After reading a bit about AT&T Wireless's new unlimited off-peak airtime 
with long distance (which, if they bill it as they advertise effectively 
means that off peak you can call anywhere in the 50 states and DC for 
free), I decided to take them up on their offer and sign up for the 
Regional Advantage plan which they are currently offering.

What piqued my interest is that AT&T has historically shied away from 
anything unlimited in terms of voice airtime. (Their CDPD Data offerings 
are a different story.) What's even more shocking is that unlike 
BAMS/Verizon, who offered unlimited in BAMS territory (until the merger 
with Airtouch where Vodafone apparently has applied the UK model of 
"nothing's unlimited" to the entirety of the ex-BAMS properties) in a 
given "home/extended home" market, the new AT&T plans include *entire* 
states, including large areas of service which they don't own and will 
have to eat airtime and LD charges in if I use my phone there (whereas I 
as the customer, if my phone is used off-peak, will get for free).

When SW Bell first started offering unlimited off peak in the Texas and 
then Boston (and DC?) markets in the early 90's, AT&T (McCaw) had nothing 
comparable, and didn't seem to care.

After NYNEX Mobile (the BANM and then BAMS) needed to bring in new 
customers to it's (then) second-rate system (this was early to mid-90's 
before the money which BA spent on the pathetic ex-NYNEX markets started 
paying off), they started offering unlimited off-peak, and it was only a 
few years later, like towards 1997, that AT&TWS in NY Metro and other 
markets started secretly offering unlimited off peak to customers who 
called to cancel in favor of a BAMS or SW Bell service plan.

And after Sprint PCS started offering unlimited first incoming free with 
no toll delivery charge (essentially allowing you to get an unlimited 
number of free, 1 minute incoming calls anywhere in the US that they 
covered [not much of anywhere :(  ], which explains why they no longer 
offer it, but Sprint is run by idiots, so what do you expect?), AT&T only 
begrudgingly offered it's bucket plans in roaming markets but no 
unlimited anything and after your bucket was used up you paid.

And (not to sound like a broken record :), when Nextel offered (and still 
offers) it's unlimited incoming calls and off-peak unlimited with free 
long distance feature, AT&T didn't seem to care. (Although they did try 
to buy them, no? :) ) (And the only reason IMO to use Nextel is due to 
pricing -- coverage is so poor and flaky in many *heavily populated* 
areas where you would expect to have good coverage that if it were not 
for the unlimited incoming/off-peak I'd toss the phone out the window and 
never miss it. Their service is basically useless if you drive and want 
to have a call last more than a few minutes...they really need to get 
their act together in NY Metro, Philly, DC, Boston, etc. They are a lot 
better on I-80 in rural PA than on NJ-3 near the US--46 split -- always 
drops there and then again in Little Falls, etc.)

And then there is Cingular, which is broadening its local/regional 
coverage areas and offering the same unlimited off-peak with included 
long distance in it's markets.

Same is true with Voicestream (which mainly due to it's having a 
footprint in the NY Market is working out some arrangement with Cingular 
-- I dunno how this will work for Cingular customers who come to NY; 
won't they need TDMA/GSM dual mode phones?), which on and off has been 
offering weekend unlimited airtime with long distance included. 

So FINALLY, AT&T Wireless comes out with it's own unlimited plan, but 
AT&T's plans seem far superior than almost any of the other carriers.

Basically, from what I gather,  under the Regional Advantage, you get:

1. Unlimited off peak airtime from 8PM (not 9PM/Verizon or 10PM/Cingular) 
to 6:59AM, and all day Sat and Sun with some holidays included as well.

2. Long Distance included -- no LD charges -- if you use the phone during 
off-peak periods you can call anywhere in the 50 states and DC for free. 
During peak hours, if you go beyond your allotment, you are billed a 
single per minute rate (nothing new here).

3. A free phone -- they will give you a refurb. Nokia piece-o-junk 5165 
phone (why on earth can't Nokia just be like everyone else on this planet 
and have "SEND" and "END" buttons??!?!....but it works and it's free)

4. All the usual features, CF, NAT, Voicemail, etc. etc.

5. No "Call Delivery" charges in the US (nothing new for AT&T here as well).

6. Use in a LARGE region, usually many states. For example, the NE region 
includes, from their coverage maps, all of Maine, NH, VT, MA, CT, RI, NY, 
PA, DE, MD, DC and VA and a piece of W.Va. I assume this means that you 
can use it in any market which has a roaming agreement with ATTWS, thus, 
I could use my phone in CO/VT/00313 and make a free LD call (off peak) to 
CA with AT&T eating the charge (we'll see if this is really the case...).

AT&T also offers a National plan, where you get all the above but you may 
only use the phone in ATTWS markets, so it is sort of like Nextel, 
Sprint, or Voicestream since you have a significantly smaller set of 
areas where you can use the phone under the plan. 

What I am really curious about is #6, above. Will AT&T allow me to roam 
on an expensive (for them) non-AT&T system and eat the charges if I end 
up talking for 3 hours while I drive down I-89 from Winooski, VT to 
Springfield, MA? Or will they do what I've seen them do in the past and 
either try to deny access to non-AT&T systems or make handoffs from 
digital to non-AT&T analog system so tenuous that the call drops in hopes 
of acquiring AT&T again upon re-dial rather than the roaming 
carrier...We'll have to wait for more drive tests and the first bill to 
come, but assuming they are even marginally competent and "non-sneaky" 
with the handoffs and billing I'd be quite impressed since it is truly a 
useful plan, and all this for $39.95 per month!

I'm wondering how long it will take the other carriers to match this. 
Currently, from what I can tell:

1. Verizon offers $29.95 with 200 peak and 3000 or so off peak with long 
distance, but not unlimited, off peak begins at 9 and not 8 like ATTWS 
does, and has a more restricted home/extended home coverage area, outside 
of which you pay roaming charges.

2. Cingular has only LOCAL unlimited, covering at most 3 or 4 states 
(like CT/B (SNET 00088) and MA-RI-NH/A (CO/Bos 00007)); their unlimited 
starts at 10PM. Their area is a fraction of what ATTWS is offering with 
the Regional plans. 

3. Sprint, which is getting cheaper and cheaper as the years progress, 
has nothing unlimited, a plan similar to BAMS, pathetic coverage and 
constant drops. If you have 6 bankruptcies on your credit rating a need 
someone who will give you service, use them; otherwise, they flat out 
stink, and if you just love the way CDMA sounds, use Verizon/Alltell. And 
the fact that they are charging you now for some transactions in which 
you talk to a customer service rep (assuming your call holds and doesn't 
drop while you wait on hold for 45 minutes to actually get someone) 
doesn't exactly endear those dolts to me any more then they've managed to 
alienate both myself and nearly everyone else I know who has tried 
(suffered) their "service". 

4. Nextel -- which comes closest to AT&T's apparently  generous rate plan 
-- offers UNLIMITED incoming 24 hours a day, and off-peak with LD after 
8PM, and may be used in any Nextel (and Canadian Telus(?) market). 
Problem is that their coverage stinks in too many areas (but not as badly 
as Sprint), handoffs are especially problematic, and they charge a 
minimum $69.95 per month for this plan and $10 for the unlimited off peak.

5. Voicestream makes a decent effort plan-wise but it's coverage is 
pathetic and very limited. They don't really (at this point) merit 
serious consideration with carriers like AT&T and Verizon, but do serve a 
niche for cost-conscious cell users who need decent urban coverage and a 
predictable rate basis. 

So in light of all these carriers' more restrictive plans, what, if 
anything are they promulgating or currently offering to compete with AT&T?

So far, I've seen nothing from Verizon, Sprint, or Cingular (or even Cell 
One carriers like Dobson which is owned in part by AT&T), nor have I seen 
Nextel lower its rates to Winter 2000/2001 levels (where they offered a 
similar plan for approx $55.00 per month, which is still $15.00 per month 
higher than AT&T).

I'd be interested in hearing of any new plans which the aforementioned 
carriers introduce which compete with the new AT&TWS unlimited rateplans...

(This post and SID list are also available at        
http://www.wirelessnotes.org)

Regards,

Doug


Interpage(TM) Network Services Inc. / http://www.interpage.net

d1@interpage.net  
+1 (510) 315-2750