Rate Plans
Q. Who do I call if I am interested in activating service?
A. Please contact Cellular One at 1-800-459-4545, or visit one of our 1,200 plus Cellular One branch locations or authorized dealers in the Washington/Baltimore coverage area.
Q. Why should I choose Cellular One as my wireless provider?
A. Cellular One provides a high level of products and customer service to wireless subscribers. We offer:
- Choice of either analog or digital calling technology, with a large array of rate plans and optional calling features suited to your airtime usage and needs.
- The largest local wireless calling area for both analog and digital subscribers. See our coverage maps.
- Professional, courteous and knowledgeable personnel.
- More than 1,200 Cellular One branch locations or authorized dealers in the Washington/Baltimore area.
- One stop shopping for all your wireless needs (cellular, paging, data).
- First to offer wireless service in the Washington/Baltimore market.
Q. What is the difference between analog (cellular) and digital service?
A. Our Cellular Value plans use analog (original cellular) technology to carry voice only across our wireless network. Our Digital Edge plans rely on digital technology to carry both voice and data services, such as text messaging. The reduced power requirement of digital systems significantly extends phone battery life. Digital technology also increases caller privacy, and enables Cellular One to identify and deny service to unauthorized parties.
Q. What is Cellular One’s wireless coverage area?
A. Cellular One just expanded the local digital calling area. Digital Edge coverage area extends to central New Jersey, south through Philadelphia, Delaware and Ocean City, south to Spotsylvania VA, and west beyond Shenandoah River in West Virginia.
Cellular One’s analog service (Cellular Value plans) extends as far west as Martinsburg, WV, south to King William County, east to Ocean City, MD, and north to Hartford County.
Q. How is airtime charged?
A. Airtime use is charged by the minute, in one-minute increments according to the per-minute charges of your particular Cellular Value Plan or Digital Edge Rate Plan.
Q. What are Cellular One’s peak and non-peak airtime hours?
A. All Digital Edge plans include anytime minutes. For some cellular rate plans, your per-minute home airtime rates are determined by the time of day that you place the call. Peak hours are Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Non-peak hours are Monday through Friday, 9:01 p.m. to 6:59 a.m., and all day Saturday and Sunday.
Q. What holidays are observed as non-peak days?
A. New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.
Q. What is a monthly minute or airtime allowance?
A. Most of our Cellular Value and Digital Edge rate plans include a set amount of airtime minutes per month. If your plan includes 20 minutes of airtime, we bill you for the airtime minutes that exceed the included local 20 minutes each month. Network surcharge fees, toll charges and long distance charges are not included in airtime allowance minutes, and are charged separately. Any unused airtime minutes are forfeited at the end of your billing cycle, and are not carried into the next billing cycle.
Q. How do I reach Directory Assistance?
A. You can reach Directory Assistance by dialing 411. You will incur a $.99 charge for the service plus airtime used. You will be connected at no additional charge. Directory Assistance also has other free services such as full movie listings and showtimes in your area.
Q. Isn’t Weekend Airtime free?
A. The “Free Weekend Airtime” promotion on select rate plans applies to calls placed between 9:01 p.m. Friday through 6:59 a.m. Monday. Free Weekend Airtime only applies to airtime usage in your local coverage area, and availability of Free Weekends can vary by rate plan and location of call origination. Long Distance, Roaming and all network surcharges are charged when applicable.
Q. What is Roaming?
A. When you place or receive calls outside of the Washington/Baltimore local coverage area, you are “roaming.” Your wireless phone will indicate when you are roaming. Airtime minutes used while roaming are not included as part of your rate plan’s monthly minute allowance.
See Roaming for information about how to roam and associated charges.
Q. What should I do if I experience a dropped call or severe static?
A. Cellular One offers a $.50 per call courtesy credit to subscribers who call our *627 Trouble Tracker hotline to report technical problems, or who complete the Report a Technical Problem online form. These credits are given only when all of the questions are answered, and when the problem has been verified. The information you give us is valuable to us because it allows our technical teams to improve wireless coverage.
Ongoing technical problems can indicate a problem with your phone equipment. If a problem persists, we recommend contacting the dealer who activated your service to request a diagnostic check. Most equipment offers a 12-month warranty from date of purchase.
Q. What are the benefits of a PIN?
A. A PIN is a 4-digit security code that protects your wireless phone from unauthorized users. You use it when making outgoing calls in your local Cellular One coverage area. When roaming in some areas throughout the U.S., the voice prompt will be replaced by a dial tone followed by silence. Enter your PIN to continue the call. To acquire a PIN, call Customer Care at *611 or 1-800-438-2351.
Digital Edge customers automatically benefit from an authentication feature that protects them from unauthorized usage. With Digital Edge Service a PIN number is not needed. Authentication is state-of-the-art technology that helps to protect customers from fraud. Through this feature, Cellular One can control fraudulent use on our system by identifying and denying service to unauthorized mobiles with digital service.
Phones
Q. How do I use my wireless phone?
A. Using your wireless phone is very much like using a regular phone, except there is no dial tone. See Placing & Receiving Calls for step-by-step instructions.
Q. My phone doesn’t work. Can I get a new one?
A. Cellular One offers new phone equipment to qualified customers at reduced prices, or in some cases at $0. Qualification requires a service commitment to one of Cellular One’s Cellular Value or Digital Edge rate plans.
For information about the new equipment program, contact our Customer Care department at 1-800-438-2351 or use the convenient General Comments form. Please include your authorization for us to review your account.
Q. Will my TTY work with my wireless phone?
A. Currently, 9-1-1 emergency service cannot be used with a TTY connected to a digital wireless phone nor with an analog/digital wireless phone in the digital mode. A TTY or TDD is a special text telephone for those with hearing, speech and some motor disabilities. It is possible today to use some analog phones to place wireless calls with some TTYs, but not all. While the wireless industry and equipment manufacturers work to resolve this matter, the Federal Communications Commission requires that customers be notified about this existing limitation.
Billing
Q. Do I get billed for unanswered calls or busy signals?
A. For Cellular One Washington/Baltimore customers placing calls in the local service area, there is no charge for calls with a ring time under thirty (30) seconds or busy signals. For ring time over thirty (30) seconds, you will be charged a minimum of one minute of airtime. If ring time extends for longer than one minute, ring time will be rounded up to the next full minute and you will be billed for airtime in full minute increments. By hanging up promptly when it appears that the call will not be answered (after approximately five to six rings), more channels will remain open and available to other users. When placing calls outside your local service area, unanswered calls may be billed by the serving carrier.
Q. What charges can I expect to see on my Cellular One bill?
A. Itemized charges on your Cellular One bill can include the following:
- Monthly Service Charge: the basic monthly charge for wireless service.
- Monthly Minute Allowance: the set amount of airtime minutes allocated under your rate plan.
- Network Surcharge: the handling fee you incur when a wireless call is processed through the Cellular One network, to another carrier’s network. For some digital rate plans, this fee is included in the monthly access charge and will not be incurred on a per call basis.
- Roamer: charges you incur while making calls outside the Cellular ONE Washington/Baltimore area.
- Cellular Long Distance: charges you incur when you place calls to a number outside your local calling area.
- Taxes and Surcharges: consists of federal, state and local taxes.
For details about these items, see Billing Questions & Answers and How to Read Your Cellular One Bill
Q. How can I pay my bill?
A. There are several convenient ways to pay your Cellular One bill. These include mailing a check; paying in person at a regional Cellular One branch location; charging against your credit card; or via Western Union Quick Collect. For details, see Payment Centers.
Q. What is the Network Surcharge?
A. Network Surcharge compensates Cellular One for transporting calls throughout our network and to connect the caller to other telecommunications providers networks. These costs include connections made via landline, fiber cable, microwave towers, copper cable, switching equipment (or centers), routing and other miscellaneous elements.
Q. When will I receive my security deposit?
A. Your security deposit is held for a full year from the date posted to your account, after which time you may request a refund. Before receiving the refund, Cellular One will review your account. If there have not been any serious delinquencies or suspension for non-payment, your deposit will be returned within 4-6 weeks once approved. If there have been delinquencies or suspensons, the security deposit may be held for an additional 3-6 months. If your service is cancelled prior to the one-year period, a refund of the security deposit will be forwarded to you less any unpaid balance.
Q. I thought that by changing my rate plan, my next invoice would be lower.
A. Rate plan changes are made effective at the beginning of a billing cycle. Because we bill monthly service charges one month in advance, when you change your rate plan we are required to “re-rate” your account to the “beginning” date of your current billing cycle. In addition to the re-rated monthly service charge, any airtime used during the cycle also will be re-rated based on the new plan. As a result, your first bill after a rate plan change may be slightly higher than subsequent bills.
Note: If you have subscribed to Cellular One for more than six months you may switch to any other rate plan that best suits your calling habits. If you have subscribed to Cellular One service for fewer than six months, you may generally upgrade to a higher rate plan only.