Look at the New Carriers

We try to be the champion of the smallest wireless carriers in the US, and we are pleased to report several new ones have appeared. These companies are using all the various cellular frequency bands from 850 to 2500 MHz. We have added the following cellular carriers that are, or will be, serving new local areas, to our Wireless Network Reviews:

• ARCTIC SLOPE TELEPHONE ASSOCIATION CO-OP WIRELESS is a bit expensive, but that may be needed to survive at the northernmost tip of the US around Barrow, Alaska.
• iSMART MOBILE is a GSM carrier in Bozeman, Montana. They have that Montana pioneer spirit that guided Chinook Wireless through several acquisitions and expansions into other states, but they also have the challenge of securing reasonable GSM roaming in their own state. Build baby, build.
• MOBILZ is a GSM operator in eastern Oklahoma, a state with a handful of small wireless carriers. Mobilz, and most of the others, are associated with the local telephone co-op.
• NEP WIRELESS is part of the North-Eastern Pennsylvania Telephone Company and operates a GSM cellular network with reasonably-priced plans.
• ELEMENT MOBILE will be taking over the Alltel network in central Wisconsin where the license was already owned by Element. They want to make the experience as much like Alltel as possible.

We hope these tiny companies can survive against the big guys. In some areas, small carriers have banded together to share services and we recommend these new carriers do the same. The new Alltel has many of the same challenges and they all will prosper if they focus on being extremely Local. Neighbors helping neighbors is a powerful business model, if they can keep the prices competitive. You've wanted a compact phone, now go for a compact carrier, too.