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.

Rodni:

I use Cingular. Sometimes my phone shows I am on Cingular's network, other times it shows T-Mobile. I notice no difference between the two, other than what shows on my display. Since both are GSM, coverage overlaps in many areas. Bottom line is you'll get a signal where it is possible. Many areas upcountry have dead zones on either network. Such is life on the side of a 10k' high volcano

One note: the phone has more to do with your reception than many people give credit. We've been through maybe five different phones over the past few years, and noticed vast differences in service from one phone to the next. I also notice I might have 5 bars in an area where someone else with Cingular on a different phone may have only 2 or 3.

if it says anything, I had better reception in Lahaina, than I do in Houston ;-o

Thank you so much for the info. I didn't realize you could use the network of a different carrier than the one with which you have a contract (except with the whole Cingular/ATT merger thing).

My current cell phone is with Verizon (I currently live in Indiana) and we had no problem with it while in Maui last year (even in Hana!). I found it funny that we weren't even roaming...and yet we go to some neighboring small town in Indiana and will be on roam! :)

But the problem is that Verizon doesn't offer the newest Blackberry's and I plan to get one soon. It seemed the Cingular or T Mobile offered the latest versions. So I guess I will need to get service with them and just keep our other cell phones with Verizon for now. (With a family of four kids, we have a few!)

Do you live on Maui, or visit? Thanks again!

Rodni

No, we live here--lucky we live Maui!

Verizon is the only service that works east Maui. Those who live Hana have Verizon. For me, I don't want my phone to work when we are on that side--I go there to hide out. It can be an inconvenience if you work on that side though.

Cingular has a nice nation plan with unlimited mobile-to-mobile. My daughter in CA, my parents in FL, my friends in other states--we all have Cingular which means we can talk anytime without using our daytime minutes. That is rather sweet.

Indiana to Maui? That should be a bit of a culture shock.

Indiana, in itself, has been a bit of a culture shock!

I'm originally from Florida, then came to Indiana for residency and now plan to practice on Maui. We leave in 3 weeks!

Do you have any advice for the move? We have a condo at first, and then plan to look for a home...possibly Haiku or Kula. Any thoughts?

Thanks again!

Can't wait to live Maui too! Where did you move from?

Also, you said the phone itself has a lot to do with the reception. Which phones have you found to have the best reception? Thanks.

Rodni

Unfortunately any phone I have that gets good reception is no longer a current model! I have a Motorla v6 that gets a good signal, but they don't sell that one anymore. I'm shopping for a new phone now. It's tough cause unless I can take the phone down Lipoa, up Ha`iku Road, around the Point, I can't tell if it gets a better signal than the others.

I have sprint, and checked on their website and they CLAIM to have cverage all throughout the various islands, does anyone have experiances with a newer model phone working well throughout their trip?

I'm with you fdecarlo! I haven't owned a phone in 4 years and I like it that way!

In the small office that I share with about 12 other people, in addition to the 'house' phone(s), and the patient buzzer(for the restroom), various other rings, buzzes, music goes off over and over again (Why don't people put their phones on mute when their not going to be around to answer it?!).

On the other hand, DH has one that comes in handy once in awhile, so what are ya gonna do?? Belle.