Celluler "upgrades" (crosspost with AB)

[sinsual]

I am a Cinguler customer. We have 3 phones on our account. One is a 2 year old Razor, one is a 1 year old Razor and the third is a 4 month old Slvr.

We have TWO towers within 2 miles of our house.

We do not live in a hollow, our house is in the same elevation according to the geographoc maps I have seen of our area.

A week and a half ago we got hit with a heavy sandstorm with winds reaching 75-80mph. The following morning our celluler network service was almost non-existent. We figured the towers reset from the windstorm, and did the hard shutdown and reboot of all three phones. No good. Didn't fix anything. We gave it one more day, but still no real network service to speak of. Most of the time getting a Network Not Found error message.

Called customer service, got told to do what we had done, hard shut downs and reboots (remove battery while phone is on, take out simcard leave out for one minute, put back simcard and phone, restart phone). No good. They did an over the air upgrade signal which seemed to work for one night. No good.

We went thru this same problem last year at this time. Turned out Cinguler didn't realise one of the towers was broke until they had over 100 repair tickets in their system. They fixed it then, we have faith they will fix it now.

Today I decided to curtail the two and a half month issue by going into the brick and morter store, and deal with a tech there. Guess what...I got put on the phone to their CSR department who once again could nto fix the problem.

Their solution to the problem is for us to upgrade all 3 of our phones at our expense to work with the towers around our house.

That's right, they claim that our phones are not recent enough design to be compatible with their system anylonger and that this change happened overnight with no warning to us the customer and that it has to come out of our pockets to upgrade.

My Slvr is just over 4 months old and WAS an upgrade to my old razor. Why is my 4 month old phone no longer able to work with the system right in the area of my home, yet works anywhere else in Phoenix...

Yeah, didn't make sense to me either. So then, while still talking with the CSR, she makes a comment about the last time our account was logged as having a complaint...was last year when we had this same issue...The three previous phone conversations as well as the over air upgrade signals were not logged. Now how can that be? We know they were done, I sat on the phone with the technician while they did the activation on the other two phones, then he called on my wifes so that the activation could go thru on mine...but its not logged in their system?


So this boils down to a very unhappy Sin. The only other carrier that has towers in our area is AllTel and their service plans run twice what ours does each month.

So anyways, I am going to take all three phones back to the brick and morter store in the next day or so, and I am going to spell it out to them. Since we are locked in a two year contract and they are telling us that even our newest phone is no longer compatible, that they will replace all 3 with new phones at their expense, or let us out of our contract at no extra charge to let us go with someone else.

[UncleJoseph]

Good luck. Customer Service is by no means customer service anymore. I have had trouble like this with Comcast, AT&T, SBC and Cingular, to name a few. This is the primary reason I try to avoid contracts. Once you're in a contract, you're at the mercy of the company. And they usually could give two shits about whether you're satisfied or not.

[Jeff Hauze]

Good luck. Customer Service is by no means customer service anymore. I have had trouble like this with Comcast, AT&T, SBC and Cingular, to name a few.

You mean my company has horrible customer service? Really? Nah, you'd have to be talking about another Comcast. I mean it's not like we hire retarded, sponge-brained, crack addicted monkeys for customer service or anything. Oh wait...we do. Nevermind.

[Jestyr]

Is it just me, or does the US *really* get the shaft in terms of mobile phone service?

[Kitt]

I have Verizon, and the only time I get fucked on signal is in my old high school and some of the more treacherous mountain areas on the path between home and college.

[Angel]

Is it just me, or does the US *really* get the shaft in terms of mobile phone service?

You foolish mortals really need to move to a more advanced country,you have my sympathies.

[sinsual]

I have Verizon, and the only time I get fucked on signal is in my old high school and some of the more treacherous mountain areas on the path between home and college.

Verizon does not cover the area I live with decent service. We had Verizon before we went to Cinguler. The nearest Verizon tower is actually leased thru one of Cinguler's older towers about 5 miles from home. Not to mention that in the time I had Verizon, they could not once bill according to our contract. Every month was the same thing, argueing with them about our bill. Which really sucks when you consider how horrid the service was.

[Serious Paul]

You foolish mortals really need to move to a more advanced country...

A shame you live in Europe. I hear cell reception in Asia is crazy cool!

[Jestyr]

Is it just me, or does the US *really* get the shaft in terms of mobile phone service?

You foolish mortals really need to move to a more advanced country,you have my sympathies.

<-- Not American. I speak as an outside observer out of curiosity.

[DV8]

I've noticed cellular networks are pretty poor, too, but from what I understand, it's just not economically feasible to implement an all-out GSM network throughout such a large country. This is a cool article called CDMA vs. GSM which breaks down the difference.

[Jestyr]

This is also an article which requires you to subscribe to their magazine to read more than a paragraph. Pity.

[DV8]

This is also an article which requires you to subscribe to their magazine to read more than a paragraph. Pity.

Weird, I just read all of it, now that I look again, it is asking me to subscribe, too. Darn...

[DV8]

Cache diving;

CDMA vs. GSM
Why You Should Know The Difference

It's probably the understatement of the decade to say that cell phones have become the single greatest tool in business. In today’s world the ability to communicate with business associates while on the go is not just an advantage, it’s a necessity. And because of that, the choices we make when choosing our handheld devices matter more than ever.

When it comes time to select a cell phone or smartphone, the major part of the evaluation we make focuses on the features and benefits of the handset. Does it provide access to the Internet and email? Does it contain an organizer that will sync with Outlook, so you can take your scheduler, contacts, and information on the road? And most importantly, does it look slick?

But if you conduct a lot of your business on the road or internationally, the most important decision you make regarding your service may not have anything at all to do with the features we usually consider important for handhelds. Your choice of carrier and the technology it uses for its network might make the difference between being productive or ending up out of area.


The Major Carrier Technologies

By now, you’ve probably heard all of the acronyms in the alphabet soup of carrier technologies. The two major terms that pertain to cellular phone communication that you’re likely to run into are GSM and CDMA, the two major technologies service providers use to carry voice signals across the network. But what are they and why do they matter? Well, for starters, let’s define the terms.

GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications). GSM is the “branded” term referring to a particular use of TDMA (Time-Division Multiple Access) technology. GSM is the dominant technology used around the globe and is available in more than 100 countries. It is the standard for communication for most of Asia and Europe. GSM operates on four separate frequencies: You’ll find the 900MHz and 1,800MHz bands in Europe and Asia and the 850MHz and 1,900MHz (sometimes referred to as 1.9GHz) bands in North America and Latin America. GSM allows for eight simultaneous calls on the same radio frequency and uses “narrowband” TDMA, the technology that enables digital transmissions between a mobile phone and a base station. With TDMA the frequency band is divided into multiple channels which are then stacked together into a single stream, hence the term narrowband. This technology allows several callers to share the same channel at the same time.

CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access). CDMA takes an entirely different approach from GSM/TDMA. CDMA spreads data out over the channel after the channel is digitized. Multiple calls can then be overlaid on top of one another across the entire channel, with each assigned its own “sequence code” to keep the signal distinct. CDMA offers more efficient use of an analog transmission because it allows greater frequency reuse, as well as increasing battery life, improving the rate of dropped calls, and offering far greater security than GSM/TDMA. For this reason CDMA has strong support from experts who favor widespread development of CDMA networks across the globe. Currently, you will find CDMA mostly in the United States, Canada, and North and South Korea. (As an interesting aside, CDMA was actually invented for the military during World War II for field communications.)


Domestic Travel



The cellular showdown: CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) vs. GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications).

Because you can find GSM and CDMA in use all across the United States, it might seem at first that it really doesn’t matter which technology you choose. This is not so. When you travel abroad, the likelihood that you will reach areas that do not have digital service is quite high. Anytime you travel between offices via car, train, or bus you will pass through rural and suburban areas that only offer analog access. Most CDMA cell phones include analog capability (also known as roaming), so a user can make calls when he is not in a digital cellular service area. GSM phones usually don’t offer this capability unless you purchase and use a specialty (read: expensive) handset. Of course in most of Asia and in Europe, this is not a problem because digital service is available almost everywhere you turn. This does become an issue for users in North America, however, because digital service is rarely available there.

Another difference between GSM and CDMA is in the data transfer methods. GSM’s high-speed wireless data technology, GPRS (General Packet Radio Service), usually offers a slower data bandwidth for wireless data connection than CDMA’s high-speed technology (1xRTT, short for single carrier radio transmission technology), which has the capability of providing ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network)-like speeds of as much as 144Kbps (kilobits per second). However, 1xRTT requires a dedicated connection to the network for use, whereas GPRS sends in packets, which means that data calls made on a GSM handset don’t block out voice calls like they do on CDMA phones.

GSM’s real benefit for domestic business use is in its SIM (subscriber identity module) card, the onboard memory device that identifies a user and stores all of his information on the handheld. You can swap GSM SIM cards between handsets when a new one is necessary, which enables you to carry all of your contact and calendar information over to a new handset with no hassle.

CDMA operators answer this flexibility with their own service that stores user data, including phone book and scheduler information, on the operator’s database. This service makes it possible to not only swap over to a new handset with little trouble, but it also gives users the ability to recover contact date even if their phone is lost or stolen. (This isn’t much of possibility with GSM, of course, because if you lose your cell phone, your SIM card is lost, as well.) There are devices on the market you can use to back up you SIM, but these items cost extra and add a secondary step to safeguarding your data.



Depending on the location where you do your business, there may be limits on cell tower height or clustering, which can affect your service with certain technologies.

Overall, for the strictly domestic business user, CDMA-based handhelds provide more access in more places, as well as faster data calls and greater ease of transition to new handsets. GSM phones will better provide hybrid voice and data use (although you cannot use both at the same time; using the data service won’t block an incoming voice call).


International Use

Where international business travel is an issue, GSM leaps forward in the race for the title of “Most Accessible.” Because GSM is used in more than 74% of the markets across the globe, users of tri-band or quad-band handsets can travel to Europe, India, and most of Asia and still use their cell phones. CDMA offers no multiband capability, however, and therefore you can’t readily use it in multiple countries.

Unfortunately, the 850MHz/1,900MHz GSM phone you may use in the United States is not compatible with international standards. If you live in the United States and need to have cell phone access when you travel overseas, you need to invest in a tri-band or quad-band GSM phone, or even a multiple-mode phone (which we cover later). Either of these types of phones will let you use your phone while in the United States and overseas without having to change handsets. You will, however, need to obtain a SIM card that works overseas. If you need a prepaid SIM card for your GSM phone, check out Telestial.com.

Although you must interact with the SIM card by removing and replacing it, the switching of bands and modes happens automatically when you enter the covered area. Oftentimes handsets come with a default mode set to the band they will most likely use. For instance, phones sold in the United States will default to the frequencies used here, so the phones will attempt to connect to this frequency and technology first. If your phone cannot make a connection, it will automatically begin searching out the appropriate frequency and technology until it finds one it can connect to.


The Best Of Both Worlds

If you travel often, it might be a worthwhile investment to purchase a dual-mode or tri-mode handset. Note that multiple band and multiple mode are different terms. Multiple-band phones offer the capability to switch between bands, while multiple-mode phones offer connectivity to networks based on different technologies. Although expensive, these handsets allow maximum flexibility for the international business traveler.



You can move the SIM (subscriber identity module) of a GSM-based phone to any other GSM-based phone, making GSM the optimal choice for international travelers who need connectivity.

You can find dual-mode and tri-mode phones, but before you buy, check to see which modes the phone actually connects. The term “tri-mode” can be deceptive. In most cases it will mean that a handset can support two digital technologies, such as CDMA and TDMA, as well as analog. In this case the handset is considered to be a true tri-mode phone.

However, there are manufacturers who advertise tri-mode phones that are actually dual-mode phones that connect to GSM and analog networks, only the GSM has multiple-band support for transport between the United States and Europe or Asia. These phones are, by the very loosest sense of the term, tri-mode, but they won’t fulfill your need to connect to CDMA and GSM networks if that’s what you need to do.


Technology In Practice

Because there is no true international standard for wireless technology, GSM/TDMA and CDMA networks have grown across North America, leaving users to decide for themselves which features and connection options they need. This has produced an interesting effect on the transmission of these signals.

In cities and densely populated areas, there are often high concentrations of GSM and CDMA connection bases. In theory, GSM and CDMA are invisible to one another and should “play nice” with one another. In practice, however, this is not the case. High-powered CDMA signals have raised the “noise floor” for GSM receivers, meaning there is less space within the available band to send a clean signal. This sometimes results in dropped calls in areas where there is a high concentration of CDMA technology. Conversely, high-powered GSM signals have been shown to cause overloading and jamming of CDMA receivers due to CDMA’s reliance upon broadcasting across its entire available band.

The result of this little cross-broadcasting joust has led some cities to pass ordinances limiting the space between cell towers or the height they can reach, giving one technology a distinct advantage over the other. This is something to note when choosing a wireless provider. The distance between towers will severely affect connectivity for GSM-based phones because the phones need constant access to the tower’s narrow band broadcasting.

by Joe Peacock

[Jestyr]

Yay! \o/

[Daki]

Ugh. I was working for a staffing firm when the A and B block auctions went through. The US was a perfect example of no long term planning when it comes to cell networks. First there was analog service that was switched over to TDMA digital. And when they realized that sucked, they switched to CDMA. That worked for a little while until they realized that CDMA was also terrible.

Now they are putting in GSM carriers. Only took us 10 years, but we're finally catching up to Europe and Asia.

[3278]

A downside of four things:

1. Federalism. If we were one government, we could have forced an accord.
2. Capitalism. If the government would take over, we could have one standard. [Probably the wrong one, but still.]
3. Short-term thinking.
4. Size of the nation.