Who else lives in a "iPhone not available" area?

[DakotaGuy]

I thought I would start a thread for those of us who would love an iPhone, but since Apple went with a carrier that does not do business in all 50 states will be left out of the party.

Anyhow I am in South Dakota, so no iPhone for me...and I think there are 8-10 more states and other regions where at&t has no plans to build a network.

So anyhow non-iphoners lets unite and I guess by next fall we can talk about the RAZR 2 or whatever is cool that will be sold in our states.

 

[mkrishnan]

So anyhow non-iphoners lets unite and I guess by next fall we can talk about the RAZR 2 or whatever is cool that will be sold in our states.

I actually think that curved slider one looks pretty interesting... this one, RIZR Z8 I think?

 

[DakotaGuy]

The Africans, Asians, Australasians, Canadians, Europeans and the French. Ha! tough luck garlic munchers

Yeah, but some of those people should eventually get one. I am just very upset that Apple decided to go with a carrier who refuses to do business nationwide and then is locked to them for 5 years. So anyhow according to the research I have done the iPhone won't be available in all or large portions of Alaska, Colorado, the Dakotas, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, upstate New York, Oregon, Utah and Wyoming.

So anyhow if you live in any of those areas maybe in 5 years we will see an iPhone when AT&T's contract runs out.

I actually think that curved slider one looks pretty interesting... this one, RIZR Z8 I think?

That is a pretty cool phone! It's not an iPhone, but it has a lot of style.

 

[Mac-Addict]

Ahh what a shame you will have to drive a few miles to get an iPhone or order online I feel really bad for you!

Joe
--
UK, Currently iPhone not available country.

 

[fishkorp]

i don't think it's AT&T's choice. if i'm not mistaken, certain companies have exclusive rights in most areas out west, so no new towers can be installed anywhere but anyone other than that provider until that contract with the state expires. i know that was the case a few years ago, so i'm assuming that's why there's still not much GSM coverage out there.

so AT&T isn't "refusing to do business nationwide." every carrier would do business nationwide if they could. it means more money and more bragging rights. and the problem with the old agreements is that if the carrier is someone like Verizon, then no GSM phones will get a signal at all and be able to piggyback on the service since it's a CDMA network.

 

[DakotaGuy]

i don't think it's AT&T's choice. if i'm not mistaken, certain companies have exclusive rights in most areas out west, so no new towers can be installed anywhere but anyone other than that provider until that contract with the state expires. i know that was the case a few years ago, so i'm assuming that's why there's still not much GSM coverage out there.

so AT&T isn't "refusing to do business nationwide." every carrier would do business nationwide if they could. it means more money and more bragging rights. and the problem with the old agreements is that if the carrier is someone like Verizon, then no GSM phones will get a signal at all and be able to piggyback on the service since it's a CDMA network.

I still believe that the 5 year contract with AT&T will be the reason this phone is not going to be the next iPod. That leaves a lot of people out for a long time. If all the other cellphone makers can make a GSM and CDMA version of a phone there is no reason that Apple could have not built a GSM and CDMA iPhone. They could have let everyone get a chance to own one. Now thousands and thousands of customers will probably never get a chance to have an iPhone.

Ahh what a shame you will have to drive a few miles to get an iPhone or order online I feel really bad for you!

Joe
--
UK, Currently iPhone not available country.

Actually if you have a billing address in a non-AT&T area you can't even buy an iPhone. Well I suppose you could buy one, but they will not provide you service. For those who can get an iPhone will find limited use of it in the areas that I listed above, meaning that it won't work very well. (ie...poor signal quality, data capability loss, etc.)

There are people that live in metro areas that will say that it's just fine to focus on all urban areas, but I hope Apple does realize there are possibly millions of potential customers that are completely being left out just in the United States. Everyone can buy an iPod...not everyone can buy an iPhone. If your billing zip code does not fall in AT&T's service area, then they will not give you a contract. Of course, the phone probably would not work very well in these areas anyhow...so it would be pointless.

 

[PixelWorks]

I still believe that the 5 year contract with AT&T will be the reason this phone is not going to be the next iPod. That leaves a lot of people out for a long time. If all the other cellphone makers can make a GSM and CDMA version of a phone there is no reason that Apple could have not built a GSM and CDMA iPhone. They could have let everyone get a chance to own one. Now thousands and thousands of customers will probably never get a chance to have an iPhone.



Actually if you have a billing address in a non-AT&T area you can't even buy an iPhone. Well I suppose you could buy one, but they will not provide you service. For those who can get an iPhone will find limited use of it in the areas that I listed above, meaning that it won't work very well. (ie...poor signal quality, data capability loss, etc.)

There are people that live in metro areas that will say that it's just fine to focus on all urban areas, but I hope Apple does realize there are possibly millions of potential customers that are completely being left out just in the United States. Everyone can buy an iPod...not everyone can buy an iPhone. If your billing zip code does not fall in AT&T's service area, then they will not give you a contract. Of course, the phone probably would not work very well in these areas anyhow...so it would be pointless.

Abercrombieboy is correct. I live in Central Oregon and AT&T is happy to sell you the iPhone with an encouraged "friend or relatives address"... but, when you ask about their retarded policy to shut down customers using mostly "shared partner networks".... they will confirm that you will most likely be without service after two months of running on SPN.

The iPhone works quite nicely in our area (less some of the 3G features)... but, it does work. I'd be happy to have the phone... pay the rates.... use it as I wish... and not have to carry my iPod and my cell phone wherever I go.

This is the first really dumb thing I've seen Apple do in a long time!

 

[kdarling]

Ahh what a shame you will have to drive a few miles to get an iPhone or order online I feel really bad for you!

No, what he means is that you cannot use an iPhone if your home is in about 1/3 of the United States, because of the ATT exclusive contract.

The reason is, ATT doesn't have home territory everywhere, and people in those sections would end up roaming more than half the time... leading to cancellation of their contract (if they managed to get one in the first place).

To see the huge areas where the iPhone cannot be used, go here to the ATT coverage viewer and click on GoPhone under Coverage Type above the map. The pink areas are where it can't be owned.

This is why the Rural carriers association has asked the FCC to make Verizon, ATT, etc's exclusives on phones be null and void in their areas... so everyone has a chance to own the latest technology instead of just those in a few carrier's home areas.

 

[kleo]

Just get an iPod touch. They are much sexier now anyway.

 

[Bryan Bowler]

To see the huge areas where the iPhone cannot be used, go here to the ATT coverage viewer and click on GoPhone under Coverage Type above the map. The pink areas are where it can't be owned.

Holy crap! I had no idea that the non-AT&T areas were that huge. I had no idea. Thanks for sharing...