"Partner" Coverage?

[hotwire132002]

I'm located in northern Michigan (currently using Alltel), where AT&T shows "Partner" coverage... which II assume) means I'd be using another company's towers.

I figure this means crappy coverage, and therefore no iPhone... but I was just curious to see if anyone might, for some reason or another, have any experience with AT&T's Partner coverage? Keep in mind that, in my case, I'd be using Partner coverage 99% of the time, as that's all that's available in pretty much all of northern Michigan.

Thanks for any insight!

 

[yg17]

Partner coverage = roaming.

Cingular's got some policy where if you spend more than 50% of your minutes roaming on someone else's towers for a couple months, they'll drop you. Costs them too much money.

 

[hotwire132002]

I suspected something to that extent... no iPhone for me. *sigh*

 

[jsnuff1]

Yea im in the same boat. Carrier's coverage maps that show these "partner coverage" areas is the biggest load of ******** and deceit I have seen out of any company. They shows these areas as haveing "coverage" but if you use more than 50% of airtime in these areas for three months cingular will boot you.

 

[yg17]

Yea im in the same boat. Carrier's coverage maps that show these "partner coverage" areas is the biggest load of ******** and deceit I have seen out of any company. They shows these areas as haveing "coverage" but if you use more than 50% of airtime in these areas for three months cingular will boot you.

how is it a load of ******** and deceptive? Those areas DO have GSM coverage that you can use. It's clearly labeled as "partner coverage" and I'm sure if you actually read the contract that you'd sign (I know reading things before signing them is such a hard concept to grasp, just ask Paris Hilton), it mentions the 50% rule. Roaming isn't meant for permanent residence and use...it's meant for people who have Cingular (and native coverage at home) and are traveling to an area without native Cingular coverage so they can use their cell phone for the short time they're there. I'm sure all carriers have something like the 50% rule. Roaming isn't cheap and on most carriers, Cingular included, you don't pay a dime for roaming within the US. The carrier foots the bill. If they're not making any money off you, of course they'll give you the boot.

I'm not one to defend Cingular. If you've seen any of my past posts in the iPhone forum, you know that. They are the worst cellular company, in terms of call quality, dropped calls and customer service that I've ever had the misfortune of dealing with, and I'd go without a cell phone before going back to them, but to call this practice which all carriers do ******** and deceptive is just plain wrong. If you really want to see something coming from Cingular that's ******** and deceptive, just watch one of their "fewest dropped calls" commercials

 

[MacNut]

All carriers charge a roaming fee. I will either go with my native service or nothing. I don't roam off the network, if I lose coverage I just don't have service.

 

[yg17]

All carriers charge a roaming fee. I will either go with my native service or nothing. I don't roam off the network, if I lose coverage I just don't have service.

Exactly. And on almost all carriers, the customer doesn't pay that fee, the carrier does. So if you spend 50% of your minutes roaming, they're losing money on you.

 

[jsnuff1]

how is it a load of ******** and deceptive? Those areas DO have GSM coverage that you can use. It's clearly labeled as "partner coverage" and I'm sure if you actually read the contract that you'd sign (I know reading things before signing them is such a hard concept to grasp, just ask Paris Hilton), it mentions the 50% rule. Roaming isn't meant for permanent residence and use...it's meant for people who have Cingular (and native coverage at home) and are traveling to an area without native Cingular coverage so they can use their cell phone for the short time they're there. I'm sure all carriers have something like the 50% rule. Roaming isn't cheap and on most carriers, Cingular included, you don't pay a dime for roaming within the US. The carrier foots the bill. If they're not making any money off you, of course they'll give you the boot.

I'm not one to defend Cingular. If you've seen any of my past posts in the iPhone forum, you know that. They are the worst cellular company, in terms of call quality, dropped calls and customer service that I've ever had the misfortune of dealing with, and I'd go without a cell phone before going back to them, but to call this practice which all carriers do ******** and deceptive is just plain wrong. If you really want to see something coming from Cingular that's ******** and deceptive, just watch one of their "fewest dropped calls" commercials

Live in an area where cingular has "partner coverage" go into a cingular store and ask about the coverage in your area and ill tell you how its a load of ******** and deceptive. They not even ONCE mentioned anything about the 50% rule, i read it myself in the contract (GASP yes i read the contract).

If a carrier displays certain areas as having service I dont care what kind of service it is I expect to use it whenever and as long as I want. I dont give a rats ass if they are losing money , the customer should not get booted because the carrier decided to use some other companies towers in order to make it seem like they have more coverage. All carries suck and I love how it Apple is at least making things for the better with one of them.

 

[feelthefire]

That rule only applies to the first three months of the contract. And if you read the terms of service, your partner network usage is limited to 750 minutes or 40% of your minute allowance, whichever number is smaller. If after the first three months you're on a partner network full time, they won't boot you. I know tons of people who have standing cingular contracts in an area where coverage is partner based and they have no problems with getting booted from contracts.