I'm very new to Sprint (having just switched from a Nextel 7520) and have experienced the following behavior:

While roaming in the backwoods of NY I was able to make and receive phone calls just fine, but anything data related (inclusive of e-mail & SMS) wouldn't go through. For mail I received a message like "Data Connection Refused."

Is this behavior normal or is there anything that can be done?

Also, e-mail seems to come through to the 8703e noticeably slower that my old 7520. Is this just a symtom of how iDEN handles data vs. CDMA? It still comes in plenty quick, just noticeably different.

Sorry if these are basic questions... just new to CDMA for BB's and not sure what to expect.

Thanks,
Peter

That's your answer. You were simply in a place that didn't have data coverage.

Got it... I felt a bit silly asking... I guess I was just accustomed to the iDEN way of life (if you had signal, chances were that everything would work).

Thanks for the quick response.

I have the same issue, 7100i to 8703e, I was in Boston today and noticed an R in the far right corner of the screen and "Data Connection Refused" message at the top. I guess this means I am roaming?? and out of EVDO coverage.

I received pseudo confirmation from our local rep that Sprint typically roams on Verizon in the Northeast but (regardless of who you're roaming on) while voice calls are carried through, data won't be. Unfortunately, that's just the way it is. Oh well.

Weird that you didn't get a Sprint tower in Boston though.

it was only for about 5 minutes, I was in Brookline...