Cellular South in MS???

[CaseyK]

Anybody know the Good, Bad or Ugly on Cellular South in Mississippi?

thanks,
C

[BarryATL]

I have an update on Cellular South.... they have a lot of changes going down.

1. The CDMA overlay of the TDMA network is complete for the entire state of MS.
2. They have stopped activating new TDMA accounts in MS. All new accounts are CDMA.
3. They have a new UNLIMITED $49 plan that covers the entire state of MS and the Memphis, TN area.
4. If a current customer wants to change to one of the new "better" rate plans, you will have to get a new CDMA phone.
5. The TDMA coverage has gone to hell. Everybody has been complaining. Someone I know who has ten phones for his company can pinpoint the date the reception changed. They are dropping to analog a lot more. I have had other friends who say the reception is gotten bad in the last three months or so. Basically, it appears that when the CDMA overleay was done, some reception issues arose.
6. The TDMA network will be up for a long time to come. Cellular South still has a lot of customers on the TDMA network and there is a lot of roaming revenue from Cingular and AT&T.
7. There are a lot of new attractive rate plans.
8. I have "heard" that the CDMA reception is good.

That's all I know. :-)

[CaseyK]

Wow,

Great info. Thanks a million. Would you believe they would be "the choice" in the MS area?

thanks,
Casey

[chodges]

Keep your options open... ALLTEL will start selling CDMA phones/plans on September 15.

[bfork1]

[bfork1]

the cdma overlay is NOT complete in mississippi

[BarryATL]

I do not know Cellular South that well. The sales rep and the maps they have at the sales stores in Hattiesburg (Turtle Creek Mall) show the CDMA complete for their network. I only repeated what they said and what I saw on the maps they had out. What areas are not complete?

Cellular South Rolls Our New Technology in Mississippi

Jackson MS
September 9, 2002

Benefits Include New Flat Rate Unlimited Calling Plan

Cellular South, a Mississippi-based wireless company, has upgraded its Mississippi network with installation of third generation (3G) digital wireless technology. The improvements provide increased network capacity for voice traffic, allowing Cellular South to continue offering competitive calling plans, such as its new unlimited plan. Called Code-Division Multiple Access 1XRTT (CDMA 1X), the new technology also will act as a platform for future expansion of wireless data services.

â??The CDMA 1X network helps support our high growth rate in usage minutes. Simply put, our customers are using their wireless phones more. As their usage increases, advanced technology allows us to operate more efficiently and economically, and lets us maintain affordable rates even as wireless voice and data traffic escalates,â?? said Hu Meena, Cellular South president.

Cellular South directly attributes the rise in airtime minutes used to its Free Incoming Calls plans, to which more than half of the companyâ??s customers subscribe. The Free Incoming Calls plans have led to customer usage jumping from 150 minutes per month in 1999 to a recent average of 450 minutes per month, 25 percent higher than the industry average.

The companyâ??s newest rate plan gives customers planning the switch to CDMA a way to maximize the benefits of the new technology. The CDMA plan, known as the Unlimited Plan, allows totally unlimited calling with no long distance or roaming charges within the local coverage area for a flat rate. The $49.99 plan includes Mississippi, as well as Memphis and parts of west Tennessee, in the unlimited calling area.

As the full range of CDMA 1X technology is implemented in the future, enhanced data capabilities will be available for increased functionality, which allows access to email, address books, calendars and to-do lists. In addition, the enhanced text messaging capabilities will allow information alerts, such as sports stats, market updates and customized data to be received on the wireless handset. It will also provide a platform to offer color video games, video and audio clips.

New handsets that take advantage of CDMA features are available at Cellular South retail stores and are required to take advantage of the Unlimited Plan.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Cellular South introduced analog, the first generation of wireless technology, to many parts of the state. Cellular South was also the leader in bringing the next generation of wireless technology to Mississippi with its rollout of statewide TDMA digital service in January of 1999.

The CDMA network overlay will not replace the companyâ??s existing TDMA digital network. Cellular South says that TDMA technology will continue to be a viable wireless technology that will not be going away.

Meena added, â??Cellular South is committed to maintaining all of our networks at the high standard of service for which we have become known throughout Mississippi. We are re-optimizing our TDMA network following the CDMA installation, and are fully supporting both systems so that customers can rely on optimal service regardless of the technology they are using.â??

CDMA 1X technology allows Cellular South to further enhance service in the state, including rural areas that are often ignored by national carriers. The majority of the companyâ??s upgrades are being implemented in rural areas of Mississippi.

â??Weâ??re committed to this region. If you look around, youâ??ll find that no other wireless provider is as involved in the communities that we serve or has invested as much time, effort and resources in Mississippi,â?? said Meena. â??Weâ??re not sitting back waiting for national companies to do it. Weâ??re out there building the best wireless network for citizens of our state now.â??


http://www.cellularsouth.com/about/p...02/090902.html