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Cellular Phone Forum / Providers / ATT Wireless / May 2004TDMA Deterioration in Philly?
I am used to getting 5 bar of AT&T Signal wherever I go in downtown Philly. I live on Rittenhouse Square where I heard a tower is located. For the past 2 weeks i have been getting digital ROAM on my phone from my apartment. And other places in the city I am getting much more Extended Area. What gives with this? I am on the National Network plan so I don't worry about the charges but I was surprised to see this. BTW, for those thinking of GSM in Philly - forget it. Still isnt up to par. Most friends have dropped calls, calls that go right to voicemail, etc. Other than this difference Alpha Tag I am still happy with AT&T TDMA in Philly, NY, NJ You should be careful not to use your phone if it says roam or another carrier's name, you could unexpectedly find roaming charges are you next bill. I seen other posts about this problem. Yes GSM is not good where I am also (Metro NY). I went back to TDMA and they messed up my bill. Decided I had enough of ATT "mistakes" and ported to Verizon. For me Verizon's service is much better. Cheers Mike > I am used to getting 5 bar of AT&T Signal wherever I go in downtown > Philly. I live on Rittenhouse Square where I heard a tower is [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > voicemail, etc. Other than this difference Alpha Tag I am still happy > with AT&T TDMA in Philly, NY, NJ I think you have it wrong. The Alpha Tag doesn't matter for AT&T wireless network. If you are in Downtown Manhattan and it say Roam, you can still use your phone without roaming charges. If you call AT&T up they will say that. It's the same for downtown Philly. The problem with teh National Network plan is when you outside of major cities or even the suburbs where you can't be certain that you are on the map. AT&T is a map based National Network which sucks. > You should be careful not to use your phone if it says roam or another > carrier's name, you could unexpectedly find roaming charges are you next [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > > voicemail, etc. Other than this difference Alpha Tag I am still happy > > with AT&T TDMA in Philly, NY, NJ : I think you have it wrong. The Alpha Tag doesn't matter for AT&T : wireless network. If you are in Downtown Manhattan and it say Roam, [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] : cities or even the suburbs where you can't be certain that you are on : the map. AT&T is a map based National Network which sucks. This is not how I understood the AT&T NN plan. I was told it was not a map plan (a regional plan) but a network plan. The map means nothing except to show you where AT&T is supposed to have coverage. If I am standing next to an AT&T tower in a major city but for some reason I can't pick it up and I get a ROAM, then I will pay roaming charges. And doesn't the "Alpha" tag mean "Analog"? I don't think you can say, "Well, I'm in a major city, so I'll never have to pay roaming charges" unless you are on a regional plan that guarantees you never pay them, as long as you are in the region. Andrew -- ----> Portland, Oregon, USA <---- ******************************************************************* ----> http://www.bizave.com <---- Photo Albums and Portland Info ----> To Email me remove "MYSHOES" from email address ******************************************************************* The > problem with teh National Network plan is when you outside of major > cities or even the suburbs where you can't be certain that you are on > the map. AT&T is a map based National Network which sucks. I'm sorry, but I do not understand. I have a digital plan, and as far as I know, I incur NO roaming charges, as long as I am making or receiving the call within my home area (Rhode Island to Northern Virginia, and the Shore to the Ohio-Pennsylvania border). I pay no attention to whether my phone says Roam or Extended Area--And I have never seen a roaming charge on my bill. I thought that all ATTWS customers incurred no roaming when within their home calling areas? : The : > problem with teh National Network plan is when you outside of major : > cities or even the suburbs where you can't be certain that you are on : > the map. AT&T is a map based National Network which sucks. : I'm sorry, but I do not understand. I have a digital plan, and as far as I : know, I incur NO roaming charges, as long as I am making or receiving the : call within my home area (Rhode Island to Northern Virginia, and the Shore : to the Ohio-Pennsylvania border). I pay no attention to whether my phone : says Roam or Extended Area--And I have never seen a roaming charge on my : bill. : I thought that all ATTWS customers incurred no roaming when within their : home calling areas? No, depends entirely on the plan. However, if you have an all-digital phone, you would not be able to roam on analog anyway, and the chances of picking up another TDMA or GSM network with which AT&T Wirelss has no roaming agreement are perhaps slim? Andrew -- ----> Portland, Oregon, USA <---- ******************************************************************* ----> http://www.bizave.com <---- Photo Albums and Portland Info ----> To Email me remove "MYSHOES" from email address ******************************************************************* >However, if you have an all-digital > phone, you would not be able to roam on analog anyway, and the chances > of picking up another TDMA or GSM network with which AT&T Wirelss has > no roaming agreement are perhaps slim? I have a TDMA Digital phone, that transmits in both analog and digital (Panasonic "Versio"). I have been in areas where my calls were handed off to analog carriers and back again to digital, as I was driving (borderline coverage areas?). I've never been billed a roam charge. I have never called from outside my home calling area. On plans that do not offer free roaming, how can one tell if one is being charged a roaming fee for being off-network? What if a call is initiated while on-network and the caller travels off-network? Will his call be handed off to an offline carrier, and a roaming charge begin? My basic question is, is it possible to incure "surprise" roaming charges? These charges could rack up fast, especially if one were making what he thought were "free" night and weekend calls . . . : >However, if you have an all-digital : > phone, you would not be able to roam on analog anyway, and the chances : > of picking up another TDMA or GSM network with which AT&T Wirelss has : > no roaming agreement are perhaps slim? : I have a TDMA Digital phone, that transmits in both analog and digital : (Panasonic "Versio"). I have been in areas where my calls were handed off : to analog carriers and back again to digital, as I was driving (borderline : coverage areas?). I've never been billed a roam charge. I have never : called from outside my home calling area. : On plans that do not offer free roaming, how can one tell if one is being : charged a roaming fee for being off-network? What if a call is initiated : while on-network and the caller travels off-network? Will his call be : handed off to an offline carrier, and a roaming charge begin? The rule with roaming, as I understand it, is that if you start out in an "in-network" area when you call and then move to a roaming area, they will not charge you roaming fees. This is what CS told me when I switched to the National Network plan If you make or a receive a call that begins while your phone says ROAM however, and your plan does not include free roaming (like the AT&T National Network plan), then you are responsible for roaming charges. : My basic question is, is it possible to incure "surprise" roaming : charges? Sure. If you answer a call and it said ROAM before you answered and weren't aware of it, I imagine you would get hit with roaming charges. There's always the chance your phone's display doesn't update quickly enough if you are the verge of going into/out of roaming. Still, I'm guessing that if you call AT&T CS and dispute a roaming charge and you don't have a history of repeatedly doing so, they will remove it from your bill. *SOMEONE* out there must be charged roaming fees. If not, why would they even make an issue out of it? : These charges could rack up fast, especially if one were making what he : thought were "free" night and weekend calls . . . Bingo! Andrew -- ----> Portland, Oregon, USA <---- ******************************************************************* ----> http://www.bizave.com <---- Photo Albums and Portland Info ----> To Email me remove "MYSHOES" from email address ******************************************************************* Jeremy you are exactly correction. It's all based on the Home Area. For the National Network your home area is based on the map. In fact, I wish it wasn't based on the map because you never really know if you are on the Map. But if you call up AT&T and ask them they will say that themselves. As long as you are on the map you are covered. Therefore if you are in Center City Philadelphia or Manhattan you will not pay roaming no matter what your phone says. I have used my phone tremendously in Roam mode but I am on the NN plan. For example, all of DC's Metro trains are on analog roam. Never received a charge EVER. I never get digital roaming, except rarely. > The > > problem with teh National Network plan is when you outside of major [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > I thought that all ATTWS customers incurred no roaming when within their > home calling areas? > Jeremy you are exactly correction. It's all based on the Home Area. > For the National Network your home area is based on the map. I see! So the National Plan is inferior to my Digital Plan, at least in terms of not having free roaming anywhere! I guess I'll keep what I've got. For $29.95/month, I don't think I can do much better anywhere else--and unlike other posters here, I generally have excellent coverage on ATTWS. Well it depends. If you have digital one rate (which I doubt since they don't really have a 29.99 plan) you can roam anywhere. If you have Digital Advantage, the footprint is essentially the same as the NN plan and you will no tget roaming charges in your HOME AREA. However, if you go across the country you will get roaming charges. If you have the regional advantage plan, you don't get roaming in a larger area. I don't think the digital advantage plan is superior to the NN plan in anyway except you may get more minutes. It all depends where you live. If you live and travel to major cities the NN plan will suffice. And to a certain extent if you drive between major cities on the east coast. I have NEVER EVER received a roaming charge despite getting ROAM on my phone in many places. I know hte maps very well. I was in upstate NY and got Roam and if I placed a call I would have gotten roaming. I was in Washington DC and knew that roam would be covered so I didn't get charges. > > Jeremy you are exactly correction. It's all based on the Home Area. > > For the National Network your home area is based on the map. [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > much better anywhere else--and unlike other posters here, I generally have > excellent coverage on ATTWS. : I am used to getting 5 bar of AT&T Signal wherever I go in downtown : Philly. I live on Rittenhouse Square where I heard a tower is [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] : Network plan so I don't worry about the charges but I was surprised to : see this. I think you should be worried. "ROAM" means "Out of AT&T Network" so you would probably be paying roaming charges. If you get an "Extended Network", you should still be OK (Cingular I think) - I used Extended Network in the Philadelphia area many times with my AT&T National Network plan before I switched to Verizon. : BTW, for those thinking of GSM in Philly - forget it. Still isnt up : to par. Most friends have dropped calls, calls that go right to : voicemail, etc. Other than this difference Alpha Tag I am still happy : with AT&T TDMA in Philly, NY, NJ Personally, I would be worried about AT&T. They just announced more layoffs at headquarters in Redmond, WA, because they are trying to look more attractive to a potential buyer. I guess the recent fiasco with LNP at AT&T was caused by having too many employees? Or maybe they lost so many customers since LNP that they no longer need as many workers? I have been very happy since I switched from AT&T to Verizon in December. My Verizon phone works great in the Philadelphia area, too. Andrew -- ----> Portland, Oregon, USA <---- ******************************************************************* ----> http://www.bizave.com <---- Photo Albums and Portland Info ----> To Email me remove "MYSHOES" from email address ******************************************************************* "Andrew" <usenetMYSHOES@bizaveMYSHOES.com> wrote in message > I have been very happy since I switched from AT&T to Verizon in > December. My Verizon phone works great in the Philadelphia area, > too. I am considering switching, as my ATTWS contract is up and I am on month-to-month. Would you mind answering a couple of questions about roaming? I am confused about the "out of network" roaming fees on Verizon. I travel from Philadelphia to rural Lancaster County a lot, and I suspect that some of those backwater communities are not on Verizon'a "Americas Choice Network," or whatever they call it. My ATTWS phone often flip-flops from digital to analog when I drive down some of those roads--so I am apparently being handed off from one carrier to another. What happens if you are roaming on Verizon, and your call is handed off to an "off-network" carrier? Do roaming charges apply? How would you even know if you were no longer getting free roaming? My current ATTWS digital plan has a home calling area from Rhode Island down to Virginia, and from the Atlantic Ocean to the Ohio-Pennsylvania border. Quite adequate for my needs--and I have NEVER been charged for roaming, regardless of there I travelled within that area. In fact, I don't even bother looking at the "roam" indicator on my TDMA handset--it is irrelevent to me. What happens if I switch to Verizon? Will I run into unexpected roaming charges? What about free long distance for outbound calls on Verizon? Is it the same deal as ATTWS (i.e., as long as I am in my home calling area-as described above--there is no long distance charge for calls made to the 48 states). Does Verizon offer such a large home calling area, or do I get free long distance on outbound calls only within a smaller geographic area? Finally, can I get a plan from Verizon that is similar to my current ATTWS plan, and pay no more than the rate of $29.99 per month that I pay ATTWS, for 500 anytime minutes and free nites and weekends? : I am considering switching, as my ATTWS contract is up and I am on : month-to-month. Would you mind answering a couple of questions about : roaming? : I am confused about the "out of network" roaming fees on Verizon. I travel : from Philadelphia to rural Lancaster County a lot, and I suspect that some : of those backwater communities are not on Verizon'a "Americas Choice : Network," or whatever they call it. My ATTWS phone often flip-flops from : digital to analog when I drive down some of those roads--so I am apparently : being handed off from one carrier to another. : What happens if you are roaming on Verizon, and your call is handed off to : an "off-network" carrier? Do roaming charges apply? How would you even : know if you were no longer getting free roaming? Just like with AT&T, Verizon has roaming agreements with certain other companies. With AT&T, you can use Cingular ("Extended Network") in parts of SE Pennsylvania without roaming. With Verizon, you can roam on Sprint in some areas without roaming. I've not had my Verizon phone very long, but as I understand it the flashing triangle on my Nokia phone means "Extended Network" (free roam) and a solid triangle means true roaming (charges apply). I have no idea what Verizon's coverage in that part of Pennsylvania is like. I'd either ask someone or just get a Verizon phone on a two week trial before you go out there next. Don't port your number from AT&T right away - get a temporary new Verizon number. If you like the coverage you get, then port your number from AT&T. If not, return the phone and cancel your Verizon service, free of charge. : What about free long distance for outbound calls on Verizon? Is it the same : deal as ATTWS (i.e., as long as I am in my home calling area-as described : above--there is no long distance charge for calls made to the 48 states). : Does Verizon offer such a large home calling area, or do I get free long : distance on outbound calls only within a smaller geographic area? Depends on the plan. I'm guessing they have a regional, no-roaming-fees plan like AT&T has but I am using the America's Choice plan so I didn't explore that. : Finally, can I get a plan from Verizon that is similar to my current ATTWS : plan, and pay no more than the rate of $29.99 per month that I pay ATTWS, : for 500 anytime minutes and free nites and weekends? Not sure. See VerizonWireless.com and look at the plans. Andrew -- ----> Portland, Oregon, USA <---- ******************************************************************* ----> http://www.bizave.com <---- Photo Albums and Portland Info ----> To Email me remove "MYSHOES" from email address ******************************************************************* I've had my GSM phone for over a year now and it works fantasticly in Phila and the suburbs. Depends on the phone. I have a SE T616. >I am used to getting 5 bar of AT&T Signal wherever I go in downtown >Philly. I live on Rittenhouse Square where I heard a tower is [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] >voicemail, etc. Other than this difference Alpha Tag I am still happy >with AT&T TDMA in Philly, NY, NJ |
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