Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Find answers here to your most frequently asked questions.
General Information
VTel Wireless is in the process of installing 4G LTE equipment on structures throughout the state. These structures include silos, church steeples, rooftops, existing cellular towers, and new cellular towers. These wireless sites communicate with different types of devices – including smartphones and tablets with VTel Wireless SIM cards, as well as dedicated modems – which then broadcast a wi-fi signal and allow you to access the internet, wherever you are. The low frequency nature of the signal means it can travel miles without losing strength. You can read more about how VTel Wireless works on our How VTel Wireless Works page.
In January 2015, the FCC’s definition of broadband was updated to mean 25 Mbps downloads and 3 Mbps uploads. VTel Wireless is bringing broadband speeds to many customers who otherwise have no other local provider that offers it.
4G LTE stands for Fourth Generation/Long Term Evolution. It is the 4th version of mobile communication technology and allows for large amounts of data to be sent and received wirelessly. This is the technology that makes wireless broadband possible!
Each transmission tower has a finite capacity. To provide a fast, reliable connection to as many homes as possible, data usage caps are necessary to prevent the network from being overloaded. Most people will not find these caps to be a limitation. For example, if you watched 10 movies, streamed 150 hours of music, sent 10,000 emails, and downloaded 200 songs in one month, you would be at about 20% of VTel’s maximum allowable data cap.
4G LTE networks have very robust security. Any data transmitted between your antenna and our towers is encrypted, and only devices with authentic VTel SIM cards will be able to communicate with the network.
VTel is working as quickly as possible to add to our coverage area. You can see the areas we currently serve here. Check back again soon to see when we’re bringing service to your area!
With speeds up to 50Mbps, you can download music in seconds, and high-definition movies in minutes! For those unfamiliar with terminology, Mbps stands for “megabits per second.” File size on your computer is generally measured in megabytes, or “MB.” There are 8 bytes to a bit, so a 20Mbps connection can download files at 2.5 megabytes per second. That’s really fast! While your connection speed will depend on the strength of the available signal and the type of device being used, most customers can expect download and upload speeds of at least 10Mbps.
You can connect up to five devices to a mobile hotspot, and up to 20 devices to a fixed wireless modem installed in your home.
According to the FCC, exposure to low-power electromagnetic waves does not pose a health risk. For more information, the FCC has an FAQ about radio waves of the type used by VTel Wireless.
Unlike satellite internet, the electromagnetic waves used by VTel Wireless are not blocked by clouds. As long as you are within the service area, weather should not prevent access.
We anticipate offering VoIP service for homes and businesses in the future. VTel modems come equipped with built-in VoIP capabilities. This offer does not apply to homes and businesses within VTel’s landline footprint.
VTel Wireless sells pools of data. You may use that data in any way that you would normally use the Internet, such as to visit websites, video chat, watch YouTube, or make calls with third party VoIP services like Skype or Google Voice. Television service in the traditional sense where you subscribe to a package of channels and have a set-top box on your television is not available through VTel Wireless.
You can stream video content through a variety of methods! Here are some examples of places that offer video content services:
Services (Free)
These are ad-supported, official sources of recently-aired television content.
NBC
FOX
CBS
USA
Streaming Services (Paid)
Most of these streaming media sources are supported by most of the digital media player set-top boxes mentioned above.
Hulu with Live TV
Channels: 64+
DVR: Yes, 50 hours of storage.
On Demand: Available.
Watch Live and On Demand TV from 50+ top channels including sports, news, entertainment, and more. Plus, enjoy unlimited access to the Hulu Limited Commercials plan, which has full seasons of exclusive series, current episodes, classic favorites, Hulu Originals, hit movies, kids shows, and tons more with minimal commercial interruptions.
YouTube TV
Channels: 50+
DVR: Yes, unlimited storage for 30 days.
On Demand: Available for some titles.
YouTube TV offers a familiar interface to YouTube, comes with all the standard features expected of a streaming service but with the ability to DVR an unlimited amount of shows and movies for up to 30 days for no extra price.
PlayStation VUE
Channels: 50+
DVR: Yes, for up to 28 days after airing.
On Demand: Available for some titles.
PlayStation offers a large sports selection with some of it’s higher priced packages, but a strong point PlayStation has to offer is a high number of streams allowed at once for the lowest comparative price – up to 5 on five different devices.
Sling Television
Channels: 28+
DVR: Add on for $5/month
On Demand: Available for some titles.
Sling Television has the most simplest package for the lowest price, and is a less complicated streaming service. It’s smaller packages gives it most of the basic and popular channels for the lowest price, without any bells or whistles.
Pay For Download Sources
iTunes Charts
Lets you buy and download TV show episodes as soon as they are available – new content arrives on iTunes all the time and browse the top 100 songs, albums, TV shows, movies, apps, and more.
Mobile Phones & Tablets
Our plans are priced based on data usage, with the lowest priced plan starting at $10/mo for 2GB of data.
Currently, VTel is providing data-only plans, so customers can make calls using a third-party VoIP service such as Skype, Viber, We Chat, Spin, or Google Voice. In the future, VTel plans to offer high-definition voice calling using brand-new VoLTE (Voice over LTE) technology.
Not yet. VTel has currently entered into an agreement with a major national carrier to provide data roaming service outside the range of our network for now.
When we launch voice service, we expect to offer this completely free of charge. With VTel Wireless, you have the freedom to choose how to use your data. In the new world of 4G LTE, voice IS data. In other words, voice is free with VTel Wireless.
Installation & Setup
My Account
Casual internet users will be satisfied with our smaller plans, but those interested in more intense web activity like gaming or watching video will require more data.
When you reach 80%, 90% and 100% of your data capacity, you will receive an email notification. If you have an unlimited data plan, your data will slow down proportionally to the amount of data you have overused on your unlimited data plan. Users who use significantly more data than their plan is allotted will see the greatest slowdown in speeds. If you have a metered data plan, you will be charged $10 per additional 50 GB used on your account. This means, if you have a 100 GB data plan and use 110 GB in one billing cycle, you will be charged your data plan rate + $10.00 in overage charges for that period.
