AT&T and my beloved Freerunner

[Benjamin Deering]

I switched from AT&T to tmobile a couple years ago to get on tmobile's 
200 minute plan. I found this which mentions some AT&T network changes 
that result in them trying to replace old phones:
http://www.phonecan.com/index.php/customer-qustions-at-t-sent-me-a-letter-for-a-free-upgrade-with-no-contract

"*Shutdown of the Cellular One Network - *AT&T purchased Cellular One 
and began migrating customers late in 2007.  Customers had the option of 
keeping the same phone and were sent a special SIM card to make it 
compatible with the AT&T network.  In order to make the Cell One phones 
compatible certain parts of the legacy Cell One network had to be 
maintained even after the migration process was complete.  In late 2010 
the campaign for the network shutdown began and the customers still 
using their Cell One phones were given the option of a free upgrade with 
no contract or yet another SIM card that would make their phones 
compatible with the AT&T network.

*Shutdown of the (Original) AT&T Wireless Network* -- Cingular purchased 
AT&T /Wireless/ in 2004.  Cingular changed its name to AT&T /Mobility/ 
in 2007 after one of its parent companies purchased AT&T /Incorporated/, 
provider of landline services.  Years later there are still a few 
customers on the network using their same handsets from AT&T wireless 
that are at least 6 years old.  The free no-contract upgrade letters 
began going out in early 2011.  The actual shutdown happens in May.  As 
of yet I have not heard of the option to just get a new SIM.

*Single-Band GSM (2G) 1900mhz Handset Users -- *After the merger of AT&T 
Wireless and Cingular in 2004, Cingular owned licenses in the 850 and 
1900 band throughout most of the country.  Cingular "dual cast" its GSM 
signal in both bands until it began deployment of its 3G network in 
2005.  The 3G technology then took over the 1900 band.  If you're in one 
of the 2G areas that are scheduled to be upgraded to 3G in the soon 
future and you have one of these phones, you would have received one of 
these mailers offering a free upgrade with no contract.

*Users of 2G Phones with High Voice Usage* -- I don't fully understand 
the technological aspects of this one.  All I know it the users who 
currently using 2G phones in certain states (California is one of them) 
are being sent free-upgrade-with-no-contract mailers.  I could speculate 
that the 3G handles voice calls more efficiently and they want to keep 
both 2G and 3G networks running smoothly, but that's purely speculation."


On 08/25/2011 09:31 PM, error wrote:
> AT&T has been calling and text'ing for the last 2 months.  They have informed
> me that my phone will no longer be compatible with their network on Monday
> Aug 29-30, 2011.  Has anyone else running into this issue?
>
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