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Cellular Phone Forum / Providers / Cingular / March 2006Change phone without renewing Cingular contract?
I'm not in a contract right now, it ran out in November, so I'm doing month to month with a Cingular plan that hasn't been available for years. In fact I got it when it was still Cellular One, before it switched to ATT, before they switched to Cingular, before they became ATT again and I don't want to lose it I'm in the bay area and have heard that GSM service is not very good here, and I'm am going to need a new phone soon. I don't know if I can even find a "new" TDMA phone, but if I did, could I switch it with the one I have and not have to renew a contract? If so, what do I need to know before I buy and before I contact ATT? My current phone is a nokia 8260, if that matters. I searched the archives but didn't find anything newer than 2003 posts regarding the switching to GSM and sure enough, ATT has Cingular, but has that affected the quality of GSM service here? And what is the word about when will we be forced to switch from TDMA? thanks >I'm not in a contract right now, it ran out in November, so I'm doing >month to month with a Cingular plan that hasn't been available for [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] >about when will we be forced to switch from TDMA? >thank Your not hanging on to much. From what I heard TDMA is a dying horse. Looks like someone needs to drag you kicking and screaming into the 20th century with GSM GSM is the way of the future. I live in the LA area and my GSM Motorola V400 phone worked just fine when I took a trip to the Bay area last year. We plan on traveling to the Bay area again this year. We now have Motorola V557's. I expect the coverage to be even better than last year because I hear Cingular is converting more AT&T sites from TDMA to GSM. See if you can rent a GSM phone and try it in the Bay area. Or, ask one of your friends or acquaintence who are on GSM, what their experiences are. You might be suprised. Just my $0.02. >>I'm in the bay area and have heard that GSM service is not very good >>here, and I'm am going to need a new phone soon. I don't know if I can >>even find a "new" TDMA phone, but if I did, could I switch it with the > Your not hanging on to much. From what I heard TDMA is a dying horse. > > Looks like someone needs to drag you kicking and screaming into the 20th > century with GSM GSM is the way of the future. Er, 21st century, n'est-ce pas? But I agree. I switched to GSM about 1.5 years ago, knowing that I would temporarily lose some coverage in rural Georgia (near where I live). GSM is catching up fast and I'm not having problems. Here is their *current* GSM 1900 coverage map: http://www.gsmworld.com/cgi-bin/ni_map.pl?cc=us&net=be For a map that includes roaming: http://onlinestorez.cingular.com/cell-phone-service/maps/pop_mapfinder.jsp?fromz ip=zipcode&zip=90001&x=0&y=0 They claim to cover the San Francisco Bay Area quite solidly. What they don't cover is the north central states, but roaming fills that in. Thanks for the response. I was told by 3 different Cingular CSAs that I was better off keeping my TDMA service because the GSM coverage wasn't as good, and that was as recent as November. Has it changed much since then? I don't use my phone for email, text messaging or web browsing, because I can't afford it. I only pay $30/mo and have unlimited off peak, mobile to mobile, free long distance and 650 anytime minutes and I don't travel, so not having roaming doesn't affect me yet. Struggling to survive up here, I really am hanging on to an inexpensive luxury. I don't even have cable TV and there's no stations without it where I am. But I had no idea you could rent phones, I guess I'm really behind the times in the cellular features! I will have to Google the cell rental business, thanks! You could go on Ebay and find a phone to avoid having to change your contract. > Thanks for the response. I was told by 3 different Cingular CSAs that I > was better off keeping my TDMA service because the GSM coverage wasn't [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > times in the cellular features! I will have to Google the cell rental > business, thanks! > You could go on Ebay and find a phone to avoid having to change your > contract. That presumes that Cingular is willing to activate the new phone. I thought I read somewhere that no new TDMA activations would be allowed after 12/31/05. I don't know if that refers to new accounts or if it also means that current TDMA subscribers will not be allowed to change phones and keep their current TDMA service. I'm so pleased with the crystal-clear calls I am now getting on Sprint (CDMA) that I regret only that I took so long to dump Cingular. Even when ATTWS owned the TDMA network the call quality was not as good as I now get on CDMA. Best thing of all is no more dropped calls, and no having to wait several minutes when the phone is turned on, before it finally locates a signal from Cingular. They really did cut back on TDMA service here in Philadelphia, and it is shameful that they would squeeze their ATTWS customers that way. It was, figuratively speaking, "death by a thousand cuts." Everything is SO much better for me with Sprint. Smaller phones, louder speakerphones, 5 bars of signal strength, faster access to voicemail (no need to enter a password when calling from the PCS phone), nationwide roaming (roams onto Verizon if there is no Sprint signal--and no extra charge!), free activation of all 3 phone lines, free phones (gave me a choice of 3 different models too), FREE M2M 24/7 including long distance, as long as they are logged on to the Sprint PCS Network, 7 PM N/W, unlimited n/w minutes (not the 5,000 free minutes that Cingular offered if I would switch to GSM), nationwide home rate area (anywhere on the Sprint PCS network is considered the home rate area, as opposed to ATTWS' home rate area that went from Rhode Island to Northern Virginia, and from Jersey shore to PA-OH border), friendly CSRs (I know about Sprint's reputation, but I've had nothing but courteous service. They ported one of my my numbers in one hour and they gave me a preferred area code that is hard to get anymore, because it is nearly used up. They changed my caller ID to display the names of the users on each of my three lines, rather than one single name on all of the lines. And they were really nice about doing all this for me.) And I pay $5.00 less than I did with ATTWS Digital One Rate plan! Sprint treated me the way that Cingular SHOULD HAVE treated me, and that's why Cingular will never get another cent from me . . . Better reliability, cheaper price, crystal clear sound, free phones and activation. What more could anyone ask for? So, before the OP caves in to Cingular's arm twisting, he really ought to have a look at the competition's offerings. > I'm so pleased with the crystal-clear calls I am now getting on Sprint > (CDMA) that I regret only that I took so long to dump Cingular. Really haven't seen significantly better or worse calls between the two. > Best thing of all is no more dropped calls Over all, I'd say that Sprint wold droop me twice as often as Cingualr now does. > and no having to wait several minutes when the phone is turned on, > before it finally locates a signal from Cingular. Only take a second for my phone to lock in. > Smaller phones, louder > speakerphones, 5 bars of signal strength, That Cingular Nokia is pretty darn small. Often had less than 2 bars with Sprint. > faster access to voicemail (no need to enter a password when calling from the PCS phone), You didn't know how to set up your voicemail calling number correctly. I dont' have to enter a password. > nationwide roaming (roams onto Verizon if there is no Sprint signal--and no extra > charge!), Are they not charging $5 for unlimited roaming out of your minutes bucket? Cingualr doesn't charge anything for roaming. > FREE M2M 24/7 including long distance, as > long as they are logged on to the Sprint PCS Network, Cingular does that too, and you DON'T have to worry about the network. > 7 PM N/W, You can get that for $5/mo (???) from Cingualr, but not worth it if you have 1400 minute plan. > unlimited n/w minutes Cingular has that. > They changed my caller ID to display the > names of the users on each of my three lines OK...true, Cingular won't do that. > And I pay $5.00 less than I did with ATTWS Digital One Rate plan! Peanuts...chump change... All in all....I dont' see that much advantage you have. Bottom line, Sprint might be better for YOU in your particular area, but that's not to be taken as an over all recommendation for everyone. > Over all, I'd say that Sprint wold droop me twice as often as Cingualr > now does. Seems to vary around the country. Some Sprint users in other cities are extremely pleased with the service. But here in Chicago, a friend who had Sprint couldn't get through five minutes of talking before his phone dropped him; an hour conversation with him was invariably a comedy of unending call drops.  SignatureAll relevant people are pertinent. All rude people are impertinent. Therefore, no rude people are relevant. -- Solomon W. Golomb >> Over all, I'd say that Sprint wold droop me twice as often as Cingualr >> now does. [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > before his phone dropped him; an hour conversation with him was > invariably a comedy of unending call drops. Of course it would be fair point out that the place I used the Sprint phone the MOST was about 5 miles from nearest tower. >>> Over all, I'd say that Sprint wold droop me twice as often as Cingualr >>> now does. [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > Of course it would be fair point out that the place I used the Sprint > phone the MOST was about 5 miles from nearest tower. He was *usually* at home, about a mile from O'Hare Airport. I could chalk that up to busy cells dropping calls to make room for lots and lots of calls. But anywhere he went in the area, we got the same behavior. SignatureAll relevant people are pertinent. All rude people are impertinent. Therefore, no rude people are relevant. -- Solomon W. Golomb Somewhere around Sun, 19 Mar 2006 02:28:18 GMT, while reading alt.cellular.cingular, I think I thought I saw this post from DecaturTxCowboy <forgetit@bummer.com>: >> I'm so pleased with the crystal-clear calls I am now getting on Sprint >> (CDMA) that I regret only that I took so long to dump Cingular. [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] >Over all, I'd say that Sprint wold droop me twice as often as Cingualr >now does. When my family in Seattle calls, using Sprint, the call gets disconnected several times during one conversation - what a pain; and this is from their home, not their car. I *never* got disconnected from Cingular when not traveling, and rarely in my car. >> and no having to wait several minutes when the phone is turned on, >> before it finally locates a signal from Cingular. > >Only take a second for my phone to lock in. Seems like that would be a function of the phone - my RAZR takes 15 or 20 seconds, but my old Nokia was only a few seconds -- Damn Cingular! >> Smaller phones, louder >> speakerphones, 5 bars of signal strength, Gee, Cingular really controls the size and loudness of the phones. I suppose if Cingular sold a phone with 20 bars, he'd be all over it! My RAZR only has 3 bars, so I guess I should be switching! :) Reminds me of Spinal Tap, where the guitarist had a super amp with volume controls that went higher than "10". >All in all....I dont' see that much advantage you have. Bottom line, >Sprint might be better for YOU in your particular area, but that's not >to be taken as an over all recommendation for everyone. Amazing at the straws that are grasped during personal crusades, isn't it? SignatureMarty - public.forums (at) gmail (dot) com "Those are my principles, and if you don't like them... well, I have others." - Groucho Marx I've read this all from you before, at least once a week. You really miss Cingular (at least to bash) don't you :) >> You could go on Ebay and find a phone to avoid having to change your >> contract. [quoted text clipped - 42 lines] > So, before the OP caves in to Cingular's arm twisting, he really ought to > have a look at the competition's offerings. > unlimited > n/w minutes (not the 5,000 free minutes that Cingular offered if I would > switch to GSM), That part's a pyrrhic victory. There are 45 hours of nights and 48 hours of weekend each week, and 93 times 4-1/3 is 403 possible N/W hours per month. 5,000 per YEAR would cover that. Now, why Cingular can't say "unlimited" instead of [bigsoundingnumber] is beyond me. SignatureAll relevant people are pertinent. All rude people are impertinent. Therefore, no rude people are relevant. -- Solomon W. Golomb >> unlimited >> n/w minutes (not the 5,000 free minutes that Cingular offered if I would [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > Now, why Cingular can't say "unlimited" instead of [bigsoundingnumber] > is beyond me. 5000 minutes per month is 83 hours per month. I think you are comparing "minutes per month" to "hours per month." > "clifto" <clifto@gmail.com> wrote... >>> unlimited [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > 5000 minutes per month is 83 hours per month. I think you are comparing > "minutes per month" to "hours per month." Er, cranial flatulence? Senior moment? Is it true blondes have more fun? SignatureAll relevant people are pertinent. All rude people are impertinent. Therefore, no rude people are relevant. -- Solomon W. Golomb Somewhere around Mon, 20 Mar 2006 00:59:17 -0600, while reading alt.cellular.cingular, I think I thought I saw this post from clifto <clifto@gmail.com>: >> "clifto" <clifto@gmail.com> wrote... >>>> unlimited [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] >Er, cranial flatulence? Senior moment? Is it true blondes have >more fun? Still, 83 hours per month spent on the phone wouldn't leave much time to complain about how bad Cingular is. I pity anyone that spends that much of their nights and weekends on the phone. My whole family of 3 can't make much of a dent in our 5000 bucket of N&W minutes. SignatureMarty - public.forums (at) gmail (dot) com "Those are my principles, and if you don't like them... well, I have others." - Groucho Marx > But I had no idea you could rent phones, I guess I'm really behind the > times in the cellular features! I will have to Google the cell rental > business, thanks! Have you considered a pre-paid phone? > Thanks for the response. I was told by 3 different Cingular CSAs that I > was better off keeping my TDMA service because the GSM coverage wasn't [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > times in the cellular features! I will have to Google the cell rental > business, thanks! You aren't going to beat that price with GSM on Cingular. If you want TDMA, you will probably have to go Ebay, and look for someone selling unused phones. I've bought GSM phones before on Ebay that were previously unused. > Thanks for the response. I was told by 3 different Cingular CSAs that I > was better off keeping my TDMA service because the GSM coverage wasn't > as good, and that was as recent as November. Where exactly are you in the bay area. In most areas, if you look only at digital coverage, GSM and TDMA are about equal, with TDMA having only a slight edge. > Has it changed much since > then? I don't use my phone for email, text messaging or web browsing, > because I can't afford it. I only pay $30/mo and have unlimited off > peak, mobile to mobile, free long distance and 650 anytime minutes and > I don't travel, so not having roaming doesn't affect me yet. You won't get a plan like that from any of the current carriers. If you're looking for a low cost service, there are plenty of prepaid services where you pay by the minute, but there is no free off-peak or mobile to mobile in most cases. >> Thanks for the response. I was told by 3 different Cingular CSAs that I >> was better off keeping my TDMA service because the GSM coverage wasn't [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >at digital coverage, GSM and TDMA are about equal, with TDMA having only >a slight edge. As a result of network upgrades and free blue-orange network roaming, Cingular GSM coverage in the Bay Area is actually now significantly better than D-AMPS ("TDMA"). SignatureBest regards, SEE THE FAQ FOR CINGULAR WIRELESS AT John Navas <http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Cingular_Wireless_FAQ> >> Thanks for the response. I was told by 3 different Cingular CSAs that I >> was better off keeping my TDMA service because the GSM coverage wasn't [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > at digital coverage, GSM and TDMA are about equal, with TDMA having only > a slight edge. FYI, I corresponded extensively with the original poster by e-mail, and he is in the far reaches of the Bay Area, where he is better off not going to Cingular GSM, because if he goes slightly outside his home area he will have no coverage at all. He definitely would be better off with a carrier that still offers AMPS coverage (at least for the next 2 years). So what Cingular told him about keeping TDMA is correct. > Looks like someone needs to drag you kicking and screaming into the 20th > century with GSM GSM is the way of the future. Actually, TDMA is very 20th century too. And so is AMPS :) Now, the upcoming 3G UTMS is more 21st century. Per kras@sonic.net: > but if I did, could I switch it with the >one I have and not have to renew a contract? If so, what do I need to >know before I buy and before I contact ATT? My current phone is a nokia >8260, if that matters. I switched from TDMA to GSM in the Philadelphia area a little over a year ago. My rationale was that (for various reasons..) I wanted the portability of a SIM card and that, in the end, TDMA was probably going away. A year later, it seems like TDMA really is going away, but if I had it to do over again maybe I would have waited until it really did start to go away because my experience is that GSM just isn't as reliable as TDMA. With TDMA, zero bars was something I never even knew about because I never experienced it. Might be the carrier I went to... but I've heard other people on other GSM systems talk about being in "dead spots". SignaturePeteCresswell > A year later, it seems like TDMA really is going away, but if I had it to do > over again maybe I would have waited until it really did start to go away > because my experience is that GSM just isn't as reliable as TDMA. With TDMA, > zero bars was something I never even knew about because I never experienced it. > Might be the carrier I went to... but I've heard other people on other GSM > systems talk about being in "dead spots". All things being equal, the range of a TDMA cell is slightly longer than that of a GSM cell (CDMA is longer than both, and AMPS is the longest). Also, maybe with the TDMA phone your phone was automatically going to AMPS, something that can't happen with your GSM phone, unless it's a Nokia 6340 or Sony-Ericsson T62u. >> A year later, it seems like TDMA really is going away, but if I had it to do >> over again maybe I would have waited until it really did start to go away [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] >All things being equal, the range of a TDMA cell is slightly longer than >that of a GSM cell (CDMA is longer than both, and AMPS is the longest). * GSM is actually a form of TDMA. * What you call "TDMA" is actually D-AMPS, another form of TDMA. * GSM can have range comparable to D-AMPS and CDMA. * Maximum range isn't an issue in most cases. >Also, maybe with the TDMA phone your phone was automatically going to >AMPS, something that can't happen with your GSM phone, unless it's a >Nokia 6340 or Sony-Ericsson T62u. * Those are GAIT, not just GSM. SignatureBest regards, SEE THE FAQ FOR CINGULAR WIRELESS AT John Navas <http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Cingular_Wireless_FAQ> On Sat, 18 Mar 2006 12:06:57 -0800, kras wrote: > I'm not in a contract right now, it ran out in November, so I'm doing > month to month with a Cingular plan that hasn't been available for [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > about when will we be forced to switch from TDMA? > thanks I was on the Network Advantage AT&T plan for almost 5 years. I finally switched to the 450 minute GSM plan. My voice coverage and quality has been _much_ better. This includes both the San Francisco and San Jose area. I used to not be able to use my phone at work AT ALL (Mountain View); now it works great. >I'm not in a contract right now, it ran out in November, so I'm doing >month to month with a Cingular plan that hasn't been available for [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] >I'm in the bay area and have heard that GSM service is not very good >here, Cingular GSM (based on both "blue" [old ATTWS] and "orange" [old Cingular] networks) is actually quite good in the San Francisco Bay Area. SignatureBest regards, SEE THE FAQ FOR CINGULAR WIRELESS AT John Navas <http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Cingular_Wireless_FAQ> > I'm in the bay area and have heard that GSM service is not very good > here, and I'm am going to need a new phone soon. I don't know if I can > even find a "new" TDMA phone, but if I did, could I switch it with the > one I have and not have to renew a contract? If so, what do I need to > know before I buy and before I contact ATT? My current phone is a nokia > 8260, if that matters. They may not let you activate the replacement TDMA phone, even if you can find one, since a TDMA phone will not be E911 capable. My kid's both have prepaid TDMA/AMPS phones, and we are in the bay area. The coverage is still fine, much better than GSM coverage, though much of this is because of the AMPS capability. GSM coverage in the bay area is okay. It's not up to the level of CDMA coverage yet, but it's close. I've found gaps in GSM coverage in several places where I have CDMA coverage, most notably along the 280 corridor, along the periphery of the suburban areas, and in the tri-valley area of the east bay (Pleasanton is particular). The bigger difference is that with your TDMA phone, you also have AMPS coverage (as you will have with a tri-mode phone from Sprint or Verizon). AMPS coverage gives you coverage in areas where there is no TDMA, CDMA, or GSM, and there are still a lot of areas like this, even within bay area, if you get into the greenbelt, or go out to the unpopulated coastal areas of the Bay Area, or go up to the north coast area until you get to Crescent City. You'll have to get rid of the TDMA phone in a year or two anyway, so maybe it's time to switch now. If you're on one of the lower cost AT&T rate plans, Cingular won't let you move to a GSM plan with the same rate, as they don't offer any such plans. So you're free to choose from all four carriers and move your number. I'd advise going to Sprint or Verizon with a tri-mode phone. This will give you the best coverage in the bay area, as well as in the entire country. >I'm in the bay area and have heard that GSM service is not very good >here, ... Cingular GSM service has continued to improve. In addition to the big boost from free roaming on the "blue" (old ATTWS) network in addition to the "orange" (old Cingular) network: Cingular Wireless today announced it has the "Best Network" among national wireless carriers in the Bay Area, according to information provided by a leading independent research and advisory firm that provides information, insight and performance measures for the wireless industry. ... In 2005, Cingular Wireless invested $1 billion in California, including more than $275 million in the Bay Area. This investment added more than 200 new cell sites to the local network, including 43 new sites in Alameda, 18 in Contra Costa, four in Marin, 39 in San Francisco, 20 in San Mateo, 44 in Santa Clara, six in Santa Cruz, 14 in Solano and 16 in Sonoma counties. In addition to the new cell sites, the investment delivered other enhancements to improve customers' wireless experience, including portable generators, back-up batteries and new high-speed data features. ... This year, the company is expected to spend nearly $300 million in Northern California, which will turn on-air approximately 260 more new cell sites to maintain Cingular's position as the best network. ... <http://cingular.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=press_releases&item=1443> SignatureBest regards, SEE THE FAQ FOR CINGULAR WIRELESS AT John Navas <http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Cingular_Wireless_FAQ> |
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