Wireless News and Comments from the Mountain
Archive, 2005
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"Verizon Wireless hereby notifies the FCC that on January 8th, 2005 a portion of the cellular radiotelephone operations licensed under Call Sign KNKN420 covering the Colorado 6 - San Miguel RSA was temporarily discontinued. The temporary, partial discontinuance is a result of an avalanche that has covered the tower equipment boxes and the access road to the tower with approximately 20 feet of snow.

The tower is located at Highway 550, Coalbank Hill, Silverton, CO 81433 and is generally known as the Purgatory site.2 Verizon Wireless is working with the appropriate federal authorities to gain access to the area, but due to the volume of snow covering the area and the amount of time needed for the snow to melt, it does not anticipate being able to restore service until July 31, 2005.

Section 22.317 provides for a maximum permissible discontinuance of 120 days before the station will be considered permanently discontinued. Accordingly, Verizon Wireless respectfully requests pursuant to Section 1.925 that the Commission grant it a waiver of Section 22.317 up to and including July 31, 2005.

As discussed above, prior to the avalanche the relevant portion of the station was already providing service to the public. Verizon Wireless submits that without a waiver the loss of service will be permanent which is a compelling reason that this request is in the public interest and should be granted.

In view of the unique factual circumstances of this case, the application of the rule would be inequitable, unduly burdensome and contrary to the public interest. Neither the FCC nor any other entity will be prejudiced by grant of this waiver. Accordingly, Verizon Wireless respectfully requests the Commission grant it a waiver of Section 22.317 to permit the partial station discontinuance until July 31, 2005."

from: https://wtbwww05.fcc.gov/default.sph/UlsQueryApp_IE.exe?FNC=from_app_list__Aapp_list_results_html___2796022.0___nosearch

So, when your nearby cell site goes down, it may be more than just a technical glitch.

On a related issue, the AT&T/Cingular TDMA cell site nearest my home has been unavailable for at least two weeks. This is a common problem lately with the Cingular TDMA network. The GSM equipment at the site is working just fine, but this is one of two nearby TDMA sites that have been down this year. We have two TDMA phones, and to have them stop working in spots on the commute for weeks at a time is unacceptable.

Can we complain? Yes, but our phones are supplied by AT&T resellers, and Cingular seems to consider us "non-customers". So, I fear when they say they'll pass along the information, they don't. I don't feel sorry for myself, I feel sorry for our neighbors who have no idea why their phones don't work very well.

Cingular is paying our HOA several hundred dollars a month for space for their cell site, but they certainly don't guarantee our residents any service.

February 4, 2005. Hot Verizon Rumors. Last week's 'research' on Qwest Wireless also turned up some exciting tidbits related to Verizon Wireless. I have been able to put together information about their use of the ex-Qwest Wireless spectrum. Now, understand, good journalistic practice requires me to tell you up front that these are bits and pieces of information that we have collected to get to my conclusions. There isn't someone who "spilled the beans."

First, Verizon will most likely use as many Qwest sites as possible to introduce their new EV-DO services in Qwest markets. Also, some of those ex-Qwest sites will be used for add additional 800 MHz coverage. Remember Sprint PCS only added their equipment to these sites, the Qwest Wireless equipment remains. There's no reason why Verizon can't add use existing or new equipment at any of these sites. So, we can surmise that the initial Verizon EV-DO coverage will look just like Qwest's old coverage. I'd expect EV-DO to arrive in Denver in Spring of '05, and other Qwest markets shortly thereafter. If you need more information about EV-DO, Google it. But in a nutshell, this provides the big bandwidth goodies we've been waiting for, like video on your phone.

A less-substantiated rumor is related to Verizon's very successful America's Choice plan. With America's Choice, you get very economical service over most of the country, but you need to keep an eye on the roaming indicator. Roaming charges as much as .69 per minute makes some users a bit gun-shy about where they can and can't use their phone without incurring extra charges. But what if those areas that were once considered "roaming" suddenly became included in the plan?

Sure, Verizon has just such a plan, called SingleRate National, but it does not have all those Unlimited Night, Weekend and Mobile to Mobile ("IN") minutes. And those SingleRate per-minute rates are higher. But this is the Ace in the Hole that Verizon could play to combat Cingular's perception of "No Roaming Charges Anywhere" on their GSM America plans. Verizon has been hammering away at their roaming partners for lower roaming rates for years. The cheapest are paid to Alltel, and the same, or slightly higher rates, to Sprint PCS. Add on a few more cents per minute for most other carriers and you're looking at a potential no-roaming-charge plan that makes economic sense.

You still might need to check the Roam indicator to see if your "Unlimited" minutes apply, but this could be the greatest 'killer ap", yet. When AT&T introduced "OneRate", it started a roaming revolution. You first might ask, why would they introduce this so soon when Cingular hasn't really been seen as a threat? Conversely, I would ask, if their roaming rates are indeed so low among all partner carriers, what took so long? I would guess that existing customers would be able to jump in to the new plans by adding another 1 or 2 years to their contract. We have reason to believe this may go down in the next one to six weeks.

I'd better stop before I get carried away. It's time to reiterate, there are no hard facts available for these rumors. When we contacted the PR people at Verizon about the use of the Qwest sites, they said there was no information available at this time. We knew better than to ask them about any change in their plan offerings. That is sacred data they only share under the threat of "if I told you, I'd have to kill you."

If any of these rumors prove to be true, remember your buddies at Mountain Wireless as the ones looking out for your interests. And if they don't, keep in mind, it takes a little risk-taking to get ahead. And if it happens much earlier, much later, or not at all as a result of this article...we'd be really flattered!

January 28, 2005. The End of Qwest Wireless The day has arrived. I was walking the dog this week and found that among all the other sites in Colorado, the Qwest Wireless site in my own neighborhood has Sprint PCS cell site equipment added. And there at the site was a Qwest Wireless technician!

Of course I asked, "what's new?" Make note, nothing he says (or was it she?-I'll be vague) is official or 'on record', but he's losing his job on March first, so he had little to lose. He told me this was one of 50-something sites in Colorado where Sprint PCS has added their equipment, and Qwest is about to retire theirs. He noted that all other Qwest Wireless markets have already gone "silent", but Colorado sites remain on until the last 200 or so customers convert to the Sprint PCS infrastructure, or about 30 days, whichever comes first.

He said he'll miss wireless, but he won't miss the environment of constant layoffs as Qwest's wireless equipment is abandoned. Also, he said those who remain will be issued new phones... Verizon phones, not Sprint PCS.

This 'new' Sprint site, which I couldn't see until the dog dragged me around the buildings, reinforces that Sprint PCS, with the addition of all these Qwest sites to their network, has made a dramatic improvement in Colorado and most of the other ex-Qwest Wireless markets. And this comes right before the expected addition of Sprint PCS equipment at many Nextel sites.

It's sad to see a carrier disappear. But I also see that a new carrier may be coming to our town. N.E. Colorado Wireless Technologies, Inc. is the highest current bidder for the ex-Nextwave spectrum in the FCC Auction 58, for at least parts of the urban Colorado markets. What are they up to?

The next question is, what will Verizon Wireless do with the spectrum, the equipment and the sites they have purchased from Qwest Wireless? The technician gave a more practical view of the situation, "now all these sites are Verizon's problem."

January 20, 2005. Update on Our Wireless "Benchmark." After placing so much importance on the drive southwest out of Denver on Route 285, I thought we'd better visit it again. The "conversion" of Qwest sites to Sprint PCS should have been completed by now...and it is. This is a big step for Sprint PCS. This is one of those high-traffic areas where not having wireless service available seems quite odd. And Cingular has added a site to improve their coverage as well.

The change from last summer is dramatic. A fast-growing suburban area quickly goes from wireless wasteland to full coverage. All carriers now serve the corridor all the way to the Jefferson/Park County line, except Cricket. Cingular and Sprint PCS are tied, and Nextel tacks on a couple more miles. Then T-Mobile keeps going the extra ten miles or so.

The rest of the trip is dominated by Verizon Wireless. Eventually, you enter the famous South Park and into Cellular One/Western Wireless TDMA (and analog) coverage. And lo and behold, Cellular One is now providing GSM roaming service for Cingular customers in Fairplay. Oddly, it is not available to T-Mobile who, I was lead to believe, supplied the 1900 MHz spectrum for Cellular One's GSM roaming. It'll be fun to see what transpires under Alltel ownership.

So, our "benchmark" isn't as varied a report as it once was. Sprint PCS even gets credit for going above and beyond the simple conversion of Qwest Wireless sites with a new tower located right next to T-Mobile's "tree". Enough disguised 'trees' on that hill and the real trees will look out of place.

But as before, T-Mobile still gets the award for literally going the extra mile for the best "local" coverage. And Verizon still gets credit for going and going...with several new sites added along this route in the past year. It will be a big deal if anyone adds any more sites along this road.

January 19, 2005. You can "miss" your old carrier - can you miss your old plan? On our Verizon post-paid account we had an older "SingleRate" (West) plan which is no longer offered. Verizon would allow us to change to a similar plan with more minutes, but we can get more minutes for less money with one of their popular "America's Choice" plans. The difference is that with SingleRate, you wouldn't see any roaming charges. With America's Choice there is a chance of getting roaming charges, which can be avoided if you check your roaming indicator before making or answering a call.

In the Rocky Mountain states, there are very few areas without service included in the America's Choice plan. But we're going to miss some of those really cool areas that are only served by some of those really cool small carriers. But these areas are so few and far between, it may be insignificant enough to just go ahead and ignore the indicator, unless you plan to sit out in the tent and access the internet for a few hours. It is also our experience that more areas are included than the carriers admit.

Economically, the choice is simple. Verizon is offering 50% more Peak minutes for only a 14% increase in charges. But that 'go anywhere' type plan eliminated that nagging little thought in the back of your head about roaming charges. But that nagging little thought about going over your allotted minutes has become much louder.

AT&T Wireless set the wireless world on its ear with its no-roaming-charges OneRate plans, with a response from Verizon's own SingleRate. But now the pendulum is swinging the other way. Now we're getting more minutes as the largest carriers forge more favorable roaming agreements and make their 'on-network' plans more appealing. The 'nagging thought' about roaming has moved from the carriers' bean counters and back into our heads. It makes us wonder, how long can those 'non-preferred' carriers stay off-network?

And on an even more personal note...I wondered if I really needed to change plans last month. Couldn't I just trim a few calls here and there, and use one of our pre-paid phones occasionally to stay in the lower limit? Then I added up how many more minutes I have used over the past year and realized "you can never go back."

January 14, 2005. Our Report on Consumer Reports. We support Consumer Reports and you won't find us bashing their evaluations. In their January issue they reviewed cellular phones and service and it was very informative. In this issue they began to agree with the Mountain Wireless reviews that Verizon Wireless was generally at the top of cellular rankings, and AT&T Wireless was at the bottom.

But the most useful part of the Consumer Reports reviews lies in their discussion of the products. They admit people normally read the "recommendations" first, then the discussion, maybe later. This time they looked at how people use their phones and spent less space bashing wireless service.

But their ratings showed such a small variation among carriers. It leads us to believe that more localized and detailed reviews are necessary to evaluate how a service will work where WE want it. We cannot endorse enough, taking the time to use a carrier's tryout period. And we further suggest this time is well spent with more than one phone!

Buying two or more phones from different carriers may seem expensive, but you will get most of that back, paying only for minutes used. So many of us are sucked into the marketing hype, and if we think one carrier is "the best", and we test it, and it works, it must be "the best". Right? But could another carrier be better? Once we've made our decision based on the tryout of one carrier, we are normally convinced that's as good as it gets, especially when we've escaped from another carrier.

I must admit T-Mobile had been lower on our list of recommendations based on roaming concerns. But when we actually started using a T-Mobile phone, we were pleasantly surprised! Their coverage was noticeably better than that of AT&T's GSM network, even in the mountains. It then leads us to ask, how many customers don't try more than one phone? It's a hassle to know you've got to return the phone that works the poorest. But it reduces the chances of needing to return to the store later.

Go ahead and let the marketing sway you. But use it to narrow down your test drive to at least three carriers. Go ahead and bug your friends and family..."can you hear me now?" I keep hearing stories of people who much later say, "why didn't someone tell me about this?" We are!

As a post script to the Consumer Reports article, we were amused by Qwest Wireless receiving the highest overall ratings of all carriers. The humor isn't in the fact that they had a rather poor network, but the fact that they just transferred all of their wireless customers over to the Sprint PCS network. Either the great ratings were the sound of Doom for Qwest Wireless, or the fact that people were happy with the service to begin with, and were even happier after being switched to the Sprint PCS infrastructure. We're very impressed with the improvement that the combination of the Sprint and Qwest wireless towers has made. While they haven't really moved up to Number One as the CR ratings might suggest, Sprint PCS (and Qwest Wireless) have achieved, in our humble opinion, a solid number two in most Qwest markets.

Updated January 10, 2005. Alltel to buy Western Wireless. Our intention in this news page was not to report on so much merger information, but not only is it the running hot topic, it will affect the coverage available to all kinds of users. Alltel's resultant operating area will be huge, see the map of the two carriers' area of combined wireless operations. And things will improve for Western Wireless's own customers as well.

We still hate to lose any more cellular companies to consolidation, but an Alltel and Western Wireless combination should be beneficial to all CDMA users, and quite possibly, GSM customers as well. Like Cingular coming to the Rocky Mountains, we did not lose a competitor, we replaced an iffy AT&T Wireless with a strong Cingular. Only the markets in Nebraska, Kansas and a few others may lose a competitor. And that may not happen if the FCC or the DOJ requires Alltel to sell off their licenses in those markets where they end up with both Cellular-band licenses. The Cingular/AT&T combination did not necessarily force that kind of divestiture.

Alltel has surprised us by offering almost as many services as the major carriers, including competitive National plans. And these services will become available to Western Wireless customers as well.

Western Wireless does business under the Cellular One brand name, except in Amarillo, TX where they use, of all things, Western Wireless. This may be the end of the Cellular One name. The advantage of using it was to give small, local carriers a national-looking image, when, in reality, they were all separate companies. Western Wireless owns the Cellular One brand, and Alltel should just offer it to one of the smaller Cellular One companies...it just doesn't have the value it once did.

This also puts Alltel in the TDMA and GSM business. Unlike other markets after the CenturyTel purchase, Alltel, most likely, will just keep them operating, and collecting the roaming revenue. And possibly more exciting, Alltel CEO, Scott Ford, indicates that Alltel will continue to expand the roaming capabilities as was being done by Western Wireless, including introducing GSM roaming coverage in existing Alltel markets.

We welcome the expansion of Alltel in the west, who already has a significant presence in Arizona and New Mexico, and where we regard them as the carrier with the best coverage in the area. We'd like to think it was prophetic of us to include Alltel in our list of major carriers on our Mountain Wireless ratings page!