IWireless: Difference between revisions
| Line 38: | Line 38: | ||
In August 2005, i wireless announced a 10-year agreement with The MARK of The Quad Cities (now the [[i wireless Center]]) and the Illinois Quad City Civic Center Authority to secure naming rights of the arena, but a name change to the i wireless Center did not take place until July 19, 2007. I wireless has a wireless broadband like service which provides unlimited nationwide access within the data coverage area. Speeds MAY BE 3G depending on the data system/ roaming partner you are using although speeds in the i wireless home area can go anywhere from 56k (average mobile or desktop speed)... up to 300k which is advanced edge speed. In the Iowa area )about 60%) speeds should range in up to 192k in and around western Iowa & Eastern Illinois. They could in theory go up to 400 or 450 k in certain areas, depending on coverage availability, towers, signal, time of the day, or network intrusions/ current usage rate[http://www.iwireless.com/plans.asp.] |
In August 2005, i wireless announced a 10-year agreement with The MARK of The Quad Cities (now the [[i wireless Center]]) and the Illinois Quad City Civic Center Authority to secure naming rights of the arena, but a name change to the i wireless Center did not take place until July 19, 2007. I wireless has a wireless broadband like service which provides unlimited nationwide access within the data coverage area. Speeds MAY BE 3G depending on the data system/ roaming partner you are using although speeds in the i wireless home area can go anywhere from 56k (average mobile or desktop speed)... up to 300k which is advanced edge speed. In the Iowa area )about 60%) speeds should range in up to 192k in and around western Iowa & Eastern Illinois. They could in theory go up to 400 or 450 k in certain areas, depending on coverage availability, towers, signal, time of the day, or network intrusions/ current usage rate[http://www.iwireless.com/plans.asp.] |
||
So I've tested out the I wireless internet, & it took me about 30 seconds to connect to the internet meaning the default set homepage, http:/home.iwireless.com/mobile (I think that's the mobile version) and it took me about 9 seconds to load google. 14 seconds to load yahoo, 15 seconds to look mobile.myspace.com, 43 seconds to load Mycricket.com, & I got intenet speeds around 75k with i wireless about mobile dial up speed. They still have no 3G but iwireless is currently planning a $470,000,000 3G layout that will be in most of Iowa since their income is very little do to the face that about 90% of Iowa wireless customers usually have Megatalk without any features and get a very cheap plan and don't take the time to spend alot of money on the few features that Iowa wireless offers. But do not fear Iowa wireless (AKA I wireless), will be planning to become 3G but since almost all of there phones are currently not programmed and pre-set for I wireless service it will be difficult for any of the most unlocked phones the they offer to get speed above GPRS (DIAL UP SPEED-56K) speeds. |
|||
==See also== |
|||
*[[I-wireless]]. Nationwide. An MVNO of the Sprint network. Funded by [[Cincinnati Bell]]. |
|||
==References== |
==References== |
||
Revision as of 20:12, 7 June 2009
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (February 2008) |
 | This i wireless may be too technical for most readers to understand. |
| File:Iwireless logo.png | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Telecommunications |
| Founded | 1998 |
| Headquarters | Urbandale, Iowa |
| Products | Wireless |
Number of employees | ~200 |
| Website | i wireless website |
i wireless (formally Iowa Wireless) is an affiliate of T-Mobile, operating on the GSM-1900 platform. Based in Urbandale, Iowa, i wireless primarily provides wireless cell phone coverage in Iowa, but also exists in western Illinois (specifically the Quad Cities area), southwestern Wisconsin, and southeastern South Dakota (Specifically in the Sioux City area.)
The carrier added coverage in and immediately surrounding Sioux City, Iowa, in June 2006, and has plans to add approximately 100 new cell sites mainly in western Iowa throughout 2007. In some rural areas they are the only GSM provider, and also providing roaming services for AT&T, T-Mobile, and other smaller GSM carriers. i wireless is popular for their MEGAtalk plan which offers unlimited local calling 24/7, however has been criticized for their relatively small coverage area compared to larger carriers, as well as long distance charges for calls outside of their coverage area on local plans. Most cell phone carriers do not charge for long distance calls, however most carriers only offer nationwide plans, without the advantages of local plans offer. i wireless offers both plans, depending on the needs of the consumer.
Although i wireless limits the long distance calling on their local plans, they have many plans that offer free long distance and nationwide calling. i wireless is known throughout Iowa for their nights and weekends that start every night at 5:00, and because they have roaming agreements with virtually every GSM provider in the United States, including companies like T-Mobile and AT&T.
Many customers of i wireless feel that the coverage locally is superior to many larger companies as i wireless only focuses on local trouble spots, and do not have to spend money to build out a nationwide network. 100% of the profits are from the Iowa area, and spent on consumers covered by their network locally, as opposed to spending money to cover consumers in other states.
Plans
In January 2007, i wireless launched new my5 plans. These plans are very similar to myFaves plans offered by affiliate T-Mobile. They are available as an add on to any nationwide plan for $10 a month to current or new customers. With my5 plans, just like myFaves plans, customers are allowed to pick 5 numbers that they can call that will not take away from their plan minutes. My5 plans have been designed to mirror T-Mobile's plans, but with i wireless' minute packages, which tend to offer more minutes for the price. These plans also continue the well known offering of nights starting at 5 PM for no additional cost. Numbers can be changed once a month through i wireless customer service, or through the web interface.
T-Mobile, as well as i wireless have been criticized for imitating Alltel who has my circle which offers 10 numbers instead of 5. Although similar, these plans are different in that they can be added to any plan. All my5 share plans with i wireless also offer 10 numbers, (5 per line) for no additional cost. With each additional share line, another 5 numbers can be added. That means there is no limit on the maximum amount of numbers, as each line can have their own five numbers. Alltel's plans offer 10 numbers, regardless of the number of lines on a plan, and is only available on eligible my circle plans.
i wireless is the exclusive provider of MEGAtalk Pay In Advance Unlimited Calling. MEGAtalk from i wireless provides unlimited calling for 7 days at $12, 15 days at $21, 30 days at $39, and 60 days at $71. MEGAtalk Premium provides customers with unlimited calling + text + long distance for 7 days at $18, 15 days at $31, 30 days at $59, and 60 days at $111. MEGAtalk Plus provides unilmited calling + mobile Web for 7 days at $18, 15 days at $31, 30 days at $59, and 60 days at $111. MEGAtalk users can also purchase a POWERsupplize card to add features to any calling option like ring tones, games, wallpaper, long distance, Calling to Mexico, roaming, text, or picture messaging in increments of $5, $10, $15 and $20. No contract, credit check or deposit are required for purchasing MEGAtalk. Users are able to refill their days at www.iwireless.com, dialing *MEGA from their i wireless phone, or stopping into one of over 250 sales locations.
i wireless Data Services
i wireless currently offers GPRS data services on its entire network. EDGE is currently being rolled out, and is currently active in most of the larger cities in Iowa.
- Mobile Web uses a proxy and does not allow tethering or 3rd Party Applications
- Mobile Web Plus uses no proxy, and does allow tethering and 3rd Party Applications.
- Mobile Connect is a separate data account designed for use with a PCMCIA or USB Aircard.
Mobile Connect gives the user a separate SIM card to use in the Aircard and costs $39.95 per month unless added to a voice plan, in which case it is $19.95 per month. i wireless has currently had a feature of nationwide mobile laptop or computer connect. In this connection you get EGDE/GPRS access with dial up speeds in most areas & edge in most major cities. It is very slow for the impatient person. However once you get on the AT&T & TMOBILE NATIONAL NETWORKS your speeds will bee 2.5/3G speeds in most major areas also. In some slow area it may be as less as 1.2 g with .88g speeds not because of the network just due to the fact it's a country area & very much is far away from the telephone base...!
Corporate Sponsorship
In August 2005, i wireless announced a 10-year agreement with The MARK of The Quad Cities (now the i wireless Center) and the Illinois Quad City Civic Center Authority to secure naming rights of the arena, but a name change to the i wireless Center did not take place until July 19, 2007. I wireless has a wireless broadband like service which provides unlimited nationwide access within the data coverage area. Speeds MAY BE 3G depending on the data system/ roaming partner you are using although speeds in the i wireless home area can go anywhere from 56k (average mobile or desktop speed)... up to 300k which is advanced edge speed. In the Iowa area )about 60%) speeds should range in up to 192k in and around western Iowa & Eastern Illinois. They could in theory go up to 400 or 450 k in certain areas, depending on coverage availability, towers, signal, time of the day, or network intrusions/ current usage rate[1]
So I've tested out the I wireless internet, & it took me about 30 seconds to connect to the internet meaning the default set homepage, http:/home.iwireless.com/mobile (I think that's the mobile version) and it took me about 9 seconds to load google. 14 seconds to load yahoo, 15 seconds to look mobile.myspace.com, 43 seconds to load Mycricket.com, & I got intenet speeds around 75k with i wireless about mobile dial up speed. They still have no 3G but iwireless is currently planning a $470,000,000 3G layout that will be in most of Iowa since their income is very little do to the face that about 90% of Iowa wireless customers usually have Megatalk without any features and get a very cheap plan and don't take the time to spend alot of money on the few features that Iowa wireless offers. But do not fear Iowa wireless (AKA I wireless), will be planning to become 3G but since almost all of there phones are currently not programmed and pre-set for I wireless service it will be difficult for any of the most unlocked phones the they offer to get speed above GPRS (DIAL UP SPEED-56K) speeds.
