For the people looking for affordable and cost-effective calling plans for the international setting, National Geographic Wireless Service may have something helpful for you. National Geographic, together with Cellular Abroad, has introduced a new, affordable cell phone service that allows U.S. residents to make and receive international calls using the strength of the country’s largest digital wireless network. This new subscription-free wireless service provides users with a viable alternative to high monthly charges and long-term contracts and is now available online at CellularAbroad.com and in stores at J&R, Expansys, Fry’s and other select retailers.

Whereas the Talk Abroad Travel Phone, offered through Cellular Abroad, is geared toward those traveling overseas, the new National Geographic wireless service is the ideal solution for those calling from within the United States. The domestic wireless service offered through Cellular Abroad provides competitive rates when calling locations across the globe, with the convenience of using a U.S.-based phone number.

Direct-dial calls from the United States to many international destinations, including Mexico, Canada, China and the United Kingdom, start at $0.17 per minute, while domestic calls are just $0.15 per minute. Users can choose from the Motorola V3 Razr Explorer Quad Band cell phone for $199 and the Motorola C139 Dual Band cell phone for $69. Both handsets using this service include 133 minutes of free domestic talk time.

With 24/7, toll-free, U.S.-based customer support, and no bills, activation fees, service contracts or other hidden fees, the National Geographic wireless service offers full flexibility. Each cell phone is preloaded with iconic images, wallpapers and ring tones from National Geographic’s award-winning archives and comes with a battery, wall charger, SIM card and user manual.

(Source) Press

Tags: Business, calling plans, Cell phone service, Cell Phones, direct dial, dual band, handsets, international calls, international destinations, mexico canada, Mobile News, motorola c139, motorola v3, motorola v3 razr, national geographic, Portable Devices, quad band cell phone, ring tones, service contracts, sim card, subscription free, talk time, term contracts, wall charger

TracFone Wireless Inc., a leading prepaid cell phone provider, made public some unjustifiable legal concerns surrounding the blockage of a universal access to telecommunications services for qualifying low-income consumers. Apparently, local county officials have refused to certify the TracFone Wireless program and this is becoming an ignored issue to date.

City and county officials in Philadelphia, Berks County, Bucks County, Lehigh County, and North Hampton County have so far refused to certify the TracFone Wireless program. To date, Chester County and Montgomery County are alone in certifying the program in the greater Philadelphia area.

TracFone’s SafeLink Wireless service provides eligible low-income households a free cell phone, mobile access to emergency services and free 42 minutes of air time, monthly, for one year. The cell phone offers such features as voicemail, text, call waiting, international calling to over 60 destinations and caller ID.

(Source) Press

Tags: Business, cell phone provider, Cell phone service, Cell Phones, delaware county, free cell phone, mobile access, prepaid cell phone, telecommunications services, tracfone

Think you are paying too much for cell phone service? Now you can know for sure by visiting any of a number of new websites dedicated to analyzing your cell phone bill and coming up with comparisons to what your bill would be had you used the same services with a competitor. Cell phone companies generally have a fixed amount that is billed out for each service package, but then they pad that bill with additional charges for texting, internet services, roaming, etc. and so forth.

The bills themselves are intentionally confusing, and if you call to complain about yours you will almost certainly end up speaking with a service rep whose job it is to sell you a more expensive plan, which may or may not be better for you. By plugging in the listings on your actual bill, the new websites can instantly compare service packages between carriers and suggest the best deal. To check it out, try www.billshrink.com, www.letstalk.com, or www.myrateplan.com.

Tags: Bills, Business, Cell phone service, Check, Fees

Cell phone users attending the Inaugural festivities in Washington D.C. this coming week may be in for an aggravating surprise: Spotty service. Given that most of the 2 million people expected to be in D.C. this week will be carrying a cell phone, if everyone decides to call, text, Twitter, update Facebook pages, watch live video, or send video clips to friends and family at the same time the result could be a service outage.

All the Blackberrys, iPhones, and SmartPhones trying to access 2G and 3G networks at the same time to send data will cause new challenges not present at previous Inaugural events. “We can only bend the laws of physics so much,” said Joe Farren, a spokesman for the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association (CTIA). “If there are 4 million people on the mall streaming video, sending pictures, or calling, there could be congestion.” Farren’s advice is: text, don’t talk. Keep it simple. And make your plans in advance—don’t count on your cell phone for last minute hook-ups.

Tags: Business, Cell phone service, Service issues