New technology options available

Even a casual television watcher can see the battle for cell phone customers raging today on TV. Each company releases ads seemingly every week which claim dominance of the strongest or most expansive network, as well as the most updated and useful phones and applications. As a competitive and growing market for cell-phone carriers and other wireless technology, GCSU residents are some of the most applicable targets of these advertisements.

Students’ active social and academic lives are ideal for cell-phone use. They can be used for phone calls home, text messaging and even last-minute Internet research before a big project is due. Many students come to GCSU from another area with a pre-existing cell-phone plan already, but it’s a good idea to look at options available in Milledgeville.

AT&T and Verizon, the two largest cell providers in the country, have the strongest rivalry among cell-phone providers on television. Each company seems to release a new weekly TV spot to confront the other company’s last advertisement about who has better coverage.

While AT&T and Verizon are fighting on the front lines for customers, Sprint and T-Mobile have taken a more passive approach to their advertising campaigns. Instead of attacking another company, their ads tend to emphasize the latest phone technologies offered to them my companies like Palm, Blackberry and Motorola.

Each carrier’s online coverage map provides information to help potential consumers make an informed decision about which company to pick.

AT&T’s map shows Milledgeville having full coverage of “Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution,” a fancy name for a type of coverage which is commonly abbreviated as EDGE. The company has also recently begun the process of updating its inner-city towers to 3G.

AT&T National Distribution Account Executive Katie Peacock has overseen the execution of the company’s new 3G tower in Milledgeville.

“It’s good to go,” said Peacock in reference to the updated cell tower. “When I was in Milledgeville this past weekend, it was definitely up and running. At this point, most of the inner-city towers are updated. It may take a little longer to get towards the lakes.”

Verizon’s digital coverage, the strongest the company has to offer, also expands all over Milledgeville and most of the Baldwin County area. Representatives from Milledgeville’s Verizon store were unable to comment on service or marketing plans in the Milledgeville market.

In an unofficial comparison between all four major cell carriers, AT&T and Verizon seem to offer the best service in Milledgeville. T-Mobile provides service to almost all of Milledgeville, but in varying degrees. Sprint comes in last among the carriers, with spotty and often weak service in the Baldwin area.

Students, as attached to the cell phone as many are, also have other technological needs while at school. The new service in Milledgeville offered by Clearwire Communications will provide both students and other community members’ Internet. For a small monthly charge, Clearwire offers their customers a 4G WiMAX network very similar to a home wireless network or Wi-Fi hotspot, however it spans throughout the entirety of its covered cities.

Anyone who pays for this service and has a wireless Internet-enabled device to pair it with will enjoy being able to have Internet service anywhere, any time, in the Milledgeville area. In fact, GCSU’s own Public Safety Department uses the service in its patrol cars.

“The city of Milledgeville applied for a grant,” Public Safety Sgt. Greg Williams said. “So CLEAR took that over and started building towers for Internet coverage. Now we use it for our in-car computers to run tags and licenses, pull up pictures, and fill in reports.”

Atlanta is the only Georgia city other than Milledgeville to receive CLEAR service to date. In fact, Milledgeville is one of only 24 cities nationwide to offer CLEAR service.

Milledgeville’s technological market is ever-growing, and as long as businesses like the major cell carriers and Clearwire are gaining and retaining customers, residents can expect to have even more opportunities to get the coolest new gadgets or best connection to the rest of the world.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Dec 4 2009. Filed under Health & Science. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry