No more access to American Roaming Network

[Telekom]

Just discovered something that my old TDMA phones that have not had service for several months which had the NAM changed to 123-456-7890 and which formerly accessed the American Roaming Network where you could make calls for a high set up charge plus a high per minute rate. Typically when you called a "billable" number you'd get connected to the American Roaming Network. Now when you dial numbers all you get is the SIT and then a recording telling you that the number you dialed is either not in service or has been disconnected! Anyone know what cingular has done?

[dmapr]

According to my source they made all circuits (except the customer service circuit) busy.

[Yankees368]

Yep. My deactivated TDMA phone wont get past a fast busy signal anymore. Not even to 611.

[Telekom]

Originally Posted by dmapr

According to my source they made all circuits (except the customer service circuit) busy.

And I wonder what the purpose was of this? They're certainly not going to get any more money out of accounts on TDMA or AMPS since they will not even activate them any longer. If this is it with cingular I guess the only good use of old TDMA/AMPS phones is for accessing 911 since ARN no longer works. I wonder if ARN knows that cingular has pulled this on them?

[Telekom]

Originally Posted by Yankees368

Yep. My deactivated TDMA phone wont get past a fast busy signal anymore. Not even to 611.

611 works for me, but everything else gets you a SIT followed by a Jane Barbe recording "I'm sorry, but the number you have dialed is not in service. If you think you may have dialed in error please try again."

[dmapr]

Originally Posted by Telekom

And I wonder what the purpose was of this? They're certainly not going to get any more money out of accounts on TDMA or AMPS since they will not even activate them any longer. If this is it with cingular I guess the only good use of old TDMA/AMPS phones is for accessing 911 since ARN no longer works. I wonder if ARN knows that cingular has pulled this on them?

It's so that the customers who migrated from TDMA to GSM and dumped their landlines can still call customer care and troubleshoot their GSM phones (since Cingular will invariably tell you to turn the phone off and take the SIM and battery out if you're having any sort of network problem).

This is just a theory, I have nothing to back it up with.

[Telekom]

Originally Posted by dmapr

It's so that the customers who migrated from TDMA to GSM and dumped their landlines can still call customer care and troubleshoot their GSM phones (since Cingular will invariably tell you to turn the phone off and take the SIM and battery out if you're having any sort of network problem).

This is just a theory, I have nothing to back it up with.

TDMA phones do not have SIM cards! I kind of doubt that your explanation is at work here. I think it's yet another way that cingular has found to screw people.

[dmapr]

Originally Posted by Telekom

TDMA phones do not have SIM cards! I kind of doubt that your explanation is at work here. I think it's yet another way that cingular has found to screw people.

So that my explanation doesn't confuse anybody else into thinking that TDMA phones have SIM cards, here's a step-by-step scenario.

1. You migrate from TDMA to GSM
2. You dump your landline
3. You experience a problem with your GSM phone and call customer care (from your GSM phone)
4. They tell you to take the battery and SIM card out
5. You digest the idea, realize you can't do it while still being on the line with the CS rep, apologize and hang up
6. You whip out your trusty TDMA phone and dial 611
7. They tell you to take the battery and SIM out of your GSM phone
8. You think to yourself what a marvelous idea it was to call from a different phone and how it doesn't cost you anything — no landline fees, nothing
9. You proceed to completion of the call
10. You feel a little sad knowing that there will be no way to call from a TDMA phone in another year or so

[Telekom]

Originally Posted by dmapr

So that my explanation doesn't confuse anybody else into thinking that TDMA phones have SIM cards, here's a step-by-step scenario.

1. You migrate from TDMA to GSM
2. You dump your landline
3. You experience a problem with your GSM phone and call customer care (from your GSM phone)
4. They tell you to take the battery and SIM card out
5. You digest the idea, realize you can't do it while still being on the line with the CS rep, apologize and hang up
6. You whip out your trusty TDMA phone and dial 611
7. They tell you to take the battery and SIM out of your GSM phone
8. You think to yourself what a marvelous idea it was to call from a different phone and how it doesn't cost you anything — no landline fees, nothing
9. You proceed to completion of the call
10. You feel a little sad knowing that there will be no way to call from a TDMA phone in another year or so

So, instead of someone calling from a land line they decide to make TDMA phones totally useless. There's never a "fee" to use a land line since you're calling a toll-free number so that's a bogus reason. I believe you are grasping at straws. There's likely another answer and it probably involves money (doesn't it always seem to?)

[dmapr]

Originally Posted by Telekom

So, instead of someone calling from a land line they decide to make TDMA phones totally useless. There's never a "fee" to use a land line since you're calling a toll-free number so that's a bogus reason. I believe you are grasping at straws. There's likely another answer and it probably involves money (doesn't it always seem to?)

For someone who doesn't have a landline it costs money to get it. I can't remember how many times I've seen posts in the Cingular Customer forums from people who only have their one cell phone and CS wants them to make a call from a different phone. But, all this is immaterial, because I believe I was being facetious — but feel free to call it grasping at straws.

[RadioFoneGuy]

Alot of operators have killed the TDMA to save money and to free up spectrum for UMTS. The TDMA equipment has both TDMA and Analog radios in it, so it should to be running analog per FCC requirements until 2008.

I dont know if its mandated to make regular calls on it or just 911.

[Fire14]

Originally Posted by Telekom

So, instead of someone calling from a land line they decide to make TDMA phones totally useless. There's never a "fee" to use a land line since you're calling a toll-free number so that's a bogus reason. I believe you are grasping at straws. There's likely another answer and it probably involves money (doesn't it always seem to?)

I don't think you are reading dmapr's post fully, he is saying this could be a way for people "WITHOUT A LANDLINE PHONE(s)" to call CS if they are having a problem with their new GSM phone and have no other way to call CS.

Especially as people are dumping their landlines for wireless phones.

This is a possibility, another is to help force the last TDMA subs to migrate over to GSM, since the additional $5.00 a month didn't seem to work like they wanted.