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Any update on Bay Area, CA Rollout of GSM??

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Posted by: ethune

T-mobiles plans look mighty attractive, but early feedback is that the service is not improved over cingular at all. I don't mind paying more for a service that works, but when is it going to be here???


Eric


Posted by: sdho

search it on previous posts


Posted by: ethune

Duh....I have done the searches. Hence the title of my post "Any Updates?". Looking for NEW information on rollout in the bay area. I would appreciate anyone that can HELP to respond.

Eric


Posted by: jh811

as of yesterday ATT GSM shows up in network searches in the LA area. Try it on your phone. It might be up in the bay too...which means commercial rollout is very soon


Posted by: powertoburn

Usually the month before the network launches is when AT&T will show up in network searches. For Bay area it should be sometime around 8/12 when it will show up in network search if not already.

Just too bad, Cingular does not have a roaming agreement with AT&T GSM in L.A. & T-Mobile does not either. My T-Mobile phone displays Emergency Calls Only when at home, while my AT&T GSM has 5 bars on my Ericsson T68m -> i


Posted by: ethune

Unfortunately I don't have a GSM phone (yet). Anyone in the South Bay do a network search lately?

Eric


Posted by: jh811

i'd guess it's out in the bay too on network searches because i recall an announcement that Bay and LA rollout would be at the same time.....Last week when I wasup in the bay, i noticed that GSM does not seem to be very popular there. Most people I saw had Sprint or ATT...even the asians which is unusual....In chinese magazines here in LA all ads are for Cingular and soon will be for Tmobile too....but I picked up a chinese mag in Milpitas last week and all the stores were selling ATT TDMA service......just an observation.....


Posted by: megatron

I talked to some AT&T CSR (Yeah yeah, they're probably the last to know) in Stockton last week and he seemed pretty confident that GSM was going to launch for the San Francisco Bay Area on August 6. He did mention that it was supposed to be the 20th but he said they speeded it up. If he's telling the truth maybe they speeded it up to compete better w/ T-Mobile?




ALSO - FOR ANYONE WHO HAS AT*T GSM IN NORTHERN CALI.
Have you tried using it in San Francisco lately? And if so, are you able to detect and use the AT&T GSM network (even if it hasn't been launched yet?). I heard powertoburn was able to use L.A.'s signal even though it's not yet launched so I'm thinking SF may be the same. If so I'll activate it in Stockton or something


Posted by: RenoWirelessGuru

Quote:
Originally posted by ethune
Duh....I have done the searches. Hence the title of my post "Any Updates?". Looking for NEW information on rollout in the bay area. I would appreciate anyone that can HELP to respond.

Eric

Did you see the post here? AT&T GSM Launch Dates for all markets

Looks like 9/12 to me.


Posted by: skytrack

I usually go to San Jose every week from Modesto in the summer and live in San Jose during the school year. I was there last week and was forced to roam onto Cingular's GSM from the Altamont on 580 all the way to San Jose. I know that parts of the AT&T GSM network are ready to go since I was able to pick up their signal in Fremont on 680 and in San Mateo Co on the 280. I'll expect the network to be uncellbarred by mid-August.


Posted by: elevencid

Quote:
Originally posted by ethune
Unfortunately I don't have a GSM phone (yet). Anyone in the South Bay do a network search lately?
Eric

Eric, AT&T has their network powered on. However, since AT&T has not officially launched yet, their network is barred. Barred? That means a network search from a T-Mobile or Cingular phone will not find AT&T Wireless.

With a Nokia phone, there is a method to search for barred networks. That would be achieved via test 19 of Nokia's netmonitor. By default, Nokia is set to exclude barred networks for searches. However...

SIM cards have the ability to store values for preferred and forbidden networks--test screen 6. On my Cingular SIM card, AT&T Wireless is a forbidden network. Even though I toggle my Nokia to reveal AT&T's barred network, I cannot use their network for calls other than emergency numbers.

This explains how a phone locks into AT&T's signal in areas where Cingular has weak or no signal, yet only emergency numbers are allowed.


Posted by: RenoWirelessGuru

Quote:
Originally posted by skytrack
... and was forced to roam onto Cingular's GSM from the Altamont on 580 all the way to San Jose.


You've been able to roam on Cingular with your AT&T phone/SIM ??? I've tried that several times and have been unable to do so. I consistently get "No Access" when I select Cingular on a network search.


Posted by: powertoburn

The multiband expanded local plan forbids roaming on another GSM carrier, because AT&T rather have the phone default to their TDMA service

the GSM National plan still charges .69 roaming if you are on another GSM network besides AT&T.


Posted by: RenoWirelessGuru

Quote:
Originally posted by powertoburn
The multiband expanded local plan forbids roaming on another GSM carrier, because AT&T rather have the phone default to their TDMA service


That makes sense but... I was using my 5190 to try to access Cingular, not my s46. Unless it's preprogrammed in the SIM - and AT&T uses different preprogrammed SIM's for the s46 vs. GSM only phones ?

Does JRM know?


Posted by: megatron

hey skytrack,

Interesting reply, thanks.

So basically then, I *could* convert to GSM over in Stockton/Modesto, and should be able to use AT&T's GSM (for free since I'd be an AT&T user anyway) in those places where you detected a signal?

I'm itching to try out AT&T here in the city.


Posted by: skytrack

Well, possibly, but the network has been either down or cellbarred for awhile now. So, unless you want to be using a Nokia in cellbarr reverse mode, than you will be roaming on Cingular all day long.


Posted by: TeknoTurd

Here in the East Bay I have never been able to find AT&T on a network search. Although one time I was driving through San Leandro near 580 and i picked up the "USA ###" (not sure of the numbers) network on my Cingular Nokia 8290, I thought this was very odd at the time, cause it was probably about 3-4 months ago. Then I did a little research and heard that it could have been AT&T's new GSM network. But other than that I have never picked up on their network. Anyone know any places in the East Bay where you can find their network?


Posted by: jh811

yeah ATT is USA380, well no point in finding it on a network search...I was excited about it for a day but you realize it's so pointless because you cannot roam on it....i hate forbidden networks.......so lame!!!!!


Posted by: tanspace

I just tried searching for the networks on my v60, and it could only find Cingular.

I'm around south bay.

I guess they still haven't "unbarred" the network yet.


Posted by: skytrack

I took my AT&T SIM in my 8390 today to Emeryville, then to San Francisco, from Modesto. I was never able to find an AT&T GSM signal once I was west of the Altamont on 580. I was surprised that when I was in SF, near union square, and again later, at SFSU, that there was never an AT&T GSM signal. The entire bay area must be cell barred, because I was in Walnut Creek, Vallejo, Napa, & Sonoma the day before and still could only find Cingular GSM signals...


Posted by: jpmotdyn77

I was travelling in between Sacramento and the Bay area yesterday and never once got an ATT signal , 25 miles out of Sacramento. I wa always on Cingulars network. I called ATT and spoke to a not so knowledgeable CSR and I asked her why there was coverage on the map but not in reality. She said"Hmmm, there should be cos its on the map." So i told her that since it was my home calling area i shouldn't get charged any roaming. She said yes and noted my account.Hopefully when i get my bill and there are some roaming charged i can use her conversation to get refunded the charge . Unless of course she was right in saying that ATT has roaming agreements with Cingular???


Posted by: skytrack

Quote:
Originally posted by jpmotdyn77
I was travelling in between Sacramento and the Bay area yesterday and never once got an ATT signal , 25 miles out of Sacramento. I wa always on Cingulars network. I called ATT and spoke to a not so knowledgeable CSR and I asked her why there was coverage on the map but not in reality. She said"Hmmm, there should be cos its on the map." So i told her that since it was my home calling area i shouldn't get charged any roaming. She said yes and noted my account.Hopefully when i get my bill and there are some roaming charged i can use her conversation to get refunded the charge . Unless of course she was right in saying that ATT has roaming agreements with Cingular???


The CS Rep was right, AT&T and Cingular do have a roaming agreement, how else would your phone read Cingular on it's display? However, this does not mean that you have no roaming charges when on another network, even on the new national GSM plan, it only covers the AT&T national GSM network, not VoiceStream or Cingular or anyone else for that matter. Calls on Cingular's network are billed at $.69/min. That's twice the price of making an international call from the UK using your T68i. Isn't that just great?

Also, where exactly were you yesterday? You say you were between Sacramento and SF, so can I assume you were on I-80? If so, the AT&T network should have covered you all the way to about Fairfield or so. I know for a fact that Vallejo is part of the SF market, but the Fairfield/Vacaville area is covered as part of the Sacramento market that launched back on June 11th. So, in your drive from Sacramento to SF, you should have had signal until you hit the coastal range, just west of Fairfield. Anywhere west of there will not have AT&T GSM roaming for about 2-3 more weeks. With the official launch a few weeks after that...


Posted by: mdliu

Quote:
Originally posted by powertoburn
Usually the month before the network launches is when AT&T will show up in network searches. For Bay area it should be sometime around 8/12 when it will show up in network search if not already.

Just too bad, Cingular does not have a roaming agreement with AT&T GSM in L.A. & T-Mobile does not either. My T-Mobile phone displays Emergency Calls Only when at home, while my AT&T GSM has 5 bars on my Ericsson T68m -> i


I have a Voicestream/T-Mobile sim and am roaming on Cingular just fine. You should call T-M and see if they can reset your SIM.


Posted by: DaKine911

Quote:
Originally posted by skytrack


The CS Rep was right, AT&T and Cingular do have a roaming agreement, how else would your phone read Cingular on it's display? However, this does not mean that you have no roaming charges when on another network, even on the new national GSM plan, it only covers the AT&T national GSM network, not VoiceStream or Cingular or anyone else for that matter. Calls on Cingular's network are billed at $.69/min. That's twice the price of making an international call from the UK using your T68i. Isn't that just great?

[snip]


skytrack, this is the part that I'm confused about - Do *ANY* of the new AT&T GSM plans provide for no-cost roaming onto other DOMESTIC GSM providers' networks, or will we be stuck using AT&T's network only vs. paying $0.69/month ??


Posted by: DaKine911

Quote:
Originally posted by DaKine911


skytrack, this is the part that I'm confused about - Do *ANY* of the new AT&T GSM plans provide for no-cost roaming onto other DOMESTIC GSM providers' networks, or will we be stuck using AT&T's network only vs. paying $0.69/month ??


Oops, my bad - I mean $0.69/MINUTE, not month!


Posted by: epic408

that would suck if i got charged for roaming even though i was in my coverage area but on another carrier.


Posted by: thematch

Doing a network search in Alameda, CA, I get USA 38 as an option. Hopefully, this means the launch is just around the corner.


Posted by: skytrack

Quote:
Originally posted by DaKine911


skytrack, this is the part that I'm confused about - Do *ANY* of the new AT&T GSM plans provide for no-cost roaming onto other DOMESTIC GSM providers' networks, or will we be stuck using AT&T's network only vs. paying $0.69/month ??


Currently there is no plan offered by AT&T that gives you free nationwide roaming on *any* carrier. Currently the nationwide GSM plan gives you access to anywhere AT&T has GSM coverage. So, you will still be charged when roaming on Cingular at $.69/min.


Posted by: thematch

What about the multi-band One Rate?


Posted by: mikethaler

Since Monday, 8/12 I have been getting a solid ATT signal when doing a network search in various areas of the East Bay.

Am using an active T-M SIM.

...mike (who wishes ATT GSM had local rates that were only double what T-M charges. Am paying $50 for 3000 anytime minutes. Would pay $50 for 1000 minutes from ATT because of more universal coverage. It appears that all i can get is 500 minutes for $40 from ATT. I have no use for off peak.)


Posted by: higuy83

Hello everyone-

I currently live in Tucson, AZ where I use my AT&T T68i phone regularly. On August 3rd I flew into LAX to make a connecting flight. For the hell of it, I checked my T68i to see what network it picked up at the airport. I had a full 5 bars of "AT&T Wireless" coverage.
When I was on my way home one week later (August 10) passing through LAX, I picked up the same great signal...

I sure hope that this is a sign of things to come in the NEAR future, as I am moving to LA next week!

P.S. : FYI, I was in Maui on vacation that week; while there, my T68i also picked up strong signals from AT&T's GSM coverage. I found this odd b/c before I left, my local AT&T rep informed me that Hawaii's GSM network has yet to launch... perhaps AT&T is finally nearing the lauch of a larger, nationwide GSM network!?

P.S.S. : Once AT&T's network is up and running in LA (and the rest of California), will they have better coverage/signals that Cingular and T-Mobile's networks?


-Brian


Posted by: epic408

at&t signal kicks suckular and t-mo's butts!! haha


Posted by: skytrack

Today I drove from Modesto to Sonoma with my Ericsson T68. I did this exact drive last week and roamed on Cingular from the Altamont pass westward. Today, however, I was able to use the AT&T signal with near perfect reception the whole way. In the east bay areas of Livermore/Pleasanton/Dublin/San Ramon/ Walnut Creek/Concord I maintained perfect signal the entire time. Something that no other GSM provider that I have ever seen has accomplished. And this was on a T68! I literally thought at first that my T68's signal meter was stuck at 5 bars, because it didn't drop below that level for at least a few minutes....

The only problem areas that I ran into were on the 680 freeway in Benicia where my phone frequently roamed onto Cingular. Otherwise again in Napa and Sonoma on and near highway 12 AT&T's GSM signal was very spotty. In the house that I am staying at right now, I get 1 bar of AT&T GSM and 3-4 bars of Cingular, but a family member's AT&T TDMA phone is getting 3-4 bars of signal, so I don't believe that the GSM rollout is complete in the north bay. One interesting note is that I had my friend attempt to locate me using Find Friends here in Sonoma and it told him that I was near Suisun City. For those of you who don't know, that's in the Central valley, about 20+ miles away, east of Fairfield. I'm pretty sure that the GSM rollout in the north bay is incomplete at this point, but signal is very good all throughout the eastbay on 580/680. If that is a sign of things to come, the entire bay area is going to have near flawless coverage soon. Something that Cingular will have a very tough time competing with. I'll be back with more details of my signal testing as I am staying in Sonoma for the next few days...


Posted by: epic408

i think that they are concentrating more in Santa Clara area and Where all the tech companies are because there are so many users that are in the tech field.


Posted by: epic408

Quote:
Originally posted by epic408
i think that they are concentrating more in Santa Clara area and Where all the tech companies are because there are so many users that are in the tech field.


btw i get 4 bars with 310-380! and 1 or no bars with suckular!


Posted by: skytrack

Well, tonight I leave to go back home to Modesto from Sonoma. During my stay here over the last 3 days my AT&T GSM signal went from 0-1 bars near the window, to 2-3 bars everywhere inside the house. I believe that AT&T is still adding GSM cells to their existing TDMA network and turning them on, here in the North bay. However, one weird thing I noticed since last night, was that I am no longer able to see Cingular when I choose to select a network. What's weird though, is that when I lose the AT&T GSM signal, I don't get a "no network" display as usual, instead my screen is just blank. This is on my T68, so I found this to be wierd. Has AT&T, or Cingular for that matter, found a way that the phones will no longer even see the other network when performing a search? It appears that, that is what has happened since about 10pm last night.

Anyone else in the CA network with AT&T GSM able to see Cingular anymore? Maybe they just did this in the Bay Area, i'll check to see if I can select Cingular when I get back home to Modesto tonight...


Posted by: powertoburn

On the T68 series if you power off your phone and network search you will see both Cingular & AT&T Wireless. But, once AT&T launches in an area with Cingular, roaming on Cingular becomes forbidden and that is why you won't see Cingular again until you power cycle the phone.


Posted by: skytrack

Quote:
powertoburn On the T68 series if you power off your phone and network search you will see both Cingular & AT&T Wireless. But, once AT&T launches in an area with Cingular, roaming on Cingular becomes forbidden and that is why you won't see Cingular again until you power cycle the phone.


I did this multiple times tonight while in different NorthBay locations and was unable to find a Cingular signal until i was in Fairfield on I-80. I power cycled the phone multiple times and even did a network manual search on my 8390 with the same results. Now that I am back at home in modesto, I can see Cingular no problem, it's just forbidden to access. Wierd huh?


Posted by: raver0600

*twiddles fingers* justttt waitin for AT&T to release their GSM phones in San Fran.................i want that 8390......ugh but nooooo ill have to wait for september 12 for them to release the coverage THEN wait for them to stock the phone...which would take at least another week *mutters*..but i dont like their plans too much..i mean $45.99 is their cheapest.....GEEZ..at least make some cheaper local plans....ugh...anyway.........still waitin for them to sell the phones........*twiddles fingers again with a deranged look*someone update me with their progress!?!? please!?


Posted by: skytrack

Quote:
Originally posted by raver0600
*twiddles fingers* justttt waitin for AT&T to release their GSM phones in San Fran.................i want that 8390......ugh but nooooo ill have to wait for september 12 for them to release the coverage THEN wait for them to stock the phone...which would take at least another week *mutters*..but i dont like their plans too much..i mean $45.99 is their cheapest.....GEEZ..at least make some cheaper local plans....ugh...anyway.........still waitin for them to sell the phones........*twiddles fingers again with a deranged look*someone update me with their progress!?!? please!?


What? Why are you so pesimistic about the launch? On September 12th the AT&T stores will have GSM phones in stock and for sale. I promise you. Also, their cheapest rate plan is not $45.99/mo. I don't know where you even came up with that idea. Their rate plans start at just $19.99/mo. For AT&T's current GSM rate plans click here . Or to check out the specials, which I believe most of us have on our plans, you can click here .

Right now I pay $49.99/mo for 700 anytime min, unlimited nights and weekends, (9pm nights ) no long-distance, no roaming on AT&T's GSM network nationwide. I'd say that, that's a pretty good deal. Not many plans can touch that with other providers.


Posted by: raver0600

Oh! thank god! so is the plan Rates+Mmode or is it just Rates and if you want Mmode you can get Mmode? The $39.99 plan looks pretty nice! *waits for them to finish their GSM towers now* PS. Thanks for the info!


Posted by: raver0600

Oh! thank god! so is the plan Rates+Mmode or is it just Rates and if you want Mmode you can get Mmode? The $39.99 plan looks pretty nice! *waits for them to finish their GSM towers now* PS. Thanks for the info!


Posted by: raver0600

Whew...luckily they lowered the price of the 8390 to $149.99..I was actually *THINKING* of getting a TDMA Nokia 8265 but when I looked at the features..it made me have a change of thought..it has everything an 8260 has except new games and inter-changable faceplates and WAP 1.2.1 .. and that is SO not worth $149.99


Posted by: raver0600

Oops...ugh sorry for the double printing...pressed back and it pasted it again


Posted by: skytrack

Actually, even though the 8265 has WAP 1.2.1 AT&T disables the web browser on all of their TDMA phones. Also, the Nokia 8390 is on special right now for $149 -$50 mail-in rebate, making it only $99. All GSM rate plans include access to mMode. If you do not pick an mMode rate plan, you will be charged $.02/kb. Otherwise for about $7/mo you get 1MB of data. So, if you don't plan on using mMode very much, you can just use it intermittently at $.02/kb.


Posted by: raver0600

yeah..I was reading off AT&T's features on the 8265 and it didnt say anything about WAP 1.2.1 so I rather wait another month (or 2, depending if they finish in time) for them to finish the GSM over here in SF and spend my money on a valuable phone.


Posted by: skytrack

Quote:
Originally posted by raver0600
yeah..I was reading off AT&T's features on the 8265 and it didnt say anything about WAP 1.2.1 so I rather wait another month (or 2, depending if they finish in time) for them to finish the GSM over here in SF and spend my money on a valuable phone.


Less than a month's time now... More like 3 weeks... (Sep. 12th launch date)


Posted by: Cell Phone Dork

Quote:
Originally posted by raver0600
yeah..I was reading off AT&T's features on the 8265 and it didnt say anything about WAP 1.2.1 so I rather wait another month (or 2, depending if they finish in time) for them to finish the GSM over here in SF and spend my money on a valuable phone.


All the bay area att stores already have the 8390's sitting in the back rooms.

I had a job interview 3 weeks ago (got the job) at att wireless in Petaluma, and she showed me the 8390. They have boxes full of all 3 new gsm phones.

If Petaluma has them, i'm 100% sure SF has them.

-Mike


Posted by: jerryk

Quote:
Originally posted by Cell Phone Dork


All the bay area att stores already have the 8390's sitting in the back rooms.


-Mike


How about Motorola 720s?


Posted by: raver0600

I did a network search on a cingular GSM at the bay area (san francisco)..and AT&T was there! only a couple of weeks left til GSM comes out!


Posted by: SFDM

Yes indeed -- I fired up my Nokia 8890 with a Swiss SIM card in it and did a network seach -- as the previous poster stated, Cingular and AT&T Wireless came up as options. I picked the AT&T carrier (here in San Francisco) and tried calling 611 -- got a (nice clear) message stating to call my SIM card provider instead.

I've been carrying the 8890 around and checking the coverage -- it seems to have a stronger signal than my TDMA 8260, including at home, which is a big plus.

Someone post as soon as you hear of someone offering the service -- I called AT&T and they couldn't tell me exactly when service would be available, but the said I could take my 8890 down and as long as it was compatible with thier network, I could get a SIM card from AT&T for it.

--Doug


Posted by: skytrack

I drove up to San Jose from Thousand Oaks on the 101 freeway yesterday. I maintained very good GSM signal from Ventura County to Santa Barbara. I ran into a few dead spots in northern areas of Santa Barbara county, just south of Santa Maria. It looks like the 800MHz TDMA network was even a little spread thin in the area. AT&T was obviously relying on their AMPS to back them up in certain areas. In San Luis Obispo county, where Cellular One owns the TDMA network, AT&T had no signal except in the city of San Luis Obispo there was one site near downtown. There was another in Atascadero near a high traffic area, and again in another town to the north on the 101 near the 46 interchange. There was no coverage at Pismo Beach. When I entered Monterey county, service continued with moderate reception. I had no problems near Salinas or any other areas until I was in a valley area, just south of the Gilroy area. There was no AT&T GSM coverage there, only Cingular. In San Jose, coverage has been excelent. I live in downtown and have excellent coverage in my apartment, and had great signal last night when I went to eat at the Old Spaghetti Factory. I also went to the Pruneyard in Campbell today and had excellent signal along the way on the 280 and again on 17. The network is definitely looking good at this point.... I'll be back later with more...


Posted by: Cell Phone Dork

Quote:
Originally posted by jerryk


How about Motorola 720s?

I wish.

Verizon will get theirs first.

ATT probably won't see that phone until dec, or later.

-Mike


Posted by: raver0600

22 more days...... does san diego have their gsm coverage already?


Posted by: Cell Phone Dork

Quote:
Originally posted by raver0600
22 more days...... does san diego have their gsm coverage already?


Yep.

-Mike


Posted by: jerryk

Quote:
Originally posted by Cell Phone Dork

I wish.

Verizon will get theirs first.

ATT probably won't see that phone until dec, or later.

-Mike


Interesting. The AT&T site is showing them available in September.


Posted by: jh811

san diego came out like 4 or 5 months ago....same time as bakersfield


Posted by: Cell Phone Dork

Quote:
Originally posted by jerryk


Interesting. The AT&T site is showing them available in September.


And Verizon Said August. Guess what?

-Mike


Posted by: arabiafish

Anyone know if ATT plans to expand coverage to Saratoga? It's part of a tiny chunk of the South Bay Area not covered in that ATT GSM map... I tried my zip code and it says "not available." Does this mean not available at launch, or are they not planning to get here at all?

Thanks!


Posted by: skytrack

Saratoga has excellent GSM coverage. Almost 4 bars everywhere I went on my Nokia 8390 a few days ago. The reason that Saratoga shows up as not having GSM coverage right now is because the official launch is still September. You cannot sign up for service before then. I talked to a rep at the AT&T store in Saratoga 2 days ago by Westgate and was told that he had recieved some of the GSM training and was told that the Sep. 12th launch date had been pushed back to October due to signal issues. I'm not sure how true this is, but if it is, I feel sorry for all of you in the Bay anxiously waiting to sign up for service that is in my opinion already good enough to be signing people up on. Only time will tell when the official launch will be at this point, but I still believe September 12th will be the day.


Posted by: raver0600

so does the 'possible' chance of a pushback affect san francisco too? bah! they should have made gsm coverage to more populated cities first, and then work on the lower populations!


Posted by: ahsia

Quote:
Originally posted by skytrack
Saratoga has excellent GSM coverage. Almost 4 bars everywhere I went on my Nokia 8390 a few days ago. The reason that Saratoga shows up as not having GSM coverage right now is because the official launch is still September. You cannot sign up for service before then. I talked to a rep at the AT&T store in Saratoga 2 days ago by Westgate and was told that he had recieved some of the GSM training and was told that the Sep. 12th launch date had been pushed back to October due to signal issues. I'm not sure how true this is, but if it is, I feel sorry for all of you in the Bay anxiously waiting to sign up for service that is in my opinion already good enough to be signing people up on. Only time will tell when the official launch will be at this point, but I still believe September 12th will be the day.


That would really suck. I am about the cancel T-Mobile because of poor coverage here, but if AT&T isn't going to roll out GSM until October, then I might have to keep my T-Mobile for longer than I hope.


Posted by: ahsia

Also, can a few people ask other stores to find out if this October is true? I will myself go to a few AT&T Authorized Dealers today to ask.


Posted by: jerryk

Quote:
Originally posted by arabiafish
Anyone know if ATT plans to expand coverage to Saratoga? It's part of a tiny chunk of the South Bay Area not covered in that ATT GSM map... I tried my zip code and it says "not available." Does this mean not available at launch, or are they not planning to get here at all?

Thanks!


I would not read too much into the "not available". The guys in LA said they could not sign up or see GSM coverage on the site until the official launch date.


Posted by: skytrack

Ya, I really hope that the GSM launch date isn't pushed back for all of you, becuase that would effect everyone from San Francisco to San Jose, from Santa Rosa to Livermore, and everywhere in between. I'm really hoping that the rep didn't know what he was talking about. Well, if you guys wanted, you could always drive out to Tracy and sign up with AT&T GSM with a 209 number and then have your number re-located when the Bay Area officially launches. But, I don't know if this would be more of a hassle than just waiting...


Posted by: raver0600

. . .lets all hope that the dealer didnt know what he was saying....but what if i got my GSM from san diego and it comes out in san francisco, could i just call them to change the area code?


Posted by: SFDM

I just called yesterday to the SF AT&T Wireless store and they said that it had been pushed back to mid-October -- I didn't give it too much pause, but now it is starting to look like it might be true!

--Doug


Posted by: DrFerrari

I spoke to a knowledegable ATT GSM rep today. She said that LA oficially launched on the 20th of this month and the bay area will be any day now and to keep calling. The stores aren't too keen on what is going on they told me to call back next year.

I belive that the rep knew what they were talkin about and will call them back in a few days to see when I can slip in my new sim.

I've been testing the gps coverage around the bay area, it is suprior to both Att and Tmobile, so I'd reccomend the change.


Posted by: DrFerrari

I spoke to another ATT GSM rep tonight a supervisor actually. He said concurred the LA launch was on the same track as the bay area. Therefore since that was the 20th it's only a few days away now.

Again the stores, htey know nothing, and most of the people have no information.

I've been testing the gps coverage some more in the bay and find that the buliding penatration and coverage in the hills of the bay is really great.


Posted by: DrFerrari

I talked to an att rep who said it whould be a few weeks at the most and they also said if i activate somewhere else, their networks are barred when they are testing and configuring them, so we'll just have to wait till September 12 and see what happens.


Posted by: JimS

I don't see any sign of the startup in the SF Bay area being pushed back. I just called Alaska from San Jose on my T66. Coverage is almost seamless from the Central Valley to the Bay Area.


Posted by: DrFerrari

Yes if u have an ATT Sim u probably can use the network. I still use the Cingular sim and it wouldn't let me call out.

I think though that Sept 12th is definatlly going to be the date. I'm crossing my fingers and calling ATT once a week to ask if updates come, tho the official launch is on or before Sept 12.


Posted by: Cell Phone Dork

Bay Area will not have GSM anytime in Sept.

How do I know? Well, I do work at an ATT outlet, and today, my manager, informed me of a GSM Launch Party in San Fran.

The Party date ?

Sept 29th.

It'll be October, people. The 8th, so I was told straight from the source.

I hope they are wrong, but I highly doubt it.



-Mike


Posted by: DrFerrari

Darn Mike hella shady news. Especially since I do know a guy who activated some other place and says the network is working great here.

I can't give up my local area code so I'll just have to wait i guess. Sigh, thanks for the post tho. I hope your wrong too.

Dave


Posted by: Cell Phone Dork

Quote:
Originally posted by DrFerrari
Darn Mike hella shady news. Especially since I do know a guy who activated some other place and says the network is working great here.

I can't give up my local area code so I'll just have to wait i guess. Sigh, thanks for the post tho. I hope your wrong too.

Dave


Well, ok, I should rephrase part of it.

You cannot BUY phones here yet.

If you wanna go somewhere else, pick up a GSM phone, activate it, and bring it back on a long distance area code and #, you can.

Nobody wants too, though. They will not *officially* launch it here until october.

But, yeah, for sure, if you wanna go elsewhere, and just can't wait, go right ahead. I am almost considering it myself.

The S46 is a great, GREAT, phone.

-Mike


Posted by: DrFerrari

Quote:
Originally posted by Cell Phone Dork


Well, ok, I should rephrase part of it.

You cannot BUY phones here yet.

If you wanna go somewhere else, pick up a GSM phone, activate it, and bring it back on a long distance area code and #, you can.

Nobody wants too, though. They will not *officially* launch it here until october.

But, yeah, for sure, if you wanna go elsewhere, and just can't wait, go right ahead. I am almost considering it myself.

The S46 is a great, GREAT, phone.

-Mike


Yep man, i've considered it too, because eveywhere in the bay area, cingular has shawdy to no coverage.

I don't wanna loose my area code tho, too many people wont' call it. till october i will wait patientlly. Hopefully some new phones will be out by then too.

Thanks for ur inside info.

Dave


Posted by: ahsia

Well, it is possible to sign up for GSM in LA or San Diego now, and then have the area code changed later? I am in desperate need of a phone, and I do not want to committ to T-Mobile or Cingular. So much question is, if I do get AT&T GSM in LA, bring my phone up here, will I pick up an AT&T signal? Is there GSM coverage right now in the Bay Area in which I can use the AT&T GSM phone that I signed up in another market?


Posted by: jh811

yes you should be able to ahsia. But all you bay area people don't get your hopes up. I too believed ATT GSM to be the Savior for California but I was disappointed. In some areas it's good, in some it's even worse than my Cingular signal. I'm thinking about returning the service before the end of the 30 day trial.


Posted by: Cell Phone Dork

Quote:
Originally posted by jh811
yes you should be able to ahsia. But all you bay area people don't get your hopes up. I too believed ATT GSM to be the Savior for California but I was disappointed. In some areas it's good, in some it's even worse than my Cingular signal. I'm thinking about returning the service before the end of the 30 day trial.


Considering it is still over a month til they launch here, i'd say wait.

There's a reason they are waiting so long, because the Bay Area, wants/needs to be one of the best in the country.

-Mike


Posted by: jh811

The same could be said about the LA market. It's the nation's 2nd largest market while bay area is i think the nation's 4th or 5th largest market. But did they get it done right?? I don't think so...We needed it just as bad as you guys if not more so...

Quote:
Originally posted by Cell Phone Dork


There's a reason they are waiting so long, because the Bay Area, wants/needs to be one of the best in the country.

-Mike



Posted by: DrFerrari

Quote:
Originally posted by jh811
yes you should be able to ahsia. But all you bay area people don't get your hopes up. I too believed ATT GSM to be the Savior for California but I was disappointed. In some areas it's good, in some it's even worse than my Cingular signal. I'm thinking about returning the service before the end of the 30 day trial.


You are right in some ways, ATT is a wireless provider and like some carriers had dead spots. However at the presant time persuant to some field tests I read, ATT has the best coverage in the bay area followed by verizon. The reason for this is simple, any long time cell geeks reacall Cellular one?

It was the first wireless provider in the Bay Area, had hundreds of towers, and was building them before the restrictions got strict in "resedential areas". Att brilliantly bought those cell cites from Cell One when it went defunct and now uses their network here.

Hence their (ATT) coverage is the best around. I mean if they weren't sure of their service why would they give u 30 days totally risk free to test it?

It all depends where you are and where u go, but I'm very happy w/ att, can't wait to dump the Cinguliars.

Att works at my house, school, and work where Cingular did not. That's proof enough for me.

-Dave


Posted by: jh811

you guys had old cell one towers and we have old GTE towers. So theoretically it should be nicely established down here too but I just am not impressed....I guess travelling abroad and always having 5 bars will spoil you...


Posted by: DrFerrari

Quote:
Originally posted by jh811
you guys had old cell one towers and we have old GTE towers. So theoretically it should be nicely established down here too but I just am not impressed....I guess travelling abroad and always having 5 bars will spoil you...


GTE huh? I thought GTE was sucked up in the whole verizon deal. Where are you from exactly, when you say down here? GTE is mostly southern cali i thoguth.


Posted by: netboy

<< Att works at my house, school, and work where Cingular did not. That's proof enough for me <<

u dont know how badly i wanted the damn ATT GSM/GRPS! in my city alone, i already discover TWO deadspot for cingular..
before with my ATT TDMA, i got coverage everywhere..


Posted by: jh811

You're right, I forgot....GTE was gobbled up by verizon.... I am in Orange County...

Quote:
Originally posted by DrFerrari


GTE huh? I thought GTE was sucked up in the whole verizon deal. Where are you from exactly, when you say down here? GTE is mostly southern cali i thoguth.



Posted by: SFDM

A couple of corrections from previous posters:

Cellular-One didn't go under -- AT&T owned a large part of them and had the option (that they exercised) allowing them to take over the market.

The Bay Area is the _highest_ per-phone income and the most profitable of any of AT&T markets. People in the Bay Area are willing to pay the highest costs per plan and have the highest average bills in the country. Yes, more than New York, more than LA. Same reason that the price of gas is so much higher here than elsewhere in California -- the market will bear it, so they charge it. This is a highly profitable market for cellular.

Where LA has some incredible affluent areas with vast amounts of wealth, there are tons of areas that are very much middle class. The SF Bay Area has some very affluent areas (Marin, Atherton, etc), but the vast majority of folks everywhere here are upper-middle-class (looking at national comparisons) and the carriers can charge more and I suppose the consumers here demand more. Becuase of this, and the tough topography of the area, rolling out a cellular system with good coverage is very difficult. This is not an easy area to live in if your income isn't high. Finding a house for under $500k for a "first time" home anywhere in SF or the Peninsula means finding a real shack that probably doesn't have a garage and is about 1200 square feet.

I did engineering work for Nextel in their early days and the costs of leasing land for towers along the SF penninsula (where land runs $700,000 an acre) is daunting and the permits and whatnot are time consuming. I can only guess that the delays in the SF rollout are because they have an unforgiving market that can and will go to the best carrier, costs somewhat secondary.

--Doug


Posted by: DrFerrari

Quote:
Originally posted by SFDM
A couple of corrections from previous posters:

I can only guess that the delays in the SF rollout are because they have an unforgiving market that can and will go to the best carrier, costs somewhat secondary.

--Doug


Doug one correction, to you, the gsm/gprs service is reather easy to install is it not? Simplly a modification, somewhat pricey one but still just a mod, in the current tower to handle both. That is why Cingular can convert their nationwide network to Gsm so fast, it's just a matter of adding equipment not building new infastructure.

Correct me if i'm wrong, and I'm sure you will Doug. Also I know the ATT system is up and running all over our area, I do networks searches alot, it's probably a marekting issue or some other tie up but techinically we're locked and loaded.

-Dave


Posted by: powertoburn

AT&T still should launch in the Bay Area in September. The tell tell signs is a month prior to launch the network is uncellbarred. Meaning a network search on a GSM phone will bring up either USA 38 or AT&T Wireless.

The reps in stores do not know the exact date neither does customer care. They don't tell customers the exact date even if they did know it so if the launch does not happen they do not get sued over it.

The maps on AT&T GSM site already show San Francisco, CA as an AT&T GSM market. This means it is also coming very soon.


Posted by: Cell Phone Dork

Quote:
Originally posted by powertoburn
AT&T still should launch in the Bay Area in September. The tell tell signs is a month prior to launch the network is uncellbarred. Meaning a network search on a GSM phone will bring up either USA 38 or AT&T Wireless.

The reps in stores do not know the exact date neither does customer care. They don't tell customers the exact date even if they did know it so if the launch does not happen they do not get sued over it.

The maps on AT&T GSM site already show San Francisco, CA as an AT&T GSM market. This means it is also coming very soon.


So what if they are just testing the towers? Eh?

All the Bay area store managers/asst. managers are now getting their GSM phones to learn/train on. For this, the towers have gotta be turned on.

Both managers at my store have phones, and are going through hardcore training on the networks. I have heard from not only store managers, but internal sources, that it will not be until The 2nd week of October in the bay area.

ATT could shut it all down tomorrow if they wanted too. Don't get your hopes up.

-Mike


Posted by: Cell Phone Dork

Another small amount of info for us.

Apparently, ATT pushed back the bay area release, to make sure they had GSM up and running everywhere there was TDMA coverage. Ok, cool.

Now I come to find out, of 900 towers in the area, 9 won't have GSM. 3 of which, will be in Sonoma County.

-Bodega Bay
-Mt. Jackson
-Sonoma/Mendocino County border

San Rafael is still one giant hole. So is the richmond / bay bridge.

Just thought I would pass that along.

-Mike


Posted by: skytrack

What is the reason for not overlaying some of those Sonoma Co. cell sites with GSM? That really sucks that they aren't gonna overlay the Bodega Bay area, my family has a beach house out there and Cingular gets no signal west of Sebastopol.


Posted by: Cell Phone Dork

Quote:
Originally posted by skytrack
What is the reason for not overlaying some of those Sonoma Co. cell sites with GSM? That really sucks that they aren't gonna overlay the Bodega Bay area, my family has a beach house out there and Cingular gets no signal west of Sebastopol.


Yeah, I know, from what I understand, our area is fighting hard for ATT to get gsm out at bodega bay and mt. jackson.

There is a lot of customers who will be upset over this.

-Mike


Posted by: skytrack

Again. What is the reason for not overlaying these sites?


Posted by: Cell Phone Dork

Quote:
Originally posted by skytrack
Again. What is the reason for not overlaying these sites?

Nobody knows yet.

My guess, would be, they don't think it's worth it.

All those areas are low population, probably not worth the money to install it, seeing as how they likely wouldn't make the money back, since there is nobody to buy stuff, lol.

-Mike


Posted by: thematch

I called AT&T (800-523-0568) today and asked if GSM was available in the Bay Area. He of course told me no, but that they will be rolling out SF next month.

Who knows, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed.


Posted by: Cell Phone Dork

Quote:
Originally posted by thematch
I called AT&T (800-523-0568) today and asked if GSM was available in the Bay Area. He of course told me no, but that they will be rolling out SF next month.

Who knows, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed.


CSR's are the last to know.

It was GOING to be Sept 12th...I HIGHLY doubt that will happen.

This is coming directly from the regional director here, and my store manager.

So, I would assume it's fairly accurate. If they suddenly change their mind for some reason, great, I have been using the S46 here in Petaluma for the last couple days, and everything seems to be working great.

My boss also has an 8390, and I like that a lot as well.

-Mike


Posted by: skytrack

Quote:
Originally posted by Cell Phone Dork
CSR's are the last to know.

It was GOING to be Sept 12th...I HIGHLY doubt that will happen.

This is coming directly from the regional director here, and my store manager.

So, I would assume it's fairly accurate. If they suddenly change their mind for some reason, great, I have been using the S46 here in Petaluma for the last couple days, and everything seems to be working great.

My boss also has an 8390, and I like that a lot as well.

-Mike


Ya, signal has been great in most of the south and east bays on my T68. There are a few pocket areas like on the 580 between Hacienda and Livermore. Otherwise, coverage is good now and getting better. I bet by launch time coverage will be stunning.


Posted by: jerryk

Quote:
Originally posted by skytrack


Ya, signal has been great in most of the south and east bays on my T68. There are a few pocket areas like on the 580 between Hacienda and Livermore. Otherwise, coverage is good now and getting better. I bet by launch time coverage will be stunning.


Oh great. I live in Pleasanton and drive 580 all the time.


Posted by: skytrack

Quote:
Originally posted by jerryk


Oh great. I live in Pleasanton and drive 580 all the time.


LOL... I'm telling you, right now AT&T GSM is not a wise move for you. You travel to too many rural areas that won't be covered anytime soon. However, the area I'm talking about is actually between El Charro and Santa Rita on the 580. Even on my 8390, signal will drop down to 1 bar and the conversation will be unintelligable. I usually end up calling people back, as this has occured now more than once. Otherwise, there aren't many other areas that I have traveled between modesto and San Jose that have given me trouble.

If there is a specific location in between there that any of you would like me to check the coverage at, be sure to post where. I generally travel the 99, 205, 580, 680, 880, 280, and 87.


Posted by: jerryk

Quote:
Originally posted by skytrack


LOL... I'm telling you, right now AT&T GSM is not a wise move for you. You travel to too many rural areas that won't be covered anytime soon. However, the area I'm talking about is actually between El Charro and Santa Rita on the 580. Even on my 8390, signal will drop down to 1 bar and the conversation will be unintelligable. I usually end up calling people back, as this has occured now more than once. Otherwise, there aren't many other areas that I have traveled between modesto and San Jose that have given me trouble.

If there is a specific location in between there that any of you would like me to check the coverage at, be sure to post where. I generally travel the 99, 205, 580, 680, 880, 280, and 87.


Yep, I am going to have to go with a S46 or wait for a GAIT phone.

On the signal checking, thanks for the offer. BTW, when did you last check? I was driving by the Livermore airport today and a noticed a new set of cell antennas (at least I think they are new) on the driving range posts. Looks like 3 sets of antennas. I noticed my TDMA V60T had max signal when I drove by them. Next time you drive by check to see if AT&T GSM is coming off those anttennas.

jerry


Posted by: Cell Phone Dork

Rural area's?

S46. TDMA backup. No worries.



ATT will not have a full GAIT phone out until sometime next year at the earliest.

The s46 is a NICE phone, we have 1 at work, and we have been playing with it all week.

-Mike


Posted by: jerryk

Quote:
Originally posted by Cell Phone Dork
Rural area's?

S46. TDMA backup. No worries.



ATT will not have a full GAIT phone out until sometime next year at the earliest.

The s46 is a NICE phone, we have 1 at work, and we have been playing with it all week.

-Mike


Cool. How big is the phone? Can you put in your pocket like a V60?

thanks,

Jerry


Posted by: Cell Phone Dork

Quote:
Originally posted by jerryk


Cool. How big is the phone? Can you put in your pocket like a V60?

thanks,

Jerry


The S46 is actually a lot smaller than I had anticipated.

The antenna is small, and isn't really an issue of getting in the way, and it's 100000x better than the V60 antenna.

Depends on how tight your pants are, lol.

The S46 is roughly the size of...hmm...maybe about 1/4" taller than a 3360, but thinner.

It's really not that big at all. You can go into your local ATT store. They DO have all the phones in the back stock rooms

They will say they don't, but they do. The general public isn't supposed to know we have them, but I really don't know what the big deal is. If people wanna see them, big deal? They're out in the rest of the country, but you can't see them? BS. Go in and talk to the store manager, they will show you all the phones.

-Mike


Posted by: skytrack

Quote:
Originally posted by jerryk


Yep, I am going to have to go with a S46 or wait for a GAIT phone.

On the signal checking, thanks for the offer. BTW, when did you last check? I was driving by the Livermore airport today and a noticed a new set of cell antennas (at least I think they are new) on the driving range posts. Looks like 3 sets of antennas. I noticed my TDMA V60T had max signal when I drove by them. Next time you drive by check to see if AT&T GSM is coming off those anttennas.

jerry


Well, I drove to San Jose tonight on the 580 again and coverage was much better. I noticed their newly added cells on the posts at the driving range. There used to only be one set, closest to the freeway, and now, like you said, there's 3 of them. They must have been testing them the last few times I drove by, because signal was terrible. I did notice tonight though, another area with poor reception is on 880, just north of Brokaw. Otherwise, reception is already improving here in downtown San Jose. Signal in my apartment was about 2 bars last week, and now it holds steady between 3-4...


Posted by: jerryk

Quote:
Originally posted by skytrack


Signal in my apartment was about 2 bars last week, and now it holds steady between 3-4...


Thanks for the info.

Sounds like the build out in the Bay Area continues. Hopefully it will continue to improve for the remainder of the year.


Posted by: ethune

Does anyone have the new rollout date for the Bay Area?


Posted by: Cell Phone Dork

Quote:
Originally posted by ethune
Does anyone have the new rollout date for the Bay Area?


October 8th.

Don't quote me.

This is coming from a Regional Manager for nor.cal. I happened to overhear a conference call.

-Mike


Posted by: raver0600

Just a whole bunch of weeks left for the bay area . . . . .


Posted by: epic408

2 more weeks for at&t mMode!!!!


Posted by: ethune

Nope!!! October 8th is now the day. More like 5 weeks....


:-(

Eric


Posted by: epic408

no... i dont think thats true. its still september 12th.


Posted by: epic408

.


Posted by: epic408

i dont think that at&t will change it and you can get their signal on any gsm phones in the bay area. didn't people say their signal shows up a month before they launch and they opened up the 310-380 last month!


Posted by: jh811

dont get your hopes up epic408. i was hyped about ATT GSM too. It took them 3 days to activate my account and after that i found the reception to be same as cingular or worse here in LA. Just to let you know........


Posted by: epic408

lol im not all hyped up. im with at&t for a year in march 2002-2003 but iam trying to find out for my aunt, she wants to go to t-mobile and i said wait for at&t mMode. i actually got the signal on my s40 and its better than cingular. i couldnt connect onto the network but i saw the signal compared to the cingular signal!


Posted by: jerryk

Quote:
Originally posted by epic408
i dont think that at&t will change it and you can get their signal on any gsm phones in the bay area. didn't people say their signal shows up a month before they launch and they opened up the 310-380 last month!


Will a month delay matter all that much?

In another message stated that AT&T was going to introduce a whole bunch of phones at the end of the year. So I might wait until then and get a java enabled phone.

jerry


Posted by: jh811

how can you see how many bars you get with ATT if you cannot get on connect to the network? It's not possible.....


Posted by: ethune

It is possible since I'm doing it right now. I have an ATT t68i with an ATT sim in it (which I bought unlocked). I can "see" the network and how many bars I can receive in different areas.

What makes you think it is still Sept 12? Many people who work for ATT have commented in this forum that the date has been pushed out. I'm not happy about it either, but I believe it will be delayed.

Eric


Posted by: epic408

i got 4-5 bars. with cingular in the same area i got 2-3 i posted something in the forums the first day i got the signal.


Posted by: epic408

here ya go... the thread i posted a long time ago!http://www.howardforums.com/showthr...&threadid=41545


Posted by: Cell Phone Dork

It's OCTOBER 8TH.

I'm not the only ATT employee to comment on this.

-Mike


Posted by: jh811

hey thats pretty cool. i didnt know the s40 has that feature. It actually tells you the signal strength without you acyaully being on the network...

Quote:
Originally posted by epic408
here ya go... the thread i posted a long time ago!http://www.howardforums.com/showthr...&threadid=41545



Posted by: SVphone

well, just stopped by the palo alto store during lunch and they didn't have any phones...so they say. they also said gsm launch not for like 2 months. i just laughed.


Posted by: epic408

i dont care anymore. f*wk mMode in the bay area. lol


Posted by: Cell Phone Dork

Quote:
Originally posted by SVphone
well, just stopped by the palo alto store during lunch and they didn't have any phones...so they say. they also said gsm launch not for like 2 months. i just laughed.


THey have phones, they are lying.

2 months? haha.

GO back in, and refer to them this thread. ALL Bay area stores have the phones in stock, whether they say so or not.

If not, tell them you're going to CIngular to buy one.

-Mike


Posted by: RenoWirelessGuru

FYI, I talked to my friend on his ATTWS GSM phone as he was driving through Martinez on Wednesday, Aug. 28. Call quality was great.


Posted by: raver0600

yaawnnnnn....another month and a couple days left...no big rush...just would be nice with gsm in san francisco...LOL! when it hits the bay area youll see everyone with a gsm phone..its like over 60% (considering at&t + cingular) use at&t and the other choose cingular because they have gsm and more gsm phone s...... them nextel people need to disable transferring...i had to be transferred 9 times just to get something off my bill..and that 10th person was gonna say 'im gonna transfer you to.....' havent had any problem with at&t customer care so far...you think i can get any good discount for being a customer for over 2 years?


Posted by: SVphone

Any updates on this? Are we actually going to see GSM go live next week?


Posted by: ethune

nope, october 8th now.... bummer


Posted by: skytrack

Well, I made another drive to San Jose today to the airport from the central valley, and although I have been in SJ for quite some time, today I paid close attention to the GSM signal on my T68 along the way. Here's what I found...

First of all, coming from the central valley AT&T's GSM service is near flawless in the Modesto/Stockton/Tracy areas. Coming down the altamont pass into Livermore yields some pretty poor coverage in the same area that I had mentioned before (rounding the final mountain on the descent into Livermore). However, this will be fixed soon as you'll read below. So, once on the floor of the Livermore area, coverage was very good, mostly 3-5 bars. Again, the area between Pleasanton & Livermore that was a major coverage problem before, has been fixed, due to the adding of the GSM cells at the driving range along the 580. Once in the Pleasanton/Dublin areas coverage is seamless, mostly in the 4-5 bar range on the 580 and across Stoneridge Dr. Other areas that were previously a problem on the 680 between Pleasanton and Sunol, have been alleviated by overlaying the small repeater TDMA sites along the roadway with GSM cells. Coverage in Sunol was great, with the site overlooking the golf course area and the 680 being overlayed. On the other side of the grade, coming down into Fremont, near north Mission Blvd, signal degrades only momentarily before the phone is able to handoff to a more line of sight cell site, giving you a full signal again. Coverage on the 680 from Fremont to Milpitas is solid and much better than Cingular's, where I would frequently have problems near the "Avalon" housing development right by the 680. Once in Santa Clara county, I took the Montague Expressway all the way to the 101. Most of the time coverage was great, however, there was a few areas where I was dropping down to 2 bars between 680 & 880, mostly near the 237. Once on the other side, between 880 & 101, coverage was very good all the way to the Sun Microsystems campus. When i arrived at the airport, signal was also very good, even indoors and in the parking garage - 5 bars in terminal A. On the way home I took highway 84 through Livermore from the 680, to bypass traffic. Since 84 is a very hilly and curvy road, I expected some signal degradation, but AT&T has very good cell site locations which allowed me to maintain signal. Later again in the city of Livermore on first st, I stopped to get Starbucks. While indoors coverage was only 1-2 bars, so I did a select network, and was only able to find AT&T, therefore Cingular would have been worse, I was happy it even worked at all at that point. Then back on the 580 near Greenville road, the last exit before ascending into the Altamont, where signal has consistently sucked, I noticed a network engineer being raised by a crane to work on the cell site at the base of the Altamont. If any of you have driven the 580 on this stretch, I'm sure you know what I'm talking about. It's the cell site at the base of the Altamont. Anyway, he was adding newer cells to the lower array, meaning AT&T is finally overlaying that site. So, with this site finally overlayed with GSM, one should be able to talk from the central valley to San Jose without ever losing signal.

Overall, I was highly impressed by the build out of the network over the last 2 weeks and am feeling much more confident in my signing of the 2 year agreement to get my current rate plan. Current Cingular users who have been getting excited for the AT&T GSM rollout definitely should be, I guarantee you that from what I have been seeing lately, most will be very happy with the switch.


Posted by: raver0600

just 19 days.........................did it really get pushed back 1 whole day!? 10/9 ??


Posted by: Technique

I drove out to stockton and bought a T68i, I'm using it now in the South Bay area (san jose santa clara). It works great, forget waiting till October 9 or whatever ;-)


Posted by: skytrack

Quote:
Originally posted by Technique
I drove out to stockton and bought a T68i, I'm using it now in the South Bay area (san jose santa clara). It works great, forget waiting till October 9 or whatever ;-)


Awesome. If you find any dead spots, be sure to post 'em on here. I'd like to know where my phone won't work.

P.S. You didn't have to drive all the way to Stockton; Tracy has an AT&T store.


Posted by: schottjy

Quote:
Originally posted by skytrack
Awesome. If you find any dead spots, be sure to post 'em on here. I'd like to know where my phone won't work.

P.S. You didn't have to drive all the way to Stockton; Tracy has an AT&T store.


if i went out to stockton or tracy, would i be able to get a (408) xxx-xxxx number? or would i be stuck with a different area code?

thanks


Posted by: Technique

Quote:
Originally posted by schottjy
if i went out to stockton or tracy, would i be able to get a (408) xxx-xxxx number? or would i be stuck with a different area code?

thanks


You will get a 209 area code, but you can switch to a 408 area code for free when AT&T launches officially here. Of course, you won't be able to get your original (current TDMA) # unless you wait for the bay area launch and do it there...

I wanted a new cell # anyway as I tend to change my # every 6-9 months anyway...


Posted by: schottjy

Quote:
Originally posted by Technique
You will get a 209 area code, but you can switch to a 408 area code for free when AT&T launches officially here. Of course, you won't be able to get your original (current TDMA) # unless you wait for the bay area launch and do it there...

I wanted a new cell # anyway as I tend to change my # every 6-9 months anyway...


well, i wont get my current TDMA # anyway most likely as i'm with cingular and a 650 number i want changed at that... looks like i might be takin a trip tommorow... thanks


Posted by: raver0600

22..23..24..25..26..27..28..29..30..1..2..3..4..5. .6..7..8..9!
Just 2.5weeks wait


Posted by: SFJeff

I've been waiting nearly 4 months for ATTWS to launch in the Bay Area, suffering with Cingular's coverage (that doesn't even work in my own home!)

However, my friend who is an ATTWS salesperson told me that at this point, ATTWS won't sell SIMS to new customers, only the whole phone! This is a bit annoying for those of us that have been waiting to switch providers and already have handsets. All I can say is they'd better have a SUPER cheap phone to buy for me to keep as a spare and take the SIM out of it.

By the way, my T68i tries to switch to ATT several times every day everywhere around SF becuase they're coverage is so much better!


Posted by: jerryk

Quote:
Originally posted by SFJeff
However, my friend who is an ATTWS salesperson told me that at this point, ATTWS won't sell SIMS to new customers, only the whole phone! This is a bit annoying for those of us that have been waiting to switch providers and already have handsets. All I can say is they'd better have a SUPER cheap phone to buy for me to keep as a spare and take the SIM out of it.


That sucks.

From the website it looks like you only have a couple of choices on handsets. There is a Nokia model and the T68i. They start a $99.

jerry


Posted by: Technique

Quote:
Originally posted by jerryk
That sucks.

From the website it looks like you only have a couple of choices on handsets. There is a Nokia model and the T68i. They start a $99.

jerry


No, there are two nokias, the 6590 and 8390 I believe, and there is also a siemens in addition to the t68i.


Posted by: jerryk

Quote:
Originally posted by Technique
No, there are two nokias, the 6590 and 8390 I believe, and there is also a siemens in addition to the t68i.


Hmmmm. I only see the 8390, but it could be because they don't offer GSM to customers in the SF Bay Area yet.

By the Seimens I assume you mean the S46. I assumed that someone wanting the SIM to plunk in another phone would not want to spend $200 on that phone. But, you never know. The is the phone I'll probably get since I need coverage in areas not serviced by AT&T.

jerry


Posted by: Technique

Quote:
Originally posted by jerryk
Hmmmm. I only see the 8390, but it could be because they don't offer GSM to customers in the SF Bay Area yet.

By the Seimens I assume you mean the S46. I assumed that someone wanting the SIM to plunk in another phone would not want to spend $200 on that phone. But, you never know. The is the phone I'll probably get since I need coverage in areas not serviced by AT&T.

jerry


Isn't the T68i tri-band world phone again also?


Posted by: schottjy

well i drove out to tracy this weekend and picked up 2 t68i's at the tracy best buy (who's new deal doesnt involve a 100 giftcard, but a $50 instant rebate on the phones). then went to the mall nextdoor and got the phones activated at the att store there. brought the phones back to sunnyvale and all is well... thanks guys


Posted by: Technique

Quote:
Originally posted by schottjy
well i drove out to tracy this weekend and picked up 2 t68i's at the tracy best buy (who's new deal doesnt involve a 100 giftcard, but a $50 instant rebate on the phones). then went to the mall nextdoor and got the phones activated at the att store there. brought the phones back to sunnyvale and all is well... thanks guys


How much did you pay at bestbuy for the t68i's?


Posted by: jerryk

Quote:
Originally posted by Technique
Isn't the T68i tri-band world phone again also?


It's the GSM (900 Europe/1900 USA)and TDMA (800/1900) phone. So I guess that is AT&Ts world phone. As long as you don't go somewhere that needs a different GSM freq, or into the bonnies and need analog.

jerry


Posted by: FrOsTi3v0

Quote:
Originally posted by jerryk
It's the GSM (900 Europe/1900 USA)and TDMA (800/1900) phone. So I guess that is AT&Ts world phone. As long as you don't go somewhere that needs a different GSM freq, or into the bonnies and need analog.

jerry


don't u mean the S46?
T68i is triband (900/1800/1900)


Posted by: schottjy

Quote:
Originally posted by Technique
How much did you pay at bestbuy for the t68i's?


199.99 - 49.99 in-store instant rebate for new activation... actually, at the tracy bestbuy they didnt even activate the phone, i had to go to the att store to activate service.. so i guess you could pick one up and unlock it...


Posted by: eriqesque

So since the network is not officially launced is is available to people who already have service with AT&T GSM?
I am planning to take a trip to the bay area this weekend and want to know if my phone will actually work.


Posted by: rewakm

i guess it works
i was in SF 10 days ago and had no problem using my phone...
either for local calls or for LD...


Posted by: jerryk

Quote:
Originally posted by FrOsTi3v0
don't u mean the S46?
T68i is triband (900/1800/1900)


OPS. You are correct. I saw world phone and immediately switched to S46 mode.

T68i is GSM 900 / GSM 1800 / GSM 1900.


Posted by: epic408

cant wait until at&t gsm!


Posted by: ~W~

the sooner the better....I live in El Cerrito, Ca, which is very close to berkeley, and i used my cingular siemens 40 to check for reception all the time. In my apartment i get at best 2 bars with cingular, however with 310-380, i recieve 3 1/2 bars all the time....this is terrific!!!!
I know this is crazy but as soon as att gsm comes out, im gonna change my 39.99 plan to 19.99 roll over whatever and paid the rest of the way, and immediately switch to at&t gsm !!!
at&t gsm come to papa!!



Posted by: roboshh

Any latest updates on the release date of gsm? anyword of any phones for gsm att other than the t720?


Posted by: raver0600

Hopefully its still 10/9 (or one day earlier, since i heard a pushback 1 day) and go to www.mmodemagazine.com ...thats all the phones they will have for a couple of weeks


Posted by: edward21

Quote:
Originally posted by SFJeff
I've been waiting nearly 4 months for ATTWS to launch in the Bay Area, suffering with Cingular's coverage (that doesn't even work in my own home!)

However, my friend who is an ATTWS salesperson told me that at this point, ATTWS won't sell SIMS to new customers, only the whole phone! This is a bit annoying for those of us that have been waiting to switch providers and already have handsets. All I can say is they'd better have a SUPER cheap phone to buy for me to keep as a spare and take the SIM out of it.

By the way, my T68i tries to switch to ATT several times every day everywhere around SF becuase they're coverage is so much better!


Can I just buy those AT&T SIMS that are sold on Ebay? although they're from chicago, is it possible to have it activated here in the bay area?


Posted by: raver0600

you cant activate it to be a 415 number...you can only activate it with a currently availible officially launched city with at&t gsm...meaning if u really want at&t gsm...u have to get another area code...not 415!


Posted by: jerryk

Quote:
Originally posted by roboshh
anyword of any phones for gsm att other than the t720?


The att website shows the T68i, Nokia 8390, and Siemans S46. There is also another Nokia phone.

jerry


Posted by: eriqesque

Well i was in San Francisco over the weekend, I didn't do exhausting reseach but i can tell you the network seems solid eveytime i looked at the phone i was at least 3bars of signal and most of the time 4 never had a problem making or receiving any calls even made and recieved a call out on Alcatraz so looks very very good so far to me.


Posted by: skytrack

Quote:
Originally posted by eriqesque
Well i was in San Francisco over the weekend, I didn't do exhausting reseach but i can tell you the network seems solid eveytime i looked at the phone i was at least 3bars of signal and most of the time 4 never had a problem making or receiving any calls even made and recieved a call out on Alcatraz so looks very very good so far to me.


Agreed, even smaller pocket areas that were once a major problem for dropping calls are now a thing of the past. AT&T was definitely wise in pushing back the GSM launch date.


Posted by: DrFerrari

Quote:
Originally posted by edward21
Can I just buy those AT&T SIMS that are sold on Ebay? although they're from chicago, is it possible to have it activated here in the bay area?


That's actually not true, you do not need to buy a new phone to get the sim. From what I have heard as long as you lie to them and tell them you have a compatible phone that they are selling already, they will let u activate with a new sim.

I think it all depends on the store u are in and if they are actually willing 2 cut u a break, I know some stores will.


Posted by: civicexspd

what is the link to their new GSM rates?


Posted by: hlee1169

Today I talked to an AT&t representative who came to our company about the GSM rollout, and she said that it's probably around Oct. 20. Has anyone else who heard the same?


Posted by: roboshh

I heard from a rep no later than oct 20th.


Posted by: jerryk

Quote:
Originally posted by hlee1169
Today I talked to an AT&t representative who came to our company about the GSM rollout, and she said that it's probably around Oct. 20. Has anyone else who heard the same?


I sure hope not!


Posted by: holee

A friend of mine in the Bay Area managed to get migrated over to GSM early.

He's a business customer (he gets
the discount through his employer). He called up AT+T to get migrated to GSM. He lives in the Bay Area, so he used the address of a friend of his down in southern california. He figured he'd get an LA area code and new number for a while, but he'd switch back later.

He bought the Ericsson phone through AT+T and they just shipped it to him. He figured he'd have to activate it and get a SoCal # on that phone. Nope. For some reason the phone was activated when AT+T sent it.

Better yet, it was set to his current phone number. He could make calls but not receive calls. After calling AT+T though they deactivated his TDMA phone. Now he can make/receive calls on the GSM phone and he still has his old Bay Area phone number. The only downside is that his bills are being forwarded to an out of area address, but otherwise everything's the same as it always was.

So it seems that AT+T's letting people slip through earlier than planned.


Posted by: raver0600

i still think its october 8 and not 20


Posted by: edward21

I saw an AT&T advertisment on best buy, they're offering T68 but it said that it won't be available in the bay area until oct 8.


Posted by: raver0600

yay........2 more days til it comes out... WHEN WILL THE 3590 COME OUT GEEZ ITS TAKING FOREVER


Posted by: ~W~

my friend works for bestbuy, and he said bestbuy started selling gsm service for att today, lemme check tho. He works at the emeryville best buy......but he said he wasnt sure though


Posted by: jerryk

I just got off the phone with the local bay area AT&T store. They start selling GSM tomorrow (10/8). Phones are in stock, but they cannot sell them to you.

Looks like I'll be getting a new phone!!

jerry


Posted by: hav0k99

Now's a good time to start posting the best AT&T GSM Deals around! I got one off the Goodguys circular for the T68i for $50 after MIR. $199 - $50 AT&T rebate - $100 Goodguys rebate = $50.

Anyone find anything??!?! BtW post the phone you expect to get too. For me it's the T68i all the way.


Posted by: civicexspd

i called a local at&t wireless store and i inquired about GSM service and they told me to call back tomarrow.


Posted by: netboy

ATT need to get their acts together!
call 2 store, 1 in fremont, the other in walnut creek, both say tommorrow..
but when i call the one in berkeley, it said in 2 days..
and the one i call in richmond, this IDIOT said "sooooon", i said When, he said "about 2 weeks, i think".. WTF..


Posted by: hav0k99

It is definetly tommorrow guys!! Lets try to find the best deals in the bay area!


Posted by: civicexspd

i hope they have a plan like 600pk and 3000 n/w for $39.99, kinda like cingular


Posted by: netboy

i just need a 29.99$ gsm plan.. 39.99$ is too much for me..


Posted by: SFDM

You can already sign up in SF today (Monday) - see my post on the subject, I signed up on the phone at about 10am this morning in downtown SF, was on a GSM talking with my 415 number within minutes!


Posted by: epic408

i went to circuit city today.. they had the freakin t68i in the showcase... i was like can i buy it already they were all sorry sir youll have to wait until tomarrow...i was like damnit!

question... if your in the middle of a contract (6 months left) and your on family plan can you migrate?


Posted by: civicexspd

does anyone around here know the exact phone plans that'll come out?


Posted by: hav0k99

Anyone in Sonoma County on the AT&T GSM plan yet? I wanna know how coverage and reception is.


Posted by: jerryk

Quote:
Originally posted by civicexspd
does anyone around here know the exact phone plans that'll come out?


The calling plans are listed on the attws.com site. Select next generation and then services. The Bay Area zip codes are active.

jerry


Posted by: jerryk

Quote:
Originally posted by netboy
i just need a 29.99$ gsm plan.. 39.99$ is too much for me..


Looks like the plans start at $19.95. But you have to spend 29.95 or more to get any minutes.


Posted by: netboy

but there is no 29.99$ gsm plan.. 39.99$ is too much for me.. and 19.99$ is not enought minutes for me..
there is a multi-band plan for 29.99$.. but u need a mutil-band phone for that plan.. and i dont want the S40..


Posted by: civicexspd

Quote:
Originally posted by jerryk
The calling plans are listed on the attws.com site. Select next generation and then services. The Bay Area zip codes are active.

jerry


cool thanks


Posted by: hav0k99

Anyone sign up today?!?!


Posted by: Liquid-R1

Quote:
Originally posted by hav0k99
Anyone sign up today?!?!


Yup! Did this morning...


Posted by: hav0k99

Well where do you live? What did you get? and how's the coverage? (In a giddy girl voice)


Posted by: Liquid-R1

I'm off of 1st St. I actually picked up the T68i a couple weeks ago when I was in Oregon... Coverage is great where I live... At least 3-4 bars now vs. 0-1 with Cingular... However, where I work, off of Brokaw, in my office, I pretty much don't get any signal... Oh well... But, the Starbucks off of Brokaw and Oakland gets 1-2... However, if I do get the 1-2 bars, it sounds great, without any break-up... Usually I get 0 there with Cingular... So... All in all, it's pretty good... Kinda bummed about signal at work, but quite pleased with the coverage at home...


Posted by: epic408

Quote:
Originally posted by epic408
i went to circuit city today.. they had the freakin t68i in the showcase... i was like can i buy it already they were all sorry sir youll have to wait until tomarrow...i was like damnit!

question... if your in the middle of a contract (6 months left) and your on family plan can you migrate?

anyone???


Posted by: netboy

all the GSM sites not turned on, i guess. at my house, i only get 2bar signal, and my cingular get full 5bar.. i'm in oakland..
should i call ATT and complain?


Posted by: hav0k99

I went to the Good Guys in Santa Rosa and they are so clueless on GSM. I ended up changing my mind and staying with Sprint.


Posted by: civicexspd

I got a brochure and also looked on the website and i think this plan hella sucks. For $39.99, you only get 500 minutes, 500 additonal minutes cause of promo, and that extra minutes will expire at the end of the contract. So i think its kinda wack. You still have to pay nights and weekend minutes which is pathetic. I would think the quality service is all good, but this plan sux.


Posted by: DrFerrari

Quote:
Originally posted by civicexspd
I got a brochure and also looked on the website and i think this plan hella sucks. For $39.99, you only get 500 minutes, 500 additonal minutes cause of promo, and that extra minutes will expire at the end of the contract. So i think its kinda wack. You still have to pay nights and weekend minutes which is pathetic. I would think the quality service is all good, but this plan sux.


Ya but if u sign a 2 year contract with the plan 1000 mins for that price is not bad. Actually compared 2 what T-mobile gives you that's really good.

But come the hell on, this is not tmobile, and there plan tho good for certain people is not for eveyone. I can't belive they pulled this and will be giving a very frustrated call 2morrow to them. There are no plans with nights and weekend minutes?

First on tdma they moved me to 9pm for my night mins, that's fine i guess cuz' eveyone else (cept verizon) has also done that. And if it wasn't for their excellent (#1 by San Jose Merc Review) coverage I would be gone from them. They're really getting me mad tho, they're prolly gonna merge w/ Cingular cuz' minus the great customer support and coverage, they're almost as bad now.


Posted by: Liquid-R1

Quote:
Originally posted by DrFerrari
But come the hell on, this is not tmobile, and there plan tho good for certain people is not for eveyone. I can't belive they pulled this and will be giving a very frustrated call 2morrow to them. There are no plans with nights and weekend minutes?


I think you can add the nights and weekends to the GSM charter plan... At least the lady asked me if I wanted to add it on... I think it was 4.99 for 500 minutes... But I'm not sure what the exact rate was...


Posted by: jerryk

Quote:
Originally posted by Liquid-R1
I'm off of 1st St. I actually picked up the T68i a couple weeks ago when I was in Oregon... Coverage is great where I live... At least 3-4 bars now vs. 0-1 with Cingular... However, where I work, off of Brokaw, in my office, I pretty much don't get any signal... Oh well... But, the Starbucks off of Brokaw and Oakland gets 1-2... However, if I do get the 1-2 bars, it sounds great, without any break-up... Usually I get 0 there with Cingular... So... All in all, it's pretty good... Kinda bummed about signal at work, but quite pleased with the coverage at home...


The low signal may be the T68i. It is known to not be too good on the signal end.


Posted by: Liquid-R1

It's possible... I think it's just the building and the area... Near the airport, the signal is great... As I go down Brokaw, it's not that great... In the building... All is lost...


Posted by: civicexspd

Quote:
Originally posted by DrFerrari
Ya but if u sign a 2 year contract with the plan 1000 mins for that price is not bad. Actually compared 2 what T-mobile gives you that's really good.

But come the hell on, this is not tmobile, and there plan tho good for certain people is not for eveyone. I can't belive they pulled this and will be giving a very frustrated call 2morrow to them. There are no plans with nights and weekend minutes?

First on tdma they moved me to 9pm for my night mins, that's fine i guess cuz' eveyone else (cept verizon) has also done that. And if it wasn't for their excellent (#1 by San Jose Merc Review) coverage I would be gone from them. They're really getting me mad tho, they're prolly gonna merge w/ Cingular cuz' minus the great customer support and coverage, they're almost as bad now.


that's true, but T-Mobile gives unlimited weekends but AT&T doesn't. Also TM you don't pay for roaming charges also. There are night and weekend minutes according to the website, but you have to pay a lil bit extra. Their other plans like the mulitnetwork sounds good and gives you decent minutes.


Posted by: mikethaler

Quote:
Originally posted by civicexspd
that's true, but T-Mobile gives unlimited weekends but AT&T doesn't. Also TM you don't pay for roaming charges also. There are night and weekend minutes according to the website, but you have to pay a lil bit extra. Their other plans like the mulitnetwork sounds good and gives you decent minutes.


ATT considers their large and ever growing GSM network your "home" area - so there are no roaming charges with them either.

For the few very heavy users, their unlimited minutes for $99 beats everyone. We put two heavy users on that plan. We had a 3000 minute plan w. TM for $50 (no LD outside Ca. and no roaming outside Ca.) and offered TM $100/mo. for 6000 minutes. They said if you want 6000 minutes you need two separate phones!! Switched 2 lines to ATT in Fresno last month. Unlike TM, includes LD anywhere in the U.S.

...mike


Posted by: civicexspd

that'll be cool if you can have family talk w/ that $99 plan. Have up to 5 people on that and dat'll kick a$$! Call anytime you want, or just split the bill w/ your friends. hehe


Posted by: seat

I'm looking to switch to a GSM-based service. Currently, I'm still with Sprint with an old but friendly Sanyo 5400.

Q1: Should I go with ATT, Cingular or TMobile for best coverage?
Q2: One more quickie (i'm mixing topics). How bad is the RF for SE t616?

Thanks, s/e




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