What you need to know about
Nextel's cellular phone service

Nextel has long been recognized as the only carrier offering push to talk features on their Motorola handsets.

But lately, Sprint, Verizon, Cingular and Alltel have joined the walkie talkie market, and developed their networks to handle push-to-talk style calling.

Are these carriers a threat to Nextel?

For the most part, probably not. Nextel has strengths in areas that are hard to compete with;

• For one, the company has had PTT enabled cell phones for quite some time, and their selection of cell phones and cell phone plans far exceeds any of the newer competitors'.

• Secondly, if you want a fast connection, the carrier's iDEN network works instantly.

  In comparison, both Sprint and Verizon use Voice Over Internet Protocol (Voip) which has a lag when being routed - up to six seconds in some cases.

The only real contender for a slice of the carrier's huge walkie talkie market may lie with Cingular.

Cingular's newly released PTT style phones are comparable to Nextel in their connection speed, and offer more advanced voice features.

But again, Cingular has very few choices in handsets or plans.

The Carrier's Weakness?

Nextel's unique iDEN network has limitations in both its technological enhancements, and its ability to roam.

Although there have been recent upgrades to the system (PTT muti- media messaging, for example), Nextel's network is much more limited in terms of Third Generation (3G) options than any of its competitors.

And because the iDEN network is unique, calls are more difficult to "hand off" to other carriers when roaming. This results in a high number of dropped calls.

Because the iDEN network is extremely limited when roaming outside its own network, it is not recommended for rural areas.

More things you should know:

Recently, a number of studies were conducted on the wireless industry by JD Power and Associates, an independent marketing firm, and Consumer Reports, a consumer awarenesss group.

Here is a summary of each study's findings:

The JD Power study on Service Satisfaction - Ranking for the carrier took a nose dive in comparison to last year's survey. Analysts blame the company's dismal survey rankings on the merge with Sprint, and the numerous billing complaints.

And in the newest JD Power study, the carrier could fare no better - ending up as one of the carriers with the least satisfied customers regarding customer care issues.

The Consumer Report study - the carrier received low levels of customer satisfaction. Lack of service was a major complaint for most polled.

But before you decide against the wireless company, you may be interested in the FCC report, which finds Nextel second only to Verizon in the fewest overall complaints registered against a wireless company.

Free Cell Phones and Special Offers:

The Motorola i760 is a durable phone that offers off-network walkie-talkie service through the carrier's Direct Talk service. Other features include GPS service support, web browsing, a speakerphone, and much more. Free after mail-in rebate!

The Motorola i930is the carrier's first phone that runs on Windows Mobile software, and has WiMax high speed downloads. Other features include Pocket Outlook, Pocket Explorer, ClearVue document viewing software and Windows Media Player software. Limited supply!

The Motorola i710 has a folding design, so it's easy to to carry around in a pocket or purse. Features include a color main display, true GPS, Java, voice dialing, speakerphone, assignable ring tones, and a long battery life. This phone also has a built-in two-way radio and Internet microbrowser. Cash back offer!

Or, browse all Special offers Nextel Cell Phones.

(*All cell phone models purchased through AmericanCell.com come with a 15 day money back guarantee)

Trial period:

Nextel allows 15 days to try out your free phone.