Regional vs National Plan
When Cingular asks you to choose from a Regional Plan or a National Plan, am I correct in assuming that the Regional or National refers to the point at which I will be initiating the phone calls and not the geographical areas which will receive my call?
Why does Cingular/Verizon/Sprint make that distinction? Is it because it is harder to set up calls for a person who is traveling over vast geographical areas?
I know that this is a very basic question, but I have been concentrating so hard on finding phones that I have not really stopped to think about a lot of peripheral factors.
I will be making all my calls from the area where I live. I will not be making calls while traveling (because I do not travel about).
-Lorna
Why does Cingular/Verizon/Sprint make that distinction? Is it because it is harder to set up calls for a person who is traveling over vast geographical areas?
I know that this is a very basic question, but I have been concentrating so hard on finding phones that I have not really stopped to think about a lot of peripheral factors.
I will be making all my calls from the area where I live. I will not be making calls while traveling (because I do not travel about).
-Lorna
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If you choose a regional plan you will get charged for roaming if you travel outside of that regional area.
Most areas of the country have eliminated regional plans due to the confusion caused. In some areas Cingular keeps them for competition purposes.
Most areas of the country have eliminated regional plans due to the confusion caused. In some areas Cingular keeps them for competition purposes.
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The carriers themselves cause the confusion by not making very clear boundary lines on very clear maps.
I DO know that I will not be traveling over long distances making phone calls. -Lorna
I DO know that I will not be traveling over long distances making phone calls. -Lorna
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Cingular's regional plans run along state lines. Not sure about all carriers but that seems fairly clear.
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texaswireless said:
Cingular's regional plans run along state lines. Not sure about all carriers but that seems fairly clear.
.......... Lorna says ............................................. ...
I'd better re-check that Cingular regional map; it did not seem to follow state borderlines. For the way I don't travel about, I should just get me a regional plan, as long as there is free long distance and roaming.
"Roaming" is defined in the Phone Scoop Glossary as: "Using a wireless phone outside of your service provider's local coverage area or home calling area."
....... And since I may go outside my LOCAL coverage area while remaining within the REGIONAL coverage area, yes, I do want free roaming...
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Roaming is using your phone outside of your calling area, which with the nation wide plan is the whole nation. With regional plans, it is the region that was defined to you when you inquired about it. Most of the regional plans should follow state lines.
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I see. So if I get a regional plan and never initiate calls outside the region, then I am OK. I understand that most plans allow for free long distance (thank goodness). -Lorna
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national plans have rollover and unl m2m included, regional does not(one or the other is paid for feature) 🙂
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NFamous said:
national plans have rollover and unl m2m included, regional does not(one or the other is paid for feature) 🙂
.......... Lorna says ............................................. ...
Dear Nfamous... I cannot understand what you wrote. By that I mean that I cannot follow the syntax (flow of words) of your sentences. Sorry. -Lorna
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What causes confusion with regional plans is that your phone will say cingular and not roaming no matter what your phone says on cingulars network even if you are outside the regional area. Second some areas your phone may indicate it is roaming but because of the plan it makes no difference. Another thing is mtm then gets confused with a regional plan is that both parties have to be in the regional HCA for mtm to count. On a National plan it makes no difference. It is not the plan boundaries that confuse people is that people expect that they can go by what their phone says to know if they are roaming or not.
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Hi! Thanks for the input here. I am not clear on HCA and mtm, but what I see is that one cannot trust what the handset says on the display with regard to roaming. I expect NOT to go beyond my region/California, however.
Actually I have to look more closely to compare a regional plan against a national plan, though.
-Lorna
Actually I have to look more closely to compare a regional plan against a national plan, though.
-Lorna
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Np HCA is the Home Calling area. For a National plan it is anywhere inthe 50 states us virgin islands and porto rico(sp) a regional plan is just a large local area. You generally get more anytime minutes on those plans but you lose national mtm and ability to use the entire network of cingular without roaming charges. Really I find these plans useless and there is really no need of them. they are the plans that 90% of the time the cust wanted then uses the phone on the other side of the country and say my phone never told me i was roaming type thing. they are garbage plans and national plans are much better especially if a lot of your family national has cingular because of the mtm alone. on a regional plan if you based in NY and call your f...
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This is an excellent insight, and thank you. I have people in New York on T-Mobile, people in Ohio on Verizon, and relatives in Hawaii whose carriers I am unaware of.
-Lorna
-Lorna
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np, I would recommend a national plan then especially if they have cingular or if even if you visit them on occasion.
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