Who roams on whom? (Updated Title)

[jf15219]

Sprint roams on Cricket a lot in the central valley (California).

 

Anytime I see that I'm roaming on Cricket, I feel very very discouraged. Sprint has made me feel socially inferior to a Cricket customer...

[Conan Kudo]

This explains why I get connected to MetroPCS around Los Angeles at times. I thought their CDMA network was dismantled already after the T-Mobile merger.

T-Mobile has only dismantled CDMA so far in markets that are AWS only: Las Vegas and Boston. At the end of this month, another AWS CDMA market will be shut down: Philadelphia. Eventually the entire CDMA network will be shut down, but for now, the PCS CDMA persists. AWS and PCS LTE has been turned off on the MetroPCS network everywhere, and all users were shifted to the MOCN-enabled T-Mobile network for PCS/AWS HSPA+ and AWS LTE (and soon PCS LTE, too).

 

T-Mobile roams on AT&T, but only in certain, specific, hand-picked areas (on a nearly tower by tower basis). It's usually only allowed in places *far* removed from T-Mobile's own native coverage.

 

AT&T does not usually allow any roaming on T-Mobile, even when they have no native service and T-Mobile does. (This might be different for Business or M2M customers, or in some hand-picked markets -- I don't know about that specifically. But generally, normal lines do not allow roaming of any kind onto T-Mobile.)

 

This isn't always true however.  For instance, during Hurricane Sandy,  AT&T and T-Mobile agreed to complete network sharing temporarily, so that you could switch between them at any time on any device - http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/31/att-and-t-mobile-temporarily-share-their-networks-in-nyc-nj/

 

But acts like that (while always 100% technologically available) are very rare to see in practice.

 

Unfortunately, AT&T doesn't allow roaming on T-Mobile anywhere except in extremely specific circumstances for anyone. However, they are perfectly happy paying Verizon for Unicel GSM coverage even if T-Mobile UMTS roaming coverage would be cheaper and better (this occurred in pockets of North MS). There was a small bit of PacBell bidirectional (AT&T<->TMUS) in-market roaming still available in Northern CA, but that expired earlier this year.

[MacinJosh]

There was a small bit of PacBell bidirectional (AT&T<->TMUS) in-market roaming still available in Northern CA, but that expired earlier this year.

The final end to the last roaming agreement created by the Cingular/AT&TWS merger 10 years ago.

[miguell2]

My work T-Mobile Bold 9900 roams on AT&T while around Midland, Virginia or anywhere west of that. This is also a corporate line.

[Conan Kudo]

The final end to the last roaming agreement created by the Cingular/AT&TWS merger 10 years ago. 

Thankfully, it was replaced with converted MetroPCS coverage. The whole area is now lit up with HSPA+ and LTE from T-Mobile.

[mrknowitall526]

Thanks for changing it to "whom"... that was really bothering me!

[WiWavelength]

Thanks for changing it to "whom"... that was really bothering me!

 

The title also needs to be changed to "Which roams on which?" or "What roams on what?"  So, now, let that bother you.

 

 

AJ

[lordsutch]

Who/whom/whose can refer to groups, including companies, in standard English. I don't see a problem. For example, we say "who is the best soccer team in MLS?" not "which is the best soccer team in MLS?"

 

A completely inanimate object might not take who or whom, but Sprint (like Soylent Green) is made of people.

[Nickel]

A completely inanimate object might not take who or whom, but Sprint (like Soylent Green) is made of people.

[WiWavelength]

A completely inanimate object might not take who or whom, but Sprint (like Soylent Green) is made of people.

 

 

AJ

[ddaniels3968]

Went to Cozumel Mexico a couple weeks ago. Before I went I added Sprints free International roaming plan to all my lines. Not sure why you have to add free options. Anyway I was connected to Mexico's Movistar network on wcdma with unlimited text and data and didn't get charged a dime. Thought that was pretty cool compared to the way other carriers charge for international text and data. Also connected to wcdma in the Cayman Islands with no charges.

[joshnys8913]

When I go down old route 15 which is now 99 just south of Mansfeild, PA.... AT&T roams on Indigo Wireless, at least through that little area.

[JDP121]

I know in my area Sprint will roam on US Cellular first then Verizon.

[greenbastard]

I used to roam a lot in Houston with Cricket, then Verizon if that wasn't available...I also roamed in some rural highways on Verizon when traveling around East and Central Texas.

 

But that was 2+ years ago. I haven't roamed since 1x800 got lit up all over the place in Texas, even in rural highways. I think the only time I roamed as of late was when I went into Tijuana a year ago. Surprisingly Cricket was border blasting the immidiate border area of Mexico.