johndoe Wrote:

Most times it isn't the network, but a cell, or group of cells that ar
out.  It could be anything from a T1 issue, to something as simple as a
HVAC unit going out ad the site overheating.  Was there a power outag
in the area?

There is never an outage during the day (5:00 AM to 11:00 PM) that i
on purpose.  The main reasons for outages are external issues tha
Nextel has no control over.  I am not "Sticking up" for Nextel, bu
other carriers have the same problems.  Loss of AC power, external T
issues, and HVAC units going out are the main reasons we have outages.
If you lost your signal over a LARGE area, then there was probably a
external issue and I'm sure Nextel was on top of it trying to get th
issue resolved.

Recently we had a power outage in the Los Angeles area, knocked ou
power to something like a 30 square mile area, and Nextel was on top o
it trying to get everything back online.  The problem is, you hav
anywhere from 50-150 sites in any given 30 square mile area.  It i
quite expensive to have 1 backup generator for every site, and imagin
how long it would take a team of 5-7 techs to roll generator to eac
and every one.  There comes a point when management decides to hold of
and wait for power to be restored.

I'm not saying every case of an outage is external, but most of th
time, it is.  Modules go bad in radios, a radio times out, and you ge
call blocking.  It happens with every carrier.  The benefit of Nextel
iDEN system is that you can lose a large portion of the site and stil
have coverage, although it is reduced significantly.  iDEN works
actually very well.  Yes, there are noise floor issues, but the amoun
of subscribers you can have in one cell is much greater than that o
CDMA.  CDMA can have, fogrive me, its been a while since CDMA school
something like 80 subscribers per cell, all sharing the same frequency
In actuality, you get above 30-40 and that noise is like trying to tal
at a crowded party.  You can only raise your voice so much, and at som
point talking is useless.  TDMA uses individual frequencies for eac
user.  The benefit to that is you have a dedicated frequency and th
external noise isn't as much of a factor.  Of course the reuse is als
an issue, but I have to say that Nextel is doing pretty close to th
best they can with what they've got.

Anyways, sorry for my rambling.  Just don't bash them too much.  I ca
honestly say that they are doing the best they can to keep you happy.
I know for a fact that Engineers and Techs investigate EVERY complain
about service.  Sometimes a complaint brings up an issue that nobod
has noticed, and other times it ends up being that you are inside
steel building wondering why you get no coverage.  If its really tha
bad though, seriously call and complain.  Have detailed information
where and when you tried to place the calls and so on.  It may just b
an issue that can't be fixed.  The only way to know is to complain