Cell Phone question, maybe not linux specific?

[Ben Scott]

On 9/24/07, Bill McGonigle <bill at bfccomputing.com> wrote:
>>   When we raised these concerns with the manager of the local sales
>> office, his response was that we should not be trying to
>> nickel-and-dime them on everything, since after all, they've got the
>> best network in the country.
>
> And basically correct, no?  I owe them ~ $130/mo for two lines but I
> can get on the 'net almost everywhere.

  While they may have the best network (for suitable definitions of
"best"), that does not, in my book, mean they get to screw with the
customer.  If they need to charge more to fund better infrastructure,
they should just do so, not play shell games with fees and rape us on
customer service.

  The coverage issue is also rather cloudy.    Verizon certainly has
excellent coverage, and it seems that, in general terms, they cover
the most areas.  Their high-speed mobile data service can also be
quite impressively fast in the right areas.  But:

  When most people say they want the carrier with best coverage, what
they really mean is they want a carrier with coverage where they are
and will be.  It doesn't matter if a carrier has the best overall
coverage if there happens to be a dead spot where you are.  For
example, one of the big-wigs who switched to Verizon was disgusted to
discover he has lousy coverage at his residence.  Of course, analyzing
this criteria requires the ability to accurately predict one's future
travels.  That can be challenging, to say they least.  But it's still
what most people want.

  Of course, lacking prescience, one is best served by checking
carrier coverage in areas one frequents (home, work, etc., and paths
between), and then selecting the carrier with the best overall
coverage that also has coverage in those areas.  You're playing the
odds, but that's the best one can do.  I suspect Verizon would win
many such scenarios.

  On the other hand, what we're now investigating at work is whether
while Verizon may have the "best" coverage, perhaps coverage from
another carrier could be almost as good, from a company that sucks
less.

  One thing I'm not clear on is CDMA roaming.  Both Verizon and Sprint
are CDMA carriers, so their equipment is nominally compatible.  I've
read that they have roaming agreements.  But I cannot find anything on
specifics.  In particular, does this mean that a Sprint phone will
always work if a Verizon tower is reachable, or for only some Verizon
towers, or what?

-- Ben