MTA continues transitioning out of cell phone service

WASILLA — For more than two years, Matanuska Telephone Association (MTA) has been transitioning out of the Valley’s cell phone market and, thanks to advanced planning, MTA wireless customers have probably not even noticed the difference.

Carolyn Hanson, MTA director of sales and marketing, said technology advances have led to many established, smaller cellular providers throughout the United States, like MTA, to either make substantial and expensive overhauls of existing networks, provide a suitable alternative, or leave customers hanging. She said more than two years ago, MTA became a Verizon wireless provider.

“We wanted to provide our customers with a smooth transition ,” Hanson explained.

She said in recent years, many of the state’s smaller cellular providers have been absorbed by larger outfits. Here in Alaska, GCI, Verizon and AT&T are the largest providers and have done just that. But that’s not the reason MTA began the transition. Like the majority of technology, things are advancing at a rapid pace.

Nationally, shortly after the switch from analog to digital cellular service in the early 1990’s, CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) was the standard—similar to how compact discs replaced vinyl LP records and cassettes as the standard for music—which has been replaced with .mp3 format.

That was followed by GSM (Global System for Mobiles) and eventually the introduction of 3 and now 4G LTE (Long Term Evolution) technologies. LTE has become the global standard in cell technology. As consumers demand more and more data access on smartphones, CDMA has become obsolete.

Why did U.S. carriers go with CDMA?

Timing.

When Verizon’s predecessors and Sprint switched from analog to digital in 1995 and 1996, CDMA was the newest, hottest, fastest technology. It offered more capacity, better call quality and more potential than the GSM of the day. GSM caught up, but by then those carriers’ paths were set.

In a Dec. 19 letter to its cellular customers, MTA stated it wanted to provide advanced notice to its customers that CDMA coverage will be “turned down early next year (2017)”. The letter stated at that time, MTA will no longer provide cellular coverage.

“The wireless phone industry has been rapidly evolving; many of our roaming partners are also in the process of turning down their CDMA networks. This affects your service as you roam off MTA’s network and travel through other markets,” the letter stated.

MTA said that may lead to MTA network phones not to work, including the availability to call 9-1-1. Existing MTA customers are being offered up to a $200 credit for transferring service to Verizon at an MTA store by Feb. 28, 2017. Eagle River customers with questions may contact MTA at 907-694-3211 while Palmer-Wasilla customers can call 907-745-3211. Outside those areas, call toll-free 1-800-478-3211.