How dependable is your cell phone service?

[Serenoa]

One thing that I've never seen discussed here in many threads concerning cell phone service is how good is your cell service going to be if there is ever a prolonged (several days) power outage. As I'm sure most of you know most cell tower sites consist of a single tower with antennas mounted at different levels for multiple carriers ie, Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, etc. and each with their corresponding radio equipment on the ground around the tower on either a concrete pad or in an enclosed shelter. In addition to the radio cabinets, most of the major carriers (those listed above) have a battery cabinet that will provide a few hours of back-up power in case of a power outage that will keep their antennas & equipment functioning, but again, for only a few hours. After that time period, the antennas & radio cabinets for that carrier will go "down", resulting in dropped calls for any phones communicating with that cell site. To alleviate this potential problem some of the major carriers have, in addition to the battery cabinets, either diesel or LP powered back-up generators with an ATS (automatic transfer switch) at their cell sites that will provide several DAYS of instantaneous back-up power. And as long as the LP gas or diesel tanks are replenished the cell site for that particular carrier will remain "up" & running until normal power is restored. In Florida Verizon has these back-up generators at the vast majority of it's cell sites and is adding more all the time. AT&T has a small percentage; Sprint & T-Moble virtually none. And the small, small carriers such as Metro PCS have NO emergency backup whatsoever. Also Verizon & AT&T use the locked, enclosed climate-controlled equipment shelters at most of their sites which protects the expensive radio cabinets from the elements as well as vandalism, etc. The other carriers put their equipment out on concrete slabs, exposed to everything.

What I'm trying to get across here is that, like a lot of services, you get what you pay for. The smaller carriers may be cheaper & seem like a bargain, but the service provided by the bigger ones (especially Verizon) is far, far superior & much more dependable. Just something to consider when price shopping. And just for the record: I don't work directly for Verizon, AT&T or any other cell carrier.

[njbchbum]

Serona - Ya know what? After Super Storm Sandy, having spent 8 days without heat, having to make a daily run to the emergency services location for ice and water, a run to the rare open gas station every other day to wait in line for gas for the generator, no television, cable service, cell phone service, lights, newspaper and having to heat pots of water on the stove to warm the house downstairs...not having cell phone service for a few days is no big deal! We were gald we had city water rather than well water because our toilets flushed but folks with a well pump did not share that luxury!

We had no fear of needing emergency services for medical or other reason because we have lived long enough to know that landline telephone service is a must! After Sandy our house was the place friends who had only cell phones [or triple play cable plans with phone service] came to use a phone because we had the old phone that plugged into a wall jack and did not require electricity to work! That telephone jack also enabled me to connect my laptop to a dial-up internet service [and the outside world] which I maintain for emergency and travel purposes where my regular service might not be available!

[Serenoa]

Serona - Ya know what? After Super Storm Sandy, having spent 8 days without heat, having to make a daily run to the emergency services location for ice and water, a run to the rare open gas station every other day to wait in line for gas for the generator, no television, cable service, cell phone service, lights, newspaper and having to heat pots of water on the stove to warm the house downstairs...not having cell phone service for a few days is no big deal! We were gald we had city water rather than well water because our toilets flushed but folks with a well pump did not share that luxury!

We had no fear of needing emergency services for medical or other reason because we have lived long enough to know that landline telephone service is a must! After Sandy our house was the place friends who had only cell phones [or triple play cable plans with phone service] came to use a phone because we had the old phone that plugged into a wall jack and did not require electricity to work! That telephone jack also enabled me to connect my laptop to a dial-up internet service [and the outside world] which I maintain for emergency and travel purposes where my regular service might not be available!

So nice of you to provide phone connections for others without a land line in that time of emergency. I guess my post was directed at those that have to rely on only their cell phone for connection to the outside world. Even considering the age demographics of TV residents I would bet that the majority do not have land lines anymore. I was merely pointing out that when deciding on what carrier to use there is much more to consider than price.

Have a great day in TV. Wish we were there already.

[2BNTV]

I feel more comfortable with a land-line but in case I lose power for any extended period of time, I have my Verizon cell phone.

No problems with power loss and or cell phone coverage. I believe Verizon has the most towers, that span the USA. been with Verizon for 10 years and never had a problem.

Your right in that you get what you pay for. Buy it nice, or buy it twice. :D

[thelegges]

Sprint home cell bring it with us

[njbchbum]

So nice of you to provide phone connections for others without a land line in that time of emergency. I guess my post was directed at those that have to rely on only their cell phone for connection to the outside world. Even considering the age demographics of TV residents I would bet that the majority do not have land lines anymore. I was merely pointing out that when deciding on what carrier to use there is much more to consider than price.

Have a great day in TV. Wish we were there already.

Yes, there is a lot to consider when purchasing cell phone service...but my point was that no matter what - nothing beats the old fashioned landline service as a back-up to modern technology. Basic landline service for local calls only is not that expensive when considering the age of many in TV who might need to make that emergency call.

You have a great day, too! We are still in our Jersey Shore nest and enjoying one of the 10 best days of the summer! It has been a great summer with mild temps and low humidity! And next weekend the tourists will depart and us locals get to take back our beaches and restaurants! Just like TV - we love to see our seasonal friends return - and we like to see them go home, too! ;)

[Serenoa]

Yes, there is a lot to consider when purchasing cell phone service...but my point was that no matter what - nothing beats the old fashioned landline service as a back-up to modern technology.

(quote edited by me, Serenoa)

You're right, nothing beats old land line service.......but that only works if you are at home next to that land line phone. And using your land line to call a friend, a neighbor or a loved one who only has a cell phone number will only work if the cell network is up & running, because eventually your land line will need to connect with a cell site to complete the call via copper line, fiber optic line, or by microwave. Once again my point is, it's good to know you have reliable cell service when you have to depend on that cell phone for a means of communication. And the best service is provided by the companies that have the most invested in their nationwide network.

[njbchbum]

(quote edited by me, Serenoa)

You're right, nothing beats old land line service.......but that only works if you are at home next to that land line phone. And using your land line to call a friend, a neighbor or a loved one who only has a cell phone number will only work if the cell network is up & running, because eventually your land line will need to connect with a cell site to complete the call via copper line, fiber optic line, or by microwave. Once again my point is, it's good to know you have reliable cell service when you have to depend on that cell phone for a means of communication. And the best service is provided by the companies that have the most invested in their nationwide network.

Not debating further - off to enjoy a great day! Ciao!

[Serenoa]

Sprint home cell bring it with us

which will be useless if the nearest Sprint sites that it communicates with are "down" with no power.

[Serenoa]

Not debating further - off to enjoy a great day! Ciao!

didn't know we were "debating". I was only trying to inform cell phone users of something they probably were not aware of: that some wireless providers have back-up contingencies for emergency times, while most don't which will leave their subscribers w/o service. You get what you pay for.

[sailor47]

This is a lot of jiberish about nothin. If cell phone towers go down for a few hours or days probably the last thing we will need to worry about is a missed call. I cannot believe how dependent people have become on calling for help instead of dealing with issue and taking care of their own needs.

What is the point of the original post? What? You might not be able to talk to someone on the cell for a few hours? In this area if a serious disaster occurs the local emergency services including home watch will litereally be patroling the streets offering assistance.

So IMO buy that lower cost service provicer that can save over a hundred dollars per month. I do and over the past few years I have banked hundereds of dollars in my emergency fund.

[thelegges]

which will be useless if the nearest Sprint sites that it communicates with are "down" with no power.

So I go to my car and use on star. Had wind sheer come thru lost our land line, cells not working, but on star made calls for us while we tried to get out of our sub with over 100 trees across roads and in driveways. So even your land line due to lines and poles down won't help you

[elbear]

I understand what you are saying but also that some will try to protect themselves from every contingency. When the power grid went down several years ago, nothing worked,even the pay phones in our hotel. We gave up our landline in 2002 for VoIP (viatalk.com) because it was less than $100 a year and every so often they threw in a free year. It has worked for us and we so far have not missed the landline but that time traveling when the grid went out was enlightening and we felt vulnerable at first. We were in Toronto for a wedding and it was amazing as everyone began pulling together some directing traffic, some helping seniors, some making sandwiches and so on. For us, we use T Mobile for a cell which we rarely use but you have added something for us to consider - thanks.

[DCPassehl]

We have VERIZON cell phones and the service is very undependable with lots of dropped calls. We are south of 466A in SANIBEL and on a good day I only have one bar. There obviously is not adequate tower coverage for the new area of The Villages. I am curious as to how good coverage is north of 466A and north of 466. Those of you that live there and have VERIZON; HOW GOOD IS YOUR COVERAGE (How many bars are lit on your phone signal strength indicator?????????