Straight Talk by Tracfone [Telecom]
Thomas H Ward
store. They are advertising an unlimited everything rate plan for around
$45.
Since I live in a rural area of Virginia, and my service options are
extremely limited, this appeals to me. However, I am leery of purchasing
this phone because I can not find a coverage map on their web site nor
within their in-store brochures. Their brochures say that they are on "One
of Americans best networks"..
Anyone have any idea what wireless provider they are acting as an MVNO for?
ra...@vt.edu
> Since I live in a rural area of Virginia, and my service options are
> extremely limited, this appeals to me. However, I am leery of purchasing
> this phone because I can not find a coverage map on their web site nor
> within their in-store brochures. Their brochures say that they are on "One
> of Americans best networks"..
I had one a few years ago and it pretty much worked everywhere. They seem
to have reciprocal agreements with all the big players. Mine worked in and
around Blacksburg, Va. where I live, and when a friend and I rode our
motorcycles out ot Sturgis, SD it worked everywhere there was a signal.
> Anyone have any idea what wireless provider they are acting as an MVNO for?
I think they home to Verizon when there is a choice, but as I said, mine
worked pretty much anyplace that had signal.
Bill Ranck
Blacksburg, Va.
Mark Smith
Mark L. Smith http://smith.freehosting.net
________________________________
From: "ra...@vt.edu" <ra...@vt.edu>
To: reda...@invalid.telecom.csail.mit.edu
Sent: Fri, November 20, 2009 2:55:37 PM
Subject: Re: [telecom] Straight Talk by Tracfone [Telecom]
GlowingBlueMist
Mine has worked in just about any place I've tried it so far, rural as well
as in major cities.
I recently heard a radio advertisement from I believe a Dollar General store
that had a TracFone, model unknown by me, that included double minutes for
life of the phone with a starting price of $10. At that price I'm thinking
of buying one as a backup and activating it only if my present one drops
into something wet unexpectedly...
They will transfer an existing TracFone number to a new phone provided you
call the service desk before you even try to activate the new phone
yourself.
John Levine
The network they use varies from one part of the country to another.
If you can look inside the back of the phone, it's probably AT&T if
there's a SIM chip, and Verizon if not.
Note that GSM phones do not work on CDMA networks and vice versa, so
your phone will use the network it's built for no matter where in
the country you go.
R's,
John
David Lesher
[Tracfone service area]
Tracfone is a reseller; they buy into various networks, depending on
where you are. That is reflected in which flavor phone is sold in your
area.
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Joseph Singer
<<I have recently come across Straight Talk by Tracfone in my local Wal-Mart
store. They are advertising an unlimited everything rate plan for around
$45.
Since I live in a rural area of Virginia, and my service options are
extremely limited, this appeals to me. However, I am leery of purchasing
this phone because I can not find a coverage map on their web site nor
within their in-store brochures. Their brochures say that they are on "One
of Americans best networks"..>>
It depends on what "kind" of TracFone account you got and will likely depend on where you purchased it. TracFone uses two different technologies depending on where you buy the service. If it uses GSM technology it's using either the AT&T or T-Mobile networks. It will use either network that's available (likely other smaller GSM networks as well, but that's sort of an unknown to me.) If it uses CDMA networks it would use the Verizon or Sprint networks. The GSM TracFone units have a SIM (small smart card. The CDMA models generally do not have SIM or smart media cards.) Since you do not identify which rural area you are in it may make a difference if a particular type of TracFone works. If it's really deeply rural it may not work at all or if it works may only work marginally. Generally rural areas work better with CDMA type TracFone. You likely will not have a choice where you buy your TracFone service.
If when considering your service with TracFone you find out the models of the phones they use and check it out on the net you should be able to determine whether the phones are GSM or CDMA. Be aware also that using TracFone (or it's sister company Net 10) you can only use handsets that are meant to be used with the particular service. They are only compatible with other phones used with the service.
If you are rural you may want to see what other people use in your area. That will give you a clue as to what works well in your area. Keep in mind though that cellular service can be very variable from one location to another and what may work really well for a neighbour may not work for you (terrain and other things factor into it.)
Diamond Dave
<thomas...@live.com> wrote:
>Anyone have any idea what wireless provider they are acting as an MVNO for?
Last time I played around with TracFone they wre a MVNO for AT&T
Mobility (formerly Cingular Wireless). This may have changed in recent
history, but as of a few months ago, my Motorola C155 was GSM on AT&T.
Dave
tlvp
As far as you know, John (or anyone), will TracFone give you the
subsidy-SIM-unlock code for one of their SIM-based GSM handsets (after
a suitable time interval as customer, perhaps)?
TIA. Cheers, -- tlvp
--
Avant de repondre, jeter la poubelle, SVP
John Levine
> subsidy-SIM-unlock code for one of their SIM-based GSM handsets
> (after a suitable time interval as customer, perhaps)?
No, they will not. Google around for Tracfone forums and you'll find
this is a common question. I can report that the SIM will not work in
other phones either, although it did boot up in my V600 enough to let
me copy the phone's address book onto the SIM.
I just got a Tracfone Moto V376g. It's a decent phone, but it's quite
customized for Tracfone, with a constantly updated home page display
of minutes remaining and expiration date. Since the phones are sold
far below cost, I gather they have chronic problems with people buying
them up, unlocking and perhaps reflashing them, and selling them
overseas, so they make them as hard to unlock as they possibly can.
Considering that most of their phones cost about $20, I can hardly
blame them.
R's,
John