How is USA Digital Cellular Doing?
Shawn Gordhamer
I recently changed my alegence from Cellular One, with a digital cellular
network, to US West Cellular, without a digital network.
Cellular One advertizes how wonderful digital is, but I notice that the
phones are terribly expensive. US West Cellular scoffs at digital (at
least the reps I talked to) saying that there is no advantage and too
much expense associated with digital to justify it.
I realize that digital is harder to scan by those listening in on
conversations. I realize that bandwidth now is the same for digital and
non-digital, since US West cellular can cram 3 narrow-band calls on one
channel, and digital has 3 calls/channel.
So, how is digital doing? Is it gain popularity like some would hope?
Is there any advantages besides privacy for getting the *current* digital
phones?
--
Shawn Gordhamer
sha...@netcom.com
M.F.S.
writes:
The can "cram" 3 calls per only when using narrow amps... (that requires
the users to have like equipment, and from what I have been led to
believe that doesn't happen very often)
Mike Sussman
Alan Petry
>I recently changed my alegence from Cellular One, with a digital cellular
>network, to US West Cellular, without a digital network.
>
>Cellular One advertizes how wonderful digital is, but I notice that he
>phones are terribly expensive. US West Cellular scoffs at digital (at
>least the reps I talked to) saying that there is no advantage and too
>much expense associated with digital to justify it.
>
>I realize that digital is harder to scan by those listening in on
>conversations. I realize that bandwidth now is the same for digital
>and non-digital, since US West cellular can cram 3 narrow-band calls on one
>channel, and digital has 3 calls/channel.
>
>So, how is digital doing? Is it gain popularity like some would hope?
First of all, anyone who scoffs at new technology of any sort is destined for
failure among their competitors!!
Digital cellular technology is gaining ground rapidly mainly due to the lack of
bandwidth. Three calls per channel on a standard format TDMA system is very
valuable. The voice coding allows for private conversations and security.
There are other positive features. Digital phones don't have to transmit as
high a signal as their analog counterparts therfore extending battery life.
Soon there will be a Digital Feature Channel available on some systems that
will offer features such as standby mode for digitals to further extend
batteries. Alpha-paging over your phone may be offered. As you can see the
list could go on. Digital phones are coming down in price all of the time and
at this point are not all that much higher than a quality analog phone.
Digital is catching on and it is well worth the while to look into it. My
guess is that US West Cellular will fall behind their competition due to lack
of features offered on their system.
Scott Townley
>From: ala...@ix.netcom.com (Alan Petry)
>Subject: Re: How is USA Digital Cellular Doing?
>Date: 31 Jan 1995 21:50:55 GMT
If you *really* believe that sales reps know and/or understand a company's
marketplace strategy...
FWIW, USWest will be one of the first carriers in the US to commercially
deploy the IS-95 (CDMA) digital cellular standard. So the sales rep referred
to is an idiot. At best.
To answer the original poster's question...it depends. Really the bottom line
is perceived call quality. I personally have heard no comments from users as
to the superiority of TDMA (the existing digital standard; CellOne uses it
pretty extensively in their larger marketplaces) and have heard many
detractors who claim to hear the timing artifacts inherent in the signalling
scheme. Field tests claim that CDMA delivers superior call quality to analog
(old-fashioned cellular), but no tests have ever been done with a fully-loaded
system of CDMA callers.
Really, the answer "is it gaining popularity" is undetermined as of yet.
It'll take a couple of years to really see.
Scott townley nx...@primenet.com
"I speak only for myself--I'm the only one who'll allow it"
John A. Kilpatrick
>If you *really* believe that sales reps know and/or understand a company's
>marketplace strategy...
>FWIW, USWest will be one of the first carriers in the US to commercially
>deploy the IS-95 (CDMA) digital cellular standard. So the sales rep referred
>to is an idiot. At best.
>To answer the original poster's question...it depends. Really the bottom line
>is perceived call quality. I personally have heard no comments from users as
>to the superiority of TDMA (the existing digital standard; CellOne uses it
>pretty extensively in their larger marketplaces) and have heard many
>detractors who claim to hear the timing artifacts inherent in the signalling
>scheme. Field tests claim that CDMA delivers superior call quality to analog
>(old-fashioned cellular), but no tests have ever been done with a fully-loaded
>system of CDMA callers.
>Really, the answer "is it gaining popularity" is undetermined as of yet.
>It'll take a couple of years to really see.
>Scott townley nx...@primenet.com
>"I speak only for myself--I'm the only one who'll allow it"
For a brief time I worked as a temp at Hewlett-Packard Comm. Components
Division...they make microwave amps for cellular applications. And according
to the engineers I talked to, the main advantage to digital is bandwidth
increase...a freq. can cary 4 times the calls, and that is the REAL reason
for digital. The improved call clarity is just a bonus side effect...
--
******************************John A. Kilpatrick*******************************
* "Tsuki ni kawatte...oshiokiyo!" | I do not speak for ACS, UC Davis, or *
* Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | anyone else. You have been warned. *
***************************jaki...@engr.ucdavis.edu***************************
Jon Wright
>>Cellular One advertizes how wonderful digital is, but I notice that the
>>phones are terribly expensive. US West Cellular scoffs at digital (at
>>least the reps I talked to) saying that there is no advantage and too
>>much expense associated with digital to justify it.
Gosh, that's surprising. U.S. West doesn't have their digital network
up yet, so they scoff at Cellular One's. If digital is no good why is
U.S. West building their own?
With respect to the cost, while the phones do cost more, Cellular One
charges considerably less for digital airtime.
--
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Jon Wright jwr...@halcyon.com voice 206-635-0338
fax 206-635-0339
You've got a hard lip, Herbert.
Michael D. Sullivan
>The can "cram" 3 calls per only when using narrow amps... (that requires
>the users to have like equipment, and from what I have been led to
>believe that doesn't happen very often)
In fact, all Motorola cellphones made in the last few years are N-AMPS
capable. I don't know about other mfrs' phones, but there are a fair
number of Motorola phones out there.
--
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| Michael D. Sullivan | INTERNET E-MAIL TO: m...@access.digex.net |
| Bethesda, Md., USA | also avog...@well.com, 74160...@compuserve.com |
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John Fulkerson
: In <shawnlgD...@netcom.com> sha...@netcom.com (Shawn Gordhamer)
: writes:
In the cities where U S WEST Cellular has NAMPS, our authorized agents
typically offer NAMPS-capable phones. Currently Motorola & Nokia have
models that qualify, and it may be presumed that NAMPS-capable phones
aren't sold very often simply because they typically are marketed at
the same price as the same model phone that is not NAMPS-capable; So,
unless the buyer is interested in Digital Messaging (voicemail service
that allows phone to operate like a pager to notify user when someone
has left a message for them, or has entered a call back # like on a
pager that displays on the cellphone) the subject of NAMPS probably
doesn't come up. As i understand it, our NAMPS markets currently
support about twice as many NAMPS phones than all of TDMA digital
combined in the USA. That doesn't make it better, but we've been able
to offer an enhanced service to the Customer(not for everyone), as well
as expand our cellular capacity as much as TDMA, without having to
market more expensive phones. Of course, this is (NAMPS) the precursor
to our choice of CDMA as digital standard in our systems being deployed,
so we will shortly deal with the issue of expensive phones!
I don't speak for my company, but I like them anyway.
: Mike Sussman
Scott Townley
>From: m...@access.digex.net (Michael D. Sullivan)
>Subject: Re: How is USA Digital Cellular Doing?
>Mik...@ix.netcom.com (M.F.S.) writes:
>>The can "cram" 3 calls per only when using narrow amps... (that requires
>>the users to have like equipment, and from what I have been led to
>>believe that doesn't happen very often)
>In fact, all Motorola cellphones made in the last few years are N-AMPS
>capable. I don't know about other mfrs' phones, but there are a fair
>number of Motorola phones out there.
>--
But then, that's not digital.