In article <telecom24.113.3@telecom-digest.org>, bumblebee4451@yahoo.com
says:
> I have been having problems with my cell phone (LG) dropping calls in
> my home. Seems like you talk for a few minutes and the call is
> dropped. Getting tired of this and thinking it was my phone, I went
> to Verizon since I was near the end of my contract and got 2 new LG
> 6100 camera phones (one for me and one for my son). I paid over $200
> -- there is a rebate.
> Well don't you know it the same thing happens with this phone. I did
> some testing and find that the signal bars are very weak in my area
> (suburban), its not just my house ( a regular wood house) but
> seemingly a few miles area the signal is weak. I drove about a mile
> east and the signal bars got stronger and then they got the strongest
> a few miles a way. The phone worked fine there.
> So does this mean my area is in a dead zone?
> What can be done? How can Verizon put someone in a contract if it
> knows that cell reception will be poor in there area? Why doesn't
> Verizon fix this so we all could get uniform service. It seems a rip
> off if I can't use my cell phone in my home.
If you want uniform service, you'll have to allow cell towers in your
neighborhood. Everyone wants cell service, but NIMBY ...
--Gene
[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: On my personal cell phone, which is on
Cingular Wireless, my latest contract is about to run out, and when
I was downtown Friday, I went in the Cingular Wireless store and
talked to the lady about getting a new phone in exchange for renewing
my contract. There were several hangups, IMO: the newer phones are
a bit smaller and (a) they would not work with my existing Cell Socket
device; I use a Nokia 5165, which is an older phone, but it works
quite well (and, it also works quite well when tied into my PBXtra
through the Cell Socket) ... (b) the picture quality on the newer
phones, while it has gotten better, _still_ has a way to go before the
picture quality is as good as an inexpensive digital PC camera, and
(c) the lady told me unlike Cingular Wireless text messages, to send
a picture costs more money, around 40 cents per transmission. If there
was a way to avoid that transmission charge (for example by somehow
transferring the picture directly to my computer, then using my own
email to move the picture around, I might be inclined to get a new
phone and try it. PAT]
Gene S. Berkowitz (first.last@comcast.net)