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Hands-On With Sprint's Mobile Broadband Georgia

Sprint's cellular broadband service works well--but its customer service needs improvement.

1. Local Companies

2. Introduction

3. A Last-Minute Decision

4. Trying to Use a Coupon

5. Featured Local Company

1 . Local Companies

ACPC, INC.
678-528-7397
PO BOX 523
Smyrna, GA

Sys-Tech Solutions
678-575-6899
105 Peachtree Industrial Suite-A
Atlanta, GA

Next Generation Computer Consulting
770-377-8546
1 Waterview Trail
Alpharetta, GA

CompuPoint USA llc.
(416) 838-5786
6514 Warren Drive, Unit 180
Norcross, GA

Laptop Repair Center
404-329-8888
1135 Sheridan Road NE
Atlanta, GA

Connect it! Services
(229) 400-0218
Bainbridge, GA

RTM-TechSolutions
(912) 225-9602
4966 Perry Rd
Claxton, GA

NXT Solutions
770 289 8280
1205 Johnson Ferry Rd
Marietta, GA

Alternative Computer Products
(770) 233-4746
422 Wilson Rd
Griffin, GA

Source Imaging Products
(678) 530-0065
3168 Oakcliff Industrial
Atlanta, GA

2 . Introduction

A growing number of laptops offer built-in support for cellular broadband data access. This can make life much easier for mobile professionals in need of Internet access on the go.

Assuming they can actually activate the service, that is.

In my experience, using my Sony Vaio VGN-TXN19P ultraportable and Sprint's Mobile Broadband service, the activation process was laborious. (The VGN-TXN19P is similar to Sony's Vaio VGN-TZ150N/B, recently number 8 on our Top 10 Ultraportable Laptops chart.)

Here's my report on what it was like to activate, use, and terminate Sprint's Mobile Broadband service.

3 . A Last-Minute Decision

Ordinarily, I have no need for Sprint's service, which costs $60 per month for unlimited data with a two-year contract. I'm content using ethernet in my home office and Wi-Fi when away.

But on the eve of a vacation in DeBordieu, South Carolina, a small beach community, I panicked. Facing a last-minute surge of work, I knew I'd need Internet access on my laptop while away. The owner of the beach house where I'd be staying told me her home had no wired or wireless Internet access. "If you sit in a certain spot on the back deck," she said, "you may be able to get on a neighbor's network. But it's not a strong signal."

To make matters worse, my research turned up no Internet cafes within miles of the beach house. And the weather forecast was rain, nearly every day--hardly ideal for sitting outside with my laptop. I could have used a dial-up connection, but the calls would have been long distance and I didn't want to add charges to my host's telephone bill.

4 . Trying to Use a Coupon

I decided to take advantage of the Sprint Mobile Broadband free 30-day trial included with my Sony Vaio. The laptop has a built-in Wireless Wide Area Network chip designed to work with Sprint's EvDO data network where available, as well as the carrier's lower-speed 1xRTT data network where EvDO isn't available. The promotional coupon stated that the trial offer expired December 30, 2007.

To begin, I called Sprint's customer service and explained that I wanted to try the Mobile Broadband service. The rep informed me that the offer I referred to had expired on June 30. My only option was to sign up for the service with a one- or two-year contract and an early termination fee of $200. The rep said I would need to buy a broadband card to access the service.

"I don't need a card," I replied, and explained that the required WWAN hardware was built into my laptop.

"I've never heard of that," the rep said.

I thanked him and called Sprint's customer service again, hoping for a more knowledgeable rep. The second one parroted the first: I would need a special card, my trial offer was no longer valid, and so on.

A media spokesperson for Sprint later told me that "while customer care representatives have been informed of these policies and are trained to follow the procedures for assisting customers with these types of inquiries, we continue to work hard to ensure our representatives receive additional, ongoing education."

5 . Featured Local Company

ACPC, INC.

678-528-7397
PO BOX 523
Smyrna, GA
www.acpcinc.com

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Business Services	Fashion	Industrial Goods & Services	Retail & Consumer Services
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Cars	Food & Beverage	Internet	Technology
Computer Hardware	Franchise	Legal	Telecommunications
Construction	Health	Miscellaneous	Trade Shows
Education	Holidays	Nightlife	Travel
Entertainment	Home Appliances	Online Database	Weddings
Environmental	Home Electronics	Pets	World History