Does this mean a cell phone bought today won't have analog capability
> as a backup if the digital signal isn't available?
Yes.
When buying a cell phone, how can one tell what the handset can do?
> The clerks at cell phone kiosks will say anything to get a sale.
Look at the manual, either in the box with the phone, or get the model number and look it up on the manufacturer's web site.
> If you live in a big city, Sprint and T-Mobile are a little cheaper,
>> but if you travel out of the cities and off the freeways, you're out >> of luck.
> What happens -- the phone is dead? That doesn't sound good.
T-Mobile will roam to Cingular, particularly if you have a dual-band phone. Sprint, you lose.
There were many news reports that digital signals had lots more "dark
> spots" than analog signals did, even in well developed areas (or
> because of well developed areas).
That's more an 850 vs 1900 mhz issue than analog vs digital. Modern phones are all 750mw, old bag phones went up to 3w, but in developed areas, dead spots are due to shadows, not tower distance.
Regards,
John R. Levine, IECC, POB 727, Trumansburg NY 14886 +1 607 330 5711 snipped-for-privacy@iecc.com, Mayor,
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Member, Provisional board, Coalition Against Unsolicited Commercial E-mail