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Cellular Phone Forum / Providers / Sprint PCS / December 2003Nokia 3588i Roaming Setting: SprintPCS, Automatic, Analog
Hi, We just got a Nokia 3588i with a "PCS Free & Clear America" plan. So, I want to set the phone to only the "included" service, i.e., not do Analog roaming. The Roaming settings have SprintPCS, Automatic, and Analog. In order to do this, should I set this to "Automatic". Will that allow the phone to work on both SprintPCS' PCS network and the "expanded coverage area" from the "America" part of the plan, and NOT allow Analog roaming? Is there no way to set it to just use SprintPCS and the expanded coverage area and prvent the "Analog roaming"? Thanks, Jim > Hi, > [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > Thanks, > Jim Free & Clear America includes analog roaming for free. Depending upon the market, you either get 100 minutes or you are allowed 50% of your minutes [maximum] for roaming. It does not matter whether you roam with CDMA or AMPS and it does not matter whether it is cellular or PCS. Assuming you won't spend most of your time roaming, the best bet is to set your phone to Automatic, then it will just chose the signal to use based upon PRL. You might want to watch your phone for the first month to make sure you aren't roaming more than you think you are (it can happen in buildings or possible with coverage holes). Tom Veldhouse > Free & Clear America includes analog roaming for free. Depending upon the > market, you either get 100 minutes or you are allowed 50% of your minutes [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > Tom Veldhouse Tom, I just spoke with a SprintPCS CS, and she said that whenever we try to make/receive a call while analog roaming, "an operator will come on the line", so now I'm really confused :(. Jim > Tom, > [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > Jim No, that is not true unless you are in an area where for some reason your ESN does not register with their tower [as associated to a provider ... Sprint PCS] ... in which case they will ask you for a credit card number to make a call. Since that would be a case where no SID in the PRL covers that area, you would recieve "no service" on your phone if you locked it to digital. Oh, definitely look on your phone and make sure your PRL is the latest, which is 10021. If it isn't, call up Sprint (*2) and tell them you need your PRL updated. They will flag your account for an over-the-air update. You will have to call *2 back and proceed into the menus and you will be interrupted with a message that your phone is going to be updated. There are many changes in the latest PRL that are beneficial to F&CA customers such as yourself, when it comes to roaming (more digital roaming in many areas). Tom Veldhouse > > Free & Clear America includes analog roaming for free. Depending upon the > > market, you either get 100 minutes or you are allowed 50% of your minutes [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > > Jim That shouldn't be the case. You should be able to make analog call, without an operator, whether it's an incoming or outgoing call. What plan are you on now Jim and where are you located - City & State? As to the roaming settings, Sprint PCS means your phone will only work on 1900 CDMA, which SPCS operates on. Automatic means that if a SPCS signal (or another 1900 CDMA provider) isn't available, your phone will go to analog mode to make or receive calls. Analog only, just keeps the phone on 800 Analog. Bob > That shouldn't be the case. You should be able to make analog call, > without an operator, whether it's an incoming or outgoing call. What [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > Bob What about 800 CDMA? Automatic should chose this as an option as well, where PRL allows ... assuming the newest Nokia is a tri-mode phone. Tom Veldhouse > > That shouldn't be the case. You should be able to make analog call, > > without an operator, whether it's an incoming or outgoing call. What [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > > Tom Veldhouse Good call Tom. I should have included 800 CDMA under the Automatic explanation, as the Nokia is a tri-band phone ... :) Bob > Good call Tom. I should have included 800 CDMA under the Automatic > explanation, as the Nokia is a tri-band phone ... :) > > Bob :) It is a tri-mode (cellular CDMA, PCS CDMA and AMPS), dual-band (cellular and PCS) phone. Tom Veldhouse > That shouldn't be the case. You should be able to make analog call, without > an operator, whether it's an incoming or outgoing call. What plan are you on [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > Bob Tom, Thanks. I just checked the PRL, and it is 10021. Tom & Bob, Going back to my original post, in my mind, I thought that there were 3 "types" of service: 1) PCS on SprintPCS' own network 2) PCS on other carrier's PCS networks (= "digital roaming") 3) Analog roaming (i.e., TDMA) If I'm understanding what you're saying, if I just signed up for the "PCS Free & Clear" plan, then only service #1 is included in the plan minutes, while if I signed up for "PCS Free & Clear America", services #1 through #3 are all included in the plan minutes (with the 50% roaming limitation). Is this interpretation correct? If it is correct, then am I correct that for the "Free & Clear" plan (without "America"), the plan would only include service type #1 in the plan minutes, and I should leave the phone on "SprintPCS" setting only? And, that for the "Free & Clear America" plan, the plan would include service types #1 through #3, and if I leave the phone on "Automatic", it would choose the appropriate service and these would be within the plan minutes (again with the 50% roaming limitation and the number of minutes I signed up for) without additional roaming charge? Bob, I signed up for the "Free & Clear" plan with the "Free & Clear America" (the extra $5). We're in the Oakton, VA area. The reason for all my questions is that I think that I probably should've just gotten the "Free & Clear" plan (not the extra charge "America" plan). This phone is for my daughter while she's travelling to/from college, and while she's at college, and basically, she'll just travel on I66 west and on I81, and in the DC metro area. If I don't need the "America" option, then I'd like to remove that, and save a few bucks. I should be able to do that within the 14 day period, right (phone ordered on 12/26/03)? Jim <snipped> > I signed up for the "Free & Clear" plan with the "Free & Clear America" > (the extra $5). [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > > Jim Jim, the extra $5 for the F&CA option is worth it ... Sometime you will find yourself outside of SPCS's coverage, deep in a concrete/metal bldg, etc. and won't get SPCS coverage. It's well worth it having. Tell your daughter to set it for Automatic and she's good to go ... :). Bob > Tom & Bob, > [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > 2) PCS on other carrier's PCS networks (= "digital roaming") > 3) Analog roaming (i.e., TDMA) There is simply: 1) On Sprint's network (or an affiliate partner, which is the same to you) 2) Off Sprint's network, which is roaming (this can be 800MHz AMPS, 800MHz CDMA or 1900MHz CDMA). On Free & Clear America, #2 is billed the same as #1 (affiliate markets have a 100 minute maximum). On Free & Clear, #2 is billed at $0.49 / minute with $0.75 / minute for any long-distance from the tower. > If I'm understanding what you're saying, if I just signed up for the > "PCS Free & Clear" plan, then only service #1 is included in the plan [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > Is this interpretation correct? See my above description. Also, the 50% limitation is not exactly that. What happens is that if you roam more than 50% in a given month, and if you do it consistantly (defined as 3 months in a row I believe), then Sprint has the option to move you to a Free & Clear plan from the Free & Clear America plan ... but it won't happen in the middle of the month or without notice. > If it is correct, then am I correct that for the "Free & Clear" plan > (without "America"), the plan would only include service type #1 in > the plan minutes, and I should leave the phone on "SprintPCS" setting > only? Yes. > And, that for the "Free & Clear America" plan, the plan would include > service types #1 through #3, and if I leave the phone on "Automatic", > it would choose the appropriate service and these would be within the > plan minutes (again with the 50% roaming limitation and the number of > minutes I signed up for) without additional roaming charge? There will be no additional roaming charge if 100% of your minutes are roaming. You just might get cancelled from F&CA if you consistantly do this. Affiliate markets have a 100 minute stipulation, so I am not sure what happens when you reach 100 minutes, but I suspect it simply incurs normal roaming charges. You probably should remove the F&CA option ($5 ... so you are in a corporate market) and set the phone to Sprint PCS only. :) If you fear that your Daughter might switch it to automatic, then perhaps leave the F&CA on so that you don't get roaming charges ... because they add up quick without F&CA. I have this option and have paid it for the last three months. I have roamed a total of two minutes in that time (500 minute plan) and my phone is set to automatic. So, Sprint does a good job of covering me where I travel. I keep the option because I don't want to worry about roaming and there are times I go places I know I will be roaming (annual trip, my Mother's home in Wisconsin, etc.). Oh yes ... Girls ... College ... telephone ... get lot's of minutes now! Tom Veldhouse > You probably should remove the F&CA option ($5 ... so you are in a corporate > market) and set the phone to Sprint PCS only. :) If you fear that your [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > Tom Veldhouse Tom & Bob, Thanks for your patience with all my questions (am I the only one confused about all of this :)?). I think I will follow your advice, but with a slight twist... I'm thinking that I'll keep the "America" plan, set the phone to "SprintPCS", but also teach her how to set it to "Automatic" (and explain when she might need that). As I mentioned in my earlier post, she'll most probably be in SprintPCS coverage 100% of the time, but then she could enable the ability to analog roam or digital roam off of SprintPCS' network if she got to someplace where she couldn't get SprintPCS. Thoughts??? Jim <snipped> > Tom & Bob, > > Thanks for your patience with all my questions (am I the only one confused > about all of this :)?). No, as F&CA is not consistant coast to coast, considering the affiliate markets have more limited and expensive options than SPCS corporate areas. > I think I will follow your advice, but with a slight twist... > [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > Jim Just have her keep it on Automatic. If she does find she's in a roaming area (like riding on the Metro), no need to go through the motions of switching settings to get a phone call. Tom has a good point about her in college. Just remind her to keep within her plan minutes ... :). Bob Analog roaming is analog not tdma. No Sprint PCS phone will roam tdma. >>That shouldn't be the case. You should be able to make analog call, without >>an operator, whether it's an incoming or outgoing call. What plan are you on [quoted text clipped - 59 lines] > > Jim > Free & Clear America includes analog roaming for free. Depending upon the > market, you either get 100 minutes or you are allowed 50% of your minutes [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > Tom Veldhouse Mostly right about F&C America. There are more ways for it to go. You can have plans that include a certain amount of minutes. These are affiliate plans. I've seen 30 minutes, 50 minutes and 100 minutes, and there may be others. These plans tend to run $10/mo. Non-affiliate plans run $5 a month and include roaming costs, so long as you use the SprintPCS network the majority of the time. (So, it's not half the minutes in plan, it's half the minutes you use) -mike |
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