I went to a Cingular dealer today. He said since Cingular uses the same towers as both AT&T and T-mobile now that it is the best service. Is this 100% true without bias?
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JCMyersIV Posts: 122
Phone Model: V635 & BB 7290
Service Provider: Cingular
Wed Oct 20, 2004 8:47 pm
The short answer is that I've heard rumored that AT&T and Cingular are implementing a global roaming agreement in advance of the merger that will not preference one over the other, meaning that you'll get the strongest signal wherever you are.
The ability to continue the same call switching from one carrier's tower to the other's I don't believe is in place yet, but the technology exists to do it. In overlapping markets, their constellation of towers and spectrum should make them #1 in the long term.
geetarandsushi Posts: 25
Wed Oct 20, 2004 9:38 pm
okay but what about right now? Also, the guy said that Cingular uses T-mobile towers too and ATT doesnt. So that means cingular uses both sides while the other carriers dont. In other words it looks like Cingular has every GSM tower under its use. True or not?
JCMyersIV Posts: 122
Phone Model: V635 & BB 7290
Service Provider: Cingular
Wed Oct 20, 2004 11:03 pm
It depends on the market. I live in Chicago. Cingular provides service at 850mhz, and I can get either cingular or AT&T @ 1900 (but not T-Mobile). In Columbus OH and here in Minneapolis MN, I can choose either AT&T or T-Mobile.
I think it really depends on the market you're in as to what the roaming agreements is/are. As part of the unbundling of the network sharing arrangements in California and NY, the press said there would be a nationwide roaming agreement implemented in all markets pending approval, so there may be some truth to the comment.
geetarandsushi Posts: 25
Wed Oct 20, 2004 11:34 pm
I am on long island NY, and I checked that reception thing just now and it looks like Cingular sucks! Cellphones are so damn complicated.
JCMyersIV Posts: 122
Phone Model: V635 & BB 7290
Service Provider: Cingular
Thu Oct 21, 2004 8:48 am
What county are you in? I can check the FCC site about who owns the licenses.
In Manhattan currently, Cingular sells service on T-Mobile's network. In California, the reverse is true (the network sharing agreement I mentioned in the earlier post). Cingular is planning to sell a good portion of their California assets to T-Mobile as Cingular will move its subsribers to AT&T's. They will retain some of their spectrum in California, and wind up with some of T-Mobile's NY spectrum under the terms originally announced this summer.
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geetarandsushi Posts: 25
Thu Oct 21, 2004 9:14 am
thanks for that but i have no clue if that means cingular is good in NY.
NDogg78 Posts: 87
Phone Model: Motorola V600
Service Provider: Cingular
Fri Oct 22, 2004 12:48 am
it means Cingular is only as good as GSM service is in NY. I have no idea how good GSM is in NY. Cingular is #1 in that it has the greatest coverage of the GSM carriers b/c yes, they have agreements with T-Mobile and ATT to use their towers whereas T-Mobile and ATT may not. Also, Cingular is dual band so depending where you are you can use 850Mhz or 1900Mhz. T-Mobile is limited to 1900 which means limited roaming opportunities. Now, in the NE, Verizon is the incumbent in the area so their CDMA coverage and service may be better.
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