Bye-bye America's Choice?

You can stop dreaming because it's not happening.

Suliman

 

If they did, it wouldn't be much of a loss, in many areas, AC is a terrible plan.

 

In many areas of the west this is very true...if you live back east, AC is fine.

 

Whats the scoop with America's Choice that makes it so bad?

Also, how do AT&T Wireless plans compare?

 

I believe that there are significant coverage gaps in the west but in the east, it's rare not having a VZ signal through VZW or their roaming partners.

Suliman

 

Yea, the AC plans are terrible out west & the new digital only plans are a complete joke. Check out the maps AC & digital AC. I just got them off Verizon's site too. It will be intresting to see what will happen this summer.

 

You can probably attribute that to there being less cellular service as a whole out west since it is not as populated as other parts of the country. Last I checked, it gave more coverage than ATT's plans, TMobiles, Nextels, Qwests, Cingular, and better than sprint cuz you don't have to be in your area at least 50% of the time.

 

The west is covered fairly well with cellular service, but most of it is analog. As far as coverage goes I think you are right about the first 5 providers. But you can't compare Sprint's new plans to Verizon's AC plans strictly on coverage. Sprint's new plans can be compared to Verizon's National SingleRate Plan though. Also for most people Sprint's 50% rule is not a factor.

 

"The west is covered fairly well with cellular service, but most of it is analog"

From my recent travels across Northern California, I would say most of it is digital now, analog is slowly becoming the minority.

 

ILUVSOCAL - CA is the exception in the west. I have read about many approvements in NoCal, but alot of the Pacific NW & Rockies are analog. Yes, analog is being done away with. But it is a very slow process out west. If I still lived up in Eugene, I wouldn't be caught dead with one of Verizon's digital only phones & plans. Verizon should of kept all these plans for digital only on the east side of the country, where it looks much more posible to get away with. Hopefully Verizon will help out some of the local & regional providers to replace there analog systems with digital out west.

 

Yeah budney, you are correct. Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, Colorado, and Montana still have a lot of analog coverage.

 

Could that coverage possibly be lessened to more Digital with the new AC plans?

 

Not really...even the regular AC plan is pretty weak in those areas...the biggest change in the digital-only area is the loss of nearly all of west Texas

 

True..what I was hopeing would be that Verizon would convert those areas you mentioned, and in west Texas to Digital or at least have a little more support....I mean, come on Verizon......

--J.T

 

Well, they are converting all the analog they own, the problem is west Texas is (I believe) CellularOne territory...so until CellularOne decides to upgrade to digital, Verizon users will just lose that area completely if they go with a digital-only phone.

 

Yes, I think you are correct, but also, Cingular TDMA is most of South-west Texas. I can't wait for Verizon to hopefully acquire some digital there..... .

--J.T

 

If I heard right, all the divisions of Cell One will slowly be changing over to GSM in the next 5 years or so.

 

well, too bad for Verizon users! I didn't realize it was all divsions of cellone!

 

Well, that $ucks for Verizon..Darn it...I really wish they would build out!

--J.T

 

The Digital AC map seems strange to me because it leaves out a lot of Alltel Digital roaming in the South. I looked closely and the areas covered in Arkansas are Alltel but lots of the area not covered have been converted to digital. They are about to be on the same System ID as the rest of AR so I would think that they will soon be included in the plan. As for Mississippi, Verizon appears to be using Sprint as a roaming partner. I'm confused there because Alltel has also converted areas of Miss. to digital.

Oh well....It isn't my money. I just know that VZW roams cheaper off of Alltel than Sprint or anyone else.


Brad

 

To be quite honest, I think the way they decide roaming partners sometimes, it seems like they pick them out of a hat or something..LOL.

--J.T

 

AnthroMatt, that part of west TX you were talking about is covered with CDMA, but for some reason they didn't include it in the digital AC home area. Cellone west has that area covered. As for all Cell one properties going GSM, that is only half of the story. I can't say about the ather parts of the country, but Cellone west (western wireless ) will be adding GSM to there network to get roaming revenue from tmobile, AT&T, and Cingular. So there network will include AMPS, TDMA, CDMA, and GSM.

 

Wow, I wasn't aware they had upgraded that area to digital. The last time I passed through there it was mostly all analog...or at least it was when I looked at my phone while I was drving.

 

I had the same thought?? It's actually digital out there? Digital for CDMA or TDMA?

--J.T

 

What I don't understand is why all the different technologies. All the up keep on all those technologies would be expensive IMO, and confused the hell out of there customers. The only thing I can think of is that Cell One West was going CDMA, but then decided to go GSM due to ATT, Cingular, & T-Mobile being GSM. From reading a few other threads it sounds like Cingular has very good TDMA coverage in Texas, and there GSM conversion should be happening by years end, if I heard right. I think Cell one will get rid of there AMPS, TDMA, & CDMA. Since that area has CDMA coverage. The only reason Verizon IMO would not put the coverage in there new digital only plans is beacause Cell One dosn't plan to keep there CDMA much longer.

 

I can understand that, but if Verizon would build out their digital CDMA coverage in those areas, it would be a great money making project because they would be taking other companies' subscribers away, and the only things out there are Cingular TDMA and Cellular One.

--J.T

 

From what I understand, Western Wireless/CellOne are building out all of the different digital technologies because they want to serve as a sort of 'roamer' network. They will have all of the digital services and can rake in roaming from Cing, AT&T, T-Mobile (GSM).....on the CDMA side they want Sprint, Verizon, Alltel. If you look at the Western Wireless website, they do not have the greatest phones or plans, so the roaming network idea sounds logical.

As for Verizon building out their network there, they would be forced to build out a PCS network since Cingular and WW own the Cellular spectrum there. Does VZW own the PCS lic. there?

Brad

 

Hmm... to me that "roamer" network idea isn't very logical IMO. To me there would be too much confusion from techs all the way down to there customers with the different trchnologies, plan & phones, etc... . Plus it would be silly to keep AMPS & TDMA, since the major providers are getting rid of it slowly, And the upgrade path for CDMA & GSM eventually meet to for one technology, correct me if I am wrong about that. I thin in the end the cost of maintaining all the technologies. Plus paying knowledgeable techs, cs, sales people who would understand it all, would cause the roaming rates to be very high. Other providers may choose not to sign a roaming agreement with Cell One for that area, because of the very high prices they could charge to roam on there network.

 

There are still some big patches of analog in California, don't get me wrong, but they are now limited to the remotest of areas.