Customer Service:

What is a PIN, and how do I get one?

Every SkyTel unit automatically comes equipped with its own, unique Personal Identification Number, or PIN. This number is printed on the label affixed to the outside of your unit packaging. Callers must know your PIN to reach you, since it is the number that the SkyTel System uses to reach your unit. 

If you are a word service customer, your PIN is also your unit's internet email address. Anyone with internet email can send you a message by addressing it to <PIN>@skytel.com.

If you have a Personal Access Number, your PIN is all 10 digits.

If you forget your PIN or receive a SkyTel unit without a label, call Customer Service at 1-800-SKY-USER for assistance.

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Every SkyTel unit automatically comes equipped with its own Security Code. This number is printed on the label affixed to the outside of your unit packaging. Your Security Code allows you to access personal features of the SkyTel System, such as setting up or changing your greetings, and picking up your messages through Message Recall.

Because the security code allows access to all of your personal messages, we strongly suggest that you change it frequently. Refer to the SkyTel Service Instructions that came with your unit for instructions on changing the code, or change your Security Code online.

If you forget your Security Code or receive a SkyTel unit without a label, please call Customer Service at 1-800-SKY-USER for assistance. 

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1. Go to www.skytel.com. At the top of the page under the Customer Service drop-down menu, click on Access My Service Profile. 
2. Click the "Forgot your security code?" link in the log in area.
3. Enter your SkyTel PIN in the box displayed.
4. Click Submit and your security code will be sent to your pager.

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If you have word service from SkyTel, your unit is capable of receiving Internet email. All units shipped after 3/1/98 automatically came with an email address. These include all SkyWord Plus and SkyWriter® (two-way) messaging units. SkyWord units shipped before 3/1/98 may not have an automatic email address. You can add one without charge by calling SkyTel Customer Service at 1-800-SKY-USER.

Your email address is your PIN, plus "@skytel.com." If your PIN is 1234567, your Internet email address is 1234567@skytel.com.

Let your callers know that there are character limitations for Internet email, dependent on the type of service you have: For SkyWord, that limit is 240 characters; for SkyWord Plus and SkyWriter®, the limit is 500 characters; for Wireless Email (BlackBerry and Mobile Mail), the limit is 2,000 characters. No attachments can be sent to your unit, of course. 

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1. Go to www.skytel.com. At the top of the page under the Customer Service drop-down menu, click on Access My Service Profile. 
2. Log into your profile by entering your SkyTel PIN and Security Code.
3. Click the Personal SkyTel Wireless Email Address link and enter the desired email address (such as john.doe or mary.baker). 
4. Click Submit.

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SkyTel has a coverage plan for almost everyone considering paging, messaging or wireless email. The SkyTel System is nationwide, and available in thousands of cities and towns across the U.S.

For our traditional paging products, SkyPager® and SkyWord, we offer metro and nationwide coverage plans domestically, and international coverage through partnerships with premium service providers in Canada, Central and South America, and the far East. We also offer "coverage on demand" for temporary nationwide and international access. 

Our messaging and wireless email products, SkyWord Plus, SkyWriter®, Mobile Mail and BlackBerry, are offered with automatic nationwide coverage.

You can check our domestic coverage areas anytime by accessing our coverage maps here on our web site. Also see our international web sites for information on those areas.

For further information on coverage plans and pricing, contact your SkyTel Sales Representative or call Customer Service at 1-800-SKY-USER.

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Nationwide Now® is "coverage on demand." This optional feature allows SkyTel SkyPager® and SkyWord customers with Metro or Regional* coverage to access nationwide coverage temporarily when traveling outside of their normal coverage areas.

To add Nationwide Now® to your SkyPager® or SkyWord service, call your SkyTel Sales Representative or SkyTel Customer Service at 1-800-SKY-USER.

You have two options for activating and deactivating your Nationwide Now® service: On line or by telephone. To activate or deactivate Nationwide Now® by telephone, follow the instructions below:

*Regional coverage not available as new service.

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SkyTel offers international coverage in a number of countries, and access to your messages in even more.

For international travel, you can choose from 1Way numeric paging (SkyPager®) or 1Way word messaging (SkyWord) service. Depending on the countries where you travel, your SkyTel representative or SkyTel Customer Service will be able to set you up with the correct unit to fit your needs.

International coverage is not offered for advanced messaging and wireless email services, and SkyTel has no short-term plans to expand this network internationally.

International coverage options and covered countries/cities 
How to access my messages while traveling abroad

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Message Recall is a free SkyTel service that automatically stores all messages sent to you within a specified amount of time. This means that you can access your messages through the SkyTel System even when you've had your unit turned off or have been outside a covered area. You can view the messages stored in Message Recall online, or use the following instructions to retrieve your messages by telephone.

For SkyPager®, SkyWord and SkyWord Plus (without SkyReply®) customers, Message Recall will store your messages for up to 99 hours. Use this procedure to access your stored messages by telephone: 

For SkyWriter®, SkyWord Plus with SkyReply®, BlackBerry and Mobile Mail customers, Message Recall stores your messages for 72 hours.

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When your callers dial in to send you a message, SkyTel provides voice prompts to guide them. You can make the process even easier by recording greetings. When your callers hear your voice, they'll feel confident that they've reached you!

As a SkyTel customer, you can record and change your personal greetings as often as you wish, at absolutely no charge. You will need to know your security code to access your greetings, and your options will vary depending on your SkyTel Service. 

For SkyPager®, SkyWord, and SkyWord Plus (without SkyReply®) subscribers: 

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The Telecom Act of 1996 has mandated that all telecommunications carriers that provide interstate telecommunications services, providers of interstate telecommunications, and payphone service providers contribute to the federal universal support mechanisms. The money raised will be used to wire schools, libraries, and rural health-care centers for telecommunications.

For complete information on how this fee impacts SkyTel customers, see the document on this site.

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Due to the Telecom Act of 1996, long distance carriers charge SkyTel $0.30 for each call made to a "toll-free" 800 or 888 number made from a pay phone. SkyTel will pass this surcharge on to customers for calls made to their Personal or Corporate Access Numbers.

You have the option of blocking pay phone calls to these numbers. Call Customer Service at 1-800-SKY-USER for more information.

For complete information on how this surcharge impacts SkyTel customers, see the document on this site.

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Missed messages can be as simple as not being within range of a SkyTel transmitter or not having a fresh battery in your unit. They can also be the sign of a more serious problem: You may have a defective unit, a transmitter could be temporarily off-line, or you may be experiencing a programming error.

If you suddenly begin missing messages, or if you believe you're in a covered area and are missing messages, please call SkyTel Customer Service at 1-800-SKY-USER. Our service representatives will be glad to troubleshoot the problem and resolve the issue to your satisfaction.

To check SkyTel coverage areas online, go to Coverage Options and Maps.

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All coverage depends on a system of ground transmitters that send messages to units. Nationwide coverage means that you will get your messages when you are in range of any of SkyTel's transmitters, nationwide. Unfortunately, no paging company, not even SkyTel, can offer "blanket" coverage.

Remember that atmospheric conditions, geographic barriers and building-penetration difficulties can also hinder transmission to messaging units. While all forms of wireless communications are subject to those factors, SkyTel high-frequency transmitting helps reduce their incidence.

If you are an Advanced Messaging customer (SkyWord Plus, SkyWriter®, Mobile Mail or BlackBerry) you have the added advantage of our Store & Deliver service. This means that as you travel out of covered areas, the SkyTel System will store your messages. Return to a full service area within 72 hours, and your stored messages will be delivered to you automatically.

In all cases, you can use the Message Recall feature to check for messages sent to you while you were out of range, and even retransmit them to your unit when you're back. If you'll be out of a coverage area for an extended period of time, use Message Recall frequently to keep in touch.

If you have a question about a specific coverage area, the interactive maps found on Coverage Options and Maps allow you to zero in on a zip code, a city, or a street address. 

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SkyWord Plus and SkyWriter® units indicate three different levels of service based on coverage areas. This advanced technology allows us to offer Guaranteed Delivery through the Store & Deliver feature. Here is what you can expect: 

• When your unit displays "Full Service" you're in prime coverage range. You'll receive all of your new messages, plus any undelivered, stored messages. 
• When your unit displays "Basic Service," you are in an area where you can receive your new messages, but any stored messages will continue to be stored until you return to a full service area. 
• When your unit displays "Storing Messages," you are outside of a SkyTel covered area. All messages sent to you will be stored for 72 hours. If you return to a Full Service area within that time, your stored messages will be automatically retransmitted, along with the date and time they were originally sent.

Of course, atmospheric conditions, geographic barriers and building-penetration difficulties can hinder transmission to your unit. While all forms of wireless communications are subject to those factors, SkyTel high-frequency transmitting helps reduce their incidence. If you find yourself in an area where your unit displays "Basic Service" or "Storing Messages," you can always use Message Recall to check your messages.

Here's a very simplified version of the technical explanation: The SkyTel Advanced Messaging services rely on a forward and a reverse path to do their job. At its simplest, the forward path is the technology that gets your messages from our transmitter to your unit. The reverse path is used by your unit to get messages to our receiver. Advanced Messaging units constantly send out signals to let the SkyTel System know where they are. When a message is sent to your unit, the unit uses the reverse path to tell the SkyTel System that the message was received. When the system doesn't get a receipt acknowledgment, the message is stored until the unit lets the system know it's back in a "Full Service" area. 

To find out the service level you can expect in a specific location, check out our interactive coverage maps.

As always, if you feel your unit is not working as it should be, please call Customer Service at 1-800-SKY-USER. Our service representatives will be happy to troubleshoot the unit for you, and are committed to resolving the issue to your satisfaction. 

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