America's Choice vs. Local Digital Choice

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:-\) - 19 Jan 2004 19:53 GMT

My questions pertain to the Chicago market.

Is America's choice all digital or is it tri-mode, giving someone analog
coverage in fringe or poor digital areas?

I've been using local digital choice as all of my calls originate from the
home area. Occasional I may sneak across the border for pleasure to
Wisconsin and Indiana and Verizon does sock to the customer on roaming
charges.

Also looking to get a new phone, either the LG 4500 (rumored for this
spring) or LG 4400B. The LG 6000 is not an option because it does not offer
analog coverage.

Any sales rep smelling potential America's Choice promo specials coming up?

Comments, please?

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Richard Ness - 19 Jan 2004 20:17 GMT

America's Choice = Analog 800, digital 800 and digital 1900

":-)" <mrhappy@happy.com> wrote in message news:_AWOb.1918$BA2.342@newssvr26.news.prodigy.com...

> My questions pertain to the Chicago market.
>
[quoted text clipped - 13 lines]
>
> Comments, please?

Reply to this Message

dookie - 19 Jan 2004 23:16 GMT

the vx4500 does not offer AMPS either, fyi.
http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/phone.php?id=309

dookie

> My questions pertain to the Chicago market.
>
[quoted text clipped - 13 lines]
>
> Comments, please?

Reply to this Message

Steven J Sobol - 20 Jan 2004 02:05 GMT

> My questions pertain to the Chicago market.
>
> Is America's choice all digital or is it tri-mode, giving someone analog
> coverage in fringe or poor digital areas?

There is some analog coverage where you will not pay roaming charges. Most
of it, however, is digital.

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CharlesH - 20 Jan 2004 04:30 GMT

>> My questions pertain to the Chicago market.
>>
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
>There is some analog coverage where you will not pay roaming charges. Most
>of it, however, is digital.

We can thank SprintPCS for the association between "paying roaming
charges" and "analog". With VZW, they are totally unrelated... in some
areas, the preferred roaming partner is analog and included in America
Choice. In other areas, a digital provider is not "preferred", and
you pay to roam on them (in digital mode).

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Al Klein - 20 Jan 2004 03:32 GMT

>My questions pertain to the Chicago market.

>Is America's choice all digital or is it tri-mode, giving someone analog
>coverage in fringe or poor digital areas?

Verizon's system includes some analog coverage. All existing analog
coverage has to be maintained for the next few years. A handset on
the AC plan will use an analog cell if there's no digital cell higher
in priority available.

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Mike - 20 Jan 2004 11:24 GMT

>Verizon's system includes some analog coverage. All existing analog
>coverage has to be maintained for the next few years. A handset on
>the AC plan will use an analog cell if there's no digital cell higher
>in priority available.

It's not often, because most of VZW's major AC roaming partners are
mainly digital these days - Alltel, U.S. Cellular, and Sprint are the
three biggest. But Alltel still has a decent chunk of rural coverage,
and they're VZW's most "favorable" roaming partner. U.S. Cellular has
mostly come in as digital, since VZW wasn't putting them in PRLs until
they converted to CDMA.

And then there's the old Shentel Cellular system on the I-81 corridor
west of Washington, DC. VZW bought them, and flipped in their analog
coverage in AC before a digital conversion got underway.

Mike

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jdoe - 20 Jan 2004 11:08 GMT

If that's the only areas you use look into US CEllular. Way better local
area than vzw and cheaper. Nicer people to deal with too. No MN coverage
though unless going to nationwide so vzw ac is better cost wise for me.
Larry

> My questions pertain to the Chicago market.
>
[quoted text clipped - 13 lines]
>
> Comments, please?

Reply to this Message

Steven M. Scharf - 28 Feb 2004 19:41 GMT

> My questions pertain to the Chicago market.
>
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
> Wisconsin and Indiana and Verizon does sock to the customer on roaming
> charges.

AC is tri-mode. And yes you get socked for off-extended-network roaming. The
few times I've been off-extended-network, I simply don't use the phone
unless it's really important. Actually, the only time I've been off the
extended-network recently on Verizon was in Alaska, on AMPS, outside of
Anchorage, Seward, and Fairbanks (in the city Verizon had a partner, but I
think they dropped them now).

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