Verizon Wireless To Purchase Cellular 2000 of St. Cloud, Minnesota

[DanPFW]

Well, it's official!

http://news.vzw.com/news/2005/01/pr2005-01-25d.html

http://miva.sctimes.com/miva/cgi-bin...1+local+557000

I wonder what St. Cloud Wireless Holdings will do with the PCS F license?

Dan

[Gamer03]

Wow.....more customers means more money and then they might be able to start catching up to Cingular.

Plus now that we have Verizon, we can use that new coverage once it is up and running....if we are ever in the St. Cloud area.

[azcellphonejunkie]

Originally Posted by Gamer03

Wow.....more customers means more money and then they might be able to start catching up to Cingular.

Plus now that we have Verizon, we can use that new coverage once it is up and running....if we are ever in the St. Cloud area.

Originally being from Minnesota, I used the Airtouch network in the 1996 era. They were very good around there, and I know Verizon is touted as very good in the Twin Cities as well. You shouldn't have any problems with Verizon up there, and now that they have Cellular 2000, it should only be better!

[Dogma]

Can somebody clarify this for me regarding Cellular 2000 of St. Cloud. Were they the same as "Northern PCS" or are they two different entities?

[DanPFW]

The newspaper article explains the structure. Both entities are subsidiaries of the same organization.

Dan

[Gonz]

So, does this network cover a greater area than current VZW, i assume? Is it PCS or Cell?

[DanPFW]

Yes, this is additional footprint. It is the Cellular-B block. It complements the Minneapolis market, which is the same. They will also have PCS D for most of both markets after the Qwest sale is complete. CMS also owns the PCS F block, but it doesn't look like they are parting with that yet. VZW purchased the PCS F block from Northcoast for Minneapolis a couple of years ago.

The St. Cloud market only covers 3 counties, but they are pretty strategic counties. Two of the counties border VZW's current Minneapolis market.

This is great news for just about everyone in this state, VZW customer or not!

Dan

[azcellphonejunkie]

Originally Posted by DanPFW

Yes, this is additional footprint. It is the Cellular-B block. It complements the Minneapolis market, which is the same. They will also have PCS D for most of both markets after the Qwest sale is complete. CMS also owns the PCS F block, but it doesn't look like they are parting with that yet. VZW purchased the PCS F block from Northcoast for Minneapolis a couple of years ago.

The St. Cloud market only covers 3 counties, but they are pretty strategic counties. Two of the counties border VZW's current Minneapolis market.

This is great news for just about everyone in this state, VZW customer or not!

Dan

I will be sure to pass this info to my family and friends up there in the Twin Cities when everything comes to fruition.

[Dogma]

Originally Posted by DanPFW

This is great news for just about everyone in this state, VZW customer or not!

Dan

Why do you say this is great news for those who are not Verizon customers? Are you thinking roaming agreements or something along that line, or was Cellular2000 a poor company....just curious.

[DanPFW]

Yes, mostly roaming agreements.

RCC, MWW, and probably USCC will benefit from reciprocal roaming agreements, since CMS wasn't much into cooperating or advancing their network. In fact, the current network was hooked up to their Sprint PCS switch, so it'll be interesting to see how the network gets cut over. Current customers will actually be better off, since VZW is much more likely to give them more capabilites, such as data.

If VZW puts money behind the merger, there will finally be a contiguous 800 Mhz network from Minneapolis to St. Cloud. There will finally be a reliable network in Elk River and connecting Anoka/Ramsey, Rogers, Albertville, and many others. If we are really lucky, they will fill in the void between Monticello and Clearwater. This is a stretch of Interstate 5+ miles with no usable signal. Most of these problems were due to 2 companies owning the 2 markets that the freeway borders. Now this will no longer be a problem.

Dan

[azcellphonejunkie]

Originally Posted by DanPFW

Yes, mostly roaming agreements.

RCC, MWW, and probably USCC will benefit from reciprocal roaming agreements, since CMS wasn't much into cooperating or advancing their network. In fact, the current network was hooked up to their Sprint PCS switch, so it'll be interesting to see how the network gets cut over. Current customers will actually be better off, since VZW is much more likely to give them more capabilites, such as data.

If VZW puts money behind the merger, there will finally be a contiguous 800 Mhz network from Minneapolis to St. Cloud. There will finally be a reliable network in Elk River and connecting Anoka/Ramsey, Rogers, Albertville, and many others. If we are really lucky, they will fill in the void between Monticello and Clearwater. This is a stretch of Interstate 5+ miles with no usable signal. Most of these problems were due to 2 companies owning the 2 markets that the freeway borders. Now this will no longer be a problem.

Dan

This is great to hear. My parents live in the northern suburbs (Mounds View) and regularly take trips to St. Cloud and Monticello to visit family. My mom has a Verizon phone, so this will be great for them!

[Buickman]

Originally Posted by azcellphonejunkie

Originally being from Minnesota, I used the Airtouch network in the 1996 era.

So that is why you are a Vikings fan. But back to the topic at hand, I hope VZW sinks some money into the network when they take over. Ever since CMS replaced Sprint as the roaming carrier up ther I haven't been to impressed with their coverage. It will also be nice if the fill in the big hole on 94 around Clear Water. I want my phone to work good when I am eating at Nelson Brother's.

[agentHibby]

Originally Posted by Buickman

I hope VZW sinks some money into the network when they take over.

I am sure it will happen, but don't expect anything until fall 05 to spring 06 for new towers and added capacity to the PCS network.

[Buickman]

Originally Posted by agentHibby

I am sure it will happen, but don't expect anything until fall 05 to spring 06 for new towers and added capacity to the PCS network.

I don't care what they do with the 1900 liscences they have for that area, but in this deal they are taking over the "B" side cellular system there that is less than impressive.

[HolyMoto]

Originally Posted by DanPFW

This is great news for just about everyone in this state, VZW customer or not!

except for the 30 people in St. Cloud loosing their jobs. I lived there for 5 years and they pay some of the best wages around. It's great for their customers, they'll get the same bang-up customer service that the rest of the country gets from Verizon. Ha!

[DanPFW]

Maybe if they weren't as arrogant as VZW in the first place, they would still be operating a viable wireless network, rather than trying to keep up with the rest of the industry.

They knew the time was coming. There's no reason why they couldn't have cooperated with the other rural carriers to provide a state-wide high-speed CDMA network 2 years ago!

I have no sympathy for them. Maybe I will finally be able to place a call in Hasty!

If I'm wrong about this company, maybe you can fill me in with the facts?

Dan

[HolyMoto]

I got plenty of quarrel with the company and their inability to keep up with the rest of the state. For god's sake thier name is Cellular 2000, that was 5 years ago. But good people are losing their jobs. I only say this because I could have very easily been one of them. Believe me, this deal does mean good news for my service and many others. I just feel bad for the employees that were blatently lied to for the last X ammount of years. But that's business (if you can't tell, I used to work at C2K). Enter the "Can you hear me now?" guy...

[Dogma]

Originally Posted by HolyMoto

I got plenty of quarrel with the company and their inability to keep up with the rest of the state. For god's sake thier name is Cellular 2000, that was 5 years ago. But good people are losing their jobs. I only say this because I could have very easily been one of them. Believe me, this deal does mean good news for my service and many others. I just feel bad for the employees that were blatently lied to for the last X ammount of years. But that's business (if you can't tell, I used to work at C2K). Enter the "Can you hear me now?" guy...

I can sympathize with people losing their jobs and the front office not being totally "up front" with their employees. I have first hand experience in that dept as well.

On the other hand when you're part of a small wireless company that is not keeping up with the latest and greatest in the wireless world, you should be prepared as best you can for losing your job. Even smaller companies that do offer all the latest technologies are in somewhat of a danger zone of being swallowed up by the larger carriers. Its capitalism at work and is a form of natural selection in the wireless business world.

[agentHibby]

Originally Posted by Dogma

I can sympathize with people losing their jobs and the front office not being totally "up front" with their employees. I have first hand experience in that dept as well.

On the other hand when you're part of a small wireless company that is not keeping up with the latest and greatest in the wireless world, you should be prepared as best you can for losing your job. Even smaller companies that do offer all the latest technologies are in somewhat of a danger zone of being swallowed up by the larger carriers. Its capitalism at work and is a form of natural selection in the wireless business world.

That does not at all explain Verizon in Iowa, other than leaving problems for the little guys. They pulled all telephone lines in Iowa and spun off to become Iowa telecom in July 2000. DSL is now in most of Iowa Telecoms very rural communities, that is a big plus.
Verizon Wireless leaves in 2002 so my hometown goes from having the #1 provider running the show to something that is looking sometime not that good. They still don't have all the features when Verizon was running the network like the mobile web and that was 3 years ago. New towers the company builds are IS-95A not 1XRTT.

I wish most markets could have 1 local or small regional provider that can keep up with the times and offer better plans the large national providers. If that is possible today.

[Dogma]

Originally Posted by agentHibby

That does not at all explain Verizon in Iowa, other than leaving problems for the little guys. They pulled all telephone lines in Iowa and spun off to become Iowa telecom in July 2000. DSL is now in most of Iowa Telecoms very rural communities, that is a big plus.
Verizon Wireless leaves in 2002 so my hometown goes from having the #1 provider running the show to something that is looking sometime not that good. They still don't have all the features when Verizon was running the network like the mobile web and that was 3 years ago. New towers the company builds are IS-95A not 1XRTT.

I wish most markets could have 1 local or small regional provider that can keep up with the times and offer better plans the large national providers. If that is possible today.

Who is the new company that is building the IS-95A sites your referring too?

[agentHibby]

Here they are

[Dogma]

That surprises me that Verizon doesn't press Lyrix to upgrade to CDMA2000 1xrtt. Especially if they are servicing the Des Moines area.

[agentHibby]

Originally Posted by Dogma

That surprises me that Verizon doesn't press Lyrix to upgrade to CDMA2000 1xrtt. Especially if they are servicing the Des Moines area.

Verizon does service Des Moines Metro Market. It was upgraded to 1XRTT in March 2003, if I am correct.
Lyrix only services Iowa Rural Service Areas (RSA) #2. That market covers six counties Union (Creston), Ringold (Mt. Ayr), Decatur (Leon), Clarke (Osceloa), Lucas (Chariton), Wayne (Corydon). Same is true for Cellular 29 Plus (RSA #1) it is about the same CDMA (IS-95A) only partnership is setup different.

[Drcellular]

Originally Posted by agentHibby

That does not at all explain Verizon in Iowa, other than leaving problems for the little guys. They pulled all telephone lines in Iowa and spun off to become Iowa telecom in July 2000. DSL is now in most of Iowa Telecoms very rural communities, that is a big plus.
Verizon Wireless leaves in 2002 so my hometown goes from having the #1 provider running the show to something that is looking sometime not that good. They still don't have all the features when Verizon was running the network like the mobile web and that was 3 years ago. New towers the company builds are IS-95A not 1XRTT.

I wish most markets could have 1 local or small regional provider that can keep up with the times and offer better plans the large national providers. If that is possible today.

Having been agent for the past 15 years in central Iowa. I can tell you Verizon did not pull out of southern Iowa the partners in that area pulled the system away from them.

[agentHibby]

I do agree that the system got pulled away from them not like Verizon Communcations to Iowa Telecom . The reason I got why that happened was Verizon would not offer wireless plans with promotions. To get a plan with a promotion you had to get Des Moines number. I always had a Des Moines number so people could call me wireline in Chariton and wireless in Des Moines. What I understand Interstate 35 telephone was losing money down there because of it and more money to the Des Moines Gernal Partnership if you have a Des Moines number. So either Verizon changed what they did or out they went. What I understood it was going to be the same with the market in Ames but Verizon offered promotional plans and everthing is fine there. This is what I understand on this subject.