Newbie here & question

[tiplernorth]

Hi all glad to of found the site ??

now my question is ?? I've been very happy with my motorola phone .. star trac raven .. I've had it for 3 years .. only for the reason it's the only phone I can get get reception in the area ...
so my ?? is.. My phone service company Cellcom is telling me I will need to get a new phone that is GPS compliance for 911 .. by the end of year ..

so does this mean I need to get a new phone ?my problem is I'm out of contract for years . they want me to buy a new phone & 2 year agreement ??
like that's going to happen !!!
any thoughts ??

thanks

[Heavy Fluid]

Well, after a little searching, I have come to the conclusion that Cellcom is a CDMA wireless provider, as they offer the RAZR V3c. There are a couple of things that you can do.

1. Find a different provider in your area. Most are offering free phones for signing up with them.
2. Try to purchase a used CDMA phone online, like eBay. I don't know if Cellcom will allow a Sprint or Alltel branded phone on their network, but you could check it out with them.
3. Resign a contract with Cellcom, and get one of their phones. I see that on their site, the phones are rather expensive. Do they ever run specials?

[Telekom]

Well, after a little searching, I have come to the conclusion that Cellcom is a CDMA wireless provider, as they offer the RAZR V3c. There are a couple of things that you can do.

1. Find a different provider in your area. Most are offering free phones for signing up with them.
2. Try to purchase a used CDMA phone online, like eBay. I don't know if Cellcom will allow a Sprint or Alltel branded phone on their network, but you could check it out with them.
3. Resign a contract with Cellcom, and get one of their phones. I see that on their site, the phones are rather expensive. Do they ever run specials?

Most CDMA operators will not allow you to use equipment that they either sell or have sold. And even be careful about models that have been used on their network. If it's not GPS capable it may not be allowed to be activated on their network.

[Charlyee]

tiplernorth, Welcome to WA. I am not sure whereabouts in WI you are but USCC seems to work just about everywhere.

Yes, you will need to buy a new phone and most providers will sell you a phone at the "no contract" price if you ask them, they just don't advertise as such. It will be expensive. You will not get any discounts associated with signing a contract. Try USCC I am pretty sure you can buy a new phone from them and pay them $35 for activation. They have a trial period so you can return it if it does not work in your area.

May I ask, if you are happy with Cellcom, what not a 2 year contract?

[tiplernorth]

Thanks.. I've been very happy with cellcom being with them for 5 years ..
I was told that they only way to get a new phone( per sales person).. was to loose the 2 phones and them you pay the deductible (I have the warranty program ).. no contract.. I was very surprised he told me that ..

I'm located in the fox valley area ( Appleton )

thanks

[Telekom]

Hi all glad to of found the site ??

now my question is ?? I've been very happy with my motorola phone .. star trac raven .. I've had it for 3 years .. only for the reason it's the only phone I can get get reception in the area ...
so my ?? is.. My phone service company Cellcom is telling me I will need to get a new phone that is GPS compliance for 911 .. by the end of year ..

so does this mean I need to get a new phone ?my problem is I'm out of contract for years . they want me to buy a new phone & 2 year agreement ??
like that's going to happen !!!
any thoughts ??

thanks

Unfortunately your Moto Star-Tac is not GPS compliant so you cannot use it on Verizon's network since they want everyone to be GPS compliant. If you do not wish to re-up for a new contract you could go to eBay or craigslist and get a phone that is compliant. Before you settle on a phone if you decide on one from eBay or craiglist call up Cellcom and ask them if the particular phone you're interested in is GPS compliant. Also be aware that you'll need to get a phone that is or was on the Cellcom network. If it was on Sprint it's a definite no go and even if the phone isn't "locked down" Cellcom may have restrictions that you can only use phones that they sell or have sold

[parkrcln]

Hi all glad to of found the site ??

now my question is ?? I've been very happy with my motorola phone .. star trac raven .. I've had it for 3 years .. only for the reason it's the only phone I can get get reception in the area ...
so my ?? is.. My phone service company Cellcom is telling me I will need to get a new phone that is GPS compliance for 911 .. by the end of year ..

so does this mean I need to get a new phone ?my problem is I'm out of contract for years . they want me to buy a new phone & 2 year agreement ??
like that's going to happen !!!
any thoughts ??

thanks

GPS compliance is an FCC regulation, effectv 8/2005--I'm not familiar with Cellcom, but I know that with Verizon Wireless, if you have a non-compliant phone active on your account, you can continue using it; but if you switch to a different phone, it has to be GPS compliant---and if you then want to reactivate the old non-compliant phone, the FCC regulation prohibits the reactivation. Regarding the Cellcom salesperson, as I said, I'm not familiar with Cellcom policy, but did the salesprn say you "need" to get a compliant phone, or that they would cancel your service if you didn't get one? It's in the salesprns interest to have you buy a new one and sign a new contract, so maybe they're just trying to push you into a new contract by making "need" sound like "required." And even if you did have to have a GPS phone, you should be able to get one off ebay and activate it without having to do a new Cellcom contract. I'd recommend calling a Cellcom customer svc rep---cust svc reps aren't on commission and you'd have a better chance of getting correct info.

[tiplernorth]

I'm going to call them and ask the question .. can I still use my phones .. even though they are non-compliant ..I'll post their answer .
thanks