SOUTH U.S. -- Unhappy Former Alltel User & Now On Verizon

I can't answer all of your questions, but I'll help where I can.

Your phone shows "roaming" because your phone cannot find a native Alltel signal anymore (Presumably because the towers in your area may have been converted to Verizon). Because your Alltel phone can no longer find its home network, it is activating the roaming icon.

10 digit dialing is the standard for "roaming" phones, even if you're in your home area. 7 digit dialing only works on your home network. Since your "home" network is being converted to Verizon you may have to get a Verizon phone to restore 7 digit dialing, if Verizon supports 7 digit dialing in your area. I know on my phone (AT&T/Cingular) even though landlines in my home area allow 7 digit dialing, my cell phone has required me to 7 digit dial for many years. Even when I could 7 digit dial, it only worked locally in the Fredericksburg, Va area. About 25 miles out in any direction, and it required me to 10 digit dial.

 

They may have sent an update to her phone. If I remember correctly you can force an update on Verizon by dialing *228 , and at the end of the call, reboot the phone.

 

Yeah, you'll probably have to update the PRL. Dial *228 and select option 2.

 

jackeg,

Call Verizon Tech Support and have them force a hybrid PRL to your phone. What happened is that you now have a Verizon PRL on your phone that prefers the VZW network over the more mature ALLTEL network, hence your network issues. Until networks are integrated, VZW is offering hybrid PRL's that prefer the ALLTEL network over the VZW network in areas such as yours.

After you have a hybrid PRL forced to your phone, DO NOT dial *228, otherwise you'll be back to a regular PRL.

 

Hybrid PRLs aren't really an answer. Yes, they can be done, but truthfully they were designed to be pushed to VZW phones and NOT Alltel phones. Will they work? Maybe, but more often than not they do not as they were not meant for that purpose.