Prepaid SIM card in California

[POSTED TO alt.cellular.ericsson - REPLY ON USENET PLEASE]

In <2XGPa.5061$sj6.87514@tornado.fastwebnet.it> on Sat, 12 Jul 2003 00:34:42
+0200, "Alex2k" <NOSPAMalex2kREMOVE@libero.itREMOVE> wrote:

>Next month I'm flying to California to stay there for a few weeks.
>
>I'm going to an area where there's GSM coverage by both AT&T and Cingular
>(former pacific bell wireless).

Also T-Mobile.

>I have a triband GSM phone (not locked) with a Vodafone Italy sim card. The
>problem is that intl roaming has become quite expencive now (~$2 to call
>Italy....same to make a local call in the states!!....mexico: $4...LOL).
>
>So, I was wondering if I can activate a cingular (or AT&T) prepaid card as
>soon as I get to California. ...

You can indeed -- both Cingular and AT&T offer prepaid service that works
with unlocked triband GSM phones.

--
Best regards,
John Navas <http://navasgrp.home.att.net/> HELP PAGES FOR
CINGULAR GSM + ERICSSON PHONES: <http://navasgrp.home.att.net/#Cingular>

In article <F_OPa.1108$dk4.46124@typhoon.sonic.net>, John Navas
<spamfilter0@navasgroup.com> wrote:

> You can indeed -- both Cingular and AT&T offer prepaid service that works
> with unlocked triband GSM phones.

With any of the US prepaid, it's fine if you don't venture out of their
respective local area, and if you don't hang onto your credit for any
length of time ie. They suck compared with the rest of the wireless
world.

I understand but are you guys sure that I can sign up for a sim card without
LIVING in the US?
I'm 100% sure they do ask for a document or something.....don't they? is a
non-US passport ok?

thnx

"Whytoi" <whytoi@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:120720031849206717%whytoi@hotmail.com...
> In article <F_OPa.1108$dk4.46124@typhoon.sonic.net>, John Navas
> <spamfilter0@navasgroup.com> wrote:
>
> > You can indeed -- both Cingular and AT&T offer prepaid service that
works
> > with unlocked triband GSM phones.
>
> With any of the US prepaid, it's fine if you don't venture out of their
> respective local area, and if you don't hang onto your credit for any
> length of time ie. They suck compared with the rest of the wireless
> world.

"Alex2k" <NOSPAMalex2kREMOVE@libero.itREMOVE> wrote in message
news:2XGPa.5061$sj6.87514@tornado.fastwebnet.it...
> Hi,
>
> Next month I'm flying to California to stay there for a few weeks.
>
> I'm going to an area where there's GSM coverage by both AT&T and Cingular
> (former pacific bell wireless).
>
> I have a triband GSM phone (not locked) with a Vodafone Italy sim card.
The
> problem is that intl roaming has become quite expencive now (~$2 to call
> Italy....same to make a local call in the states!!....mexico: $4...LOL).
>
> So, I was wondering if I can activate a cingular (or AT&T) prepaid card as
> soon as I get to California. I have already tried to do this in Sweden but
I
> couldn't because I don't live in sweden. Is it the same with Cingular.
> Still, I could have somebody activate it for me but that wouldn't be as
> straightforward.

T-Mobile sells prepaid SIM cards in their company stores for $50 which
includes activation and 125 minutes ($30) of airtime. You can use the phone
anywhere in the U.S. with T-Mobile GSM coverage. This plan is not
sold on-line for $50, but there are resellers that sell it for $90-100.
T-Mobile
in California shares infrastructure with Cingular, so everywhere you have a
Cingular signal you'll have a T-Mobile signal.

Cingular sells prepaid SIM cards for about $45 with activation and $30
worth of airtime for $45 (you can buy them on-line, not sure about the
price in the stores), but it will only work on Cingular's western GSM
network which is limited to California, Nevada, Washington, and Idaho.
Since you're not leaving California this will be okay for you.

AT&T doesn't really offer pre-paid GSM per-se, they have a service
called GoPhone, where you have to sign up for a plan at a minimum
cost of $20 per month, but there is no contract.
http://www.attws.com/gophone/ They don't mention the cost to activate
if you already have a GSM phone.

AT&T GSM service is better than Cingular & T-Mobile; in some of the
rural outlying areas of the Bay Area, only AT&T GSM users can access
the GSM network while Cingular and T-Mobile users can only make
emergency calls.

GSM coverage is poor in California, it is consistently rated as the worst
wireless service. But as long as you don't venture outside of urban areas
you'll be okay as long as you don't require the ability to be reached by
phone at all times.

The cheaper option for you would be to get a used TDMA/AMPS phone
and sign up for eCallPlus (about $15 to get started if you have a phone).
The advantage is that the coverage will be excellent, and you'll have
coverage if you travel outside the urban area, i.e Yosemite, etc.

Steve
http://sfbacell.com
San Francisco Bay Area Cellular Carrier Comparison

[POSTED TO alt.cellular.cingular - REPLY ON USENET PLEASE]

In <IERPa.5601$sj6.97908@tornado.fastwebnet.it> on Sat, 12 Jul 2003 12:44:54
+0200, "Alex2k" <NOSPAMalex2kREMOVE@libero.itREMOVE> wrote:

>"Whytoi" <whytoi@hotmail.com> wrote in message
>news:120720031849206717%whytoi@hotmail.com...
>> In article <F_OPa.1108$dk4.46124@typhoon.sonic.net>, John Navas
>> <spamfilter0@navasgroup.com> wrote:
>>
>> > You can indeed -- both Cingular and AT&T offer prepaid service that works
>> > with unlocked triband GSM phones.

>I understand but are you guys sure that I can sign up for a sim card without
>LIVING in the US?
>I'm 100% sure they do ask for a document or something.....don't they? is a
>non-US passport ok?

I'm 100% sure that you don't need anything other than payment.

--
Best regards,
John Navas <http://navasgrp.home.att.net/> HELP PAGES FOR
CINGULAR GSM + ERICSSON PHONES: <http://navasgrp.home.att.net/#Cingular>

[POSTED TO alt.cellular.cingular - REPLY ON USENET PLEASE]

In <tKVPa.96859$Io.8362517@newsread2.prod.itd.earthli nk.net> on Sat, 12 Jul
2003 15:24:09 GMT, "Steven M. Scharf" <scharf.steven@linkearth.net> wrote:

>AT&T doesn't really offer pre-paid GSM per-se, they have a service
>called GoPhone,

Which is pre-aid GSM per-se.

>where you have to sign up for a plan at a minimum
>cost of $20 per month, but there is no contract.

No, you sign up for *minutes* at a minimum cost of $20. (You really need to
do your homework.)

>http://www.attws.com/gophone/ They don't mention the cost to activate
>if you already have a GSM phone.

You just have to buy the SIM. $25.

>AT&T GSM service is better than Cingular & T-Mobile; in some of the
>rural outlying areas of the Bay Area, only AT&T GSM users can access
>the GSM network while Cingular and T-Mobile users can only make
>emergency calls.

I've been testing ATTWS over the past few days, and coverage has not been as
good as Cingular/T-Mobile. Frankly, I was disappointed.

>GSM coverage is poor in California,

It's actually pretty good.

--
Best regards,
John Navas <http://navasgrp.home.att.net/> HELP PAGES FOR
CINGULAR GSM + ERICSSON PHONES: <http://navasgrp.home.att.net/#Cingular>

On Mon, 14 Jul 2003 01:44:49 GMT, John Navas <spamfilter0@navasgroup.com>
wrote:

>I've been testing ATTWS over the past few days, and coverage has not been as
>good as Cingular/T-Mobile. Frankly, I was disappointed.

This should NOT be surprising as Cingular/Pacbell GSM 1900 service has been
around California LONG LONG before ATTWS went GSM.

Now, if you compare ATTWS TDMA/AMPS coverage to Cingular's GSM, then you
would find ATTWS coverage to be the better of the two.

"Anonymous Sender" <anonymous@remailer.metacolo.com> wrote in message
news:8d2b8e53ef364c66bdc13fa0c801adad@remailer.met acolo.com...
> On Mon, 14 Jul 2003 01:44:49 GMT, John Navas <spamfilter0@navasgroup.com>
> wrote:
>
> >I've been testing ATTWS over the past few days, and coverage has not been
as
> >good as Cingular/T-Mobile. Frankly, I was disappointed.
>
> This should NOT be surprising as Cingular/Pacbell GSM 1900 service has
been
> around California LONG LONG before ATTWS went GSM.

Depends where you are. I was in Mountain View, visiting with someone from
Israel, the week AT&T turned on their GSM network. He was roaming on
AT&T and had no Cingular signal. We've seen a lot of reports of Cingular
subscribers picking up only the AT&T signal people and not being able to
roam onto it.

It would be difficult to imagine poorer coverage than Cingular GSM in the
Bay
Area, and I'd be very surprised if AT&T, with all its corporate customers,
would even begin selling GSM before it had urban coverage that was close
to its TDMA quality.

Please consider the source of the report of poor AT&T service; he doesn't
ever provide any evidence of his statements promoting Cingular.