On 2/5/2011 9:13 AM, Ness-Net wrote:
> ?"SMS" wrote in message news:4d4d8124$0$22167$742ec2ed@news.sonic.net...
>
>> One advantage of AT&T is that they have bought out most of the smaller
>> 850 MHz GSM carriers so you get native coverage in places where
>> Verizon only has roaming voice coverage on a partner carrier. Since so
>> many rural carriers moved to CDMA for its coverage advantages, there
>> is still a great deal of roaming when you use Verizon. This is fine
>> for voice, but not fine for data, as I again found out this past week,
>> spending six days in Golden State Cellular territory. AT&T subscribers
>> had EDGE data, slow but usable. Verizon subscribers had voice only,
>> though they had much wider voice coverage than AT&T customers.>
>
>> I needed to check e-mail, so I took the netbook over to the area with
>> free Wi-Fi, and that was where some iPhone users were also hanging out
>> because they were frustrated with the EDGE data rate. I can't imagine
>> why AT&T would choose to not add 3G to their cell(s) in Yosemite. Very
>> strange.
>
>> I sent an e-mail to the appropriate people at Verizon and Golden State
>> Cellular asking about what happened to the alleged reciprocal data
>> roaming. I'm sure I'll get a reply from GSC, maybe not from Verizon
>> though.
>
>> Verizon does have, by virtue of so many rural CDMA carriers, far
>> greater voice coverage than AT&T, but they really need to work on data
>> roaming with those smaller carriers.
>
> I do not think the above is factually correct.
> I travel extensively with a VZW phone and I almost always - (if not
> always) have data where I have voice coverage.
>
> Example: with Verizon's acquisition of Rural Cellular, there is now
> native VZW coverage
> in a lot of the midwest. Then, there is Alltel...
>
> Please cite some examples of the AT&T small carrier purchases you refer
> to above.

-Edge Wireless
-All the divested Alltel areas
<http://www.cellularmaps.com/alltel_divest.shtml?>
-Unicel
-Vanguard
-Dobson's Santa Cruz Cellular Telephone Company, PriCellular, RFB
-Cellular, Highland Cellular
-Cellular Communications of Puerto Rico
-Centennial Wireless