I am having connect problems with my Nextel/Sprint phone as Sprint is
moving Nextel customers to their equipment. Prior to "upgrading" on
Sprint, am exploring other possible options. I currently have
Motorola i880 phone with Nextel/Sprint which provides (or did)
unlimited domestic phone services for $39 a month. I'm looking to get
the phone services, plus email, texting and some web access.
On Verizon, what would be possible options that I should look at.
On 7/2/2012 2:30 PM, charliec@email.com wrote:
> I am having connect problems with my Nextel/Sprint phone as Sprint is
> moving Nextel customers to their equipment. Prior to "upgrading" on
> Sprint, am exploring other possible options. I currently have
> Motorola i880 phone with Nextel/Sprint which provides (or did)
> unlimited domestic phone services for $39 a month. I'm looking to get
> the phone services, plus email, texting and some web access.
>
> On Verizon, what would be possible options that I should look at.
On Verizon's network you can get the following:
$12/month: 250 minutes/250 text/10 MB of Data
$30/month: 1,200 minutes/3,000 text/100 MB of Data
$40/month: unlimited minutes/unlimited text/100 MB of Data
$55/month: unlimited minutes/unlimited text/2 GB of Data
This is inclusive of all taxes and fees. To get these prices on
Verizon's network you have to use their MVNO, Pageplus Cellular. You
have to bring your own Verizon compatible smart phone, new or used.
Directly from Verizon, unlimited minutes/unlimited text/2 GB of Data,
will cost about $119/month inclusive of all taxes and fees, unless you
have a corporate discount that will bring the price down. However this
higher price is partially offset by the subsidized handset. Too bad you
didn't change a week ago before Verizon significantly raised prices for
individual users.
The other thing to look for, but it may be completely gone, is
StraightTalk, which for a short time was offering an Android phone,
using Verizon's network. That would be $45/month for unlimited
everything (though unlimited data is not really unlimited). See
<http://wontek.com/prepaid-reviews/Straight-Talk/Samsung-S720C>.
Something happened with this. Reportedly Wal-Mart removed all of these
phones from their shelves, and Straight Talk removed this phone from
their web site. Even if you enter a zip code where there is no AT&T,
Sprint, or T-Mobile service, only Verizon, there are no Android phones
on StraightTalk that show up.
I suspect that Verizon read the riot act to Straight Talk, since just as
Verizon is raising prices significantly they don't want an unlimited
everything Android phone for as little as $42/month, being marketed.
On 7/2/2012 5:30 PM, charliec@email.com wrote:
> I am having connect problems with my Nextel/Sprint phone as Sprint is
> moving Nextel customers to their equipment. Prior to "upgrading" on
> Sprint, am exploring other possible options. I currently have
> Motorola i880 phone with Nextel/Sprint which provides (or did)
> unlimited domestic phone services for $39 a month. I'm looking to get
> the phone services, plus email, texting and some web access.
>
> On Verizon, what would be possible options that I should look at.
>
> Any insights appreciated.
>
> charliec
>
You *MAY* find that VZW is a little cheaper. I'm paying ~$70 for TWO
VZW phones. I've NEVER been anywhere that my phone didn't work. Where
have I been? Mostly "eastern seaboard", but also Arizona, New Mexico,
Los Angeles, Las Vegas and probably a couple that I've forgotten!
On Mon, 02 Jul 2012 22:08:00 -0400, "Richard B. Gilbert"
<rgilbert88@comcast.net> wrote:
>You *MAY* find that VZW is a little cheaper. I'm paying ~$70 for TWO
>VZW phones. I've NEVER been anywhere that my phone didn't work. Where
>have I been? Mostly "eastern seaboard", but also Arizona, New Mexico,
>Los Angeles, Las Vegas and probably a couple that I've forgotten!
You may have forgotten, but your travel agent remembers.
>On 7/2/2012 2:30 PM, charliec@email.com wrote:
>> I am having connect problems with my Nextel/Sprint phone as Sprint is
>> moving Nextel customers to their equipment. Prior to "upgrading" on
>> Sprint, am exploring other possible options. I currently have
>> Motorola i880 phone with Nextel/Sprint which provides (or did)
>> unlimited domestic phone services for $39 a month. I'm looking to get
>> the phone services, plus email, texting and some web access.
>>
>> On Verizon, what would be possible options that I should look at.
>
>On Verizon's network you can get the following:
>
>$12/month: 250 minutes/250 text/10 MB of Data
>$30/month: 1,200 minutes/3,000 text/100 MB of Data
>$40/month: unlimited minutes/unlimited text/100 MB of Data
>$55/month: unlimited minutes/unlimited text/2 GB of Data
>
>This is inclusive of all taxes and fees. To get these prices on
>Verizon's network you have to use their MVNO, Pageplus Cellular. You
>have to bring your own Verizon compatible smart phone, new or used.
>
>Directly from Verizon, unlimited minutes/unlimited text/2 GB of Data,
>will cost about $119/month inclusive of all taxes and fees, unless you
>have a corporate discount that will bring the price down. However this
>higher price is partially offset by the subsidized handset. Too bad you
>didn't change a week ago before Verizon significantly raised prices for
>individual users.
>
>The other thing to look for, but it may be completely gone, is
>StraightTalk, which for a short time was offering an Android phone,
>using Verizon's network. That would be $45/month for unlimited
>everything (though unlimited data is not really unlimited). See
><http://wontek.com/prepaid-reviews/Straight-Talk/Samsung-S720C>.
>Something happened with this. Reportedly Wal-Mart removed all of these
>phones from their shelves, and Straight Talk removed this phone from
>their web site. Even if you enter a zip code where there is no AT&T,
>Sprint, or T-Mobile service, only Verizon, there are no Android phones
>on StraightTalk that show up.
>
>I suspect that Verizon read the riot act to Straight Talk, since just as
>Verizon is raising prices significantly they don't want an unlimited
>everything Android phone for as little as $42/month, being marketed.
>On 7/2/2012 2:30 PM, charliec@email.com wrote:
>> I am having connect problems with my Nextel/Sprint phone as Sprint is
>> moving Nextel customers to their equipment. Prior to "upgrading" on
>> Sprint, am exploring other possible options. I currently have
>> Motorola i880 phone with Nextel/Sprint which provides (or did)
>> unlimited domestic phone services for $39 a month. I'm looking to get
>> the phone services, plus email, texting and some web access.
>>
>> On Verizon, what would be possible options that I should look at.
>
>On Verizon's network you can get the following:
>
>$12/month: 250 minutes/250 text/10 MB of Data
>$30/month: 1,200 minutes/3,000 text/100 MB of Data
>$40/month: unlimited minutes/unlimited text/100 MB of Data
>$55/month: unlimited minutes/unlimited text/2 GB of Data
I was looking at the website, but was a bit confused. If I wanted to
go with your 3rd suggested option - $40.... - what should I be looking
at on the website as to Plans and phone? Can you recommend a phone
based on my input and the plans. As you have probably figured out,
I'm fairly new at the and am looking for help!
So, any input you can provide is really appreciated.
charliec
>
>This is inclusive of all taxes and fees. To get these prices on
>Verizon's network you have to use their MVNO, Pageplus Cellular. You
>have to bring your own Verizon compatible smart phone, new or used.
>
>Directly from Verizon, unlimited minutes/unlimited text/2 GB of Data,
>will cost about $119/month inclusive of all taxes and fees, unless you
>have a corporate discount that will bring the price down. However this
>higher price is partially offset by the subsidized handset. Too bad you
>didn't change a week ago before Verizon significantly raised prices for
>individual users.
>
>The other thing to look for, but it may be completely gone, is
>StraightTalk, which for a short time was offering an Android phone,
>using Verizon's network. That would be $45/month for unlimited
>everything (though unlimited data is not really unlimited). See
><http://wontek.com/prepaid-reviews/Straight-Talk/Samsung-S720C>.
>Something happened with this. Reportedly Wal-Mart removed all of these
>phones from their shelves, and Straight Talk removed this phone from
>their web site. Even if you enter a zip code where there is no AT&T,
>Sprint, or T-Mobile service, only Verizon, there are no Android phones
>on StraightTalk that show up.
>
>I suspect that Verizon read the riot act to Straight Talk, since just as
>Verizon is raising prices significantly they don't want an unlimited
>everything Android phone for as little as $42/month, being marketed.
>> $12/month: 250 minutes/250 text/10 MB of Data
>> $30/month: 1,200 minutes/3,000 text/100 MB of Data
>> $40/month: unlimited minutes/unlimited text/100 MB of Data
>> $55/month: unlimited minutes/unlimited text/2 GB of Data
>
> I was looking at the website, but was a bit confused. If I wanted to
> go with your 3rd suggested option - $40.... - what should I be looking
> at on the website as to Plans and phone? Can you recommend a phone
> based on my input and the plans. As you have probably figured out,
> I'm fairly new at the and am looking for help!
I brought my own Verizon Android smart phones to Pageplus. Pageplus
sells two Android phones themselves, but I don't know anything about them.
If you're interested in Pageplus you may want to look at http://digicircle.com with Verizon set as the carrier. Look for the
Motorola Droid 3 or and HTC Incredible.
I bought one Droid from Digicircle, one Droid from craigslist, and two
Incredibles from craigslist. I met the seller at a Verizon store, and
had the store ensure that the phone had a clean ESN. There are lots of
gently used Android smart phones for sale because of so many Verizon
users moving to the iPhone. On craigslist I would pay $100 for an
Incredible, $150 for an Incredible 2 or Droid 2 Global, $175 for a Droid
3 in excellent condition.
The advantage of Digicircle is that they check out the phone and have a
30 day warranty. It's really not possible when you buy a phone on
craigslist to check it out completely, though I've been lucky.
Note that on Pageplus you can always switch between plans if a plan is
too big or too small for you.
On Tue, 03 Jul 2012 11:28:33 -0700, charliec wrote:
> Thanks all for your replies. I will look into things based on the
> input supplied.
>
> charliec
There is one small caveat, Charlie. I am on PagePlus also, and have been
for a little over 2 years, and love it, BUT, I am in northern Western Mass
and sometimes have to travle to VT and NH. There is a BIG dropout in VT
and a smaller one in NH (where I go, anyway) and the roaming fee is 29
cents a minute!
Go to Verizon's website and look up the map for Verizon's PRE PAID NETWORK
and see how it will fit your needs. I'm not in those two areas enough
where it makes a big deal to me, and everywhere else I go I have excellent
coverage.
Also, I have a BlackBerry. I buy them on eBay for pennies on the dollar,
this latest one cost me $8 including shipping. I can't use BIS servers,
but use Opera and get data no probs, and when I had a Palm before the BBs
I had no probs, either.
Good luck!
>
>>On Mon, 02 Jul 2012 16:31:18 -0700, sms88 <scharf.steven@geemail.com> wrote:
>
>>On 7/2/2012 2:30 PM, charliec@email.com wrote:
>>> I am having connect problems with my Nextel/Sprint phone as Sprint is
>>> moving Nextel customers to their equipment. Prior to "upgrading" on
>>> Sprint, am exploring other possible options. I currently have
>>> Motorola i880 phone with Nextel/Sprint which provides (or did)
>>> unlimited domestic phone services for $39 a month. I'm looking to get
>>> the phone services, plus email, texting and some web access.
>>>
>>> On Verizon, what would be possible options that I should look at.
>>
>>On Verizon's network you can get the following:
>>
>>$12/month: 250 minutes/250 text/10 MB of Data
>>$30/month: 1,200 minutes/3,000 text/100 MB of Data
>>$40/month: unlimited minutes/unlimited text/100 MB of Data
>>$55/month: unlimited minutes/unlimited text/2 GB of Data
>>
>>This is inclusive of all taxes and fees. To get these prices on
>>Verizon's network you have to use their MVNO, Pageplus Cellular. You
>>have to bring your own Verizon compatible smart phone, new or used.
>>
>>Directly from Verizon, unlimited minutes/unlimited text/2 GB of Data,
>>will cost about $119/month inclusive of all taxes and fees, unless you
>>have a corporate discount that will bring the price down. However this
>>higher price is partially offset by the subsidized handset. Too bad you
>>didn't change a week ago before Verizon significantly raised prices for
>>individual users.
>>
>>The other thing to look for, but it may be completely gone, is
>>StraightTalk, which for a short time was offering an Android phone,
>>using Verizon's network. That would be $45/month for unlimited
>>everything (though unlimited data is not really unlimited). See
>><http://wontek.com/prepaid-reviews/Straight-Talk/Samsung-S720C>.
>>Something happened with this. Reportedly Wal-Mart removed all of these
>>phones from their shelves, and Straight Talk removed this phone from
>>their web site. Even if you enter a zip code where there is no AT&T,
>>Sprint, or T-Mobile service, only Verizon, there are no Android phones
>>on StraightTalk that show up.
>>
>>I suspect that Verizon read the riot act to Straight Talk, since just as
>>Verizon is raising prices significantly they don't want an unlimited
>>everything Android phone for as little as $42/month, being marketed.
> Go to Verizon's website and look up the map for Verizon's PRE PAID NETWORK
> and see how it will fit your needs. I'm not in those two areas enough
> where it makes a big deal to me, and everywhere else I go I have excellent
> coverage.
Good point, for a Republican. I occasionally roam on Pageplus. In the
western U.S. I have roamed in parts of Southern Oregon (U.S. Cellular),
in California's Gold Country (Golden State Cellular), and in Kingman AZ
(Mojave Wireless). On Verizon itself I would not pay roaming, but on
Pageplus there are roaming charges. It's so rare that this happens that
I don't worry about it, and the enormous savings on Pageplus far
outweigh an occasional roaming charge. But if you frequent areas where
you'll roam, then Pageplus is not a good choice of carrier. Of course
many places where I've roamed onto other CDMA carriers have no GSM
coverage at all, so if I were on AT&T or T-Mobile I would not be roaming!
On Thu, 12 Jul 2012 08:21:33 -0700, sms88 remonstrated with hachiroku:
> ... I occasionally roam on Pageplus. In the
> western U.S. I have roamed in parts of Southern Oregon (U.S. Cellular),
> in California's Gold Country (Golden State Cellular), and in Kingman AZ
> (Mojave Wireless). On Verizon itself I would not pay roaming, but on
> Pageplus there are roaming charges. It's so rare that this happens that
> I don't worry about it, and the enormous savings on Pageplus far
> outweigh an occasional roaming charge. But if you frequent areas where
> you'll roam, then Pageplus is not a good choice of carrier. Of course
> many places where I've roamed onto other CDMA carriers have no GSM
> coverage at all, so if I were on AT&T or T-Mobile I would not be roaming!
Anyway, these days, you no longer incur roaming charges just by straying
accidentally into roaming territory (RT), as once was the case -- you only
pay roaming once you really use cellular air time or data while in RT :-) .
Or is it different on Page Plus?
Cheers, -- tlvp
--
Avant de repondre, jeter la poubelle, SVP.
At 12 Jul 2012 21:53:36 -0400 tlvp wrote:
> On Thu, 12 Jul 2012 08:21:33 -0700, sms88 remonstrated with hachiroku:
>
> > ... I occasionally roam on Pageplus. In the
> > western U.S. I have roamed in parts of Southern Oregon (U.S. Cellular),
> > in California's Gold Country (Golden State Cellular), and in Kingman
AZ
> > (Mojave Wireless). On Verizon itself I would not pay roaming, but on
> > Pageplus there are roaming charges. It's so rare that this happens
that
> > I don't worry about it, and the enormous savings on Pageplus far
> > outweigh an occasional roaming charge. But if you frequent areas
where
> > you'll roam, then Pageplus is not a good choice of carrier. Of course
> > many places where I've roamed onto other CDMA carriers have no GSM
> > coverage at all, so if I were on AT&T or T-Mobile I would not be
roaming!
>
> Anyway, these days, you no longer incur roaming charges just by straying
> accidentally into roaming territory (RT), as once was the case -- you
only
> pay roaming once you really use cellular air time or data while in
RT :-) .
>
> Or is it different on Page Plus?
I don't recall ever paying for roaming without usage, and I go back to
the days of analog phones, regional carriers, and roamer access numbers.
(If people wanted to call your Boston-based phone that was roaming in LA,
you had to give them a number provided by the LA carrier, which when
called, promoted the caller to enter your cell number, and then your call
was connected. Cellular customers used to get a little booklet when you
signed up listing every cell carrier in the country, their roaming rates,
and their roamer access numbers.)
There were daily fees in addition to roaming airtime, but those only
kicked in on days you made or received a call. $3/day and $1-
something/minute was typical. If you didn't use the phone on a
particular day, the daily fee wasn't charged.
In those days, I used to sell cellular phones for "Nebraska Cellular"
(now part of Viaero Wireless), a company licensed to serve all of
Nebraska except Omaha and Lincoln (about half of Nebraska's population
are in Omaha and Lincoln, so this wasn't a very desirable service area!)
The company president told me they made more than half of their revenue
from roamers passing through the state on Interstate 80.
On Thu, 12 Jul 2012 20:26:18 -0600, Todd Allcock wrote:
> At 12 Jul 2012 21:53:36 -0400 tlvp wrote:
>> On Thu, 12 Jul 2012 08:21:33 -0700, sms88 remonstrated with hachiroku:
>>
>>> ... I occasionally roam on Pageplus. In the
>>> western U.S. I have roamed in parts of Southern Oregon (U.S. Cellular),
>
>>> in California's Gold Country (Golden State Cellular), and in Kingman
> AZ
>>> (Mojave Wireless). On Verizon itself I would not pay roaming, but on
>>> Pageplus there are roaming charges. It's so rare that this happens
> that
>>> I don't worry about it, and the enormous savings on Pageplus far
>>> outweigh an occasional roaming charge. But if you frequent areas
> where
>>> you'll roam, then Pageplus is not a good choice of carrier. Of course
>>> many places where I've roamed onto other CDMA carriers have no GSM
>>> coverage at all, so if I were on AT&T or T-Mobile I would not be
> roaming!
>>
>> Anyway, these days, you no longer incur roaming charges just by straying
>> accidentally into roaming territory (RT), as once was the case -- you
> only
>> pay roaming once you really use cellular air time or data while in
> RT :-) .
>>
>> Or is it different on Page Plus?
>
> I don't recall ever paying for roaming without usage, and I go back to
> the days of analog phones, regional carriers, and roamer access numbers.
> (If people wanted to call your Boston-based phone that was roaming in LA,
> you had to give them a number provided by the LA carrier, which when
> called, promoted the caller to enter your cell number, and then your call
> was connected. Cellular customers used to get a little booklet when you
> signed up listing every cell carrier in the country, their roaming rates,
> and their roamer access numbers.)
>
> There were daily fees in addition to roaming airtime, but those only
> kicked in on days you made or received a call. $3/day and $1-
> something/minute was typical. If you didn't use the phone on a
> particular day, the daily fee wasn't charged.
>
> In those days, I used to sell cellular phones for "Nebraska Cellular"
> (now part of Viaero Wireless), a company licensed to serve all of
> Nebraska except Omaha and Lincoln (about half of Nebraska's population
> are in Omaha and Lincoln, so this wasn't a very desirable service area!)
> The company president told me they made more than half of their revenue
> from roamers passing through the state on Interstate 80.
I still remember complaints on comp.dcom.telecom about some east coast
cellular outfit charging a separate "daily" roaming fee for *each* time a
handset passed back into roaming territory on a given day, as might happen
when driving from native A thru roaming B to native C and then back again,
and how keeping that handset powered off during the likely B-area moments
would save you not just one but two daily roaming charges for that day.
Let's be glad that practice is no longer :-) . Cheers, -- tlvp
--
Avant de repondre, jeter la poubelle, SVP.
> On 7/11/2012 11:58 AM, hachiroku wrote:
>
> <snip>
>
>> Go to Verizon's website and look up the map for Verizon's PRE PAID NETWORK
>> and see how it will fit your needs. I'm not in those two areas enough
>> where it makes a big deal to me, and everywhere else I go I have excellent
>> coverage.
>
> Good point, for a Republican.
We have our moments. Romney will have his Jan 21, 2013...
> I occasionally roam on Pageplus. In the
> western U.S. I have roamed in parts of Southern Oregon (U.S. Cellular),
> in California's Gold Country (Golden State Cellular), and in Kingman AZ
> (Mojave Wireless). On Verizon itself I would not pay roaming, but on
> Pageplus there are roaming charges. It's so rare that this happens that
> I don't worry about it, and the enormous savings on Pageplus far
> outweigh an occasional roaming charge. But if you frequent areas where
> you'll roam, then Pageplus is not a good choice of carrier. Of course
> many places where I've roamed onto other CDMA carriers have no GSM
> coverage at all, so if I were on AT&T or T-Mobile I would not be roaming!
Well said for a Democrat.
But I thought GSM was the larger network?! Dependnt on carrier.
I tired the T-Mobile plan for a month, NO coverage at all in Keene NH and
most of the places I went in NH, but Brattleboro VT was well covered.
There was also NO service in the little rinky-dink towns in Mass where
most of the time I have Verizon coverage. I have to be WAY out in Left
Overshoe to not have coverage.
> On Thu, 12 Jul 2012 08:21:33 -0700, sms88 remonstrated with hachiroku:
>
>> ... I occasionally roam on Pageplus. In the
>> western U.S. I have roamed in parts of Southern Oregon (U.S. Cellular),
>> in California's Gold Country (Golden State Cellular), and in Kingman AZ
>> (Mojave Wireless). On Verizon itself I would not pay roaming, but on
>> Pageplus there are roaming charges. It's so rare that this happens that
>> I don't worry about it, and the enormous savings on Pageplus far
>> outweigh an occasional roaming charge. But if you frequent areas where
>> you'll roam, then Pageplus is not a good choice of carrier. Of course
>> many places where I've roamed onto other CDMA carriers have no GSM
>> coverage at all, so if I were on AT&T or T-Mobile I would not be roaming!
>
> Anyway, these days, you no longer incur roaming charges just by straying
> accidentally into roaming territory (RT), as once was the case -- you only
> pay roaming once you really use cellular air time or data while in RT :-) .
>
> Or is it different on Page Plus?
>
> Cheers, -- tlvp
PagePlus piggybacks on Verizon's prepaid network, which is slightly
different from their contract network. Yes, there ARE roaming areas, and
if your phone has a "Roaming" icon it will come on, but the other nice
feature is if you are in roaming territory, PP makes you dial the number
again. You also have to have a cash balance with them, so if you're on a
monthly plan and need to use roaming, you have to buy additional "minutes"
as well. And roaming is 29 cents a minute!
Not a big problem where I am. Two spots where I go in NH and one very
large on in VT, but I don't go that way very often, either. Hardly at all
now....
On Wed, 18 Jul 2012 02:35:58 -0400, Elmo P. Shagnasty wrote:
> Merely being in a roaming area does not incur any charges for a PagePlus
> user. Only using voice service in a roaming area incurs charges for a
> PagePlus user.
Clear, crisp, and definitive, Elmo: thank you :-) ! And cheers, -- tlvp
--
Avant de repondre, jeter la poubelle, SVP.
On Wed, 18 Jul 2012 00:42:04 -0400, hachiroku wrote:
> But I thought GSM was the larger network?! Dependnt on carrier.
Mmm ... I don't know. Larger in terms of number of subscribers? Acreage of
coverage? Total population of areas covered? Number of Cities covered?
Anyway, there's not just one GSM network in the USA, there's several of
them. T-Mobile's and at&t's are the most noticeable among them, and those
two mostly forbid subscribers of one to roam on the other.
What's more, the voice service uses two different frequency bands: there's
850 MHz, that at&t uses; and there's 1900 MHz, that both at&t and T-Mobile
use. (Speaking exclusively of USA.) So: what counts as a "GSM network"?
'Zat help explain why there can't be much of an answer to your question
before you at least clarify your terms of reference? Cheers, -- tlvp
--
Avant de repondre, jeter la poubelle, SVP.
In the U.S., there are about 25 million more people on CDMA than GSM,
and CDMA covers far more area (though nearly all of the extra area is
sparsely populated). It's when you go to, or through, those sparsely
populated areas that you appreciate the extra coverage. If you never
leave urban areas it doesn't matter as much.
> On 7/17/2012 9:42 PM, hachiroku wrote:
>
>> But I thought GSM was the larger network?!
>
> In the U.S., there are about 25 million more people on CDMA than GSM,
> and CDMA covers far more area (though nearly all of the extra area is
> sparsely populated). It's when you go to, or through, those sparsely
> populated areas that you appreciate the extra coverage. If you never
> leave urban areas it doesn't matter as much.
> On Wed, 18 Jul 2012 00:42:04 -0400, hachiroku wrote:
>
>> But I thought GSM was the larger network?! Dependnt on carrier.
>
> Mmm ... I don't know. Larger in terms of number of subscribers? Acreage of
> coverage? Total population of areas covered? Number of Cities covered?
>
> Anyway, there's not just one GSM network in the USA, there's several of
> them. T-Mobile's and at&t's are the most noticeable among them, and those
> two mostly forbid subscribers of one to roam on the other.
>
> What's more, the voice service uses two different frequency bands: there's
> 850 MHz, that at&t uses; and there's 1900 MHz, that both at&t and T-Mobile
> use. (Speaking exclusively of USA.) So: what counts as a "GSM network"?
>
> 'Zat help explain why there can't be much of an answer to your question
> before you at least clarify your terms of reference? Cheers, -- tlvp
Ah, shoot, there he goes gettin' all technical on us! Sheesh!
> On Wed, 18 Jul 2012 00:42:04 -0400, hachiroku wrote:
>
>> But I thought GSM was the larger network?! Dependnt on carrier.
>
> Mmm ... I don't know. Larger in terms of number of subscribers? Acreage
> of coverage? Total population of areas covered? Number of Cities
> covered?
>
> Anyway, there's not just one GSM network in the USA, there's several of
> them. T-Mobile's and at&t's are the most noticeable among them, and
> those two mostly forbid subscribers of one to roam on the other.
>
> What's more, the voice service uses two different frequency bands:
> there's 850 MHz, that at&t uses; and there's 1900 MHz, that both at&t
> and T-Mobile use. (Speaking exclusively of USA.) So: what counts as a
> "GSM network"?
>
> 'Zat help explain why there can't be much of an answer to your question
> before you at least clarify your terms of reference? Cheers, -- tlvp
I know a fair amount about cell services (I've *TRIED* just about all of
them) but the actual underlying technology escapes me a bit. I was an
electronics tech for ~20 years, and my basic understanding is there's a
difference between GSM and CDMA, but not sure what it is. I would venture
to guess it's the way the singal is 'modulated', kind of like the
difference between AM and FM, which I'm sure is an oversimplification.
I also know t-Mobile and AT&T are GSM, "Straight Talk" is either, not sure
about Tracfone, Sprint and Verizon are CDMA, and usually never the twain
shall meet. However, I also have a Blackberry 8830 "World Phone" that can
run on either, I think, but not here in the US. I guess there's also
another t-Mobile's Prepaid uses, ID something or other (IDEN?) but it's
not big and that's why I had no coverage in New Hampshire.
Beyond that I can make a few educated guesses. It seems I also remember
hearing about something like "packet" like the HAMs use, but that's about
it.
On Wed, 18 Jul 2012 21:52:11 -0400, hachiroku <haciroku@e86.GTS>
wrote:
>On Wed, 18 Jul 2012 03:45:27 -0400, tlvp wrote:
>
>> On Wed, 18 Jul 2012 00:42:04 -0400, hachiroku wrote:
>>
>>> But I thought GSM was the larger network?! Dependnt on carrier.
>>
>> Mmm ... I don't know. Larger in terms of number of subscribers? Acreage
>> of coverage? Total population of areas covered? Number of Cities
>> covered?
>>
>> Anyway, there's not just one GSM network in the USA, there's several of
>> them. T-Mobile's and at&t's are the most noticeable among them, and
>> those two mostly forbid subscribers of one to roam on the other.
>>
>> What's more, the voice service uses two different frequency bands:
>> there's 850 MHz, that at&t uses; and there's 1900 MHz, that both at&t
>> and T-Mobile use. (Speaking exclusively of USA.) So: what counts as a
>> "GSM network"?
>>
>> 'Zat help explain why there can't be much of an answer to your question
>> before you at least clarify your terms of reference? Cheers, -- tlvp
>
>I know a fair amount about cell services (I've *TRIED* just about all of
>them) but the actual underlying technology escapes me a bit. I was an
>electronics tech for ~20 years, and my basic understanding is there's a
>difference between GSM and CDMA, but not sure what it is. I would venture
>to guess it's the way the singal is 'modulated', kind of like the
>difference between AM and FM, which I'm sure is an oversimplification.
>
>I also know t-Mobile and AT&T are GSM, "Straight Talk" is either, not sure
>about Tracfone, Sprint and Verizon are CDMA, and usually never the twain
>shall meet. However, I also have a Blackberry 8830 "World Phone" that can
>run on either, I think, but not here in the US. I guess there's also
>another t-Mobile's Prepaid uses, ID something or other (IDEN?) but it's
>not big and that's why I had no coverage in New Hampshire.
>
>Beyond that I can make a few educated guesses. It seems I also remember
>hearing about something like "packet" like the HAMs use, but that's about
>it.
> On Wed, 18 Jul 2012 21:52:11 -0400, hachiroku <haciroku@e86.GTS>
> wrote:
>
>>On Wed, 18 Jul 2012 03:45:27 -0400, tlvp wrote:
>>
>>> On Wed, 18 Jul 2012 00:42:04 -0400, hachiroku wrote:
>>>
>>>> But I thought GSM was the larger network?! Dependnt on carrier.
>>>
>>> Mmm ... I don't know. Larger in terms of number of subscribers? Acreage
>>> of coverage? Total population of areas covered? Number of Cities
>>> covered?
>>>
>>> Anyway, there's not just one GSM network in the USA, there's several of
>>> them. T-Mobile's and at&t's are the most noticeable among them, and
>>> those two mostly forbid subscribers of one to roam on the other.
>>>
>>> What's more, the voice service uses two different frequency bands:
>>> there's 850 MHz, that at&t uses; and there's 1900 MHz, that both at&t
>>> and T-Mobile use. (Speaking exclusively of USA.) So: what counts as a
>>> "GSM network"?
>>>
>>> 'Zat help explain why there can't be much of an answer to your question
>>> before you at least clarify your terms of reference? Cheers, -- tlvp
>>
>>I know a fair amount about cell services (I've *TRIED* just about all of
>>them) but the actual underlying technology escapes me a bit. I was an
>>electronics tech for ~20 years, and my basic understanding is there's a
>>difference between GSM and CDMA, but not sure what it is. I would venture
>>to guess it's the way the singal is 'modulated', kind of like the
>>difference between AM and FM, which I'm sure is an oversimplification.
>>
>>I also know t-Mobile and AT&T are GSM, "Straight Talk" is either, not sure
>>about Tracfone, Sprint and Verizon are CDMA, and usually never the twain
>>shall meet. However, I also have a Blackberry 8830 "World Phone" that can
>>run on either, I think, but not here in the US. I guess there's also
>>another t-Mobile's Prepaid uses, ID something or other (IDEN?) but it's
>>not big and that's why I had no coverage in New Hampshire.
>>
>>Beyond that I can make a few educated guesses. It seems I also remember
>>hearing about something like "packet" like the HAMs use, but that's about
>>it.
>
> http://gizmodo.com/5637136/giz-explains-gsm-vs-cdma
One thing I notice about the two of them: GSM seems to have a LOT of
slapback and dropped calls in fringe areas, I usually get no echo at all
with a CDMA phone and it tends to work better in fringe areas.
"sms88" <scharf.steven@geemail.com> wrote in message
news:jstb07$m94$1@dont-email.me...
> On 7/2/2012 2:30 PM, charliec@email.com wrote:
>> I am having connect problems with my Nextel/Sprint phone as Sprint is
>> moving Nextel customers to their equipment. Prior to "upgrading" on
>> Sprint, am exploring other possible options. I currently have
>> Motorola i880 phone with Nextel/Sprint which provides (or did)
>> unlimited domestic phone services for $39 a month. I'm looking to get
>> the phone services, plus email, texting and some web access.
>>
>> On Verizon, what would be possible options that I should look at.
>
> On Verizon's network you can get the following:
>
> $12/month: 250 minutes/250 text/10 MB of Data
> $30/month: 1,200 minutes/3,000 text/100 MB of Data
> $40/month: unlimited minutes/unlimited text/100 MB of Data
> $55/month: unlimited minutes/unlimited text/2 GB of Data
On 7/19/2012 2:58 PM, Bob La Londe wrote:
>
>
> "sms88" <scharf.steven@geemail.com> wrote in message
> news:jstb07$m94$1@dont-email.me...
>> On 7/2/2012 2:30 PM, charliec@email.com wrote:
>>> I am having connect problems with my Nextel/Sprint phone as Sprint is
>>> moving Nextel customers to their equipment. Prior to "upgrading" on
>>> Sprint, am exploring other possible options. I currently have
>>> Motorola i880 phone with Nextel/Sprint which provides (or did)
>>> unlimited domestic phone services for $39 a month. I'm looking to get
>>> the phone services, plus email, texting and some web access.
>>>
>>> On Verizon, what would be possible options that I should look at.
>>
>> On Verizon's network you can get the following:
>>
>> $12/month: 250 minutes/250 text/10 MB of Data
>> $30/month: 1,200 minutes/3,000 text/100 MB of Data
>> $40/month: unlimited minutes/unlimited text/100 MB of Data
>> $55/month: unlimited minutes/unlimited text/2 GB of Data
>
> I do not see that $55 plan on their website.
Elmo P. Shagnasty wrote on [Fri, 20 Jul 2012 06:55:57 -0400]:
> In article <5q%Nr.38652$ls7.14158@newsfe11.iad>,
> "Bob La Londe" <none@none.com> wrote:
>
>> > $55/month: unlimited minutes/unlimited text/2 GB of Data
>>
>> I do not see that $55 plan on their website.
>
> http://www.pagepluscellular.com/Plans/55%20Plan.aspx
>
> But I don't think that's a very competitive plan.
"Bob La Londe" <none@none.com> wrote in message
news:5q%Nr.38652$ls7.14158@newsfe11.iad...
>
>
> "sms88" <scharf.steven@geemail.com> wrote in message
> news:jstb07$m94$1@dont-email.me...
>> On 7/2/2012 2:30 PM, charliec@email.com wrote:
>>> I am having connect problems with my Nextel/Sprint phone as Sprint is
>>> moving Nextel customers to their equipment. Prior to "upgrading" on
>>> Sprint, am exploring other possible options. I currently have
>>> Motorola i880 phone with Nextel/Sprint which provides (or did)
>>> unlimited domestic phone services for $39 a month. I'm looking to get
>>> the phone services, plus email, texting and some web access.
>>>
>>> On Verizon, what would be possible options that I should look at.
>>
>> On Verizon's network you can get the following:
>>
>> $12/month: 250 minutes/250 text/10 MB of Data
>> $30/month: 1,200 minutes/3,000 text/100 MB of Data
>> $40/month: unlimited minutes/unlimited text/100 MB of Data
>> $55/month: unlimited minutes/unlimited text/2 GB of Data
>
> I do not see that $55 plan on their website.
>
It's not on Verizon's website. It is on the PagePlus website:
On Fri, 20 Jul 2012 06:55:57 -0400, "Elmo P. Shagnasty"
<elmop@nastydesigns.com> wrote:
>In article <5q%Nr.38652$ls7.14158@newsfe11.iad>,
> "Bob La Londe" <none@none.com> wrote:
>
>> > $55/month: unlimited minutes/unlimited text/2 GB of Data
>>
>> I do not see that $55 plan on their website.
>
>http://www.pagepluscellular.com/Plans/55%20Plan.aspx
>
>But I don't think that's a very competitive plan.
On 7/20/2012 3:55 AM, Elmo P. Shagnasty wrote:
> In article <5q%Nr.38652$ls7.14158@newsfe11.iad>,
> "Bob La Londe" <none@none.com> wrote:
>
>>> $55/month: unlimited minutes/unlimited text/2 GB of Data
>>
>> I do not see that $55 plan on their website.
>
> http://www.pagepluscellular.com/Plans/55%20Plan.aspx
>
> But I don't think that's a very competitive plan.
Well considering that the same plan on Verizon would cost about $120
it's a pretty good plan, even considering the fact that you don't get a
subsidized smart phone on Pageplus. Where Verizon itself starts making
sense is if you have at least three people on a Share Everything plan,
and everyone is buying a new smart phone, with the maximum subsidy,
every 20 months (as soon as eligible for another subsidy).
On AT&T's network you can have unlimited voice, texting and data for $45
per month via StraightTalk (not really unlimited data, but good enough
for most people). You bring a GSM smart phone. That's $10 less per month
than Pageplus, but AT&T coverage isn't nearly as good as Verizon coverage.
What you want to avoid are carriers that lack good coverage, like T-Mobile.
On Fri, 20 Jul 2012 06:55:57 -0400, Elmo P. Shagnasty wrote:
> In article <5q%Nr.38652$ls7.14158@newsfe11.iad>,
> "Bob La Londe" <none@none.com> wrote:
>
>> > $55/month: unlimited minutes/unlimited text/2 GB of Data
>>
>> I do not see that $55 plan on their website.
>
> http://www.pagepluscellular.com/Plans/55%20Plan.aspx
>
> But I don't think that's a very competitive plan.
Elmo, a plan on Verizon with 900 minutes, 5 Friends and Family (of which I
had both the central office and Dell Technician Support), 2500 text and
100Mb data was costing me $94 a month. I think $55 for unlimited talk and
text and 2G data is pretty competitive.
Switch to Verizon? 
Linear Mode
