New! Network upgrades update

Today
Volume 8 Issue 4
July/August 2012
New!
Nemont Mobile Store
Pg 3
Network
upgrades
update
Pg 4
INSIDE
2
Nemont Scholarships Awarded
3
Wheelin’ & Dealin’: The new mobile store
4
New Nemont Network Upgrades
6
Community Calendar
7
7
2
Tech Tip from a Nemont Expert
Long Distance Completion Issues
Stop in and see the new mobile store at one of the many area events this summer. The new Mobile store
will be the one stop shop for all your communications needs. Nemont’s friendly and knowledgeable staff
will help you with your current service as well as show you what is new at Nemont. We understand that
you are on the move so we are excited to visit with you while you are taking in the fun of summer. We
have upgraded the mobile network so everyone can surf the web, send pictures, and keep in touch with
friends and family while on the go with data plans starting at just $10/month. Don’t miss out...go forward!
Below: a picture of the inside of
the new mobile store.
Above: a picture of the
back of the new mobile
store.
The new mobile store will be fully stocked with
mobile devices and accessories. We can even
help you upgrade your current data plan to
Nemont’s new faster mobile data.
3
Pictured above are the new coax cables that Nemont has installed
at tower locations. These cables allow each cell site to process
more calls and high speed data sessions, as well as to extend the
range of the site.
4
Nemont is working around the clock to complete a number of
network upgrades, implement nationwide 3G roaming and roll
out a special Unlimited Text and Picture Messaging product. The
most visible of the upgrades are the tower antenna upgrades we are
completing throughout the Nemont coverage area. Along with the
antenna upgrades, we are working to complete the implementation
of nationwide data roaming. This will enable customers to surf the
internet with their smartphones from almost anywhere in the country.
Finally, the new Unlimited Text and Picture Messaging plan is being
tested and will be announced soon.
The corner pictures on this page show
tower climbers working on installing the
new coax cables and sectored antennas
to help complete the network upgrades.
Antennae Upgrades
The old single omni, or whip antennas, are being upgraded with
sector or panel antenna. You will be able to spot a sectored site
because there are normally three panels and a crow’s nest near the
top of the tower. The sector antenna help improve wireless coverage
and enhance call hand-offs. The end result is improved wireless
coverage and fewer dropped calls between towers.
Coming soon!
The small picture to the left shows an
old single omni or whip antenna.
Coming soon!
The wireless team has been working with a nationwide
provider for several weeks to engineer, implement and
finally, test nationwide 3G data roaming. This will enable
data customers to surf the web from almost anywhere in
the country using the nationwide 3G network. Nationwide
data plans will be announced after testing is successfully
completed.
The Nemont wireless crew is currently developing a standalone unlimited text and picture messaging plan that will not
require a mobile data plan. Keep an eye out for more details
coming soon.
5
Meet Our Nemont Area
Account Manager!
Nemont is proud to introduce you to Leif Handran, Account
Manager. Leif is based at the Scobey office but travels
around the service area. He is knowledgable about the
telecommunications industry and has ten years of experience
specializing in voice and data calling and business phone
systems and installations.
Leif is the personal
contact for Nemont’s
business customers.
He works closely with
business customers
to determine their
communication needs
and offers solutions such
as customized business
internet, landline, and
wireless packages as well
as commercial phone
systems.
CEO Mike Kilgore understands the importance of keeping up
with business needs in Northeastern Montana, stating, “The
telecommunications industry has become fiercely competitive
and having Leif as an Account Manager allows us to provide
additional focus and support with new and existing business
customers.”
Leif was born and raised in Scobey, Montana and graduated
from MSU-Billings. In his spare time, he devotes his time to
his wife, 6 year-old daughter and 3 year-old son. He also enjoys
golf, curling, Yahtzee and riding his Harley.
If you would like to discuss your business communication
needs, Leif can be reached at 406-783-2211.
Community Calendar
Area events are listed free of charge. Submit your events by the
15th of the August so that they may appear in the September/
October issue. Send to: PO Box 600 Scobey, MT 59263-0600,
Attention: Community Calendar or email to
[email protected].
July
7/28 - Arts in the Park
10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Fort Peck
Will take place on the lawn of the historic Fort Peck Hotel. There will be art, crafts, antique cars, music and food vendors. For more information, please contact Nancy at 406-367-5339 or Elizabeth at 406-367-5141.
7/29-8/1 - Daniels County Fair
All Day
Scobey
There will be 4-H exhibits, NRA rodeo on Monday night, a carnival, free stage judging, and a petting zoo all three days. There will be a parade on Tuesday at noon and the demolition derby will be Wednesday night.
August
8/2 - Rock the Block
4 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Glasgow
A band and vendors downtown to kick off Crazy Days and the NEMT Fair.
Call the Glasgow Chamber at 406-228-2222 for more information.
8/3-4 - Crazy Days
All day
Glasgow
Crazy Sales downtown Glasgow, all day entertainment, food & drinks, kids corner and street vendors. Call the Glasgow Chamber at
406-228-2222 for more information.
8/11 - First Annual Chamber Red Ball Golf Tournament
10 a.m.
Glasgow
Sunnyside Golf & Country Club
Four person scramble, $200 per team. Callcutta on Saturday morning at 9 a.m. Beer and Cash Payouts at every hole. Call the Glasgow Chamber at 228-2222 for more information.
6
66
Nemont Tech Tip
Last time, we explained how much data certain activities used
on a smartphone and in this issue we would like to explain how
to track your data usage and search for Wi-Fi hot spots.
A few of the apps we like include: Onavo Count Monitor Data,
from Onavo: my Data Manager, from Mobidia Technology; and
3G watchdog, from Richard Gruet.
How do I know how much data I have used since my
last bill?
How can I use less data from my mobile data plan?
Different activities use different amounts of data; each email
and website is a different size; some apps like to use data even
when you don’t ask them to. Data on the cellular network counts
toward your bill, but data on a wi-fi network doesn’t apply. How
do you keep track of your usage? You can’t.
Fortunately, programmers have thought about this problem and
developed tools to allow you to keep track of your own usage.
You can go to the Google Play Store and search for “Data Usage
Monitor” and find many great free apps that will keep track of
your usage for you.
Most allow you to enter your bill dates, so you can match your
usage to your bill. Many of these apps allow you to see extra
information, such as which apps are using the most data, how
much you use on the cellular network compared to wi-fi, and the
times of day and days of the week that you use the most data.
Some apps allow you to enter in the amount of data in your plan,
and some even notify you when you are getting close to your
limit. All of these apps count and round a bit differently, so they
may not be identical to your bill.
Long Distance Completion Issue
For almost a year, Nemont and other rural telephone companies
across the United States have experienced ongoing problems
with the completion of long distance calls. In addition to calls
simply not completing, the quality of some of the calls, when
they do complete, is very poor. For example, your phone may
not ring yet you will later see a missed call on your CallerID.
Or, you will hear the phone ring and try to pick up the call but
cannot hear the caller’s voice. Another scenario being reported
is poor voice quality, such as static or echoes, which make it
difficult to carry on a converstaion. Nemont has also received
more and more reports of troubles with sending or receiving
faxes.
The problems experienced by Nemont and other local telephone
providers are frustrating and costly to both you as our customer
and to us as a business. These calling problems are not caused
by Nemont, and cannot be “fixed” by Nemont. The problem
calls, which move from one telephone network to a second
network and perhaps a third or fourth network along the way,
are not even reaching the Nemont network.
Most smartphones have wi-fi capability. This means that the
phone can connect to wireless broadband connections instead of
the cellular network. Nemont sells wi-fi routers that allow you
to use your home broadband connection while you are at home,
and many business offer free wi-fi. Your phone will prefer a wifi network over the cellular network because it is often faster and
wi-fi usage does not apply toward your data plan.
Another good way to use less data is to turn off background
data unless you are using a wi-fi network. Background data lets
your apps automatically send and receive data whenever they
want, without asking you if it’s okay.
To disable background data on
your Android phone go into
Settings, choose Accounts
and Sync, and then remove
the checkmark next to
Background data. You can
use the same steps to turn it
back on when you have a wi-fi
connection.
Nemont has actively participated in information gathering
sessions with other local telephone companies as well as
with national telephone associations. These issues have been
presented to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC),
urging them to investigate and find the cause of the long distance
call completing issues. This is of great concern to the telephone
industry and we are continuing to work with and report these
ongoing issues to the FCC and other organizations.
Nemont encourages you to gather as many details as possible
about the problem calls and then call us to report these details.
This information is very useful as we actively seek a solution to
the call completion issues. If possible, we ask that you gather
the following information for each problem call:
• The time the call was placed
• The phone number from which the call was originiated
• The name of the caller’s long distance or wireless provider
• Details about what happend (my phone did not ring, I picked
up the phone to answer a call and there was dead air, etc.)
Continued on page 8...
7
PO Box 600
Scobey, MT 59263-0600
1-800-636-6680 or 406-783-2200
Crow Agency, MT
Monument Center, Suite 1
8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Mon-Fri
Glasgow, MT
702 2nd Ave S, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Mon-Fri
Plentywood, MT
115 W 2nd Ave, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Mon-Fri
Poplar, MT
212 2nd Ave W, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Mon-Fri
Scobey, MT
61 Hwy 13 S, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Mon–Fri
Williston, ND
421 Main, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. CST Mon-Fri
Wolf Point, MT
220 Benton St, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Mon–Fri
Worden, MT
2457 Main St
8 a.m. – noon, 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. Mon and Thurs
Visit our website at www.nemont.net or check out our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/NemontCountry.
Win a $25 credit!
Answer the trivia questions and
fill out this official entry form
and drop it by one of our offices
or mail it to PO Box 600, Scobey,
MT 59263-0600. Attn: Drawing.
Faxed, duplicated, emailed or
photocopied entries will not
be accepted. Winners will be
contacted by phone and listed in
the September/October issue.
May/June
$25.00 Winners
Gayle Hammond
Saco
Esther Fast
Scobey
Kenneth Stebbins
Absarokee
Peter Ostoj
Absarokee
Ella Byram
Williston
Luella Nordtug
Williston
Long Distance Completion Issue
Continued from page 7...
Please call 406-783-2210 or 1-888-542-0917 for the Trouble
Department. The Trouble Department will log your call as well
as the details related to the call completion issue. Thank you for
your patience as Nemont and other rural telephone providers
work together to resolve the call completion problem.
You may also visit the new web page created by the FCC to help
you determine if you have experienced call completion issues.
It also allows you to file a complaint directly to the FCC. www.
fcc.gov/encyclopedia/problems-long-distance-or-wirelesscalling-rural-areas.
$25 Credit Official Entry
Name one of the events the new mobile retail sales
office will visit this year:
List one of the data usage apps recommended in the
Nemont Tech Tip article:
Name
Phone
E-mail