I wireless
Encyclopedia
i wireless is a mobile network operator
founded in 1997. Headquartered in Urbandale, Iowa
, i wireless is a partnership between T-Mobile USA, Inc.
and Iowa Network Services Inc. i wireless owns licenses to operate GSM cellular network
s in the PCS-1900
and AWS-1700
radio frequency
bands covering Iowa, southwestern Wisconsin and northwestern Illinois. i wireless has over 250 full-service company stores and authorized dealers across Iowa
, western Illinois
, and eastern Nebraska
.
throughout Iowa, marketing services under the VoiceStream Wireless
brand name.
and AWS-1700/2100
radio frequency
bands primarily in Iowa, but also owns licenses covering the Quad Cities area of western Illinois, southwestern Wisconsin and Sioux Ciy, South Dakota. In certain rural areas i wireless is the only GSM provider, providing roaming services for AT&T
, T-Mobile USA, and other GSM carriers.
i wireless added coverage in and immediately surrounding Sioux City
, Iowa, in June 2006, and has plans to add approximately 100 new cell sites mainly in western Iowa throughout 2007, and plans to add 120 new towers throughout the Iowa, Illinois, South Dakota, and the Wisconsin areas. In some rural areas they are the only GSM provider, and also provide roaming services for AT&T
, T-Mobile USA
, and other smaller GSM carriers. i wireless has been criticized for their relatively small coverage area compared to larger carriers, as well as long distance charges for calls outside of their coverage area on local plans.
i wireless continued to expand their high-speed voice and data coverage in 2010 adding almost 100 new towers across Iowa and western Illinois. Area cell towers that have been added during 2010 include: Sioux City, Southeastern Iowa, Southwestern Iowa, Mason City, Waterloo/Cedar Falls, Cedar Rapids, Burlington, Quad Cities, Dubuque, Iowa City, and Fort Dodge.
In September of 2010, i wireless launched their state-wide 3G
UMTS/HSPA
network. The network transmits in the Advanced Wireless Services
radio frequency band that is also used by T-Mobile USA.
i wireless also offers many plans that have free long distance and nationwide calling, unlimited texting, and unlimited data. i wireless also has exclusive nights and weekends that start every night at 5:00pm, and have roaming agreements with virtually every GSM provider in the United States, including companies like T-Mobile USA and AT&T.
, HTC, RIM
and Samsung equipped with the three most popular operating systems - BlackBerry, Android, and Windows Mobile - to take full advantage of the wide array of available applications. In addition to faster speeds, customers can experience the ability to multi-task – text, email, or surf the web while talking on their 3G phone.
Mobile network operator
A mobile network operator , also known as mobile phone operator , carrier service provider , wireless service provider, wireless carrier, or cellular company, or mobile network carrier is a telephone company that provides services for mobile phone subscribers.One essential...
founded in 1997. Headquartered in Urbandale, Iowa
Urbandale, Iowa
Urbandale is a city in Polk and Dallas counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 29,072; a special census taken by the city in 2005 counted 35,904 residents and the United States Census Bureau estimated that 38,369 residents lived there in 2008...
, i wireless is a partnership between T-Mobile USA, Inc.
T-Mobile USA
T-Mobile USA, Inc. is an American mobile-network operator, headquartered in Bellevue, Washington, that provides wireless voice, messaging and data services in the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The company is the fourth-largest wireless carrier in the U.S. market with 33.73...
and Iowa Network Services Inc. i wireless owns licenses to operate GSM cellular network
Cellular network
A cellular network is a radio network distributed over land areas called cells, each served by at least one fixed-location transceiver known as a cell site or base station. When joined together these cells provide radio coverage over a wide geographic area...
s in the PCS-1900
Personal Communications Service
At the most basic level Personal Communications Service or PCS describes a set of wireless communications capabilities that allows some combination of terminal mobility, personal mobility, and service profile management...
and AWS-1700
AWS
AWS or aws can refer to:Business* Alien Workshop, a skateboard company* Austria Wirtschaftsservice Gesellschaft , an Austrian bank* AWS Shopper, Automobilwerk Walter Schätzle, German manufacturer of a microcarMusic...
radio frequency
Radio frequency
Radio frequency is a rate of oscillation in the range of about 3 kHz to 300 GHz, which corresponds to the frequency of radio waves, and the alternating currents which carry radio signals...
bands covering Iowa, southwestern Wisconsin and northwestern Illinois. i wireless has over 250 full-service company stores and authorized dealers across Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
, western Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, and eastern Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
.
History
i wireless was founded in 1997 as Iowa Wireless Services L.P., a joint venture between Western Wireless Corp. and Iowa Network Services Inc., a consortium of 127 Iowa independent telecommunications companies. The joint venture was formed to expand PCSPersonal Communications Service
At the most basic level Personal Communications Service or PCS describes a set of wireless communications capabilities that allows some combination of terminal mobility, personal mobility, and service profile management...
throughout Iowa, marketing services under the VoiceStream Wireless
VoiceStream Wireless
VoiceStream Wireless Inc. traces it roots to the 1994 establishment of VoiceStream Wireless PCS as a subsidiary of Western Wireless Corporation. On May 3, 1999, Western Wireless Corporation spun off its VoiceStream Wireless PCS subsidiary to Western Wireless shareholders, creating an independent,...
brand name.
Network
i wireless operates GSM cellular networks in the PCS-1900Personal Communications Service
At the most basic level Personal Communications Service or PCS describes a set of wireless communications capabilities that allows some combination of terminal mobility, personal mobility, and service profile management...
and AWS-1700/2100
AWS
AWS or aws can refer to:Business* Alien Workshop, a skateboard company* Austria Wirtschaftsservice Gesellschaft , an Austrian bank* AWS Shopper, Automobilwerk Walter Schätzle, German manufacturer of a microcarMusic...
radio frequency
Radio frequency
Radio frequency is a rate of oscillation in the range of about 3 kHz to 300 GHz, which corresponds to the frequency of radio waves, and the alternating currents which carry radio signals...
bands primarily in Iowa, but also owns licenses covering the Quad Cities area of western Illinois, southwestern Wisconsin and Sioux Ciy, South Dakota. In certain rural areas i wireless is the only GSM provider, providing roaming services for AT&T
AT&T
AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications corporation headquartered in Whitacre Tower, Dallas, Texas, United States. It is the largest provider of mobile telephony and fixed telephony in the United States, and is also a provider of broadband and subscription television services...
, T-Mobile USA, and other GSM carriers.
i wireless added coverage in and immediately surrounding Sioux City
Sioux City, Iowa
Sioux City is a city in Plymouth and Woodbury counties in the western part of the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 82,684 in the 2010 census, a decline from 85,013 in the 2000 census, which makes it currently the fourth largest city in the state....
, Iowa, in June 2006, and has plans to add approximately 100 new cell sites mainly in western Iowa throughout 2007, and plans to add 120 new towers throughout the Iowa, Illinois, South Dakota, and the Wisconsin areas. In some rural areas they are the only GSM provider, and also provide roaming services for AT&T
AT&T
AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications corporation headquartered in Whitacre Tower, Dallas, Texas, United States. It is the largest provider of mobile telephony and fixed telephony in the United States, and is also a provider of broadband and subscription television services...
, T-Mobile USA
T-Mobile USA
T-Mobile USA, Inc. is an American mobile-network operator, headquartered in Bellevue, Washington, that provides wireless voice, messaging and data services in the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The company is the fourth-largest wireless carrier in the U.S. market with 33.73...
, and other smaller GSM carriers. i wireless has been criticized for their relatively small coverage area compared to larger carriers, as well as long distance charges for calls outside of their coverage area on local plans.
i wireless continued to expand their high-speed voice and data coverage in 2010 adding almost 100 new towers across Iowa and western Illinois. Area cell towers that have been added during 2010 include: Sioux City, Southeastern Iowa, Southwestern Iowa, Mason City, Waterloo/Cedar Falls, Cedar Rapids, Burlington, Quad Cities, Dubuque, Iowa City, and Fort Dodge.
In September of 2010, i wireless launched their state-wide 3G
3G
3G or 3rd generation mobile telecommunications is a generation of standards for mobile phones and mobile telecommunication services fulfilling the International Mobile Telecommunications-2000 specifications by the International Telecommunication Union...
UMTS/HSPA
High Speed Packet Access
High Speed Packet Access is an amalgamation of two mobile telephony protocols, High Speed Downlink Packet Access and High Speed Uplink Packet Access , that extends and improves the performance of existing WCDMA protocols...
network. The network transmits in the Advanced Wireless Services
Advanced Wireless Services
AWS-1 or UMTS band IV, is a wireless telecommunications spectrum band used for mobile voice and data services, video, and messaging. AWS-1 is used in the United States and Canada...
radio frequency band that is also used by T-Mobile USA.
Services
i wireless offers MEGAtalk unlimited Nationwide Talk, Text, and Web plans that require no contracts, credit checks, or deposits from $40 a month. The four MEGAtalk Pay In Advance unlimited Nationwide plan options include: Talk + Text, Talk + Text + Web, and two unlimited Talk + Text + Web plans for BlackBerry and 3G smartphones. Customers choosing a MEGAtalk BlackBerry or 3G smartphone plan will have access to 3G coverage in Waterloo/Cedar Falls, Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, Quad Cities, Des Moines, and Ames, Iowa, and over 130 cities nationwide.i wireless also offers many plans that have free long distance and nationwide calling, unlimited texting, and unlimited data. i wireless also has exclusive nights and weekends that start every night at 5:00pm, and have roaming agreements with virtually every GSM provider in the United States, including companies like T-Mobile USA and AT&T.
Products
i wireless offers a complete selection of the latest 3G capable handsets from MotorolaMotorola Mobility
Motorola Mobility Holdings, Inc. , formerly the Mobile Devices division of Motorola Inc. until January 2011, is a communications corporation headquartered in Libertyville, Illinois, a Chicago suburb. Motorola's networks division pioneered the flip phone with the StarTAC in the mid-1990s...
, HTC, RIM
Research In Motion
Research In Motion Limited or RIM is a Canadian multinational telecommunications company headquartered in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada that designs, manufactures and markets wireless solutions for the worldwide mobile communications market...
and Samsung equipped with the three most popular operating systems - BlackBerry, Android, and Windows Mobile - to take full advantage of the wide array of available applications. In addition to faster speeds, customers can experience the ability to multi-task – text, email, or surf the web while talking on their 3G phone.