Wireless Carriers Starting To Reveal Dead Spots
from the took-'em-long-enough dept
For years, consumer groups (and some politicians) have been pushing wireless carriers in the US to open up their coverage maps. The carriers all know where their dead spots are, but on their websites, they show maps that simply suggest there's full coverage in whatever area they have towers. The carriers have resisted saying where the dead spots are, for fear of turning away customers and because they say that they're constantly improving, so those maps go out of date very quickly. Of course, the fear over scaring off customers is silly -- because a customer who buys a new phone (with a locked in contract) and then finds out his home is in a dead spot isn't going to be the best advertising for the carrier. In fact, they're going to be some of the worst negative advertising around. While some "mobile phone customer bill of rights" laws have been forcing carriers to either show maps or give people the right to cancel a plan if there's no coverage, it looks like some of the carriers are starting to open up and provide the maps themselves. T-Mobile and Cingular are apparently the first, but if the others see that the two companies don't whither up and die, they are likely to follow. It certainly took them long enough to be honest with their customers.
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No links?
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Drawing dead
Of course, I didn't plan on getting a wireline when I moved in, because I always just used my cell phone to make calls. Now, thanks to the mortgage, I don't have enough wiggle room in my budget to add a basic wireline. There are ways around this dilemma, I know, but it's really a pain in the arse...
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Re: No links?
Here is a link to an open Cingular directory I found that has all of their maps:
http://onlinestore.cingular.com/html/Maps/
You can find maps for national and local calling plans.
Look quickly, they might not intend for this directory to be open!
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Re: No links?
http://www.montereyherald.com/mld/montereyherald/business/9779694.htm
It says that the reporter had to go into one of the company's stores to see the so-called micromaps.
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no micromaps at Cingular or T-mobile yet
I agree, either shenanigans or BS!
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