Wireless Carriers - Digitel/ACS/AT&T (Fairbanks, Bethel: living in, zip code)

[warptman]

GCI's new motto should be "We have the largest crappy cell service in the state."

[ASpilot2be]

Originally Posted by AlaskaKash

ACS

Pros: Best call quality. Best coverage for voice. Largest Coverage Area for 3g. Fastest 3G. If you move out of state you can cancel contract with no fees.

Cons: Phone plans not packaged as well as some other carriers. Network is only in Alaska so when out of state you are roaming. Not as many nice phones as AT&T IMO.

Are you sure about ACS being roaming down south? I ask this because they advertise nationwide plans.

[gobrien]

Originally Posted by ASpilot2be

Are you sure about ACS being roaming down south? I ask this because they advertise nationwide plans.

You are correct, their nationwide plan says there are no roaming charges if you go to another state. By the way, AT&T isn't going to have the iphone as a monopoly forever, there is a time limit to the deal but I don't know when it expires.

[decaff38]

Another Verizon ??. On their coverage map it shows a large block right near Deadhorse on the North Slope. Anyone have any experience with that? Love my Verizon and would like to keep it.

[Intuition]

Just remember if you get a smartphone through AT&T, your looking at about 30-60 dollars in data plans and unlimited texting on top of your plan. Iphones don't have a group based data plan so figure for 30 dollars per phone, and I believe ( i could be wrong, but most smart phones now do) you have to have the data plan for the iphone. my hubby has the lg vu i beleive which is a touch screen adn you don't have to have the data plan.

Texting for a multiphone account ( we have 4 on ours) is 30 dollars for all for phones, unlimited. But I think you can get individual unlimited for around 15. just keep that in mind oh and i almost always have 3G service in fairbanks, not so much on base, or outside of fairbanks.

[quakinator]

Originally Posted by gobrien

You are correct, their nationwide plan says there are no roaming charges if you go to another state. By the way, AT&T isn't going to have the iphone as a monopoly forever, there is a time limit to the deal but I don't know when it expires.

There aren't roaming charges, but I believe in ACS fine print it does state that 50% of your calls in any given 3 month window must originate from the ACS service area (meaning Alaska) and not be roaming off another carriers tower, otherwise they can cancel your service.

Thanks for all the input, now the question I guess becomes Iphone vs. Android lol.

BTW I'm currently with Verizon, have been very happy, but recently broke my phone screen. I can make calls and receive calls but I have no idea who's calling, and can't use my address book. Since there are no Verizon vendors here I must get a new phone with a service provider in Alaska

[gobrien]

Yeah I knew someone on Tmobile who got cancelled for excessive roaming. Phone providers get billed for that by the various companies who support the roaming.

[RedJacket]

Originally Posted by gobrien

You are correct, their nationwide plan says there are no roaming charges if you go to another state. By the way, AT&T isn't going to have the iphone as a monopoly forever, there is a time limit to the deal but I don't know when it expires.

It was supposed to expire this year but that's probably not going to happen. More likely in 2011. That'll give AT&T more time to try and improve their lousy networks -- which are certainly inferior to that of Verizon.

[richelles]

Originally Posted by quakinator

BTW I'm currently with Verizon, have been very happy, but recently broke my phone screen. I can make calls and receive calls but I have no idea who's calling, and can't use my address book. Since there are no Verizon vendors here I must get a new phone with a service provider in Alaska

You can still stay with Verizon here in Alaska. When I moved up here I talked to a VP at Verizon and asked about keeping my Verizon phone up here although I was past the contract and on month to month basis. I was told we want to keep you and we have a contract with ACS which has a contract with us here in the lower 48 where we provide their service so you'll have the same service here as up there. The problem is they can't activate your new phone up here but you can have it activated by someone else in the lower 48 and they can send it to you. Next week we'll be in LA for a few days and since the batteries on our phones are going away, and I've worn the paint off mine carrying it in my pocket, we'll pick up new phones, of our choice, and have them activated there. We are still on our original plan but the new plan we'll go on is actually cheaper than the one we now have so free phones, unlimited minutes, and the same service means we stay with Verizon. I don't have dropped calls here in Anchorage and had service most of the way to Homer and in Kodiak so Verizon does the same as the carriers here.

[warptman]

Whatever you do, don't get GCI!