Alltel About To Cancel My Service Due To Voice Roaming?!

[fraydog]

Kyle, have you considered getting a StraightTalk SIM and popping it into a GSM phone? That seems like the best deal going right now, IMO.

[KyleMelissa22]

Kyle, have you considered getting a StraightTalk SIM and popping it into a GSM phone? That seems like the best deal going right now, IMO.

I don't plan on getting a GSM phone of any sort, I'm so used to my CDMA phones and network and wouldn't give that up, especially in my area. I wanna remain on the Verizon/Alltel network as much as I can. If Alltel gives me any more trouble I'll wanna transfer completely to Straight Talk CDMA on all lines, even if it is more $$$.

I have until March 4th with my old Alltel number on Straight Talk. After that I'll try to port the old number back to Alltel, or I may prolong that an extra month. For now I have 2 phones, 1 ST & 1 Alltel, but soon I will be back to one. I hope I'm able to port back otherwise I may just keep the new number.

[Billradio]

Alltel has been reluctant to show their own coverage. There is a map of where they offer service:
http://www.cellularmaps.com/alltel_divest.shtml

And a map of the old Alltel coverage;
http://www.cellularmaps.com/at/at_ww.shtml

In Alltel's defense, they are trying to do a lot with a lot fewer people. Like other small carriers, they are facing shrinking retail customer numbers, but unlike other carriers, they stand a good chance of expanding their wholesale income as we use more data.

Is there a coverage map of their actual native coverage area?

[fraydog]

Alltel has been reluctant to show their own coverage. There is a map of where they offer service:
http://www.cellularmaps.com/alltel_divest.shtml

And a map of the old Alltel coverage;
http://www.cellularmaps.com/at/at_ww.shtml

In Alltel's defense, they are trying to do a lot with a lot fewer people. Like other small carriers, they are facing shrinking retail customer numbers, but unlike other carriers, they stand a good chance of expanding their wholesale income as we use more data.

They probably make nice bank in my area with selling GSM roaming to AT&T and T-Mobile.

I wonder how Alltel's numbers would be different if they deployed HSPA+? It would be a nice differentiator and they could at least offer better phones as a result of being in the global GSM ecosystem. If Alltel had HSPA+ 850 with HSPA+ roaming on AT&T I would consider them. Offer global, non-bloatwared devices like the ones sold by the Canadian carriers, then they'd be in a better position. Also, with HSPA+, they would be in a better spectrum position as they don't have much greenfield spectrum for LTE. Their network could evolve and adjust much better.

Looking at the old final coverage map for Alltel makes me tremble at rage at Sprint. That idiot Forsee...

[music4praise]

..... Looking at the old final coverage map for Alltel makes me tremble at rage at Sprint. That idiot Forsee...

This comment caught my curiosity. Could you please elaborate? Thanks.

[fraydog]

This comment caught my curiosity. Could you please elaborate? Thanks.

Sprint had multiple chances to buy Alltel from the Ford family, instead they opted for Nextel... This horse has been beaten many times on the Sprint forums.

[Evan702]

Alltel has been reluctant to show their own coverage. There is a map of where they offer service:
http://www.cellularmaps.com/alltel_divest.shtml

And a map of the old Alltel coverage;
http://www.cellularmaps.com/at/at_ww.shtml

Wow, I guess I didn't realize that their coverage had gotten that sparse. Seems like I recall a carrier, Choice Wireless that operated in rural Nevada which I thought was a part of ATN/Alltel. Map seems to indicate otherwise though.

Sprint had multiple chances to buy Alltel from the Ford family, instead they opted for Nextel... This horse has been beaten many times on the Sprint forums.

That's bad I suppose, but what's worse is that even after the Sprint/Nextel merger, Scott Ford supposedly tried to combine Alltel with Sprint-Nextel and was turned away each time. Such a pairing would have given American consumers a viable third option to at&t and Verizon.

[shango6]

I just let them terminate the line and didnt port out. They let it run 2 weeks longer than they said. The line is gone out of my account and I wasnt billed for the last month. No equiptment refund was given, I was not under contract anyway.

[pltctytc]

go to page plus cellular
prepaid using the verizon network

Well I just got a message from Alltel this morning about a "wireless data card."
I don't have a phone or wireless device with data capabilities of any kind with my Alltel service.

So I called the number they told me to call 1-877-573-4199 and select option 3.

A lady answered after 5 minutes on hold
(and a loop every 10 seconds saying my call will be answered ASAP).

I told the lady how I don't have any Wireless Data, never did (I don't even have text)
and I think the call was in error. She put me on hold to check.

After a few minutes she asked me if I ever moved from my home address.
I said no, I've lived at the same address for 7 years now,
and I've been an Alltel customer for 6 of those years.

She asked me if I've made any trips outside my coverage area recently.
I said no, but I sometimes travel not far to neighboring Spartanburg County SC (used to be native Alltel)
but I still reside in Gaffney, which stayed Alltel. I live about 5 miles from the county line.
She put me on hold to check her info again.

After another 5 minutes she informed me that I live in a "fringe area" and that
Alltel can not continue to provide service to (just) my line,
the other 2 lines are not affected and one of those is even under contract.
She said I have until February 6th to "find another provider to port my number to."

Now here's where I have a problem. I've been with Alltel happily for....6 years,
and I've always paid my bill on time, they've never had any problems
with me using my phone a lot, and now they do. I've actually been using my phone alot less
than this time last year, from like 10,000 minutes a month to about 4,000.
They never said anything when I was using my phone over 10,000 minutes
almost every month in 2006-2011. Most of those months were about 30-50% roaming.

I do not want to give them up, I like my service and have stayed with them,
loyally, even through the uncertainty with the merger

Since the other 2 lines are not affected it sounds like I can just add a line on my account
(with a different number) and keep my Alltel service. Though I don't really wanna change my number,
I may have to if I wanna stay with them. Still makes no sense of the sudden turning on the customer.

I have an LG AX4270 phone, it is not capable of data or pix, and text is disabled, I only use it to talk.
I'm gonna head to the Alltel store in Gaffney today directly to see if I could straighten any of this out.
I really cannot believe they could just flip on a loyal customer (with the same phone even) for 6 years.

[KyleMelissa22]

I put in a port request to Alltel to move my old Alltel number
(which I moved to Straight Talk in early February) right back to Alltel.
It took 5 days, but the number port from Straight talk to Alltel is
finally complete. Everything is as it was, same number (MDN)
and the same MIN/phone as before. No mention from them about my
former excessive roaming situation, even from the Offline Department,
they helped me finish/complete the port today.
I get another chance, and I got $209.99 for all their trouble.
This time I won't leave my phone on Verizon at home,
and the $500 MaximumSignal amplifier on my house helps even more.

[music4praise]

I'm glad to hear things turned out the way you hoped they would.