[Matt Kulp]

I am trying to make a decision whether to switch to a radio system instead of Nextel. I have been using Nextel for 7 years now and I am sick of all the extra expense. It seems that the taxes and special charges on there bills keep going up and up. I have a long list of complaints about Nextel I won't get into. I was wondering if anybody used the two way radio systems before, and what they think of them. Any feedback would be helpful.

[Bill Schwab]

My personal preference is a truck mounted radio with a dispatcher and no freeken cell phones. That was in back the day. The problem you will run into is, truck mounted radio systems are all but becoming extinct, and the system itself is expensive to install. Then there are the service ranges. You by certain tower space and if you go out of them, you loose the radios altogether.

Then there is the other problem. How many support systems rely on Nextel? On contractors net, everyone has them, we communicate with suppliers, concrete trucks, operators, and on and on. Truck mounted radios will actually cost you more because of the way the culture has evolved into what we consider the norm..

As soon as technolgy changed and everyone including 10 year old kids had to have cell phones, as soon as we created a work on your laptop at home in your pajamas mentality, the world changed and expects you to be connected. Even though we did just fine before all this overpriced crap became necessity.

I agree about high bills. And I struggle with seeing where any of this junk makes things run for less money than before it was here. But, it's here....... Nextel's patent rights are going to run out sometime in the next few years and I would look to see that market open. As far as switching, there is not a cell phone bill that shopuld be worth more than $5.00 a month. I can't convince Nextel that I'm right and they are wrong.

[Matt Kulp]

Bill,
Thanks for the reply. I am planning on keeping the Nextels for my sales and project managers, I am just thinking of making the change for the crews. I had the radio sales guy in my office today telling me all of the major improvments they have made with the product. The monthly fees are $12 per month per unit, and the start up cost are a little higher then the cell phones, at about $400-$600 for the handheld units. The return on investment would pay for the units in about 5 months. I am just sick to death of Nextel charging up to 20% for there fees and taxes, when cingular, verizon and the wrest of them are at about 7%. I don't know, I guess I'm just pissed off looking at the bills since I have time to pissed right now.

[johnkeegan]

I know that I'm an oddball when it comes to cell phones but I never did get Nextel. I just use a regular cell service. I have 4 phones for me and my crew, more than enough minutes and it only costs a total of $100 per month for all four. I guess its cool to use the walkie talkie feature but is it really that much different than speed dial. I press one # on my phone and it instantly dials a crew member, a supplier, my wife etc. And the phones for the crew members are pocket sized and cheap or free (I use a Treo 600 smartphone). Originally, I also shied away from Nextel because their coverage was spotty. Alot of my area is hilly and fairly rural and there were way too many dead zones. But even though their coverage has increased, I guess I still don't get it.

[HRLand]

I've been using nextel for about 5 years now and the radio does seem better to me than actually placing a call but the service is still spotty around here. I was checking out cingulars new ptt service and would change today if everyone else I communicate with during the day did also. My wife has cingular and her phone works just about everywhere she goes. I would think sprint/nextel will get on the ball and do someting about their service or they'll lose alot of customers. But, then again it didn't work for verizon 2 years agp.

[cutntrim]

I've got the Mike phones (that's the Canadian version of Nextel) and average $220-$225/month for 4 phones. I remember paying under $150/month for 3 phones (even as low as $110) so the costs are ridiculous to me. But, as Bill says, I can't see getting around it. I looked into 2-way radios for the trucks, but didn't pursue it when the sales guy failed to follow-up on my initial inquiry.

I'd like to reduce my communication costs, but it'd likely come from eliminating one phone (I could get by with 3) rather than a switch to truck-mounted radios. I will always need cell phone capability of some sort.

[Bill Schwab]

Back in the day, before the cell phone comnpanies lobbied congress to come up with an excuse to reduce pay phones, (there was once a time when pay phone would accept incoming calls) you could get by very well with Motorola radios and pay phones. The excuse for removing pay phones as I recall was because it reduces drug trafficing....Yeah, now they all have cell phones and can do business out of their Cadillac!

[siduramaxde]

You know sprint has "ready link" which is similar to nextel. However there are 2 problems with it. 1: nobody else has it and
2: sprint and nextel are now together so I don't know if the costs would be any better. FYI, I was made aware that sprint will be coming out with a cell phone that will work on both nextel (iDEN) and sprint (cdma) networks. I guess this means that you'll be able to have sprint calling service (which I do and it's been great) plus be able to use the nextel walkie talkie feature.