Students have another option in cell phone service as wireless newcomer T-Mobile provides the same coverage as Cingular
By Adam Holdridge
Staff Writer
There was a time, not too long ago, that a cell phone was a privilege and a status symbol.
And while the residents of Malibu may have been among the first people to use mobile phones, they may be among the last — at least in Southern California — to get quality coverage.
On an average day, one might see students on campus contorting themselves and congregating in certain areas to maximize reception. And Pepperdine students will be the first to complain about the spotty service.
Until recently, Cingular was the only provider with full campus coverage. But there is a new kid on the cell phone scene — T-Mobile.
“I’m thinking of switching to T-Mobile,” said sophomore Natasha Fenig, a current Cingular customer, “because Cingular’s customer service is really bad. And I think (T-Mobile) is the only other service that works on campus.”
Sophomore Rhonda McDowell has already made the change.
“I switched to T-Mobile because I am getting lower bills and the same cell service, but T-Mobile has a better attitude and customer service,” McDowell said. “I felt like I was getting ripped off and being treated as if I was bothering Cingular. So I left, and I am very happy.”
However, sophomore Pierre Dievart hasn’t had any problems. Dievart uses Cingular because “so far it is the only one to have service on campus. Moreover, when I signed up, I was able to get a $120 mail-in rebate.
“I haven’t had any problems with it,” Dievart continued. “I can monitor my usage online. It has made my life easier and I can be reached anytime, even in the dorm rooms.”
But T-Mobile customers will be getting that same amount of coverage due to arrangements with Cingular, who recently built a tower at the Pepperdine law school providing a much-needed signal to Pepperdine students and members of the Malibu Colony.
T-Mobile by Deustche Telecom (formerly VoiceStream in the United States) signed an agreement with Cingular, which allows them to share their towers and sites where they are not yet fully developed. So when someone is chatting on a T-Mobile phone out at Pepperdine, they are in essence on Cingular’s system.
We’ve all seen or heard Catherine Zeta-Jones professing her love of T-Mobile and how it will make your life easier. And the company’s phones and rate plans are very competitive with the current providers.
Fenig said the plan she is currently looking at costs a little bit more than her Cingular plan, but the difference is minor.
“There isn’t that much difference at all,” Fenig said. “No more than five dollars.”
However, AT&T, Verizon and Sprint all offer reasonable plans as well, but their service in Malibu leaves something to be desired. Although there is service, you are more likely to have your call dropped on campus or struggle to find a location to receive a signal. If you do find a location, then you have to literally freeze in hopes that your call won’t be dropped.
Although the wireless industry has come a long way in the last five years with the development of smaller, cheaper and more readily available phones, the connectivity — providing wireless connection to these devices — has not developed as rapidly as the phone technology. Cell phone providers are scurrying to put up towers and improve their ability to service calls from every corner of the United States. But this is not an easy task.
Since the United States has one of the largest networks of regular copper telephone lines in the world, cell service is not quite as in high demand as in other countries. Regions like Asia and Europe particularly, because of their landline telephone deficiencies, have accepted wireless service with open arms. Traveling to any of the countries in these regions, one will likely find that everyone from the old to the very young are armed with a portable wireless device.
So while Americans are accepting wireless service, it is taking more time to develop as our society is being retrained on how we think of wireless devices and service.
It used to be that some, when they saw people on campus walking around talking on their cell phones, would think “ugh … what a snob.” But more and more people today are realizing that talking on a cell phone is sometimes a wiser choice than landlines because it allows them to save more money when calling family or friends and makes them accessible anywhere in Los Angeles or the rest of the United States.
But accessibility has its price. For cities like Beverly Hills and Malibu, outsiders might assume that coverage would be great because of the type of people who use cell phones in these areas. But as Pepperdine students can attest, that’s not always true.
Accessibility means towers and towers are ugly. Hideous, even. So bad, in fact, that Beverly Hills has a statute that won’t allow cell towers in the city unless approved, and only if the tower doesn’t make the land value decrease.
One wireless provider, for example, had to build a cell site within a church so it could be hidden in the steeple. The church receives a commission for allowing the usage of their property and the cell provider can boast improved service in the area.
As cell phones quickly become a staple across the nation, Pepperdine students’ best bet is to review T-Mobile’s plans and prices, as well as Cingular’s, as they are currently the two best options. The pricing is pretty much the same, so it is a choice that’s totally up to the individual.
The two companies will always be offering great promotions on phones and plans, so visit the two company’s Web sites as these promos change all the time. Then make a purchase and commitment to one that sounds best, so you can stop asking, “Can you hear me now?”
November 07, 2002