[geeks] GSM coverage in southeastern PA.

[Lionel Peterson]

On May 25, 2009, at 5:53 PM, Nadine Miller <velociraptor at gmail.com>  
wrote:

> On May 25, 2009, at 2:49 AM, gsm at mendelson.com wrote:
>
>> I know there are some people from PA (or nearby) on this list and  
>> thought
>> I would ask.
>>
>> My wife will be in the Philly area late July for a week.
>>
>> Obviously, she will be bringing her cell phone with her. It is a  
>> quad bad
>> GSM Nokia. She will be staying in Gilbertsville, but won't need the  
>> phone
>> there.
>> Mostly what she will need is a phone to call local (215) numbers as  
>> she goes
>> around and does her errands. My expectation is that her using her  
>> Israeli
>> phone for anything but emergencies will result in a rediculous  
>> phone bill.
>>
>> Is there GSM coverage in Philly? Does it reach out as far as  
>> Gilbertsville?
>>
>> Is there a cheap celluar alternative? I have an old GSM 1900mHz  
>> phone, can one
>> get a cheap SIM for it, assuming the battery works.
>>
>> Is there an alternative service to GSM in that area?
>> She is going to be in touch with us via a 215 number, so there is  
>> no need
>> to have the Israeli phone if we can call her and she can call us  
>> with a
>> Philly one.
>
> She can use her quad band GSM phone with a prepaid T-Mobile or AT&T  
> SIM, just like a person from the US would do if they were going to  
> Europe.  Can't speculate as to which would have better coverage for  
> Philly, though.  T-Mobile's coverage map for the US is pretty  
> detailed, and they have good roaming agreements.  AT&T probably has  
> better coverage, though.
>
> That's the whole point of quad-band "world phones".

T-Mobile coverage in the greater Philadelphia area is fine, no gaping  
holes in coverage areas AFAIK.

Lionel