why does alltel " do this "

That it does.

 

You have to realize, T-Mobile doesn't own any license in these area's, so they can't put coverage there, the same as Alltel can't put towers in the Major cities that they don't have native coverage like NY & CA, they need to buy specturum to do that.

As djjim and UFO said, maybe they can get these other area's in the 700 Mhz auction to provide the coverage & service to new potential customers in these States they aren't in.

I agree with your statement UFO, that they can be a more "Customer Oriented" company with a higher ARPU by being a regional carrier, and that is one of the reason's that makes them look very attractive to those of us that can't get them as a carrier.

 

That I know. But again, it must cost less to buy spectrum in the Carolinas (as opposed to the very big cities, right).

And, T-mobile already has plenty of customers elsewhere. So wouldn't there be any chance for t-mobile in this area? they seem to have plenty of finances to do so.

 

You can do almost anything with finances. Considering Charlotte is the 20th largest city in the country, it should be worth it?

 

I've found the service to be available in much more than the above map indicates. you just can't get a local phone number in a lot of places where there are no outlets, including my home town. but with unlimited long distance from my verizon land line, and almost everyone getting free long distance from their cell phones, what real difference does it make if your phone is based elsewhere? maybe you need a mailing address in an alltel area before they'll sell you service? don't know.

 

Regarding T-Mobile:

There isn't any available spectrum for them to purchase in the Carolinas. Though I think they may have gotten a regional license in the South from the AWS auction, it may not be enough for them to offer native service to the area. Who knows, they may go on a buying spree and swallow up a company with spectrum in areas they want. Anything's possible these days.

 

Tmo could always get Alltel though its not likely due to them being GSM if they really want it they will get it... specially seeing as it seems Alltel is looking for a way out of the game.

 

With a lack of Tmo, There is more CDMA service in The Carolinas ( VZW, Sprint, Alltel, Cricket [in Charlotte], US Cellular [In Asheville] ) Than GSM ( Cingular & SunCom ).

SunCom may be vulnerable because 85% of it's customers are in the Carolinas (15% in Northeast TN, Southwest VA, Eastern GA, & PR). This may be what t-mobile is looking for, it will fill their gap.

 

There are a number of posters on this site who see the magic of a T-Mobile/SunCom merger. It would seem to solve SunCom's problems and fill a noticeable gap for T-Mobile.

There is a thread in the General Wireless Discussion forum that shows all of the native coverage maps for the major carriers and I noticed how the Carolinas are the only major area without native T-Mobile service. I guess this is one area where T-Mobile missed the boat.

 

Well which technology is more expensive CDMA or GSM?

There is an over-crowded / abundance of CDMA here.

So residents lack freedom of choice in this area (like Alltel in Major Metros)


CDMA carriers in NC & SC: 6

1 Alltel
2 Verizon
3 Sprint
4 US Cellular
5 Cricket
6 Carolina West

GSM Carriers in NC & SC: 2

1 Cingular/AT&T
2 SunCom

_____

So it's a freedom of choice issue, GSM in general (especially in Rural areas of both states is poor)

 

From what I've read, CDMA is more expensive, but for many of the carriers that use it, its functionality makes up for the cost.

Boy, you're not kidding about having an over-abundance of CDMA carriers out there!

 

Tmo should just eat Suncom.

 

I work where I see and talk to Scott Ford and others at the top of Alltel and have talked to people that are close to him and they tell me he is far from done playing the game. But as you know that could change.

 

I hope you are correct man, but with the way he was talking at that one thing.. it just seems like he is hinting at getting out. Not to mention that the article on cnn money said inside sources say AT was courting other carriers to purchase it... where as before it was other carriers courting AT. All I know is I personally would rather see AT stay on their own and buy some other carriers... and they need to make a move to show if they are in this for the long hall quick. AT still being around and being AT not owned by some Eq Firm or another carrier is best for the customers... I mean I like my VZ phone but I have AT as well for a reason. Point blank its better service and plans, VZ just has more media stuff and higher end phones.

 

If he is talking. He's doing it over the phone and not in person.

 

The best kind of company is one that listens to it's customers, and commits to better service. And Alltel is trying to show that off.

If Sprint & Verizon were that way (and they probably are somewhat), they'd attempt to put more towers in (the dead spots) areas they already have a license - just bad or no signal areas like in some rural areas.

 

Alltel service works in NY, however Alltel is NOT AVAILABLE to customers in NY since they do not own and operate there-Yet. No matter what happens with the company this year, they have something with the MY CIRCLE promotion.

 

Actually, if there is no Alltel signal, the phones may use almost any other carrier's CDMA signal. This includes Verizon, Sprint, US Cellular, MetroPCS, Cricket and others.

Alltel says more than 85% of the geographical US is covered by "service" from at least one of the carriers listed above. Because of this compatability, Alltel claims to be the largest network.

They are the 5th largest in regards to native "Alltel signal" coverage

Again, Here is their native coverage map:

 

No actually they have the geographically largest native network (not including roaming partners). They are the 5th largest in terms of subscribers. In areas where it is white you cannot buy Alltel service. You will get service if you go there yes (free roam), but you can't live there and purchase Alltel service. Unless you use a proxy mailing address.

 

STRUNKE is correct. Also, we cannot roam on MetroPCS or Cricket. They are not in the PRL(AKA they are NEG'd). We can roam on all the others though...US Cell, Verizon, Sprint, Carolina West, Bluegrass, etc. Alltel is amongthe most liberal with roaming. Verizon is very restrictive and to some extent so is Cingular. Here is the roaming list: http://www.rainyday.ca/~dialtone/alltel/at_00606.htm
This list is a little old but it is real close to accurate.

"05386 PCS NEG Cricket Communications
SCAN 725E 750E 775E 825F 850F 875F 925C 950C 975C 1000C 1025C 1075C 1100C 1125C 1150C 1175C
BTA074F Charlotte-Gastonia, NC"

 

I've wondered how it would be possible to get Alltel up in NJ for my friends.

I could have the bill mailed to my house here in South Carolina..(my friends could load money into my bank account to pay for it)

But since the phone could only use vzw/sprint in nj, wouldn't they eventually see that you are using 100% non-Alltel towers and cancel the service, or at least tell you they are not happy with your "call patterns?" especially if you talk for hours like i do.

Because it may cost Alltel alot more than what you pay for the service, even though they say it's free roaming..


There's another post somewhere on here about how Cingular will not tolerate excessive "free" roaming.

 

Alltel doesn't typically enforce it with Sprint or VZW. So they would be okay. But they should know it could happen. They won't have to pay the ETF if Alltel does do it, so it isn't a huge loss if it happens...

 

that's good, but the cost of the phone and the activation fees would go up in smoke. 3 of my phones never see the alltel home network, but usage is low on those.

 

The only way I see Alltel getting up here in NJ, is getting the 700 Mhz license for NYC/NJ/Philly, otherwise your suggestion could work but if the user is on the Verizon/Sprint network all the time & in the same area, they may say something & cancel the service. I don't know if they would consider this fraud if they found out the person/people did use a false address to get their service.

 

i work in a city with local alltel service available. i have a couple of homes close to 200 miles from there where there is no service. the rep knew where i lived when i got my service and she said no problem at all. and i haven't had any warnings for excessive out-of-area usage despite 2500 minutes a month.

 

My wife's Alltel phone is set to Verizon's network(Don't ask why, long story). It's been that way for 4 months and not a word...

 

I talked to an Alltel customer service rep today and asked if it's ok for some friends up in NJ to get Alltel service, even though they'd be roaming 100%, and noted that the bill can come to me here in SC.

he was happy to say, "sure, why not" and that there are some people that already use this method.:browani:

Also, as long as you pay for "nationwide," you will be able to roam as little or as often as you want.

He said that it is illegal for a wireless company to cancel your service if you pay for "nationwide service" and that the idea of excessive free roaming is ridiculous.

 

No offense, but that rep is full of it. VZW, Cingular, and Alltel have clauses in the contract to cancel your ser
vice for excessive off network use. It's not illegal. Alltel is a very lax when it comes to it, but some of the others aren't.

EDIT: However he is right about using your address and having service in NJ. But they can cancel the service if the want to.

 

I'm not sure what to say, but i shall just say that i kept trying to tell him about all this talk on the internet about free roaming limits. he just insisted that everything's fine, and each carrier depends on each other to provide nationwide service.

 

Yes the do depend on eachother. But they won't sell service knowingly to someone who isn't in the native service area, unless they don't know any better. Tell him to read the contract that the customers sign. It is all in there. Not just us cell phone geeks on the internet.