?"SMS" wrote in message news:4d4d87d2$0$22107$742ec2ed@news.sonic.net...

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

Thanks (Edge was 1900 BTW), but it's good to see someone post actual info (vs just speculation).

But.... from quite a bit of actual 'field' experience, I have not observed this lack of VZW data availability
when traveling across the country, even in many rural areas.

Of course, your above experience is an example of this not being 100% true, but I think it's an
exception, not the rule. I don't think AT&T has any advantage in this regard.