Ignace, the Soo , and Paradise). Never had any problems in TC or anywhere else in the lower peninsula even traveling up the coast from Grand Rapids to Traverse City. You can't go wrong with Verizon in Michigan.
__________________ You have very successfully added 2 and 2 together and gotten a beaver. You are so far off the mark you have left numbers all together and entered addition with mammals. |
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| | #5 |
| Wireless Consultant Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Denver Posts: 1,403
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Bruhahn, No, I haven't anything of substance about Verizon buying anything anywhere. I really doubt Alltel will sell the old CenturyTel areas after bragging about how good the transcation was for the company...and shareholders seem to agree. The company I would guess to be most likely to change ownership would be Cellular One. However, unless there is some local deal going on there, I think that area is too small for anyone to stick their head out for during the current telecom down trend. if I hear anything, I'll post it. there are a lot of Michican users around here! -bILL |
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| | #6 |
| Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Allen Park Michigan Posts: 540
Phone(s): Casio G'z one boulder Provider(s): Alltel Thanks: 0
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Verizon roams on CellularOne in N.E. lower Michigan. CDMA digital in some areas.
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| | #7 |
| New house = No free time Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Davison, Michigan Posts: 1,305
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Is Cellular One still around? I used to be a Cellular One customer waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay back in the day. I thought when Airtouch bought them out they bought everything. Was it just in the Flint/Detroit area?
__________________ You have very successfully added 2 and 2 together and gotten a beaver. You are so far off the mark you have left numbers all together and entered addition with mammals. |
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| | #8 |
| Fresh Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Posts: 42
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Rallykid,,, You say your service is great in Michigan. Are you being charged for roaming??? My hubby snowmobiles up in Manton and the surrounding trails there. I put in Mantons zip on the Verizon page and it says they dont have service there. If I talk to him from his hotel I dont want to be paying roaming and want to use our mobile to mobile minutes. Do you know if that would be the case?? Thanks for the help. |
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| | #9 |
| New house = No free time Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Davison, Michigan Posts: 1,305
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You never pay roaming on a national plan, and I believe the regional plan covers everything up there too, but I would check with your sales rep or customer care to make sure first.
__________________ You have very successfully added 2 and 2 together and gotten a beaver. You are so far off the mark you have left numbers all together and entered addition with mammals. |
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| | #10 |
| Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Kingsport, TN Posts: 6,072
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| | #11 |
| Fresh Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Posts: 42
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I am on the Americas Choice Plan with Verizon. But he told me that if I go into areas that arent red on their coverage map that I will be roaming and be charged for that. He said if my phone says roam I will be charged for roam. Is that true?? Its funny because if I am in my dishroom at work (school) I have no service since the walls are concrete and my phone always says Digital Roaming on it even tho I am 2 miles from a tower. My hubby was also in an area in Indiana where there is coverage and his phone said roam too. Even tho I know all of Indiana is in the area.... Why do the phones do that?? |
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| | #12 |
| New house = No free time Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Davison, Michigan Posts: 1,305
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Nope, no alltel coverage in our area. Bruhahn - It says roam because technically you are out of your home area even though you are still paying home airtime rates. Even though the phone says roam, you are not being charged roaming charges.
__________________ You have very successfully added 2 and 2 together and gotten a beaver. You are so far off the mark you have left numbers all together and entered addition with mammals. |
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| | #13 |
| In Memoriam Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Sandy Springs, GA Posts: 1,749
Phone(s): Palm Treo 680, Sierra AirCard 860, Moto L2 & L6, Nokia 6015i Provider(s): lots of orange, a little Little Rock blue Devices: way too many :) Thanks: 0
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There are actually two CellOnes in northern MI -- Dobson (IS-136 TDMA) and RFB (CDMA, www.cell1mich.com) VZW roams on CenturyTel/ALLTEL and RFB. AT&T and Cingular roam on Dobson in the Dobson areas (it's well known that AT&T, Cingular, and Dobson scratch each other's backs); I don't know who they roam on in the RFB areas. As for phone showing roaming: "Extended Network" coverage ("Extended Network" banner, flashing roam light, or on Nokias, roam banner AND triangle) is free with VZW AC plans; "Roaming" coverage ("Roaming" banner, solid roam light, or on Nokias, roam banner and NO triangle) isn't. You might also need a PRL update (see BillRadio's site for more info on PRLs.) You didn't mention the Thumb, but the carriers there are Dobson and Thumb Cellular (which piggybacks off a CenturyTel/ALLTEL switch but is a separate carrier.) -SC
__________________ "Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today. There might be a law against it by that time." -/usr/games/fortune sticking it out at you... |
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| | #14 |
| Fresh Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Posts: 42
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Rally, so then if I went on vacation to sayyyy Nevada (they are pink on the map) and used my phone to call everyone I would not be charged roaming???I wonder why he told me that then. I am so confused. I know when he told me that I thought it was weird. I figured if I was buying the AC plan I could call from pretty much anywhere. But it does say on the web site "call anywhere within the Americas Choice Network with no roaming charges" so does that mean if you go off their network onto a shared network you will be roaming and therfore be charged?? Oh well, guess Ill just wait till the bill comes. My rep is a friend and says he will fix them for me if I get charged.. thanks. |
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| | #15 |
| Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 70
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How is the Verizon coverage in the Soo? According to the map, it doesnt' exist.
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| | #16 |
| I have arrived! Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 2
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My parents have Verizon national plans, and my dad is using his up in the Soo. I haven't talked to them recently, but he at least gets a signal near the WalMart. If I remember, next time I talk to them I'll ask specifically how well it works.
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| | #17 |
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I've been trying to decide on cell phone service; northern LP is one of the factors I'm considering as some good friends of mine have just moved there, and NPI Wireless has broad and improving GSM coverage. NPI is a roaming partner to TMobile if you don't live in the NPI service area. TMobile national plan customers roam for free on NPI, NPI charges its customers to roam on TMobile. Unfortunately Verizon doesn't have much of the northern LP within its America's Choice plan; looks like just the main highways in and out of Traverse City. Unfortunately for me, TMobile is missing areas I'd like outside of the state of Michigan, so it is making the decision difficult. |
| | #18 |
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Ooops -- looks like I misspoke on NPI and roaming charges. Evidently they have plans with free nationwide GSM roaming, so definitely a good option if you live in the northern UP.
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| | #19 |
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I mean northern LP. Sorry for the multiple posts.
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| | #20 |
| Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Allen Park Michigan Posts: 540
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I am waiting for the "huge" Cingular anouncement to see what kind of phones and GSM service plans they will offer within the next 2 weeks. Right now both of my phones roam on CellualarOne of N.E. Michigan when I am in the Cheboygan/Mackinaw City area. Overall CellularOne has pretty good coverage, but they leave me with almost no signal around Northern Mullett Lake and Carp Lake. I tried an NPI phone and noticed an improvement in these two areas which are very important to me, therefore I am also considering T-Mobile for the same reasons but I am waiting for Cingular's GSM anouncement. Maybe I will be able to roam on NPI with Cingular GSM and therefore not have to change my number. Also, it would be cool if their GSM phones could use anolog if need be, but we will see. One more thing. Alltell is adding two new cell sites in the Cheboygan area, they also have pretty good coverage, (better then CellularOne around northern MullettLake), which will get even better with the new sites. Both of my phones had roamed on CenturyTel (now Alltell) in the past, now they both roam on CellularOne so I have the same problems at the same places with both of them.
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| | #21 |
| Shoulda joined long ago! Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 3
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I have a cottage near club 37...what cell phones work there?
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| | #22 |
| Shoulda joined long ago! Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 3
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......North of Baldwin around Irons Michigan....my Nextel does not work there....What service and phone do I need to get.....I prefer a prepaid plan, since I already have a contract with Nextel. My cottage is by Club 37 {if this helps} Thanks!!!!! |
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| | #23 |
| Fresh Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 21
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hey i live in michigan and when i went to kalkaska and traverse city my phone (verizon) only worked in a certain spot and then my battery stopped working and i would charge it all night and then it would be dead, i came back home and it was fine i got my phone bill i was charged roaming charges for "trying" to call out of the area |
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| | #24 |
| New house = No free time Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Davison, Michigan Posts: 1,305
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Hmmmmmm, that's strange, I have never had a problem using my phone in the TC or Suttons Bay area. Are you sure you had the latest PRL?
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