Although GSM might have its flaws, most of the "cooler" new phones for cingular/at&t/tmobile are GSM... in addition, they also have SIM cards which allows consumers to upgrade phones without much trouble (for example buy a phone on ebay and then just swap out your SIM card)...
If GSM doesn't sound right still - check again with another cingular dealer about upgrading phones.. I'm with at&t and not only do they allow me to upgrade - they give me discounts on the new phone. They allow me to do so every year. I have however, jumped onto the GSM rocketship so that might be the reason why I can upgrade. Sorry if I didn't give you any definite solution to your problem, good luck
I currently have a Cingular's family plan with a total of 4 phones, some of which need replacing. I was told by my Cingular dealer that I cannot upgrade any phones without changing/upgrading plans.
I would probably save some money by changing to a family plan with no roaming charges and no long distance charges. However, I do not want to be on the GSM network. Everything I have read here suggests that it is not up to par yet.
I've never had any problems with dropped calls, reception, etc. I'm not "cell phone literate" so I would appreciate any assistance. Thanks

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