Verizon and AT&T are swapping customers in Upstate New York, Vermont, and the south. Current Unicel customers in Vermont and Upstate New York will move automatically to AT&T which will establish a presence in the region for the first time. When Verizon wound up owning Unicel last year, its GSM subscribers stood out from the CDMA subscribers of the rest of the Verizon network (which, apparently, is why they never merged them). Because AT&T is GSM, it's happy to have the Unicel customers; the other half of the swap apparently is the reverse transaction, with Verizon picking up some CDMA customers that Rural Cellular (Unicel's parent) had lying about.
Those of us with iPhones who live in the North Country have had to be very careful not to use them excessively. Although AT&T doesn't charge roaming fees, like many other companies it will close your account if you use too many roaming minutes ("too many" apparently is more than 50%, but it's not specified anywhere that I can find). My iPhone gets a perfectly good signal in Plattsburgh, but it's the Unicel signal, and so I haven't used it much. That's why I have two cell phones--one for use when I'm away from home (the iPhone), and one for here.
There's been a little coverage of this deal, but mostly just reports that it would happen "mid-year." I walked into the Unicel store in Plattsburgh a few weeks ago and asked the point-blank what was happening. They said that on June 2, they would become an AT&T store, so that seemed confirmation enough.
Because it really irks me to be paying two bills and forced to use the clunky Treo 650 from Sprint (that, in all fairness, I once thought was state-of-the-art), I've been trying to find out more. (I also am really annoyed that Sprint charges me for each text message, and in order to get a better deal, I have to sign a new contract, which makes no sense because I'm dropping the service momentarily.) And I have found more information--no thanks to the local media. (I guess that's why the good lord invented blogs and bloggers...)
If you check the AT&T coverage map (it seems to be updated at the end of each month), you'll see that AT&T is now showing coverage at the Plattsburgh airport, up in Chazy, and down in Peru. Apparently, these were areas of poor reception in the Unicel network, so it made sense for AT&T to beef them up.
I wondered if the airport signal was close enough for me to pick it up, so I made a test call a few weeks ago. The next day, I called AT&T and asked them if they saw a roaming call the previous day, and they didn't. The woman I spoke to said she showed three towers near my home that were AT&T.
Back to the map--no change. Although it seemed old--the map date was 3/31--Plattsburgh was clearly not covered by AT&T. Today, the 4/30 map appeared, and it clearly shows AT&T service in Plattsburgh. So between the test call and confirmation from AT&T and the map, it seems that indeed we have non-roaming service.
The only thing we don't have yet is number portability. My guess is that when the Unicel store becomes an AT&T store on June 2, I'll be able to move my existing phone # from Sprint to AT&T, and all will be well.
And for anyone else with an iPhone in the new AT&T coverage region, my suggestion is that you do the same thing I did. Make a test call, wait a day for the records to update, and then confirm with AT&T that it was not a roaming call. If not, you can cancel your other cell phone, but you'll have to wait (probably until June 2) if you want to port that number over to your iPhone.
Wouldn't it be nice to have local media coverage of technology? Or do we bloggers have to do it?
P.S. This appears to be a Plattsburgh story. The Burlington area on the 4/30 map does not show AT&T coverage, so maybe they're implementing it gradually. If someone from Vermont has more info, feel free to comment on this post.
Verizon and AT&T are swapping customers in Upstate New York, Vermont, and the south. Current Unicel customers in Vermont and Upstate New York will move automatically to AT&T which will establish a presence in the region for the first time. When Verizon wound up owning Unicel last year, its GSM subscribers stood out from the CDMA subscribers of the rest of the Verizon network (which, apparently, is why they never merged them). Because AT&T is GSM, it's happy to have the Unicel customers; the other half of the swap apparently is the reverse transaction, with Verizon picking up some CDMA customers that Rural Cellular (Unicel's parent) had lying about.
Those of us with iPhones who live in the North Country have had to be very careful not to use them excessively. Although AT&T doesn't charge roaming fees, like many other companies it will close your account if you use too many roaming minutes ("too many" apparently is more than 50%, but it's not specified anywhere that I can find). My iPhone gets a perfectly good signal in Plattsburgh, but it's the Unicel signal, and so I haven't used it much. That's why I have two cell phones--one for use when I'm away from home (the iPhone), and one for here.
There's been a little coverage of this deal, but mostly just reports that it would happen "mid-year." I walked into the Unicel store in Plattsburgh a few weeks ago and asked the point-blank what was happening. They said that on June 2, they would become an AT&T store, so that seemed confirmation enough.
Because it really irks me to be paying two bills and forced to use the clunky Treo 650 from Sprint (that, in all fairness, I once thought was state-of-the-art), I've been trying to find out more. (I also am really annoyed that Sprint charges me for each text message, and in order to get a better deal, I have to sign a new contract, which makes no sense because I'm dropping the service momentarily.) And I have found more information--no thanks to the local media. (I guess that's why the good lord invented blogs and bloggers...)
If you check the AT&T coverage map (it seems to be updated at the end of each month), you'll see that AT&T is now showing coverage at the Plattsburgh airport, up in Chazy, and down in Peru. Apparently, these were areas of poor reception in the Unicel network, so it made sense for AT&T to beef them up.
I wondered if the airport signal was close enough for me to pick it up, so I made a test call a few weeks ago. The next day, I called AT&T and asked them if they saw a roaming call the previous day, and they didn't. The woman I spoke to said she showed three towers near my home that were AT&T.
Back to the map--no change. Although it seemed old--the map date was 3/31--Plattsburgh was clearly not covered by AT&T. Today, the 4/30 map appeared, and it clearly shows AT&T service in Plattsburgh. So between the test call and confirmation from AT&T and the map, it seems that indeed we have non-roaming service.
The only thing we don't have yet is number portability. My guess is that when the Unicel store becomes an AT&T store on June 2, I'll be able to move my existing phone # from Sprint to AT&T, and all will be well.
And for anyone else with an iPhone in the new AT&T coverage region, my suggestion is that you do the same thing I did. Make a test call, wait a day for the records to update, and then confirm with AT&T that it was not a roaming call. If not, you can cancel your other cell phone, but you'll have to wait (probably until June 2) if you want to port that number over to your iPhone.
Wouldn't it be nice to have local media coverage of technology? Or do we bloggers have to do it?
P.S. This appears to be a Plattsburgh story. The Burlington area on the 4/30 map does not show AT&T coverage, so maybe they're implementing it gradually. If someone from Vermont has more info, feel free to comment on this post.
Those of us with iPhones who live in the North Country have had to be very careful not to use them excessively. Although AT&T doesn't charge roaming fees, like many other companies it will close your account if you use too many roaming minutes ("too many" apparently is more than 50%, but it's not specified anywhere that I can find). My iPhone gets a perfectly good signal in Plattsburgh, but it's the Unicel signal, and so I haven't used it much. That's why I have two cell phones--one for use when I'm away from home (the iPhone), and one for here.
There's been a little coverage of this deal, but mostly just reports that it would happen "mid-year." I walked into the Unicel store in Plattsburgh a few weeks ago and asked the point-blank what was happening. They said that on June 2, they would become an AT&T store, so that seemed confirmation enough.
Because it really irks me to be paying two bills and forced to use the clunky Treo 650 from Sprint (that, in all fairness, I once thought was state-of-the-art), I've been trying to find out more. (I also am really annoyed that Sprint charges me for each text message, and in order to get a better deal, I have to sign a new contract, which makes no sense because I'm dropping the service momentarily.) And I have found more information--no thanks to the local media. (I guess that's why the good lord invented blogs and bloggers...)
If you check the AT&T coverage map (it seems to be updated at the end of each month), you'll see that AT&T is now showing coverage at the Plattsburgh airport, up in Chazy, and down in Peru. Apparently, these were areas of poor reception in the Unicel network, so it made sense for AT&T to beef them up.
I wondered if the airport signal was close enough for me to pick it up, so I made a test call a few weeks ago. The next day, I called AT&T and asked them if they saw a roaming call the previous day, and they didn't. The woman I spoke to said she showed three towers near my home that were AT&T.
Back to the map--no change. Although it seemed old--the map date was 3/31--Plattsburgh was clearly not covered by AT&T. Today, the 4/30 map appeared, and it clearly shows AT&T service in Plattsburgh. So between the test call and confirmation from AT&T and the map, it seems that indeed we have non-roaming service.
The only thing we don't have yet is number portability. My guess is that when the Unicel store becomes an AT&T store on June 2, I'll be able to move my existing phone # from Sprint to AT&T, and all will be well.
And for anyone else with an iPhone in the new AT&T coverage region, my suggestion is that you do the same thing I did. Make a test call, wait a day for the records to update, and then confirm with AT&T that it was not a roaming call. If not, you can cancel your other cell phone, but you'll have to wait (probably until June 2) if you want to port that number over to your iPhone.
Wouldn't it be nice to have local media coverage of technology? Or do we bloggers have to do it?
P.S. This appears to be a Plattsburgh story. The Burlington area on the 4/30 map does not show AT&T coverage, so maybe they're implementing it gradually. If someone from Vermont has more info, feel free to comment on this post.
posted by Jesse at
5/24/2008
20 Comments:
i haven't been able to find out any information about this since this blog entry. does anyone know if, in fact, at&t has gotten unicel vermont?
We're trying to track down when the decision will be made. It's already 237 days into the process--the FTC goal is 180 days.
The AT&T coverage map remains a tantalizing piece of information. Alas, no update on Vermont.
Jesse
When you go online to att.com/wireless, there is a place where the user can input the zip code. I get this message: "We are expanding our coverage every day but unfortunately this is one of the few areas we haven't reached yet. Please check back soon. If you think you may have entered the wrong ZIP, please re-enter and try again." This is the page where you select a zip code for setting up a plan. On the map page, I see the coverage that others have spoken about
It's quite a mystery-- The ZIP code search behaves as you describe (and apparently their center point of the ZIP code is wrong). But street addresses and the map show coverage.
Wouldn't it be wonderful if AT&T clarified this?
I spoke to a Unicel employee (Burlington, VT) this week (6/05?08) and the deal is still moving forward, but no dates for converting each retail store to AT&T yet. I'm very anxious to move from Verizon to AT&T (Unicel) so I can buy the latest iPhone...... finally.
The main delay in Vermont is that AT&T didn't have a business precence at all in VT so it takes a little longer than in NY where they had existing business and they were just expanding.
I am very anxious to get the new iPhone
Did that unicel store in Plattsburg switch to ATT? Now that you need to activate the new iphone at the retail location, we will have to hold our breath a little longer!
-BTV
Unicel/Plattsburgh is still Unicel/Plattsburgh. But the good news (see post from yesterday) is that the new 3G iPhone is due on July 11 for $199/$299. Maybe the Unicel conversion will happen by then. In any event, existing iPhones are pretty scarce, and given the price drop, it's probably worth the wait.
I'm confused.
I'm hoping to purchase the new iphone 3G in August and went to the Unicel store by the Champlain Center Mall in Plattsburgh on June 8th. They stated that next month some more transactions regarding the Verizon takeover will be finalized, and that they HOPE sometime in the next 6 months after that AT&T will take over their store, but it could be up to a year and a half.
I currently have Unicel and have not picked up any AT&T signals in the area.
I'm just curious which store you spoke with, because I have also visited the Radioshack inside Champlain Center (Which, for those of you who are unaware, offers Unicel and Sprint phone service) and they said that the changeover is not expected for "a few months".
I am very eager to make the switch to the new iphone, and would be interested in any more information you might have.
I have visited the Plattsburgh Unicel office numerous times and have been told the same July dates are gonna yield more light. I am hoping that by then they will have more info. I want to buy an iPhone but am gonna wait till the new 3G version comes out. I just finished my contract and have all the reason to switch to ATT whenever I want to on my own. If I hear more I will post here.
We're all reading tea leaves here--the most charitable interpretation is that everyone is waiting on the FCC to rule. Here's all that I know for certain:
1. The AT&T Coverage viewer on their Web site clearly shows service in Plattsburgh. Based on where it shows strong/medium signals, it looks as if their main cell is somewhere on or near the Verizon tower on Oak/Cornelia.
2. 12901 (Plattsburgh) is not an AT&T coverage area. If you search by ZIP code, you will be told there is no service. If you search by an address in the city, you will find service. This may be related to the fact that the center of 12901 on their coverage map is somewhere down in the Peru area.
3. Several months ago, they clearly showed coverage at the new airport (old Air Force Base) and that definitely still exists.
4. The suggestion that something will happen in July is consistent with the July 11 roll-out of the new iPhone...but we'll see.
All we can do is keep sharing information here.
Some news in the Burlington Free Press this morning. Apparently the Unicel/Verizon deal has cleared another hurdle. The ATT purchase was not played up in the article.
Thanks beemer for the update. The article is at http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008806110302.
Michael, Please note that the current Unicel GSM network does not support 3G. That said, apple no longer offers a non-3G phone...
I will be in the same boat. I do travel a lot so I will be able to take advantage of 3G when I am not in VT. ATT should roll 3G out at some point. Don't hold your breath though.
I was talking to a friend about the At&t deal, and I was told about the mapping information. He said he has done everything that we all have done. He looked at the map and noticed Plattsburgh was now covered, but the zip code was not comming up anything. The thing I was surprised about was that he called At&t about the issue and they told him that they would be happy to sell him a phone. It sounds to me that either At&t is ready to sell to Plattsburgh or they can only sell online at the moment. I am not sure. I though I would blog it here, and will be soon on my own blog I started.
Thanks Michael. My guess is that we're in the twilight zone until at least July 11 (when the new iPhone goes on sale).
Part of the confusion may stem from the fact that AT&T according to their coverage map does cover Plattsburgh. But Plattsburgh is not ZIP code 12901--that ZIP code goes south to Peru and up to Beekmantown.
If you key in a street address, you'll see coverage. But if you key in the ZIP code, they'll decline. When I had a very lengthy conversation with them, they said they only dispensed and ported numbers for a ZIP code.
Keep any postings coming--we'll get to the bottom of this yet.
By the way, the FCC log of the Unicel/Verizon transaction has not been updated for 6 weeks now, and the timeline of events has never been updated. I've had a call into the contact for 2 weeks now. I'm allowing for the possibility of vacation, but if I don't hear early this week, I'll try to go through the FCC bureaucracy.
I found this comment on mobileburn.
The reference is
http://www.mobileburn.com/news.jsp?Id=4765
DOJ Sues Verizon to Force Sale of Assets in Pending Unicell Acquisition
News by Michael Oryl on Tuesday June 10, 2008.
The U.S. Department of Justice is requiring that Verizon Wireless sell off some of its mobile network assets before it can complete its planned acquisition of Rural Cellular Corp., which markets itself under the Unicell brand. The DOJ filed suit against Verizon demanding that it divest itself of certain network infrastructure assets in Vermont, New York, and Washington state where Verizon and Unicell overlap significantly.
Similar demands are expected to be placed upon Verizon's recently announced plan to buy Alltel Wireless, though none have be made so far.
Thanks for posting the article. In the blog post here on 6/16/2008, there's a link to the proposed settlement of that suite (it's the final judgment document). They agree to the objections and, if the court accepts it, that should end the lawsuit and clear the way for FCC approval.
Is there any update in VT on the unicel transaction. I recently moved to NC and still have my Unicel phone because of the contract. They are chargine me almost double because I do not use the antenas of unicel in VT even though I have a national plan and still own a home in VT. Unicel does not own any territories down here but verizon and AT&T do. So I am hoping to jump out of my contract when the sale goes through. Please keep me up dated.
I'm still waiting for iphone!! Why is it that Vermont is written off as "not important" I mean we DO HAVE ben and Jerry's so why can't we have our iphones?!!! Ya i love at& t's commericals stating that they are the largest cell phone carriers... I just want to smash the TV when I see that. I dont want to pay 500 bucks for an ipod touch when you can get an iphone for 200. I bet Verizon is going to hog all of Vermont. I havent heard a thing about the unicel/at&t thing.... oh well I guess I have to move to boston just to get an iphone :(
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