Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!clyde.concordia.ca!uunet!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!mailrus!accuvax.nwu.edu!nucsrl!telecom-request From: john@bovine.ati.com (John Higdon) Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Re: First Time Cellular Phone Buyer Needs Advice Message-ID: <2221@accuvax.nwu.edu> Date: 15 Dec 89 08:14:12 GMT Sender: news@accuvax.nwu.edu Reply-To: John Higdon Organization: TELECOM Digest Lines: 60 Approved: Telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 9, Issue 578, message 6 of 7 Landry Patrick M writes: > 1) Do the Bell Companies actually own the cells? In each cellular market, there are two sets of channels. One set, the "B" set is supposedly for use by "the landline telephone company". This could be a Bell Company, or more correctly a subsidiary of the Regional holding company. For instance, Pacific Telesis is the holding company for both Pacific Bell (my friendly telephone company) and PacTel Cellular, the abomination in Los Angeles that extorts money from people under the guise of providing mobile telephone service. Oops, sorry. The other set, the "A" channels, are for an independent company, such as an RCC or paging company. Therefore, there can be a maximum of two carriers in any given market. The distinctions are somewhat arbitrary, however. In San Francisco the wireline provider is GTE, who has an insignificant share of the telephone subscribers in this area; the non-wireline provider is Cellular One, owned primarily by Pacific Telesis, the major telephone service provider in the Bay Area. > 2) What is all the hubbub about subscribing with a certain carrier? > What are the differences between different carriers? > What questions should I be asking to find the right carrier for me? Shopping for carriers is like shopping for anything else. Who provides the best coverage in the areas you intend to travel in? What pricing packages do they offer? Ask customers in both systems how they like the service. > 3) What is the maximum power (watts) cellular phones are allowed to > transmit? What kind of power can I expect to find in the consumer > market? Car phones and transportables (luggables) all have a maximum of three watts. I say maximum because the unit does not always transmit at maximum power. Its output is under the direct control of the cellular system which will turn your transceiver's output power down to the lowest usable level to prevent it from interfering with other cells. Handhelds are limited to .6 watts. Power is not important. The design of the cellular system is much more significant. My handheld works just fine in this system with its 600 MW anywhere I go. > 4) How can I get my hands on a cell map? Unless you are an experienced RF engineer, a cell map won't tell you much. They use very directional antennas, massive beam tilt, and other tricks. If you weren't in on the design concept of the system as a whole, you would be wasting your time trying to find such a map. > 5) Anything else a novice should know before purchasing? Use it. If you like it, buy it. John Higdon | P. O. Box 7648 | +1 408 723 1395 john@bovine.ati.com | San Jose, CA 95150 | M o o !