Reply With QuoteIf you are out in the middle of nowhere your cell will not work unless if there happens to be a tower there. Cell phones should work in all major areas though.
How does the whole cell phone industry work in the US anyway? Why the heck people never have a signal on their phone on horror movies? Is that a common problem in real life too, I heard it is. Is 3G nationwide? One more question, can you freely chose which service provider you want to use, and with which phone, cuz I heard on some phones u cant change the SIM card but it's kind of integrated to the phone?
Bah, only reason I'm interested is because I work on the business here in Finland and since many people visit the US this could be useful information for me.
If you are out in the middle of nowhere your cell will not work unless if there happens to be a tower there. Cell phones should work in all major areas though.
You can pick any provider. Some phones are carried by everyone, but some might only be available with one provider initially then eventually other providers will get them. I don't know why but that's how it is.
You can pretty much choose any phone you could dream of. Now thats not saying it's going to be cheap. I've never run into a integrated SIM card though. Now signals are a different story. I get pretty decent service around my city at most times. But as soon as I step on to the driveway of my house, I'll be lucky to make an emergency call.Originally Posted by Kartoon
For me in Maine, signal coverage is good enough for calls, text, and photo messages. I've never tried video or mobile internet, but I'd assume the same for them. In the cities, and in high ground, the signal's pretty good. The highways also have pretty good coverage. Some of the rural valleys are a little lacking, though. There are several major providers, AT&T (ex US cellular), VerizonWireless (my network), Unicel, are just the largest. Most providers work together to reduce the costs of tower construction, so coverage in many areas is similar. Verizon claims to have the best coverage, I can't say if it's true or not. As for SIM cards, Verizopn doesn't use them at all for standard phones, as the equivalent is built in. Their international versions, like the one I just bought, carry separate SIM cards, and this is the reason for my question. I've never had to buy a SIM card for my cell before.
Nokia?
Most of the US has a choice of a handful of different carriers. But, your phones are exclusive to that carrier. Not all phones are 3rd gen in the us but since there are several carriers that use cdma or gsm type technology, coverage for either seems fairly wide. Some of the bigger companies in the US have merged creating bigger networks. Carriers like SPRINT with NEXTEL have merged as a company but still have two different technologies. So, no expanded coverage is gained in that merge. Regardless, most cell technologies in the US trail European and Asian markets. The strategic proprietary manipulation of cell phone technology has retarded the technological growth of that industry. SIM cards mean squat in the US anymore since 99% of the phones are locked. Cell phone carriers in the US tend to try and prevent use of phones that they didn't sell.
However, with the growing popularity of "smart phones" and "multi-media" phones on the market right now.. most carriers are using or will be using 3G tech.
But you can buy unlocked phones, or unlock the phone yourself <online or through your provider too> , some providers dont lock their phones. As for networks, its a mix of everything. however 3G is starting to be found in the bigger cities
No, I'm not under Nokia employment, it's hardly even finnish anymore. I work for a local service provider.
In Finland the majority of phones are SIM-free and you can freely purchase any phone you wish and match it with any provider. Only for a couple of years there have been phones that come with a two year exclusive contract for the given operator, after that it will be unlocked for other SIMs as well if so asked by the customer.
3G is fairly new here too. As I work on the biz I've found it pretty handy tho. I'm able to use my phone as a wireless modem for my laptop and connect it to the internet anywhere I go, with a broadband speed too. It's pretty much the only thing useful with 3G networks. If you don't use internet on ur phone it only sucks up your battery so you have to recharge your phone every day. I usually switch it off from my customers who claim they wont use it so they wont come back in a week to whine about a poor purchase they've made with their new phone. Nobody likes a cell that has to be plugged in to the wall so it doesn't shut off in the middle of a call.
Anyway, thanks for all the input.
Nokia cell phone throwing contests in Finland FTW!!!
Never attended one, but I've done my part on the throwing though.
You've never attended one!?
For shame for shame...
To change the subject off the fu<king cells. I have now found my favorite restaurant. An all you can eat buffet pizza place. Now, in most cases, you would think it would have half assed pizza, but I was pleasantly surprised, it was actually better then most delivery pizza out there. With an endless variety of pizza, from the straight cheese, all the way to PB&J(Don't ask me, I wouldn't eat it either). Could barely walk to my car afterwards. Good chow is the key to happiness
Those friggin' Marines are always hoggin' the chow! heheh
Courtesy of Life Lessons brought to you by TLC.
I hereby challenge that last post. It is in fact a challenge, one that every man, women, and child should be wiling to take up!
You must be talking about CiCis Pizza. Love that place. I didnt know they could make that many different kinds of pizza and have it all in one place!
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