 ptrowskiGot Helix?Premium join:2005-03-14 Putnam, CT kudos:4 | Ripoff... $20 a month to extend THEIR network using YOUR bandwidth? No way. | |
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 |  | | Re: Ripoff... Quite sad, isn't it? At least Verizon doesn't charge monthly to use it. | |
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 |  |  ptrowskiGot Helix?Premium join:2005-03-14 Putnam, CT kudos:4 | Re: Ripoff... Yes it is. While we get decent service at our house, it would have been a nice way to extend our minutes a bit. But no way now.
I guess AT&T is worried about people lowering their packages if they use this. Sad..... | |
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 |  |  lvas join:2001-05-17 Glen Carbon, IL 2 edits | extend their network for your own use (you add authoriziezed users). so ya you get to use your bandwidth for your calls. don't want it - don't get it. besides - its free if you have wireless, landline and internet - which by the way you should have all 3 or its of no use to you to get it anyway. duh | |
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 |  |  |  ptrowskiGot Helix?Premium join:2005-03-14 Putnam, CT kudos:4 | Re: Ripoff... $20 a month is still not worth it. I have used AT&T and their previous incarnations for years, but between the MMS debacle on the iPhone and now $20/month for the aircell they are getting to be ridiculous. | |
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 |  |  |  tubbynetreminds me of the danse russePremium,MVM join:2008-01-16 Chandler, AZ | said by Ivas :
besides - its free if you have wireless, landline and internet - which by the way you should have all 3 or its of no use to you to get it anyway
love to know how you came up with that one?  since there is a good number of people who have att wireless service who *don't* even have the *ability* to purchase things like att landline or uverse - this is a pretty ridiculous pricing scheme.
q. -- "...if I in my north room dance naked, grotesquely before my mirror waving my shirt round my head and singing softly to myself..." | |
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 |  |  |  |  MattAll noise, no signal.Premium join:2003-07-20 Jamestown, NC kudos:12 | Re: Ripoff...
said by tubbynet:said by Ivas :
besides - its free if you have wireless, landline and internet - which by the way you should have all 3 or its of no use to you to get it anyway
love to know how you came up with that one?  since there is a good number of people who have att wireless service who *don't* even have the *ability* to purchase things like att landline or uverse - this is a pretty ridiculous pricing scheme. q. That's what I was about to say, because that is exactly the boat I am in. Thanks. | |
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 |  |  |  Diddy1 join:2003-07-19 Sidney, NE | That statement doesn't even make sense anymore! -- if you fail to plan, you plan to fail | |
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 |  gdmPremium,MVM join:2001-06-15 Mchenry, IL kudos:3 Reviews:
·AT&T U-Verse
1 edit | My cell service is crap at my house since June and AT&T says a tower is being rebuilt and won't be live till 10/14. I can tell you if the service is still having issues I will be going elsewhere for a cell provider.
They mentioned the micro cell but sorry I'm not paying anyhting more to AT&T. | |
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 |  | | said by ptrowski:$20 a month to extend THEIR network using YOUR bandwidth? No way. I agree, big ripoff. I would be willing to pay for the device itself (either in full or on a monthly "$30 for 6 months"-type payment plan), but not a continual monthly fee on top of paying for the service itself and lowering their costs by using your bandwidth and taking stress and bandwidth off their towers.
Companies seem eager to pack costs onto consumers but not so eager or, in this case, greedy to tack fees on to something that most-likely lowers their costs. To me, this is just another "our customers are too stupid to notice a scam when they see one" idea on their part.
I am glad I got rid of AT&T POTS, Wireless, and Internet years ago! --
- "Techie" Jim | |
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 | | I'd buy it. But only if I get unlimited minutes. -- Time... beckoning me. | |
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 ThrowDemsOutIf you can't convince 'em, confuse 'emPremium join:2002-03-03 Mullica Hill, NJ kudos:4 1 edit | 1 option is using cellphone minutes
You don't have to BUY unlimited minutes or be on a triple play pkg. You can use your cellphone's plan minutes while using their femtocell(just like Verizon's plan). So the only cost would be buying the femtocell itself. And for people on individual or family plans with lots of minutes and rollover minutes this would be completely acceptable.
P.S.>> And the femtocells 3G capability is no big deal if you have a phone with WiFi capability(like the iPhone). In fact it would be faster and cheaper if you use WiFi for data(no worry about 5GB caps). | |
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 |  tubbynetreminds me of the danse russePremium,MVM join:2008-01-16 Chandler, AZ | Re: 1 option is using cellphone minutes said by ThrowDemsOut:P.S.>> And the femtocells 3G capability is no big deal if you have a phone with WiFi capability(like the iPhone). In fact it would be faster and cheaper if you use WiFi for data(no worry about 5GB caps). unless of course, you have a phone that supports 3g and no wifi (like most of the win-mo offerings from att, as well as the "enhanced" phones). the 3g would be nice for those who send a lot of pictures, etc over their phones and it separates att from the other femtocells at this point.
q. -- "...if I in my north room dance naked, grotesquely before my mirror waving my shirt round my head and singing softly to myself..." | |
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 | | It may be worth it. From what I've read on other forums, there is no requirement to buy one of the unlimited $10/$20 plans. If you buy the device outright (about $150), and don't subscribe to a plan, you just use your regular bucket of minutes. | |
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 |  ThrowDemsOutIf you can't convince 'em, confuse 'emPremium join:2002-03-03 Mullica Hill, NJ kudos:4 | Re: It may be worth it. said by burgerwars:From what I've read on other forums, there is no requirement to buy one of the unlimited $10/$20 plans. If you buy the device outright (about $150), and don't subscribe to a plan, you just use your regular bucket of minutes. And that is confirmed on AT&T's femtocell web page: »www.wireless.att.com/learn/why/3gmicrocell/
Click on "Unlimited Talk Time" balloon and listen where they tell you that you don't need to buy a plan, but can use cellphone plan minutes. -- My BLOG .. .. Internet News .. .. My Web Page
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 |  tubbynetreminds me of the danse russePremium,MVM join:2008-01-16 Chandler, AZ | said by burgerwars:From what I've read on other forums, there is no requirement to buy one of the unlimited $10/$20 plans. If you buy the device outright (about $150), and don't subscribe to a plan, you just use your regular bucket of minutes. interesting that these are "unlimited" plans. that adds a twist. i still don't like the idea of spending $150 outright - maybe if i could get my employer to cover it. since my coverage can (sometimes) be spotty in my house - i generally just forward my iphone to my unlimited voip line. $7.50/month for something i'd be paying for with or without my phone. calls before 2100 still eat minutes, but i wouldn't be paying for an "unlimited" plan with the aircell anyway.
q. -- "...if I in my north room dance naked, grotesquely before my mirror waving my shirt round my head and singing softly to myself..." | |
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 | | Your world. Delivered. By idiots. More at&t stupidity. Femtocells would help the bandwidth they are having to upgrade due to the Iphone yet this will make sure no one buys into it. | |
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 | | AT&T, Your world screwed agian! How nice of AT&T to screw over everyone who cant get an ATT Landline or Internet. Just because I am lucky enough to be securely in Verizon FiOS territory (Which I love and would not give up for anything) should not mean I have to pay $20 for the unlimited minutes.
If it was unlimited minutes for free or $5 I would consider this but the fact is unlike Verizon Wireless (Which barely worked on the first floor on my house) I actually get 3G service and more then 1 bar at my house including in my basement. Where is the incentive to buy this and take the strain off there towers if I already have great service (Full Bars) on my iPhone at home and at work. | |
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 |  bn1221 join:2009-04-29 Cortland, NY | Re: AT&T, Your world screwed agian! Yes, it would be nice to even get 3G coverage here in my area. I'd backhaul 3G on my LAN so people can get fast email and contacts on their non-wifi Blackberries.
But they tell me they won't sell to me b/c I'm a business. And the GPS makes it little use in my warehouse where I cannot even get cell coverage. No cell coverage means the GPS isn't goign to lock on for me  | |
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 |  |  beaups join:2003-08-11 Hilliard, OH | Re: AT&T, Your world screwed agian! No cell coverage has nothing to do with no gps coverage. I have heard (on other carriers) of people running extension cords, placing microcell near windows, etc. in order to get initial gps lock and then moving them wherever they'd like. | |
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 |  |  |  |  | | Re: AT&T, Your world screwed agian! GPS lock is not stupid. It ensures you have E911 coverage and are using the device in places where AT&T is licensed to transmit a 3G signal. | |
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 |  |  |  |  | | Just fyi the gps is not the only thing that att uses to make sure you are in their area. | |
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 jefePremium join:2001-05-19 Northport, NY | I'm ready to have one.... ....especially if I can pay for the Microcell outright and not incure an additional monthly fee using it.
I went to the live web site Karl pointed to and entered a bunch of zip codes from all around the country. "Unfortunately, the 3G Microcell is not available in your area..."
I wonder where it is available, and when it will come to the rest of us. | |
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 MattAll noise, no signal.Premium join:2003-07-20 Jamestown, NC kudos:12 | Penalized?
So, I'm not in an area even served by AT&T for DSL or a landline, so I'm penalized simply because I have shitty AT&T wireless service and I'd like to improve it? | |
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 |  tubbynetreminds me of the danse russePremium,MVM join:2008-01-16 Chandler, AZ | Re: Penalized? said by Matt:So, I'm not in an area even served by AT&T for DSL or a landline, so I'm penalized simply because I have shitty AT&T wireless service and I'd like to improve it? of course - because in their eyes you could move to somewhere that had att landline service if you *really* wanted to save some money .
unlimited incoming voip, ftw!
q. -- "...if I in my north room dance naked, grotesquely before my mirror waving my shirt round my head and singing softly to myself..." | |
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 |  |  MattAll noise, no signal.Premium join:2003-07-20 Jamestown, NC kudos:12 | Re: Penalized? said by tubbynet:said by Matt:So, I'm not in an area even served by AT&T for DSL or a landline, so I'm penalized simply because I have shitty AT&T wireless service and I'd like to improve it? of course - because in their eyes you could move to somewhere that had att landline service if you *really* wanted to save some money  . unlimited incoming voip, ftw! q. I am actually contemplating a VoIP solution, but I'm in an unusual situation where I could bump my plan up $20/month and likely never use the minutes, so once I figure in the expense of a VoIP setup, my contract should be over before I'd break even. | |
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 |  |  |  tubbynetreminds me of the danse russePremium,MVM join:2008-01-16 Chandler, AZ | Re: Penalized? said by Matt:I am actually contemplating a VoIP solution, but I'm in an unusual situation where I could bump my plan up $20/month and likely never use the minutes, so once I figure in the expense of a VoIP setup, my contract should be over before I'd break even. depending on your usage patterns, you could come in under $10/month. by leveraging an incoming did, cheap outgoing rates (possibly using a roll-your-own pbx solution), and possibly something like google voice, your costs could be under the cost of a plan upgrade (with probably a higher level of satisfaction).
while i won't bore you with the details -- our voip forum has a lot of smart people (much smarter than i will ever be) in it. additionally, you could hit me up offlist to talk about some options and what i'm currently using to get away with dropping my vzw cell.
q. -- "...if I in my north room dance naked, grotesquely before my mirror waving my shirt round my head and singing softly to myself..." | |
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 |  ThrowDemsOutIf you can't convince 'em, confuse 'emPremium join:2002-03-03 Mullica Hill, NJ kudos:4 | said by Matt:So, I'm not in an area even served by AT&T for DSL or a landline, so I'm penalized simply because I have shitty AT&T wireless service and I'd like to improve it? You still can. Just use the minutes on your cellphone plan and don't buy unlimited minutes. You improve coverage and pay no more per month than you do now. You will just have to buy the device. -- My BLOG .. .. Internet News .. .. My Web Page
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 |  |  tubbynetreminds me of the danse russePremium,MVM join:2008-01-16 Chandler, AZ | Re: Penalized? said by ThrowDemsOut:You still can. Just use the minutes on your cellphone plan and don't buy unlimited minutes. You improve coverage and pay no more per month than you do now. You will just have to buy the device. for some people who live and die by their cell, this is certainly an option. i just don't like paying $150 on top of my monthly internet subscription for a device thats eating my minutes anyway. for that same $150, i can receive ~2000 minutes of month of calling for 20 months using a byod voip provider. even if you don't have the ata, if you subtract the $50 it would cost you, you're still looking at over a year's worth of service. plus, you don't have the aggravation of dealing with a greedy ilec, which is always a win in my book.
q. -- "...if I in my north room dance naked, grotesquely before my mirror waving my shirt round my head and singing softly to myself..." | |
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 |  |  MattAll noise, no signal.Premium join:2003-07-20 Jamestown, NC kudos:12 | said by ThrowDemsOut:said by Matt:So, I'm not in an area even served by AT&T for DSL or a landline, so I'm penalized simply because I have shitty AT&T wireless service and I'd like to improve it? You still can. Just use the minutes on your cellphone plan and don't buy unlimited minutes. You improve coverage and pay no more per month than you do now. You will just have to buy the device. $10 a month is $30 less than $150 amortized over 12 month, plus I get unlimited minutes.  | |
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 |  |  |  ThrowDemsOutIf you can't convince 'em, confuse 'emPremium join:2002-03-03 Mullica Hill, NJ kudos:4 | Re: Penalized? said by Matt:said by ThrowDemsOut:said by Matt:So, I'm not in an area even served by AT&T for DSL or a landline, so I'm penalized simply because I have shitty AT&T wireless service and I'd like to improve it? You still can. Just use the minutes on your cellphone plan and don't buy unlimited minutes. You improve coverage and pay no more per month than you do now. You will just have to buy the device. $10 a month is $30 less than $150 amortized over 12 month, plus I get unlimited minutes. You don't get the device for free - even if you pay for a monthly unlimited plan. You lay out that $150(if that is what it costs) in either case. -- My BLOG .. .. Internet News .. .. My Web Page
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 |  |  |  |  MattAll noise, no signal.Premium join:2003-07-20 Jamestown, NC kudos:12 | Re: Penalized? said by ThrowDemsOut:You don't get the device for free - even if you pay for a monthly unlimited plan. You lay out that $150(if that is what it costs) in either case. Ohhhhh, I didn't know that. I thought you didn't pay the $150 if you added the monthly plan. Good to know. | |
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 |  See 10 replies to this post |
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 Reviews:
·Verizon Online DSL
·Optimum Online
| No thanks Personally, it's pretty balsy of any carrier to charge extra to help improve their coverage when it's easy for any subscriber to switch to the one that works best for them.
Their business plan isn't the customer's problem, it's theirs. Sometimes people forget that telcos sock it to you if you let them. | |
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 |  ThrowDemsOutIf you can't convince 'em, confuse 'emPremium join:2002-03-03 Mullica Hill, NJ kudos:4 | Re: No thanks said by Network Guy:Personally, it's pretty balsy of any carrier to charge extra to help improve their coverage when it's easy for any subscriber to switch to the one that works best for them. The problem is for people whose house layout, construction, etc degrades cellphone service "IN THE HOUSE" from any cellphone provider. For those people a femtocell is a good deal.
For those people, switching providers isn't a solution.
P.S.>> Sprint recognizes those situations and gives their Airave femtocell away for free. I got mine for nothing and even got a credit for the monthly $5 fee. -- My BLOG .. .. Internet News .. .. My Web Page
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·Verizon Online DSL
·Optimum Online
| Re: No thanks Then get broadband and VoIP service for the home. If one is looking into this, then one must already use broadband. Do some research and find a VoIP provider that works best for you. Customers shouldn't subsidize yet another cash cow for these douche bags. This is paying them extra 'cause one is too stupid or lazy to consider any other alternatives, or you trust the "brand" or whatever nazi-like loyalty there is.
I find Verizon's debiting from your monthly airtime usage via femtocell particularly insulting. It's almost like the company successfully recognizes subscribers' typical stupidity and raids their wallets accordingly. | |
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 cacoPremium join:2005-03-10 Whittier, AK | I see no benefit to consumer All these devices just seem like a rip off for the customer and a net gain for TELCO -- »www.seabee.navy.mil | |
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 |  tubbynetreminds me of the danse russePremium,MVM join:2008-01-16 Chandler, AZ | Re: I see no benefit to consumer said by caco:All these devices just seem like a rip off for the customer and a net gain for TELCO before the business trolls start to flame - i'm going to make the statement in a non-combative way
rule one in business - you don't offer something unless it will make you money in the long run. gotta wonder how att will turn this into a net gain...
q. -- "...if I in my north room dance naked, grotesquely before my mirror waving my shirt round my head and singing softly to myself..." | |
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 | | I was gonna buy until...... ...... I read that I had to pay a monthly bill to use my own internet connection's bandwidth...... -- When you ASSUME, you make an ASS out of U and ME. | |
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 |  ThrowDemsOutIf you can't convince 'em, confuse 'emPremium join:2002-03-03 Mullica Hill, NJ kudos:4 | Re: I was gonna buy until...... said by Neoistheone:...... I read that I had to pay a monthly bill to use my own internet connection's bandwidth...... You don't need to pay an extra monthly fee: »Re: Penalized? | |
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 tivoboy join:2004-05-10 Menlo Park, CA | cell booster the cell booster listed above, and even the smaller one that the same company sells actually work quite well. I went from 1 bar in my house to easily 4-5, so my phone now actually works with it running. It was only 60$ at amazon, so it was totally work it. | |
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 | | Can you move it? As long as it's inside the US, can you move the unit for when you're traveling on vacation?
We travel to the Isle of Palms, SC and the cell coverage inside our family's condo is horrible. If we go there for a week, could we take the unit and still use it? Better yet, could we sign up for the service there where we have ATT DSL then take it home and use in on our Comcast connection? | |
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 |  1 edit | Re: Can you move it? n/m | |
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 |  | | said by Uncle Paul:As long as it's inside the US, can you move the unit for when you're traveling on vacation? We travel to the Isle of Palms, SC and the cell coverage inside our family's condo is horrible. If we go there for a week, could we take the unit and still use it? Better yet, could we sign up for the service there where we have ATT DSL then take it home and use in on our Comcast connection? Installing your device near a window is strongly recommended to ensure access to Global Positioning System (GPS). A GPS link is needed to verify the device location during the initial startup. The 3G MicroCell device is portable. The device may be moved, provided the new location is within the AT&T authorized service area and properly registered online. | |
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 trparkyApple... YUMPremium,MVM join:2000-05-24 Cleveland, OH kudos:1 | What about for those of us who have uVerse? How is the pricing going to be for us? -- Tom | |
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 | | range of device does anybody know the range of the Femtocell technology | |
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 |  | | Re: range of device Enhanced coverage indoors supports both voice and data up to 5000 square feet | |
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 |  | | It will cover up to 5,000 square feet and allow four data or voice connections -- Consumer VoIP Reviews | |
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 NY TelPremium join:2004-04-09 Smithtown, NY kudos:3 Reviews:
·AT&T CallVantage
| Here's an industrious person... forget where I found this (may have been here at DSLR) but...... | |
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 |  en102Canadian, eh? join:2001-01-26 Valencia, CA | Re: Here's an industrious person... LOL... even if I did have an iPhone and wanted to ditch AT&T, I don't think it would be VZW that I'd be going to. -- Canada = Hollywood North | |
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 scotsAre we there yet??Premium join:1999-12-06 Raleigh, NC kudos:1 Reviews:
·AT&T U-Verse
| YOU DON'T HAVE TO PAY!! It would be nice if people would check something out well instead of making INCORRECT statements.
You ARE NOT required to pay a monthly fee for this!!!!
All you have to do is purchase the device and it will use your existing minutes at no extra cost, which is the exact same way Verizon's device works. If you have enough monthly and/or rollover minutes to begin with there's no need to pay anything above the cost of the device.
The only time you have to pay is IF you want unlimited minutes while using the device, THEN it costs $20/month. IF you want unlimited minutes while using the device and have AT&T landline OR AT&T internet, THEN the unlimited minute cost drops to $10/month. IF you happen to have both AT&T landline AND internet, then you can get unlimited minutes on the device for free. | |
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 |  ILpt4UPremium join:2006-11-12 Lisle, IL kudos:4 | Re: Is AT&T DSL Direct considered a landline? My Dry Loop DSL/DSL Direct line only has a bogus phone number for billing purposes, and there is no dial tone... | |
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