Best Cellular Carriers

[AmpedNow]

Sprint is the overall winner, based on my extensive homework on this issue.

Of course, it depends on what's most important to you... But, here's the results of my homework.

Most important feature:

3G/national coverage - Verizon, hands down. Sprint's 3G network is not nearly as extensive, but they do have a data roaming agreement with Verizon. AT&T's 3G is limited to major cities and highways. T-Mobile is pretty much an urban only company, with roaming agreements outside of cities, if any coverage at all.

WV/local coverage - Verizon has made huge gains in their last two years of network build out in WV, but there is still many towns without coverage. In about another year or so, they will probably lead this category. AT&T has done an exceptional job with voice/EDGE coverage in the short time they've been here, but still have work to do for 3G. SPrint's 3G coverage is mostly where it counts, with voice coverage being a little more extensive. But again, they have voice and data roaming on Verizon, so overall coverage is good. T-Mobile has no coverage anywhere in WV as of yet, and probably has no plans to, either.

Smaller, regional carriers like US Cellular and Ntelos do a decent job of covering local markets, but you will be hurting if you do any travelling out of state. Many times, their "national" coverage consists of extended network roaming virtually everywhere one you leave the state. National, on-network coverage matters if you travel.

Price - Sprint, hands down. Base 450 voice plan with unlimited mtm, unlimited text & data for $70. $99 will get you unlimited everything. T-Mobile has decent rates, too, but again, not a player in WV. AT&T is third. A similar plan runs about $108, excluding taxes. But they do have rollover minutes every month. Verizon's Android data plans begin at $30 for 5GB, or $45 for unlimited. This is on top of their already expensive voice plans. A Verizon Droid plan will cost about $10 more per month than a comparable plan on AT&T.

The regional carriers usually outshine the nationals in this category, particularly with voice plans. But again, if you leave town every so often, you will get what you pay for.

Phone selection - AT&T currently wins this category, based on being the exclusive iPhone carrier alone. Never mind their super-hot Blackberries and extensive smartphone selections. Verizon is trying to catch up with the rollout of Android phones on their service, with the release of the Storm 2 and the Tour wifi coming early next year. With their history of locking down phones and staying behind the curve, though, they still have much to prove.

Sprint is undoubtedly the worse of the Big 4 in this regard. Sure, they have the BB Tour, Palm Pre & Pixi, the HTC line, and are beginning their own rollout of Android phones. But compared to AT&T or even Verizon, their options are slim.

The regionals rarely get first dibs on new products, and usually have to wait until they "filter down" the food chain from the nationals. So, if you like having the "latest & greatest" available to you, then you need to be with a national carrier.

Old school voice/some text - Go prepaid. Boost (which is owned by Sprint, and uses their network) has some great unlimited plans, and some decent phones, too. If you're lucky enough to live in a Metro PCS market (sorry, WV), you can get unlimited voice and text for $30.

So, in the end, it comes down to what is most important to you, and what you use your phone for. Choose wisely, because there is great disparity in prices and features between carriers.

It looks like I'm eventually choosing Sprint, because of price, and 3G coverage where I live. It's the best value overall. I'm aware of their horrible reputation for customer service, but Verizon seems to be going downhill, too. So, I wouldn't expect anything satisfactory from any of the nationals. You will be talking to Akkhmed in New Delhi, anyway...

[Bob Campbell]

The real answer is; none of them.

[Hoosier Daddy]

Traditional Cellular is too expensive for what I honestly need, even in the cheapest "minutes" package.
Too many options I don't want and never use.
No ability to turn those options off and not pay for them.
Too many holes in coverage around here.
A total and absolute lack of concern about dropped calls and system failures.
A system backbone and marketing plan built on frills and gimmicks designed for 20-somethings living in major metropolitan areas.
Video, internet access, text messaging.
Tweeting and checking Facebook every 8 minutes while driving, working, eating, shopping, shitting, et al.
Nationwide free long distance is nice, though, even though I rarely use it.
I do laugh then shake my head at people who ditch their $13 a month landline service for cellular.
Reliable bulletproof voice communication must not be important.

I've had AT&T in several different flavors. Ditto Cingular. And Sprint. And US Cellular.
All have their benefits and drawbacks.

Give me a simple phone with texting, a good antenna system, and a reliable long life rechargable battery.
Charge me $100 a year for the phone number and nationwide service.
The phone number must be portable to any other service, carrier, VOIP, or landline provider.
No roaming, and make it automatically work on any system it can receive.
I'll buy the minutes or a plan for so many minutes a month.
And I'll buy a long distance plan that fits my callling habits.
No contract. I can opt out anytime I'm not happy with the product or service.

If we can put a man on the moon, we can do what I just asked for.

[AmpedNow]

A system backbone and marketing plan built on frills and gimmicks designed for 20-somethings living in major metropolitan areas.

Wow.

Just about the entire modern business world is built around Blackberries. Continuous Internet/IM/email access is pretty much mandatory. Just like cell phones and the internet itself became must-haves about 10 years ago.

Do rural areas have permission to move into the 21st century with everyone else already? Not all of us take pride in being so far out of sync with the rest of the country.

Never mind the rest of the industrialized world...

[genlock]

Around here, more than two miles off the interstate or corridor means "Welcome to the Third World".
Deregulation of the Telecom industry Has created a large backwater of under-served citizens.
Companies see no profit here because none want to live here. Governments have taken to paying the
Cell companies to extend service with tax money. The cell companies have learned to take it.

[genlock]

If we can put a man on the moon, we can do what I just asked for.

We can't seem to fix a railroad crossing or a bridge expansion joint either.

[Hoosier Daddy]

Continuous Internet/IM/email access is pretty much mandatory.

So provide it. Not just where it is profitable. Provide it everywhere.
Like the landline companies do.
My point is that I can't depend on my cell service, and I pay the same monthly bill as someone
in a "4 signal bars" urban area with a dozen cell towers around them.

[Hoosier Daddy]

Around here, more than two miles off the interstate or corridor means "Welcome to the Third World".
Deregulation of the Telecom industry Has created a large backwater of under-served citizens.
Companies see no profit here because none want to live here. Governments have taken to paying the
Cell companies to extend service with tax money. The cell companies have learned to take it.

Thank you.



If landline phone systems were installed under the same principle as the deregulated, market driven cell phone industry did their rollout, geographic areas with an affluent population base would have three or four different wireline phone companies, all with their own dedicated cables and proprietary wall jacks. You couldn't use the phone you bought a year ago from another system, because it wouldn't work anymore. You'd be charged for call waiting, call forwarding, three way calling, smart ring, a separate fax machine number, and 400 minutes of long distance calls whether you were an on-the-go mover and shaker who actually needed all this stuff, or a 75 year old grandma who just needed a phone for three or four local calls a month and some peace of mind. You'd have to fix everything yourself or throw it away, because the cell company would only maintain the infrastructure. And if the cell phone companies couldn't make a 400% return on investment on plans to serve a particular area within five years of construction, that part of town would never see the first copper wire or telephone pole.

[AmpedNow]

Continuous Internet/IM/email access is pretty much mandatory.

So provide it. Not just where it is profitable. Provide it everywhere.
Like the landline companies do.
My point is that I can't depend on my cell service, and I pay the same monthly bill as someone
in a "4 signal bars" urban area with a dozen cell towers around them.

This is a good point...

The thing is, the large cities have been blanketed with service for years now by the Big 4. Most medium-sized markets are now covered as well. The only areas left to cover are the rural areas, and it is still a very slow process.

The only thing that keeps me from buying the "no profit in it" argument is the fact that there are many miles of desolate highway in this country that have solid 3G coverage. For example, Verizon's map shows about 90% of the Mojave Desert in California blanketed with 3G. Not just the major interstates, but places way off the beaten path. A damn cactus in the middle of the desert gets more Verizon coverage than half of the towns in WV. If this logic was completely true, then you would think that WV would have had wall to wall 3G years ago... But we don't...and probably won't for some time. But the Mojave cacti are well covered.

Another "problem" for rural areas is the development of 4G/LTE by the Big 4. While great news that these kind of wireless speeds are now possible, it's likely bad news for places like WV, because just like 3G several years ago, it begins in the large cities and slowly expands to rural areas. They now have a new network standard to develop, and more excuses to keep putting off improving rural coverage.

Anyone care to predict when WV will have any 4G availability? How many years?

I don't even want to think about it... So depressing.

[Big Media]

Around here, more than two miles off the interstate or corridor means "Welcome to the Third World".
Deregulation of the Telecom industry Has created a large backwater of under-served citizens.
Companies see no profit here because none want to live here.

Just wait until Frontier gets their hands on your Verizon lines. West Virginia will be taking another 10-year-long step back.

[Dave Harman]

I knew Sprint roamed on NTelos, but wasn't aware it roamed on Verizon. That would seem to make their voice coverage pretty attractive.

A damn cactus in the middle of the desert gets more Verizon coverage than half of the towns in WV

Flat terrain = low expenses. One tower will cover what takes about 6 towers to do here.

[Hoosier Daddy]

Around here, more than two miles off the interstate or corridor means "Welcome to the Third World".
Deregulation of the Telecom industry Has created a large backwater of under-served citizens.
Companies see no profit here because none want to live here.

Just wait until Frontier gets their hands on your Verizon lines. West Virginia will be taking another 10-year-long step back.

I read somewhere (maybe here?) that Verizon will actually own Frontier.
Any truth to that?

If so, what are the anticipated changes (if any) we should expect?

[Big Media]

Around here, more than two miles off the interstate or corridor means "Welcome to the Third World".
Deregulation of the Telecom industry Has created a large backwater of under-served citizens.
Companies see no profit here because none want to live here.

Just wait until Frontier gets their hands on your Verizon lines. West Virginia will be taking another 10-year-long step back.

I read somewhere (maybe here?) that Verizon will actually own Frontier.
Any truth to that?

If so, what are the anticipated changes (if any) we should expect?

I have not heard anything about Verizon taking over Frontier. Frontier is buying the land lines in WV from Verizon and taking on massive amounts of debt to get the deal done. Perhaps, Verizon is planning to lend money to Frontier but I don't know.

Frontier has always been a rural phone company. Their network isn't the greatest when compared to Verizon and WV can now forget ever having access to a FIOS type service, or any other service improvements for that matter, because the massive debt Frontier must take on to buy the lines from Verizon.

My mother-in-law currently has Frontier. She added a calling feature last May or June that she no longer wants. When she called to cancel the calling feature, she was told she had to wait until 12 months (i.e next May or June) before she would be allowed to cancel. Otherwise, she would have to pay a ridiculous penalty ($50 if I am not mistaken) just to drop Caller ID or something.

[genlock]

Verizon owns a large chunk of Frontier.
They will own a majority chunk after the sale.
But the Verizon unions will go away.
As will an already impaired service force.

[AmpedNow]

I knew Sprint roamed on NTelos, but wasn't aware it roamed on Verizon. That would seem to make their voice coverage pretty attractive.

They may still have roaming agreements with NTelos in WV, but they are roaming partners with Verizon in other parts of the country.

They also have unlimited mtm on any carrier, along with the $70 unlimited data plan. Not too bad, compared to other plans.

A damn cactus in the middle of the desert gets more Verizon coverage than half of the towns in WV

Flat terrain = low expenses. One tower will cover what takes about 6 towers to do here.

There are mountain ranges throughout the Mojave Desert, but there are large basins of flat land in between. It's not as consistently rugged as WV.

Even so, my point is there are many more people per square mile in WV than there is in the MD, yet Verizon must find cacti and buzzards more profitable than providing blanket coverage here.

For comparison, the entire state of WV could fit comfortably in the MD.

Frontier has always been a rural phone company. Their network isn't the greatest when compared to Verizon and WV can now forget ever having access to a FIOS type service, or any other service improvements for that matter, because the massive debt Frontier must take on to buy the lines from Verizon.

I was on Frontier's site recently looking to see what kind of DSL speeds they have and what they charge for it. There are no speed advertisements whatsoever. This is definitely not a good sign of things to come...

It will be worse than when Charter sold out to Suddenlink, who has to be the worst cable company ever. With the exception of internet speeds, there have been virtually no upgrades since they bought them.

It's outrageous what we have to pay for a fraction of the services that my friends in other states have available to them at even cheaper rates.