Fairbanks, Alaska coverage

[kjmattson]

Does anybody have any info on coverage in the Fairbanks, Alaska area? And specifically, Eielson Air Force Base?

[Eric47]

i know ATT works good up there im not sure who else. i know sprint does not.

[PCSuser]

Okay.

AT&T has a roaming partner (and you can only roam 40% of the time before getting a 'you're out!' letter) and they do enforce it.

VZW I has the 50% roaming rule, and chooses to inforce it sometimes... somtimes not.

T-Mobile has the 50% roaming rule, but do they inforce it?

And Sprint has native coverage in Alaska - well techincally you are using the Alaska DigiTel equipment, but your phone/minutes will see it as being in native Sprint coverage area (because Sprint allows Alaska DigiTel to use the Sprint spectrum/liscense - fair trade off) - and you risk NO CHANCE of being booted - as you are NOT ROAMING.

I know US Cellular enforces the 50% rule as well. And ALLTEL just charges you .59 per minute while up in Alaska!

So... if anyone else has insight on the 50% roaming rules of T-Mobile and Verizon please share!

You must use less/equal to the percentage stated in order not to be kicked out - over the period of three months.

-PCSuser

[Alienware_51]

Originally Posted by PCSuser

Okay.

AT&T has a roaming partner (and you can only roam 40% of the time before getting a 'you're out!' letter) and they do enforce it

I don't think it's consider roaming anymore, since they bought out the network on which they roamed (Dobson Cellular One)

[RadioFoneGuy]

There are only 2 main players ACS and Cellular One (Dobson) now owned by AT&T

ACS is CDMA and AT&T (cell one) is GSM.

At&t is the largest carrier per capita.

Sounds like you will be roaming on ACS

[Eric47]

Originally Posted by PCSuser

Okay.

AT&T has a roaming partner (and you can only roam 40% of the time before getting a 'you're out!' letter) and they do enforce it.

VZW I has the 50% roaming rule, and chooses to inforce it sometimes... somtimes not.

T-Mobile has the 50% roaming rule, but do they inforce it?

And Sprint has native coverage in Alaska - well techincally you are using the Alaska DigiTel equipment, but your phone/minutes will see it as being in native Sprint coverage area (because Sprint allows Alaska DigiTel to use the Sprint spectrum/liscense - fair trade off) - and you risk NO CHANCE of being booted - as you are NOT ROAMING.

I know US Cellular enforces the 50% rule as well. And ALLTEL just charges you .59 per minute while up in Alaska!

So... if anyone else has insight on the 50% roaming rules of T-Mobile and Verizon please share!

You must use less/equal to the percentage stated in order not to be kicked out - over the period of three months.

-PCSuser

i disagree with Sprint working. that may be advertised, but a good friend of mine who is in the Army had to go to ATT because his sprint phone would not work in Fairbanks where he was stationed, it may work in Anchorage but not in Fairbanks according to him. I dont think he would break a contract and switch for no reason, he had sprint for many years before that. who knows though.

[jayatmtu]

Originally Posted by PCSuser

Okay.

AT&T has a roaming partner (and you can only roam 40% of the time before getting a 'you're out!' letter) and they do enforce it.

VZW I has the 50% roaming rule, and chooses to inforce it sometimes... somtimes not.

T-Mobile has the 50% roaming rule, but do they inforce it?

And Sprint has native coverage in Alaska - well techincally you are using the Alaska DigiTel equipment, but your phone/minutes will see it as being in native Sprint coverage area (because Sprint allows Alaska DigiTel to use the Sprint spectrum/liscense - fair trade off) - and you risk NO CHANCE of being booted - as you are NOT ROAMING.

I know US Cellular enforces the 50% rule as well. And ALLTEL just charges you .59 per minute while up in Alaska!

So... if anyone else has insight on the 50% roaming rules of T-Mobile and Verizon please share!

You must use less/equal to the percentage stated in order not to be kicked out - over the period of three months.

-PCSuser

I don't think Verizon has a 50% rule...I've been roaming on them for the past few years continously and have never heard anything from them about it.

[Eric47]

ATT's is 60% i believe. honestly it happens to less then 1% of customers. so you do the math.. thats really not alot of people. and in some cases, if they just monitored their calling a bit better, it would be fine for them.

[strunke]

Originally Posted by EricN4707

i disagree with Sprint working. that may be advertised, but a good friend of mine who is in the Army had to go to ATT because his sprint phone would not work in Fairbanks where he was stationed, it may work in Anchorage but not in Fairbanks according to him. I dont think he would break a contract and switch for no reason, he had sprint for many years before that. who knows though.

In order to have "free roaming" Sprint will mark certain SIDs for carriers as negative on the prl causing the phone to not "see" the network. That's how they are able to offer free roaming, there are a few sids that are completely impossible to go on even if you wanted to pay the price for it. Alltel doesn't do this for most networks in roaming areas(except metro pcs and cricket).

[PCSuser]

Originally Posted by strunke

In order to have "free roaming" Sprint will mark certain SIDs for carriers as negative on the prl causing the phone to not "see" the network. That's how they are able to offer free roaming, there are a few sids that are completely impossible to go on even if you wanted to pay the price for it. Alltel doesn't do this for most networks in roaming areas(except metro pcs and cricket).

Strunke,

If you could please find me some SIDS on Sprint's PRL list that are neg'd (because AFAIK Sprint does not neg roaming SIDS). I do know though that Verizon negs roaming SIDS.

Okay whilst Alltel doesn't neg many SIDS (some are Metro, Cricket) they do charge you a per fee roaming in very remote areas of the Pacific Northwest, and Alaska - at .59/per minute. Yet if you go to those SAME places with Sprint and roam you will not get charged extra.

Not trying to start a flamewar or anything... just clarifying.

-PCSuser

[strunke]

Originally Posted by PCSuser

Strunke,

If you could please find me some SIDS on Sprint's PRL list that are neg'd (because AFAIK Sprint does not neg roaming SIDS). I do know though that Verizon negs roaming SIDS.

Okay whilst Alltel doesn't neg many SIDS (some are Metro, Cricket) they do charge you a per fee roaming in very remote areas of the Pacific Northwest, and Alaska - at .59/per minute. Yet if you go to those SAME places with Sprint and roam you will not get charged extra.

Not trying to start a flamewar or anything... just clarifying.

-PCSuser

It's different for every area. Sprint and verizon both do this, verizon more so. There are certain carriers they don't want their phone to roam on. So they neg them in the PRL.

PRL sp_20229

They neg all cricket, metro pcs sids, a carrier called Codetel Comunicaciones Moviles (the dom. rep.), Surewest Wireless, and nTelos.

There could be a carrier up there that is marked negative that would explain the phone not working.

For kjmattson, a switch to the total freedom will solve the roaming issue in AK.

[PCSuser]

Thanks for the explanation Strunke.

Also, if you didn't know. nTelos is a Sprint partner (just like Alltel is in Montana, and AlaskaDigiTel is in Alaska). So, certain parts of the nTelos network come up as HOME SIDS on Sprint, while the areas Sprint operates their own equipment, then they neg that part of the nTelos network.

-PCSuser

[jayatmtu]

Originally Posted by Eric47

i disagree with Sprint working. that may be advertised, but a good friend of mine who is in the Army had to go to ATT because his sprint phone would not work in Fairbanks where he was stationed, it may work in Anchorage but not in Fairbanks according to him. I dont think he would break a contract and switch for no reason, he had sprint for many years before that. who knows though.

I'm up in Fairbanks now and am typing this message using my Sprint Data card! On my trips up here in previous years as a Sprint user I only had voice ability (no VM indicator, text messaging, or anything). I am happy to report to say that both my Blackberry and Sprint Data Card work quite well now, both in Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Deadhorse!