Fun in Wisconsin

The transition of customers from Alltel to the new Element Mobile in central Wisconsin has been a rocky road. As an advocate of smaller carriers, we initially feel staying with Element is a good idea. However, if you're sitting there with no service on your phone, we can understand how difficult it is to stick with ideals.

We take our wireless service for granted and it's more than just an inconvenience when our phone doesn't ring or our data doesn't download...instead there's a hole in our life. The Alltel to AT&T conversions have gone much better, but they've been there/done that. Element is new to this.

The 'New' Alltel network and customer service is still being operated by Verizon Wireless, so there may be an unpleasant day of reckoning waiting for those customers, too. But we expect those things, if they don't happen, all the better.

Element is working through the problems and if they handle it well, their newly-inherited customers will eventually love them for it. If they don't do it quickly, we don't blame you for taking your dead phone elsewhere. Some competing carriers are taking advantage of the situation with promos like paying your ETF. However, don't cut your nose off to spite your face. Element may have the best coverage in the area, and you may be even more unhappy with the alternatives. It's kinda like a good spouse going through a bad patch...you need to keep the faith.

Now, about Element's higher-priced plans. We'll keep our old Alltel plans until Element fixes that, too.

A Great Time to Join AT&T

The future looks great for AT&T customers. Verizon gets the iPhone and a few million data hogs disappear from the AT&T network freeing up bandwidth for the rest of us. If you're not an AT&T customer today, look for some really nice incentives next month to mitigate the effects of the Verizon iPhone hoopla. This is not an endorsement for the AT&T iPhone. It's a recommendation to consider the AT&T network with the device of your choice. This is a big change for us.

It's difficult to hold this position because we truly believe Verizon has the superior cellular network, and if you're planning to move up to 4G, Verizon is certainly your best choice. Verizon won't inherit AT&T's bad luck, but, if nothing else, data usage should even out across the two networks.

We haven't lost sight of the object of our 2 previous articles. The smaller wireless operators are still a safe haven from the mega-carrier attitude. The difference today is that any bad news for AT&T looks like good news for the wireless consumer. The exception may be for those customers who have been drooling at the idea of getting an iPhone in the ex-Alltel now AT&T areas of rural America. Your choices there can now be based on the superior network instead of a 'gotta have' phone.

Hopefully, the potential price (which means "Marketing") wars among the Big 2 don't hurt the smaller carriers. For those companies, 2 networks with lots of dropped calls would be the best news yet. I won't go there.

Can Revol Survive?

We're always digging for the gems in the wireless rock pile, often finding great service from the smallest carriers. One we have been watching is Revol Wireless, however they have not been one of those "gems". We have been hearing complaints about them and recently we found they just narrowly missed bankruptcy. So, we're aware not all small cellular carriers are the best choice, and with Revol we noted some of their limitations in our reviews.

In this case there may be hope. Our buds at Fierce Wireless noted that Revol and MobiPCS, the island-based Hawaiian carrier, have the same investors and CEO, so a merger of the two would be an easy fit. There are no reports of any merger discussions, but the CEO of Revol could easily negotiate with the CEO of MobiPCS in his sleep!

This kind of tie-up would be a positive move for wireless customers, but what a combination! Wireless in the Midwest paired with wireless in the Pacific? Consider the job of keeping the cell sites running. You could even come back to Ohio once in a while.

Don't Overlook the Small Guys

As part of our monthly housekeeping, I deleted one of our Cellular Secret Tips, the trick that if you can't get the wireless carrier you want at home, sign up at work where there is local coverage. With so much wireless consolidation, the notion seemed outdated. I just happened to ask a few of our wireless neighbors about the carrier they use and found that they liked the one they have at home and don't get at work.

In this case, it happened to be from Viaero Wireless, which is available in and beyond the suburbs of Denver. These users love Viaero, and their phones work just fine when they roam across other parts of the Metro area. Instead of listing this as a new "Tip", I want to reiterate here how smart it is for you to include these small, local wireless carriers among those considered for your next phone. Some of these carriers (including Viaero) will pay your Early Termination Fee to make the change. In most cases, the smaller carriers have superior customer service and are far more willing to 'bend' the rules to keep you happy.

Sadly, there aren't too many of these carriers located near larger population areas, however, make sure you don't overlook one near you. We list them among our Reviews. With Verizon and AT&T now appearing in new markets, you might be tempted to jump and join the big players and, in some cases, that's OK. But if you live in Dayton, remember Cincinnati Bell, or in Wichita Falls, Cellular One. Tip: they may be the best game in town.

'Tis the Season to Buy a Phone

This is a good season to be buying a new wireless phone, mostly for yourself. Obligating somebody else to a new 2-year agreement is not my idea of a good gift, but it's an OK thing to do to yourself. There are exceptions if you can just switch SIM's on somebody. But the contract can't be overlooked. Of course, this also could be the year you choose to pay for your wireless by the minute instead of by the month.

The days after Christmas are a fine time to get a little something cellular. The holiday deals are still available and you can guage your self-gratification on what you already did or did not get as a gift. As we have advised in the past, don't over-analyze your choice, and try not to pay for more than you need. After all, you'll probably be replacing it in the next 2 years, more or less.

Let me add a shameless promotion for our own wireless discount site, MooseWireless.com where there several online specials still going on for the holidays. Our guys want as much business on the books before the end of the year as possible...even if you want prepaid. You still have a chance to make it a real happy holiday, unless someone has taken on a 2-year contract for you. We wish you best.

More Ways to Cut the Cord

Now that Verizon Wireless has launched 4G broadband, the options for those of us who would rather not be tied to wired communications have increased. While maintaining The Unwired Home web site we give much coverage to the fact that users who are accustomed to fast Internet connections often need to keep that copper, fiber or cable connected. Now that 4G wireless is becoming more widely available, that's becoming less so.

With speeds ranging from 3Mb to a lot more, available from a cellular modem, who needs wires? Hopefully, coming soon will be those cellular "hot spots" with one connection to cellular enabling several others to connect by wi-fi. Imagine a wireless modem on your laptop running your games, your TV and even, gasp, your phone!

These aren't future hopes, it's available today. Several carriers are serving several markets so we already have some competition. The carriers consider themselves serving a 'mobile' community. The prospects are equally useful at home...which is also becoming more mobile.

Verizon's Big Week

Verizon topped this week's news. The introduction of their 4G network in 38 markets and 68 airports was sorta big, but with no handsets and only one 4G modem available, users will adopt slowly. More newsworthy for users like us is Verizon's new rates on Prepaid. We noted that AT&T's new $2 per day rate for GoPhone was a potential game changer and it may have contributed to a big drop in Verizon's prepaid numbers. This week Verizon dropped their pay-per-day rate to $1.99, a whole penny less than AT&T.

Verizon also attached some strings. They increased the accompanying Text rate from .01 to .02, that's a 100% increase. They also added restrictions on the handsets available for Prepaid, primarily to keep postpaid customers from switching. We're not sure if that will affect Verizon users who choose to switch to Page Plus.

Prepaid was once the stronghold of the credit-challenged among wireless users. The trend now is for cellular in the US to be more like that of other countries: pay-as-you-go. It's great to see competition in the Prepaid arena. Even US Cellular introduced 3 new Prepaid plans this week. Cricket Wireless and MetroPCS have been trying to increase their base rates from the $35 to $45 zone but may feel too much pressure from the big players. It may be enough pressure to force those two together.

If nothing else, the increase in the number of prepaid offerings gives consumers confidence to switch to prepaid. Savings can be substantial, as Prepaid moves more toward the mainstream.

Also, Page Plus announced their $80 refill is now valid for a full year. More objections to Prepaid fall by the wayside.

Is Sprint Worth Twice as Much?

I was updating our Unlimited Wireless Plans Page recently and it occurred to me there was a big difference between the top and bottom priced Unlimited wireless plans. Under the minimum criteria we set for the plans on that page, Sprint just happens to be the most expensive at $100. That's what you pay to get Unlimited Calls and Text to any US phone number. Cricket, MetroPCS and several others are less than half that.


Admittedly, you can pay a little more or less here and there and the numbers aren't quite double, but it certainly has me wondering if the Big 4 are really worth that much more. Now that most under-$50 wireless plans include nearly nationwide roaming, I'm trying to find justification for the extra cost. I don't mean to pick on Sprint, their $70 Unlimited everything-except-calls-to-landlines is a good deal. I'll also add that there aren't really that many of us who can truly benefit from Unlimited service, even data.


As Verizon Wireless kicks off their new 4G network this weekend, you'd think they would make those wide open airwaves available on an Unlimited basis to those brave pioneers who sign up first, and restrict the rest of us later, but they're not. They must remember the first days of AT&T's GSM network.


Over in the low rent part of town, Cricket and MetroPCS keep humming away, happily offering Unlimited everything, most of it in 3G, and some in 4G, mostly for much lower prices. I'm gonna keep asking, "it the more expensive signal worth it?"