I was out near St. Cloud this past weekend and noticed it looks like CMS may have their overlay done and on. One thing I did find very curious was that it appears they just hooked up their 800 Mhz system into their 1900 Mhz Sprint switches. When dialing *611, I was greeted with the Sprint operator message. I checked the SID to verify, and it was 534. What's even more odd is the last time I was there and the system was sitting idle, *611 directed me to the Cellular 2000 message. Is it possible they can/will use the same switches they use for Sprint's network out there? Dan
I suppose they could use the same Sprint switches...what is odd though. THank for the update, that overlay was badly needed, I wonder what the status is elsewhere in the state?
That is good news. Do you guys know if Sprint can roam onto Midwest Wireless? I believe they cover a good chunk of southern MN. (maybe some western MN too??)
CMS has no connection to SPCS. My guess is that they're routing 611 calls back to roamers' home carriers, and either they are misrouting calls that should go to other carriers (VZW, etc.) to SPCS, or you ported your number from SPCS. -SC
Did you notice if the phone was staying on CMS when you placed the call. If CMS wasn't allowing access right now the phone might switch to sprint to connect. It will be nice when they are done there though. I posted a thread about six weeks ago after my last trip up there and there was no CDMA from CMS at that time, so if the towers are even just running for testing now that is a big improvement.
SC, CMS has been affiliated with Sprint for quite some time. At least since Sprint has had a presence in rural MN. That is because CMS actually built out the rural network for Sprint. In fact, if you dial *611 in Minneapolis while on Sprint's network, you get the error "the feature code you entered is not valid", while if you dial *611 in rural MN, you actually get the Sprint CS system. I will be going through there again this weekend. I'll bring up the debug mode and make a call to see what system is displayed, but I don't know if that will even refresh once a call is connected. Dan
I used to be with Sprint back when they started expanding into rural MN, and I thought they had a company called Northern PCS doing the buildout for them. Is that just another name that CMS went by?
Information from old press release. Sprint Launches Sprint PCS Advanced Wireless Service in Duluth, Minnesota DULUTH, MINN., NOV. 17 -- Sprint ushered in a new era in communication today, with the completion and launch of Sprint PCS, or Personal Communication Service, for consumers and businesses in Duluth, Minn. Sprint PCS is the nation's fastest growing wireless provider, offering the largest all-digital, all-PCS nationwide network with service in 300 markets and more than 4,000 cities and communities nationwide. "The clear alternative to cellular is here," said William Casto, President of Northern PCS Services, a Sprint PCS Network Partner managing local Sprint PCS service from St. Cloud. "We are providing customers with a connection that is more clear and affordable and more secure than conventional cellular services." To celebrate the launch of Sprint PCS Service in Duluth and greater Minnesota, Sprint PCS is offering a special promotion to new customers in the area. New customers signing up for Sprint PCS Service by December 31, 2000, will receive 1500 minutes for $34.99 a month, including nationwide long distance. Sprint PCS will bring a number of technical jobs to the Duluth area. Additionally, Northern PCS will offer Sprint PCS all-digital wireless service, phones and accessories throughout Minnesota in the coming months. "Sprint uses the most up-to-date digital technology to offer the best communications products and services available," Casto said. "We are excited to assist the community of Duluth with its communication needs." Casto continued, "As a provider of Sprint PCS Products and Services in Minnesota, we have the opportunity to benefit from the brand identity and exceptional support and customer service that are synonymous with the trusted Sprint PCS brand. We believe that Northern PCS is positioned to be a formidable competitor in this fast growing region and earn a significant share of the rapidly growing market for wireless communication services in our territory. And because Northern PCS Services is locally owned and operated, we are focused on a commitment of involvement and support for this community." Sprint PCS is expanding into several new markets in Minnesota and North Dakota. Local Sprint PCS Service in Duluth and other markets throughout Minnesota and eastern North Dakota are managed by Northern PCS Services under a management agreement with Sprint PCS, with the exception of the Minneapolis and St. Paul markets, which are managed by Sprint PCS.
One of the higher level entities is "St Cloud Wireless Holdings LLC" These are the companies they own/control/operate according to the FCC. 1 Northern PCS Services LLC 2 Cellular Mobile Systems of St Cloud LLC 3 Central Minnesota Network Systemsw 4 Central Transport Group 5 Wireless Communications Venture 6 Cellular Mobile Systems of St Cloud General Partnership 7 Wireless Communications Venture 8 Benton Cablevision 9 Wireless Communications Venture 10 Benton Cablevision 11 Central Transport Group 12 Cellular Mobile Systems of St Cloud General Partnership LLP
Ah, so it as just another name for the same company. The scary thing is I actually remembered the name of Northern PCS from all those years ago, man I really need to get a life.
I placed a few calls in the area this past weekend while in debug mode, and in fact I was on the new network. My phone showed the CMS SID while in the call. So they must've hooked the network into their Sprint switch or just defaulted to that message until they start selling their own service. Calls seemed about as good as could be expected with the obvious problems at the borders, which will never get fixed. There is still a giant black hole between Monticello and Clearwater, and I was surprised to see a similar problem West of Sauk Centre. I had always thought that RCC and CMS were a little friendly enough to provide a seemless signal, but I guess not. Dan
A hole between Monticello and Clearwater? I usually get a good VZW signal until about a mile short of Clearwater, than Sprint service. Did you happen to get a chance to test how service is in the more rural areas up there where Sprint doesn't cover? I've noticed in the past if you get much off 94 or 10 there was only AMPS from CMS.
I've experienced the same problem by Long Lake, 2 miles from town and the freeway. No, I haven't had a chance to see if that is now covered, but I can only assume it is, since when my phone always switched from Sprint to analog, it was CMS's network, and all they did was add new equipment to the same locations, so unless they re-aimed anything, I should now get a digital signal there.
