jonathanm1978

What I get from reading is adding up to say it's inefficient and wasteful, look at it from my point of view: My wife is at work and gets told to go to the sub-basement below their 800 megawatt unit and pull the 600 amp breaker when they tell her the unit has scrubbed down. She proceeds to go and do her job, but because of a crappy, unreliable carrier now handling communication and not having the cell tower on the plant property anymore, when she goes to pull the breaker, she gets disintegrated because her boss gets the Nextel "dong dong dong" instead of getting "bleep bleep" when he tried to tell her the unit didn't scrub. This is JUST ONE of the many reasons why they consider it a vital part of operations. I stopped today and looked at their on-site tower, how many carriers are going to agree to build a tower on every plant site? I want them to be able to communicate, but then again, none of your have family who's life depends on being able to communicate... But like I said, bygones are bygones. You guys are more than welcome to tear apart my reasoning in what I've said earlier, but I can't help but have a personal connection with southern company, my wife of 15 years ties me to that company. I got a bigger complaint about them making their own insurance company and operating that than I do their use of a small amount of spectrum (she told me today they don't want anyone using phone while roaming so while they have roaming agreements, they don't like paying that bill). Every single plant has a tower in the property. Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2

Either way, Robert, me or no one else knows for sure what will happen, it's all guessing sms no need to argue over. My skin is pretty thick, admin a porn, warez site for several years, mod on several dish network hacking sites back in the day before I went legit and quit hacking. I've been called things that I wondered if it was English, but in the end, in this case we are all guessing whether we are sure of our guess it not. I think my guess is accurate just like everyone else thinks theirs is accurate --bygones are bygones. Maybe we can come back in 8 months and tell what has happened (the company will announce in January or February if major changes are coming to their cellular network, that's when SoComp makes their yearly changes. ) Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2

I seem to think? As I already said, this company doesn't care about profit...is that not understood? You guys are still looking at Solinc as a company who is driven to profit and sits down at shareholder meetings like Sprint does and answers as to why they aren't making profit margins --- THEY DO NOT. So what they can't get phones that have cellular calling on them, they'll pay the highest bidder to make the two-way radios for them to continue using walkie-talkie as they have since SoLinc's inception...because it would cost them WAY too much to replace what they have in-place now. This may not be what they do, but they would do this before they contract someone out, especially since they've stopped using contractors and aren't renewing contracts with ANYONE, I was at the plant today and saw them moving out contractors who had been there for years. They are going to in-plant workers instead of contractors for everything. That's company-wide too, with everything. They even want the employees to use THEIR health insurance company they've started up, but still offer Blue Cross. Behemoth? I never said that...but you guys underestimate the large footprint that SouthernCompany is... for example, the grid failure in New York quite a few years ago was due to a turbine hitting the wrong frequence at a SouthernCompany plant and that grid went down. And with what SoCo does in foreign countries, who's to say WHAT they will do. No one here is calling the shots for SoCo..nor am I. I stated what I believe they'll do along with employees I've talked to who've been there for years, but I'm taking cheap shots for stating what I've stated about them. I stated my beliefs without taking pot-shots at anyone, so I guess with this post, I'm DONE. Best thing I can add is just wait and see, as we all will do. I'm sure I'll find out relatively sooner than most what they'll do, since my wife has a SoLinc phone right now and has to be in-contact with higher ups. All I said was I don't see them suddenly putting 26,000 people out of contact if they can do something to keep what they have, and I fully believe they'll drop cellular and keep DirectConnect, along with shedding external customers if they have to. I'm not so caught up in myself that I have to be right all the time...and this has taken up too much of my time already.

I don't see near as much impossibility in it, but that is because I know how big they are, and how they work deals regarding power to a cell site. Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2

That sounds reasonable , Robert, and I agree that no company should love to lose money, but in the end, they've made the decision to provide their employees with cell phones and pay that bill for them...now they may have to transition some, but farming out and selling off ...I don't see that happening. They ink a deal with Sprint, I bet...and actually, I HOPE. SoLinc gets decent in-network coverage at my house (probably because i live across the river from the steam plant, where they have the on-site tower), but there's no in-network Sprint coverage near my house. So if they inked a deal, got CDMA/LTE with Sprint + SoLinc...I could be using the SoLinc (but really Sprint) and hitting 4G..so it would help not only Solinc customers get more coverage in places they don't right now but help Sprint customers in areas where SoLinc thrives. It'll definitely be something to watch, and it'll be something that I am kept up on because my wife will get a phone if they decide to change-over. I'll keep you guys updated on what goes on with that, because if they do, they will make sure employees have their new phones LONG, LONG before a shut-down of current iDEN if they let it go.

As I said in a few posts prior, they pay the bill for 26,000 employees, and consider it operational expenses. to analysts they might be losing money, but to them, it's considered part of operating expenses (which is passed on to clients -- ie, people who pay their power bill). When it comes to solinc and southern company, you have to look at more than just dollar signs...they don't care about making solinc profitable, it's not there as a profit-gaining expenditure. It's in-place for the employees of the company, instead of handing out motorola 2-way walkie-talkie radios (which can range from $800 on up), or running on a frequency near EMS services, they just use a cellular network technology. Most of you guys are used to seeing a plant where people have motorola walkie-talkie radios on their side, they talk to bosses and other workers with them -- like on certain channels for operations, certain channel for logistics -- well, instead of southern company having this, they have Solinc. NOBODY has a walkie-talkie radio. They entirely depend on Solinc. To them, profit, smofit...who cares.

Usable, obviously not. Remain online...it very well could and probably will. SoLinc doesn't care if it has to shed some external customers. Communication inside a power utility company is VITAL, if you're talking about entire grids and millions in revenue, communication is a life & death must-have. When I said they use solinc to communicate, I didn't mean it's their office lines and "howdy, how are you" talks, we're talking about people using them to say "yeah, throw the 28 megawatt unit back online" and "pull the 650A breaker so I can do some live work on this line"... There is no back-up radio in case solinc goes down..because they maintain it and it does not go down. Coincidentally, my wife said she was doing compliance around the tower on her plant's location yesterday...they make SURE they have their internal communication, above all else. If they have to bleed a few external subscribers because they don't want to lose what they have, then I foresee them having no problem throwing money at it until it happens. It'll just be part of their budget (which should be voted on and passed q4 2012)...and will be considered part of operating expenses. so while Nextel may give their employees an option to roam outside the plants premises, they aren't really caring whether the phones work OFF the premises. They keep up the network because it's probably convienient for them right now..once the iDEN is shutdown, they may just as well turn Solinc into an employee only operation once again, like it used to be before it went public. I wouldn't say it's all that public, because even in the area you can get Solinc service, its not that easy to get it..their credit worthiness is extremely high -- like scores above 750 or 800 just to get one line. They aren't in the cell phone business to be in business, they are in the cell phone business to keep SouthernCo employees in touch which other employees...their goal is based on SouthernCo's vision, not Solinc and attracting new customers. We're looking at a different business model here than say, Sprint or Verizon, who want to attract NEW customers and earn NEW money....Solinc isn't really in it to make money (especially considering they pay their employees bills for them, spouses can opt to get one like I mentioned above, $27.99/month taken from the paycheck.)... I could have a killer phone with Solinc and pretty decent coverage if I wanted, but I'm already with a cell phone company... Biggest thing here is we're looking at a carrier that's run by a utility (and is considered a government entity in some instances), we're not looking at a carrier that's run by a carrier.

I guess that's what I was trying to say, but everyone kept talking like they were owned by another carrier and would be forced to do something because of technology changing, in all honesty and knowing what I've seen from southern company since my wife started employment with them, the likelihood of them just spending a chunk of money to keep current tech is more along lines of what they would do. I think they would be more likely to do that, since they own their equipment and they do their maintenance. They are not going to shut-down the vital communication between employees, and solinc covers the entire southern company 26,000 people. Plus the non-employee customers, retirees that decide to keep it when they leave employment, etc. Not a small number, and for $27.99 / month unlimited minutes, direct connect, and data added on at $10.00, you can't really beat them. That's employee price on plans though. At any rate, my wife also said that she doesn't know what's going on with wireless or where I'm getting my info, but she said she seriously doubts they would swap everyone's phone all at once on June 3013 or shut down current phones, she said it would be more like the company to pay whatever to keep things the way they are now, even if only for a couple years until cheaper tech or they prepare a crossover network. Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2

I foresee them(SoLinc) handing out new phones overnight since they don't mind handing out free phones to employees and paying the entire bill for those employees. My wife just got a brand new i 576 last week, and never left the plant when they handed it to her. They activated, setup and gave her the phone right there at the steam plant. I don't see them having a problem finding a solution rather quickly...they tend to throw money at a problem until it goes away (they don't have many problems). Last year after the April 27 tornado outbreak, this company had money left from the disaster area funding that FEMA gave them because they restored power so quickly, so with the extra money what did they do? They sent every employee a check for $1500. No warning, just a check came in the mail saying thanks to all and "here is some extra money for the hard work". Sounds like I'm bragging on them but they are really a good place and they won't think twice if they need to sink a million or 5 into securing a new method of two-way communication. Operating expense. Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2

I think they'll merge, but just as it is now, SouthernLinc can't two-way with Nextel customers and vice-versa. I know they use(d) the same tech for quite a while simultaneously, but you couldn't crosstalk with southernlinc+nextel customers. Phone set-ups are the same though, I looked at my wife's SoLinc and it has the same 3-digit number for PTT separated by *s. My point was that with the amount of money that Southern Comp throws around, they have no qualms about building their own, but would likely go in with Sprint as they've done previously. But they will keep their current two-way options and try to port the current customer-base over to the newer tech if this is the case..they won't just shut-down their iDEN and not have the PTT phones...simply put, they'd have close to 26,000 people without a way to communicate. During storms (which are rampant in the southeast), they are lifelines for Southern Comp and there's not a plant in Southern Company that doesn't have those mini-towers mounted on the smokestack for it to provide it's employees with service inside the plant premises...but for them to just ditch it and go with a 2-way radio standalone ....it's just not how they would operate. I mentioned them buying everything that there is that could possibly cause them any downtime...for example, they bought the train company and coal mines so they could regulate their own supply of coal. They own everything that supplies them (and currently they are doing away with even contractor-based workers and going solely with so-comp employees only for things they used to contract out)... Considering they bought trains and railway rights, and coal mines...something as minor as communications would be nothing for them to buy. Wife's plant just went with VOIP solution instead of AT&T's hardlined copper phone...boy was AT&T mad!! million-dollar contracts with APCO just went up in smoke because AT&T is letting the home broadband and copper side go to hell quickly, and too worried about pouring money into the cell side... I foresee AT&T residential having some major problems before long with being outdated. Done decided if we get 4G here before AT&T offers us U-Verse, we'll drop AT&T all together and go with a tethering plan on Sprint 4G for all our data, home and away.

We still pipe in sunlight, but where I live has towns named by Indians. In fact the only gambling allowed in Alabama is on the reservations. One happens to be south of Weogufka, in a town called Wetumpka... Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2

Robert, the map you posted of Sylacauga....if you noticed the Merkel Field almost in the center, where I live would be a couple inches above those letters. (well, above, slightly left). So if they did something on the eastern side of that city, I probably won't notice anything at all where I am. I know the tower that's listed on Hwy 280 (just before county road 102) is the one I mentioned being on Merkel Moutain, and it's a 3G Sprint tower. Always have great service right there around it..but if you come to my house (about 6 miles away from that tower in a straight line) you barely get anything. Hence why I got the AIrave...now I have no clue what's around here because the Airave is always on. I do know verizon arranged a roaming agreement with AT&T for the AT&T tower I said was 1 mile from my driveway..because one day I had to take my DSL down for a few, and I noticed my cell phone had full strength, but roaming full strength. I can't be too sure where there's a Nextel tower here, but I know there used to be one in this area, I want to say in Coosa county around Weogufka but I can't be absolutely positive on that. I just know at ONE time Nextel worked great here, but since I think they have decommisioned that particular tower.

I'll ask around, does this mean the site is brought online and active or just being built / in the works? I assume by what you said that its been constructed, and already up and transmitting or its testing and will transmit within a few days. Maybe I should switch from CDMA to CDMA/LTE/EVDO on my GS3. I had the 4G turned off since the day I bought it... Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2

Any chance you could give me some juicy details on it, like coordinate and details on it? Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2

I live right next to the DSLAM hut that gives my area DSL internet, plus AT&T has a cell tower one mile from me, so I know there are two 24 pair fiber lines feeding this hut, but it's not a Sprint area. Would be great if it was, but I think my tower is going to be on Merkel mountain in Sylacauga, that's probably the closest to me unless someone knows another. This particular tower is 3g so will be upgraded, can't wait either. Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2

Is there a link somewhere to the 100 sites that can't get backhaul to do the upgrade? I'd like to make sure there aren't any central Alabama areas on the list, as it would likely affect me. Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2

I saw the responses, and to that I say they would upgrade before selling. Like I mentioned, a company that pays for the cellular service that it also provides to its employees isn't going to just let that go away. Not sure hope many thousands have southern Linc but they are available to non southern company employees, they just have some very stringent credit requirements(worse than what Nextel used to be before acquired by Sprint). I never heard of any other company that bought its own cellular towers so it could provide two-way radio operation to its employees. The cellular side isn't monitored either, they don't care what minutes their employees use on minutes used. They only own southern Linc because they didn't have a radio option that would fill their needs as a Nextel-type solution would, considering they have smokestacks that are a couple thousand feet tall to have their mini towers mounted at every plant. Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2

We aren't talking about a cash-strapped company here, they aren't going to make a deal like that, one that would uproot the communications of an electrical utility providing millions with power, after the depth that solinc has in the company. I guess you would have to know and see firsthand, but they don't care about money. Just the plant my wife is at employees over 400 folks at that location and they pay the bill for their employees. Southern company has over 26000 employees and they provide these solinc phones to everyone(mostly everyone), so imagine the cost and ask yourself if they wouldn't just make the employee pay 20 bucks a paycheck first before they would sell anything to make money. Considering start pay, entry level is $20/hour most people would not mind paying, but I think they will introduce new devices that do what I mentioned above, I guess we will see soon as it won't be long before she will get an email from the higher ups saying what will happen when iden is taken offline. Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2

speaking of the direct connect app, do you know if that app is chipset dependent, or not? Someone posted that they were told the app would only work with the Qualcomm MSM 8655 chip, but like in the galaxy s3, it has the MSM 8960 (I think I got those numbers right), I looked earlier but forgot the exact chip numbers. Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2

If you hear anything let me know, but I will say this, as big of a company as southern company is (also taking in southern nuclear), I know behind the scenes they already have something in motion. I mentioned this to my wife just now and she said not having southern Linc would seriously cause the entire plant to have major problems. I know they may not be moving on anything publicly, but they buy licenses for 10 and 20 year periods, nothing like roaming agreements that only go for a year out or sometimes two. Especially considering they have their own branded phones, tech support and even newer android phones available to employees, I don't see them letting themselves be bought, or allowing the service to degrade much, they will likely arrange something similar to the direct connect now app that has been put on the Google play store for transform ultra(but there is talk of the app being opened to other android devices,) but I could be wrong in that. I think they will likely go to a service that is parallel with the new direct connect, which is why this app can let smartphone customers connect with newer direct connect devices. Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2

I'm not sure they will sell it to Sprint because southern Linc is a collaboration of the companies within southern company: Alabama power, Georgia power, etc covering like, 5 states and they use this on the company premises instead of your standard Motorola two-way radios that you see lots of companies using. I say that u doubt it because southern company wanted to control their coal trains, so guess what.... they bought the train company. Anything they want that could cause them operational loss, they own. They want no other company to be able to cause them downtime on any level, especially power production. Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2

I live in a southern Linc area, and actually my wife has a southern Linc phone. She is an employee of southern company , they are the ones who license that tower usage for their cell phones which are basically Nextel phones with southern Linc name. I'm wondering how southern Linc will be affected by network vision and what will happen to southern Linc when iden is decommissioned? Anyone know? Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2

So, I live in central Alabama...I'm probably somewhere around half the distance between Birmingham, and Montgomery...two cities that I'm SURE will get 4G due to their size and population..but as for my area, I can't really say. I live on the south end of the county, but twice a year the north end of the county becomes the 2nd largest population-wise due to the Nascar track...(for those still wondering, I live near Talladega Superspeedway, but this is still a good 20 miles from me on the opposite end of the county)... I don't know if they'll light-up this county due to it's affiliation with Nascar or not, and if they do, then it probably STILL won't affect me because of my distance from the track (zip = 35150). With 4G being more than likely destined to come to Bham and Mont...I guess we'll have to deal with 3G Advanced here?? Question is, what exactly is the 3G advanced..and does this advanced 3G mean that eventually 4G will be present? I thought they said that every that was within a Sprint 3G area right now would be getting a 4G signal when they finish the roll-out/deployment...or am I wrong in that?

I'm already receiving a discount on mine, because of my wife working for Southern Company (You would think that a company that generates frigging electricity would get more than a 5% discount, especially when it's sometimes considered a government entity), but it won't let me modify my current discount without calling into Sprint...and I don't want to do that. Says my discount is confirmed throught June 11, 2013 so no action is required on my account at this time when I tried to use my AIM.com address. AOL.com doesn't work, as seen above, but AIM.com DOES work, and allows you to verify. I'm sure shocked that my AIM account was still there, I haven't logged into it since 2008, so I was stunned that it let me even log-in

So anyone can sign up for aim and use the email account to say they work for aol and get 25% off? That beats my wife's southern company/Alabama power discount by a long shot. Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2