Just trying to get a signal on a phone I can read

[Buckrub]

I typed this once and this board ate it or something, but here goes again.

Scenario:
I have Cingular service and a Nokia 8260 phone. The display is too small, and the phone is too. It works fine in metro areas. However, I spend many weeks a year in a rural part of the state. Others around me with get some signal with Cingular, Alltel, or AT&T, I get almost none. Then, sometimes miraculously, I get a signal. If I have one bar signal strength, it won't ring. Cingular says they don't allow their phones to automatically switch to analog if digital strength is low, and following the instruction book to manually make it do so result in 'invalid menu selection'.

My wife's phone is a Motorola P270, which has a decently sized display and a nice menu. However, it doesn't get a signal any better in this location than mine does. I asked the Cingular tech why I couldn't buy this Motorola phone and have it work on Cingular network and he scowled and said it was impossible. I asked why, since both are CDMA phones. He had no answer.

Here's my questions:
1) Why can't we buy mobile phones anywhere, rather than only from the service provider? Why isn't there as much competition for them as there is for home phones?

2) I realize there are network topology and technical differences, but why can't any specific phone state clearly in its advertising "This phone works in a XYZ type network" and then require each carrier state clearly "Our network is an XYZ network"? I emailed Cingular to ask these two questions (motto: what do YOU have to say?) and they never answered me.

3) On a totally separate issue, I have a friend who would pay dearly for one or two Ericsson RD250D Pro phones, but can't find them anywhere. See question #1: Why isn't there an aftermarket for these things?

Thanks.

[BoxaPhones]

#1- They want to sell you a phone that they have marked up by probably 50-75%
#2- Cingular is hard to deal with. In my area, all of the store reps are hateful and not helpful at all. I went in for a phone and activation one time. I figured if the people in the store were like that, just think what customer service would be like.
#3- I bought a phone the other day (Nokia 5180) for $6 with 40 mins on the life timer. It was on Alltels network, but I took the phone to Verizon to see if I could have it activated. Sure, not a problem at all, sir. All they require is that it it dual mode.

[cdellis]

To answer your question in regards to using a motorola cdma phone on cingulars network, that is not possible. Cingular uses TDMA is most areas as is the case with your 8260. If you want a different phone, buy an unlocked or Cingular locked TDMA phone that you like better on the internet. (ebay)

If you read the fine print you'll see that in most advertisements the carrier will state that service requires a trimode cdma, or tdma, or GSM handset.

It is not necessarily that cingular is unwilling to activate phones from other carriers, sometimes it is just not physically possible.

[Buckrub]

Thanks guys.

But I'm not getting what I need for my pea-brain to get this.

Why isn't there a source for NEW CDMA phones that work on CDMA networks, OTHER Than the carriers directly? Why can't the carriers deal with networks and let others deal with CPE?

And, does ANYONE have a suggestion for a phone with decent features and power output that will work on Cingular?

Thanks again.