Vodafone Passport In The Us?

[DRNewcomb]

Originally Posted by AdmiralAK

I am still hoping that VZW will be bought by vodafone and converted :P

They might as well put the muzzle in their mouth and pull the trigger. In most markets VZW has about 30 MHz but in many places only 10 MHz of spectrum. With CDMA this is adequate to provide a base of 3G services. They've shown very little interest in trying to get more spectrum. With GSM they'd have to get back in the spectrum 'fray provide 3G services.

[AdmiralAK]

Originally Posted by DRNewcomb

They might as well put the muzzle in their mouth and pull the trigger. In most markets VZW has about 30 MHz but in many places only 10 MHz of spectrum. With CDMA this is adequate to provide a base of 3G services. They've shown very little interest in trying to get more spectrum. With GSM they'd have to get back in the spectrum 'fray provide 3G services.

errrr....no guns for me - I'd muh rather hold my breath :whistle:

[jervin123]

Originally Posted by AdmiralAK

I was reading about Vodafone Passport a while back, and I was thinking that lower roaming costs would be cool (despite pissing off my friends and having them change my number, again, in their phonebooks :P)

Anyway, vodafone passport works well with gsm-gsm networks but what about the USA?
I know that Vodafone owns 44% of Verizon. Does vodafone have the passport program in the US as well? If so do I need a dual-mode CDMA/GSM handset to make it work?

Also can I top-up by using verizon's FreeUp cards?


Any ideas?

(and when will vodafone take over and convert them to UMTS? :P :P :P)

Haha that's a real funny one. Vodafone buying the rest of verizon and converting them to GSM. my main phone is GSM (cingular only a couple more months to go) until i move to t-mobile and get a prepaid verizon for those places with no service. But verizon the main company that owns verizon wireless is very monopolistic they hate competition in the local phone market and a local competetior (Cavalier) had to get the PUC and lawyers involved for fair access due to the 1996 leigislation that allowed competitors to use the main companys wiring and central offices.

[AdmiralAK]

Yeah I know, verizon is evil :ranting2:

[Motel75]

Unfortunately, Vodafone owns 44 percent only of Verizon WIRELESS, so to get control of it they'd first have to buy 51 percent of Verizon Communications, which controls the other 56 percent. Not easy, but it seemed like the kind of blockbuster move Vodafone were capable of when Chris Gent was running them, and there was some talk of this in around 2002 (at the time, the book value of Verizon's non-mobile assets was essentially zero).