? Cell Phone Provider?

[arpt209]

I'm powerful curious about anyone else who lives out in the boontoolies, as to which cell phone provider you have and what kind of plan? My phone doesn't work unless I get in the vehicle and go for a ride. I had to go to town today and fought the battle of a no-good cell phone when I tried to call my darling bride to see if she had thought of anything else she wanted me to pick up. Stupid phone wouldn't work. When I got home I called the-pay-as-you-go provider and spoke to a very persistent lovely, young lady from somewhere in the Middle East. In spite of her lovely accent, after a couple of hours on the landline I had the phone shut off. I don't expect miracles. I know there's nothing that'll work from the house, hence the landline. I'm in the market for a company whose phone will work when I do have a signal. Don't need unlimited talk & text plus a whole bunch of megabits of data, just want to make & receive phone calls. I have a camera, I have a GPS. I have a computer at home. Last month I used 7 of my 100 minutes for $10.00. Yup, I'm cheap. I don't spend much time on the phone. If I want to talk to someone I'll call to verify that they'll be available & then go & see them. You can't give out free necktie rides over the telephone.

 

[tungularafishcamp]

I think it all depends on which boontoolies you are in.

Here at home there is and probably never will be any. Down in Oregon GCI/att worked decent for quite a few years. Then GCI changed agreements to T-mobile and it totally sucks for service. Thinking about switching to Verizon except they won't let you get it if you have a kodiak address:/

There are a bunch of cell signal boosters out there, the one I tried gave me a couple extra bars but didn't really seem to help get/make calls, it just showed more bars
Maybe someone will pipe in with a booster that does work.

 

[Wagtail]

Unfortunately, you do live out in the boontoolies. Which means that you, and the few neighbours around you, are not profitable enough for a telecommunications company to invest in a tower. It's as simple as that.

Around here in St Helens the only tower is for Telstra, so if your mobile phone is with any other provider (Vodaphone, Optus, etc...) you're SOL until you get close to the Big Smokes of Hobart or Launceston.

Even with a Telstra mobile phone, I need to stand by a certain spot in my house to get a reliable signal... or go outside (always 'fun' during the Winter).

The folks in Pyengana (next town over from me), with perhaps 60 people, still don't have coverage. Well, that's not entirely true; if they drive up to the top of "Puddin'top Ridge" they can get a bar or two.

Fortunately, our federal government has an industry incentive (subsidy) plan to encourage the tel-coms to build towers in blackspots around the country. But it still takes time for that to happen.

 

[oosik]

I live out in the boon docks and as far as my only phone is concerned - two bars is and will always be max service. I can not get a land line out here. My service provider is AT&T for which I pay $40 per month. My monthly use is less than five minuets - my annual usage is less than 40 minuets.

With all this joyous news - I still have to stand out on the front porch, summer or winter, to make/receive a phone call.

 

[TractorGuy]

Get on your computer and search for cell towers near you. If you don't have one within 10 miles forget about it. If you do then shop with the provider or it's resellers for the best deal to suit your needs.

 

[k0ua]

Get on your computer and search for cell towers near you. If you don't have one within 10 miles forget about it. If you do then shop with the provider or it's resellers for the best deal to suit your needs.

Best answer so far.

In my neck of the woods, we often go to clients homes in my line of work and we need internet access. We turn on the hotspot in our phones to get that access. We have found Verizon to be the most reliable provider in this area. They are not the cheapest, but their coverage is the best.

 

[Citydude]

When we bought our property we knew going in that a landline was unavailable and cell phones would only work when we went up the ridge a few hundred feet to find service. When I had my pole barn built, the foreman was getting and receiving calls where my our phones wouldn't get even one bar. He was using a flip phone and I asked who his provider was and it was Verizon, the same provider we use. I explained that my phone is useless and he told me that his company uses flip phones and have service in areas smart phones don't. Puzzled, I quizzed him and he said in his opinion, the smart phones rob voice data to run the apps they all come with. I never verified if his opinion was correct. That was good enough for me.

I ordered a flip phone on line as the Verizon stores don't showcase them in their stores where I live. I now can call and receive calls on my flip phone on our property. I miss my smart phone however having the capability to use the phone up there is awesome.

 

[DMax82]

Some of this information might be useful...How to Easily Boost Your Cell Phone Signal at Home

 

[ovrszd]

When we bought our property we knew going in that a landline was unavailable and cell phones would only work when we went up the ridge a few hundred feet to find service. When I had my pole barn built, the foreman was getting and receiving calls where my our phones wouldn't get even one bar. He was using a flip phone and I asked who his provider was and it was Verizon, the same provider we use. I explained that my phone is useless and he told me that his company uses flip phones and have service in areas smart phones don't. Puzzled, I quizzed him and he said in his opinion, the smart phones rob voice data to run the apps they all come with. I never verified if his opinion was correct. That was good enough for me.

I ordered a flip phone on line as the Verizon stores don't showcase them in their stores where I live. I now can call and receive calls on my flip phone on our property. I miss my smart phone however having the capability to use the phone up there is awesome.

I did not know that. Sounds logical though!!!

 

[TheMan419]

Do you have reliable internet service at home? If so you can get devices that will convert the cell call to VOIP. That only helps in that you can use the cell at home. It does not help when you are out and about in areas with poor service.

Not sure if devices like Amazon.com: SolidRF MobileForce 4G Cell Phone Booster For Car, All Carriers: Cell Phones & Accessories work or not as I have never had the need to try them.