Helena Montant ( MT ) --with my Virgin Mobile Nokia 2115i ?

[shiromaguro]

Hello all: I'm getting conflicting reports from Virgin and from Sprint (Virgin resells Sprint) about coverage in MT. In particular, I'm looking at Helena, MT. I'll be in the middle of the city.

Some people at Virgin say it's "all good, yo!" while other Virgin reps say Monatna coverage is "whack, G." (Ever called Virgin support? It's an exercise in street lingo. Very Strange.) Virgin says there's no roaming ever, you're either on or off the network. With recent carrier deals in MT, I have no idea what this means. No one seems to have the answer.

What do you think? Will I be making calls with my Nokia 2115i ? I'm moving there, so I guess if it doesn't work my old 415 number will just be collecting voicemail for a while. Cheap phone, so it's no real loss. But I'd love to be able to plan ahead.

Thanks.

Shiro
(no emoticons please)


a quick edit: the nokia phone in question has the following specs:

CDMA 1900
freq range: 1851.25–1908.75 MHz

[larry]

Sprint currently offers CDMA service in Montana (including Helena) in the form of 800 Mhz CDMA via a partnership that they formed. They also have some 1900 CDMA but that coverage is not as extensive as the 800 CDMA. Since your phone is a 1900 only phone you will only have limited coverage. But you should be be able to get at least some coverage in Helena I would think.

[Andy]

Sprint definitely is not the best option for Montana. I would look into Verizon or ALLTEL(the ex-Western Wireless/Cellular One network) as those two will have the most extensive coverage and roam on each other as well.

[larry]

Sprint currently doesn't even sell phones and plans in Montana. The coverage is mainly for travelers passing through.

[Andy]

Originally Posted by larry

Sprint currently doesn't even sell phones and plans in Montana. The coverage is mainly for travelers passing through.

Well it saves them roaming costs and helps them keeps their license.
Not a stupid move.

[royc]

Here's the link to Virgin Mobile's coverage maps:

http://www.virginmobileusa.com/cover...areCoverage.do

It did not come up with a coverage map for Helena. I also tried Billings and Bozeman without success. It looks like Virgin's a bust for service in Montana.

royc

[larry]

Originally Posted by royc

Here's the link to Virgin Mobile's coverage maps:

http://www.virginmobileusa.com/cover...areCoverage.do

It did not come up with a coverage map for Helena. I also tried Billings and Bozeman without success. It looks like Virgin's a bust for service in Montana.

royc

No that's because Virgin and Sprint don't choose to show that coverage of Montana on their maps because it would cause confusion among customers thinking they can actually buy phones and service there.

[shiromaguro]

Thanks for everyone's input. These are the same kinda mixed signals I'm getting from Sprint and Virgin! Sounds like this is a real wait and see (or hear) case.

Any other reports would be most welcome.

-Shiro

[Andy]

You will be able to use your Virgin phone up there if Sprint serves the location where you are at. They will probably, though, not be able to give you a local number. Also, their coverage will most likely not be all that extensive.

[TProphet]

You should be able to use your Virgin Mobile phone anywhere that Western Wireless has service, either on 800Mhz or 1900Mhz. This includes the majority of populated areas in Montana, along with some pretty darned remote ones. Sprint operates as a MVNO on Western Wireless' network, and calls originating from Sprint ESN/MIN pairs are routed through a Sprint switch. Since Virgin Mobile is a MVNO on Sprint, you'll piggyback on their MVNO arrangement.

[shiromaguro]

Originally Posted by TProphet

You should be able to use your Virgin Mobile phone anywhere that Western Wireless has service, either on 800Mhz or 1900Mhz. This includes the majority of populated areas in Montana, along with some pretty darned remote ones. Sprint operates as a MVNO on Western Wireless' network, and calls originating from Sprint ESN/MIN pairs are routed through a Sprint switch. Since Virgin Mobile is a MVNO on Sprint, you'll piggyback on their MVNO arrangement.

That would be cool. Thanks to all who have ventured a guess. I'll be sure to post here exactly what happens in about 3 weeks when I make the trip to MT.

Ho ho ho

-Shiro

[larry]

Originally Posted by TProphet

You should be able to use your Virgin Mobile phone anywhere that Western Wireless has service, either on 800Mhz or 1900Mhz. This includes the majority of populated areas in Montana, along with some pretty darned remote ones. Sprint operates as a MVNO on Western Wireless' network, and calls originating from Sprint ESN/MIN pairs are routed through a Sprint switch. Since Virgin Mobile is a MVNO on Sprint, you'll piggyback on their MVNO arrangement.

I thought he said his Virgin phone only had 1900 Mhz capabilities?

[TProphet]

The Nokia 2115i supports 800MHz CDMA/AMPS and 1900MHz CDMA. As long as Virgin Mobile hasn't blocked the use of the 800MHz frequencies in the firmware, roaming on Western Wireless should work fine. Their Montana SIDs are tagged as native Sprint coverage in the PRL.

Originally Posted by larry

I thought he said his Virgin phone only had 1900 Mhz capabilities?

[markuhde]

I'm curious if it worked... my guess is that no, it certainly WILL NOT work here despite Sprint's arrangement with WW.

[shiromaguro]

No dice. Despite whatever deal Sprint or Virgin has with whomever, I don't get service in Helena. What I do get is the opportunity to plug in a credit card number and do some high-dollar roaming. Might come in handy for a car emergency or similar, but not for everyday use. Results may be different in Missoula or other MT cities (Billings.) I dunno.

My solution: no cell phone for my time (1 year) in MT. Keep the Virgin/Sprint California number for voicemail; use it when I return to civilization. I think $10 added every few months will keep my Virgin account open and happy. And I can use those minutes when I travel.

My experience with Verizon (basically the only one that works out here) has been such that I will not be signing a contract with them. I don't trust them. I hate their customer service. I hate getting their monthly bill. A year of no Verizon: that's like $600 in my pocket (plus money saved on phone, overage charges, and stamps on my checks to them). I'll use the money to buy a new snowboard.

Where I previously relied on my mobile phone for cheap/free long distance calls and free nights/weekends/holidays, I no longer have to. Thanks go out to SKYPE ! Everything is different now!

[larry]

Originally Posted by shiromaguro

No dice. Despite whatever deal Sprint or Virgin has with whomever, I don't get service in Helena. What I do get is the opportunity to plug in a credit card number and do some high-dollar roaming. Might come in handy for a car emergency or similar, but not for everyday use. Results may be different in Missoula or other MT cities (Billings.) I dunno.

My solution: no cell phone for my time (1 year) in MT. Keep the Virgin/Sprint California number for voicemail; use it when I return to civilization. I think $10 added every few months will keep my Virgin account open and happy. And I can use those minutes when I travel.

My experience with Verizon (basically the only one that works out here) has been such that I will not be signing a contract with them. I don't trust them. I hate their customer service. I hate getting their monthly bill. A year of no Verizon: that's like $600 in my pocket (plus money saved on phone, overage charges, and stamps on my checks to them). I'll use the money to buy a new snowboard.

Where I previously relied on my mobile phone for cheap/free long distance calls and free nights/weekends/holidays, I no longer have to. Thanks go out to SKYPE ! Everything is different now!

Virgin phones are only single band 1900 Mhz. Sprint phones are tri-mode (both 1900 and 800 mhz) and the way it works in Montana is that you need a tri-mode phone in order to obtain the Sprint service there. But Sprint native coverage is pretty extensive in Montana. Sprint owns their own 1900 Mhz towers in Butte, Missoula, and Hamilton so theortically your Virgin phone should work on those towers.

[BillRadio]

Originally Posted by shiromaguro

My experience with Verizon (basically the only one that works out here) has been such that I will not be signing a contract with them. I don't trust them.

If you don't want to deal w/Verizon, there are several other choices. The best is with Alltel. You can get their regular post paid service, which is among the best values in the business! Next, you can try their "U" prepaid service, also a good deal for a frequent user. And another prepaid Alltel product, Simple Freedom, is available at Wal-Mart. The best part is that where you don't get an Alltel signal (their coverage is better in MT than Verizon), you will get Verizon for the same rate, and you'll never have to deal with Verizon!

At last report, Helena was not one of the markets where Western Wireless (now Alltel) was supplying "native" Sprint service, but is indeed supplying Sprint roaming, so no, Virgin & STI shouldn't work. But this could change.

There is also Chinook Wireless, but it sounds like you're looking for prepaid, and I have no experience with them for that.

You might want to consult the whole list of Montana carriers.

[TProphet]

Larry, do you know for sure that this is blocked in the firmware? Most Virgin Mobile handsets are tri-mode.

If Virgin Mobile doesn't lock their handsets to 1900MHz, I think the problem may be the OP's PRL. If it's out of date (prior to 10026) the new coverage may not be available. Virgin Mobile definitely blocks out roaming; a SID has to be marked as native Sprint in order for it to be scanned. Of course, getting an update loaded onto a Virgin Mobile handset will be a dicey proposition at best.

Bill, does WWCA/Alltel use a different SID than 01441 in Helena? If not, this is marked as native in current Sprint PRLs so the OP should be covered.

Originally Posted by larry

Virgin phones are only single band 1900 Mhz. Sprint phones are tri-mode (both 1900 and 800 mhz) and the way it works in Montana is that you need a tri-mode phone in order to obtain the Sprint service there. But Sprint native coverage is pretty extensive in Montana. Sprint owns their own 1900 Mhz towers in Butte, Missoula, and Hamilton so theortically your Virgin phone should work on those towers.

[larry]

Originally Posted by TProphet

Larry, do you know for sure that this is blocked in the firmware? Most Virgin Mobile handsets are tri-mode.

If Virgin Mobile doesn't lock their handsets to 1900MHz, I think the problem may be the OP's PRL. If it's out of date (prior to 10026) the new coverage may not be available. Virgin Mobile definitely blocks out roaming; a SID has to be marked as native Sprint in order for it to be scanned. Of course, getting an update loaded onto a Virgin Mobile handset will be a dicey proposition at best.

Bill, does WWCA/Alltel use a different SID than 01441 in Helena? If not, this is marked as native in current Sprint PRLs so the OP should be covered.

No I don't know for sure. I only suspected it but i could be wrong.

[BillRadio]

Originally Posted by TProphet

Bill, does WWCA/Alltel use a different SID than 01441 in Helena? If not, this is marked as native in current Sprint PRLs so the OP should be covered.

Yes, they use SID 1441 across the whole area and into the NW corner of WY. I am planning a trip up there this summer w/my STI phone which should act just like Virgin, but I really don't know what will happen. STI phones also should not roam, but I can 'force' the phone to Verizon (but can't make calls). Unfortunately, Verizon uses both 850 and 1900 MHz here, so I don't know which it is seeing.

It'll be fun running my wife's new Honda on the Montanabahn.

[gregmal2]

Virgin Mobile phones are digital only 1900mhz. Whether they're built that way or locked that way........
VM only works on the NATIVE Sprint all digital network. Montana has very,
very few Sprint towers. Sprint agreements with other providers do not affect VM.......