iPhone in Vermont

[daimyob]

Hello,

I was wondering if anybody can help me work through the following problem:
1. ATT will not currently provide a Vermont phone number (802) to their cellular customers, despite providing coverage for most of the state through a partner/pending acquisition
2. The iPhone is available only on ATT
3. I would like an iPhone and a Vermont number

Any help would be much appreciated. This problem seems a bit perverse (and dare I say indicative of the problems with monopolies...).

Thanks,
daimyob

 

[random person]

I think your safest bet is to wait until the acquisition goes through. AT&T still has not "officially" said that they will enter Vermont. Until and unless they do you will be roaming on their network whenever you use the iPhone in the state of Vermont, and if you do that for more than 40% of your minutes your phone plan can and will be terminated.

It is incredible to me that the phone will be in Russia, Turkey, and who knows where else before it is in Vermont, if ever!

I have a second home in Vermont and what I do is put the phone on "forward" to the land line. Otherwise I would run afoul of AT&T's roaming policy.

My advice? Wait. Could be several months though.

 

[wwooden]

Thought i would update an old thread;

I know most here don't care, but us in the small state of Vermont haven't been able to get the iPhone because we don't have first-party AT&T coverage. Well that is all about to change starting in Mid-January 2009:

http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/article/20081222/BUSINESS/81222028

I have 4 people in my family waiting to get one. I've been on a Verizon month-to-month plan for 6+ months waiting for this happen.

 

[ACKRITE]

Wwooden,

Thanks for that update! Also, great to read the BFP again...haven't done so since living in Burlington from 98 - 02. I have a second home in VT (Okemo Mt.) and was wondering why my AT&T service (on a Blackjack) was so sporadic and intermittent. It's now obvious that AT&T's status as a parasitic piggey-backer on some other carrier was the reason. Whom is AT&T acquiring in order to make this happen? Should general AT&T service be improved because of this?

-J

 

[wwooden]

Wwooden,

Thanks for that update! Also, great to read the BFP again...haven't done so since living in Burlington from 98 - 02. I have a second home in VT (Okemo Mt.) and was wondering why my AT&T service (on a Blackjack) was so sporadic and intermittent. It's now obvious that AT&T's status as a parasitic piggey-backer on some other carrier was the reason. Whom is AT&T acquiring in order to make this happen? Should general AT&T service be improved because of this?

-J

As far as I understand:

Unicel is the partner here for AT&T and other GSM networks, as well as providing some CDMA network. They were being bought out by Verizon (CDMA network) but one of the stipulations of the deal was that Verizon had to keep the GSM going and bring in a competitor so they could not have a monopoly in the area. This was probably over a year ago that all this was happening. A initial deal was created that AT&T would buy the GSM part of the Unicel network and Verizon would buy the CDMA. It has been a waiting game since then for the logistics of it all to go through; it finally has as of this month.

I'm not sure AT&T service will be improved, maybe though.

 

[kdarling]

It is incredible to me that the phone will be in Russia, Turkey, and who knows where else before it is in Vermont, if ever!

Yep. People in all, or parts of, over one third of the USA states cannot own an iPhone, simply because ATT doesn't have their own towers there.

That includes "large portions of Alaska, Colorado, the Dakotas, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, upstate New York, Oregon, Utah and Wyoming", according to the Boston Globe.

Or, as has been said before, go to the ATT Coverage Viewer, then click "GoPhone" above the map. All the light portions are where you can NOT own an iPhone if you live there.

 

[kinkster]

Lol looks like I'm the third person here with a second house in Vermont and the same worries about the iPhone.

Will the deal mean most or all Unicel owners will be transferred to ATT? I see in another article I googled that it says 133,000, and in another that it looks like ATT will only be buying Unicels subscribers in the north, and verizon will still have the south?

 

[lafoo]

All Vermont Unicel Customers are now AT&T customers. Here is an email I got from my Unicel Sales rep:

"Dear UNICEL Business Customers:

As many of you may have seen in the media or press releases, I am pleased to announce to you some much anticipated news. Today UNICEL has become AT&T Mobility in Vermont and northern New York State. The full transition to AT&T equipment and service plans for businesses and UNICEL retail customers will begin in mid to late January 2009.

What does this mean? AT&T will provide, and build upon, the same superior network that UNICEL has built throughout the Northeast, and has plans to enhance to 3G speeds by the end of 2009. A larger selection of handsets, data devices, and features will be offered, including devices such as the iPhone and Blackberry Bold.

Until that time arrives, we are here to address your needs with current Unicel equipment and service plans. I look forward to continue serving you as we move into the new era of wireless communication in the Northeast."

 

[random person]

Oh this is outstanding news!!!!!!!

The thing I am confused about is this -- if I am currently roaming up here on ATT -- which I assume must be the Unicel GSM network not the CDMA network since I already use a GSM iphone -- then I guess those towers just get converted to ATT in Jan -- am I right? Or might I end up in an area that only gets Verizon CDMA????

That would be very sad! ( I am in the middle of the state -- Sharon is where my second home is.)

 

[lafoo]

You are correct. You were roaming under Unicel but now all those towers are owned by AT&T. So the service will remain the same. At least until they upgrade the network to 3G.

 

[random person]

You are correct. You were roaming under Unicel but now all those towers are owned by AT&T. So the service will remain the same. At least until they upgrade the network to 3G.

Thank you so much for clarifying!! This means I can actually use my iPhone in Vermont!!!!! Woot!!!!

I guess I should no longer worry about roaming on the Unicel network and going over the 40% of minutes rule -- even though my indicator still says "roaming." I am totally psyched!!!!