Can You Hear Me Now?
Choosing the right mobile phone service at Smith Mountain Lake
By Kate Hofstetter

     Shopping for mobile phone service is daunting, even if you know exactly which plan you want. In order to help Laker readers decipher the differences and find the perfect match, I looked at four carriers at Smith Mountain Lake along with two pay-as-you-go services sold through local retailers.
     Ntelos, Sprint Nextel and Verizon Wireless all have offices at Westlake. US Cellular’s office is in Rocky Mount. Virgin and Tracfone are the prepaid plans. Do any of these companies have complete, trouble-free coverage? The answer, experts say, is “no.” It seems that cell phone reception, although constantly improving, is touchy at SML.
     “If any carrier tells you they offer coverage of the Lake without dead spots, they’re lying,” said Donna Ashbery, store manager for CellCom, which sells Sprint Nextel. Tommy Harris, owner of Smith Mountain Cellular, represents Ntelos, which he said has added 16 or 17 cell sites in the past year, including 10 right around Smith Mountain Lake. However, he echoed
Ashbery’s sentiments.
     “Every wireless company has dead spots,” said Harris, who explained that buildings, trees and dips in the road – which
abound in this area – can interfere with signals.
     “Even clouds and leaves can affect reception,” he said, adding that he recently took a boat ride to check his cell service on the water and was able to get a decent signal everywhere from Bay Roc Marina to SML Dam to the Blackwater River.
     Weak cell phone reception in areas of Bedford County will soon be corrected as a result of action taken by the Board
of Supervisors at its January meeting. The board agreed to change regulations regarding cell tower heights so taller towers may be erected. That means fewer towers will be needed to provide adequate coverage.
     If you are having trouble getting a signal, keep in mind your phone may be the culprit, said Lee Frye, owner of R. M. Communications, which offers Verizon Wireless. “Phones heat up when being recharged, and over time carbon deposits
can build up on the circuit board, which will interfere with the signal.”
     Frye also believes users need upgraded phones to fully benefit from technology enhancements that boost efficiency
of towers and antennas. Like your personal computer, technology can render your cell phone obsolete in a few short
years. John Johnson, a spokesman for Verizon in Laurel, Md., said, “Wireless service requires two important elements:
coverage, which gives users the signal they need; and capacity, which is the capability to handle the volume of calls.”
     As an example, Johnson compared a wireless network to a highway. Just having the highway is useless if traffic is
so congested that no one is moving. To expand capacity, you have to “add a lane to the network.”
     Verizon, he said, added one-third more capacity to all sites in the SML area within the past two years.
     “If we only had a fixed amount of money to add either coverage or capacity, we would add capacity,” Johnson
said. “We believe we owe that to our current customers.”
     With insufficient capacity, even if you have plenty of signal, you can’t place a call and will experience “dropped calls” while traveling. Adding capacity, simply put, consists of upgrading hardware, software and circuit boards.
     When choosing your cell phone service, test the phone and make sure it is going to work where you need it. Ask the
sales rep for a lender phone. Most companies will give you a grace period to try their network before you commit to the
standard 18-24 month contract. Canceling a contract is costly, with termination fees running as high as $200.
     If you want a phone with budgeted usage or for security, a prepaid plan is worth investigating. There is no contract,
no monthly bill, no credit check and no surprises. Besides TracFone and Virgin, other carriers also now offer prepaid
plans.
     Besides scurrying to stay ahead of the curve with their networks, wireless companies constantly compete to offer the
most technically advanced and “coolest” phones.
     “Our cell phones will do everything but the dishes,” joked Ashbery. “You can e-mail with them, send pictures, conference call, instant message. They have call waiting and you can put a person on hold while you take the call.”
     Of course, you can also download games and ring tones. There are phones that give directions if you get lost. Phones can track your kids online and send an alert if they are somewhere they shouldn’t be. Employers, Ashbery said, can save gas, time and labor with mobile locator phones that track employees and can be used like walkietalkies without using cellular minutes. Even invoices can be generated from the field with phones that interface with office computers.
     If employees keep a company vehicle at home, she added, they can go straight to their first job and “punch-in” by using their cell phone. They can also text message their schedule and even accept credit cards with a phone that’s called a “power swipe.”

Tips For Selecting a Carrier & Questions to Ask
1. Pick a network based on where you plan to use the phone most often.
2. Pick a plan that meets your needs.
3. Ask for a sample bill or find out all the costs involved. Fees and governmental taxes can add up to 15% on your monthly bill. These fees are not included in the carrier’s quotes.
4. Many carriers offer free night and weekend minutes. Find out when the night hours begin and end.
5. Ask how much the early termination fee is.
6. Ask what the directory assistance (411) costs.
7. Check charges for added features such as text messaging, web browsing, photo messaging.
8. Is there an activation fee?
9. What is the length of the contract?
10. Are long distance calls placed from outside your service area free?
11. Do they offer free mobile to mobile minutes?
12. Are there roaming charges?
13. Are there photo messaging costs?
14. Can you keep your old number even if you change carriers?
15. If you download new ring tones, are you charged? What about other applications such as games?
16. Do you have free national coverage?
17. If you travel abroad frequently, ask about coverage overseas.
18. How much do extra lines cost?
19. What are the fees if I go over my minutes?
20. Can you transfer your phone directory numbers from my old phone to my new one?

Resources
R. M. Communications
Westlake, 540.721.5298
Rocky Mount, 775 Tanyard Rd., 540.483.4657

CellCom
76 Builders Pride Drive, Westlake Towne Center
540.721.0173

Smith Mountain Wireless
13455 Booker T. Washington Hwy., Suite 101
540.397.0268

U.S. Cellular
Rocky Mount, 842 Tanyard Rd.
540.483.5900