Net-10 activation options

[ultralightpilot]

I am considering buying a Net-10 phone from the local Wally-World, but where I live the only national GSM provider is T-Mobile. Has anyone activated a Net-10 phone in a T-Mobile only area. Does it restrict you to T-Mobile towers only? Perhaps it restricts you to GSM 1900 only so that I could use all T-Mobile towers, but only 1900 Cingular towers? I hope that since Net-10 has no roaming charges that I will be able to use all Cingular and T-Mobile towers since that would give me better coverage of the various town I travel to for work.

I presently have a Tracfone (nokia 1100) that on the advise of a friend I activated using the zip code of a nearby town that has Cingular service because it show better coverage when you use that zip code. This has saved me a lot of grief as Tracfone uses 2 units per minute when roaming. I hope it will not be nessacary to do this with the Net-10 phone as it would be nice for people in my home town to be able to call me free from wired lines. (The closest Cingular area is a long distance call on wireline)

Thanks
Ron

[EdwardP]

Originally Posted by ultralightpilot

I am considering buying a Net-10 phone from the local Wally-World, but where I live the only national GSM provider is T-Mobile. Has anyone activated a Net-10 phone in a T-Mobile only area. Does it restrict you to T-Mobile towers only? Perhaps it restricts you to GSM 1900 only so that I could use all T-Mobile towers, but only 1900 Cingular towers? I hope that since Net-10 has no roaming charges that I will be able to use all Cingular and T-Mobile towers since that would give me better coverage of the various town I travel to for work.

I presently have a Tracfone (nokia 1100) that on the advise of a friend I activated using the zip code of a nearby town that has Cingular service because it show better coverage when you use that zip code. This has saved me a lot of grief as Tracfone uses 2 units per minute when roaming. I hope it will not be nessacary to do this with the Net-10 phone as it would be nice for people in my home town to be able to call me free from wired lines. (The closest Cingular area is a long distance call on wireline)

Thanks
Ron

The Nokia 1100 TracFone is a GSM model, it should charge 1.0 Unit per minute, regardless of whether the phone is on the home network or is roaming on another carrier.

Their CDMA phones will charge 2.0 Units when roaming and 1.0 Unit when on the home network.

T-Mobile has opened up roaming on Cingular in some geographical areas, not all.