Cell phones in Hawaii
 

Dumb question, I know, but do US cell phones from the mainland work in Hawaii?

Everybody will tell you yes (because it is still US) but we just got back from Kauai and my cell phone didn't work (Verizon) and my sister's didn't work (Sprint) except at the airport.

Mine worked fine on the Big Island (verizon)...well, I should say a mile off shore......rented a boat, and the motor quit.

Depends on your carrier. They all have some coverage. AT&T's pretty good. Back when I had Cingular, I couldn't get service on Kauai except in and around Lihue.

I had service in Maui, but it was spotty. Like it didn't work in my mom's condo, but did from our lanai. I had their national one rate plan at the time (AT&T) but it still shows within my coverage area for my regional plan.

There are lots of mountains that I'm sure reck havoc on the cell service.

I have Verizon and had no problem in Maui or Kauai.

We recently moved to Maui but have kept our cell service from the mainland for now. I have Cingular and it works just fine, via AT&T, in most all of Maui. No service in Hana, or in some areas upcountry. You can get service in Hana with Verizon.

I live in Honolulu (which is part of the United States) and my TMobile works fine. However, it doesn't work on Lanai. (Maybe they're trying to secede from the Union?)

We used Cingularwireless on Kauai and ours worked fine. Of course, there were place that they didn't do as well, but there are places here that they don't do as well either!!

My cellphone from Vancouver BC worked just fine in Maui. I basically used it for long distance calling because it was cheaper than the hotel's rates but obviously if one makes a 'local' call in Hawaii with a phone based on the mainland it will result in LD fees. So if you plan on using it in Hawaii for calling other Hawaii locales be forewarned.

My Alltel worked fine almost all of the time on Kauai two months ago.

In November, Alltel also worked fine all over the BI, except driving through some rolling hills of hard lava at Volcano NP.

jillandben - I visit Kauai several times per year, so having cell coverage is important.
I have AT&T and my phone works just about everywhere. The NationalOne plan covers me as if it's a local call. Although I might add that if it's a roam zone (a few spots)....Ouch!!!
There are a couple of remote beaches, Napali coastline and waimea canyon area where I don't have any reception.

Has cell phone service improved on Kauai? We've got Sprint & Verizon. ((b))

My AT&T service worked great on Maui. Service on Lanai was a bit spotty but I was always able to walk a short distance and get a decent signal.

My alltel worked on Oahu and Maui with no problems. Before I went I checked the alltel website to be assured the coverage for calls extended to Hawaii.

My T-Mobile phone worked fine on Kauai last year, even on the North Shore. The only place I had trouble getting a signal was in our condo!

Can anyone tell me which carrier is stronger on Maui? Cingular or T Mobile? I am moving to Maui soon, probably Upcountry and plan to use a Blackberry on island. I wondered which carrier I should go with. Thank you.

Rodni Cruz

Argh, just the title of this thread made my stomach churn. Are any refuges from cell phones left in the U.S.?

Please no flames, I'm just someone who's tired of having my meals, movies, sporting events and just about everything else constantly interrupted by other people's usually-vapid-and-almost-always-completely-unnecessary cell phone conversations.

/rant off

There's a pay phone atop Haleakala, in case your phone cuts out.