Which is more reliable T-mobile, Verizon, AT&T

[F & J 21]

My hubby and I have had Sprint since 2009 and we're happy with them. Excellent customer service! I also just got a new Android - Samsung Galaxy S II, Epic 4G Touch and I get great reception even way up in Northern Michigan where Sprint isn't supposed to have very good coverage. We have the Family Everything Data Plan at $129.99 / month (Unlimited talk, text and data) - it does have a $10 Premium Data add-on charge for my smartphone though. My in-laws have Sprint too (for many, many years) and they're very happy with their service as well

[VanessaTony 3,567]

It would be difficult to be more wrong about the iPhone if you tried Your problem is with VERIZON not being worldwide, not the iPhone.

Verizon works on a 1980's, backwards CDMA network. AT&T uses GSM, which is what everyone else on Planet Earth employs. Also, every iPhone has had Skype and Google Voice for ages, so there's no issue there. Place blame where it belongs. Verizon is the problem

Actually Verizon has a contract with Vodafone. I have a Droid Incredible. It has a vodafone SIM for when I'm international, and Verizon CDMA when I'm in the states. I take Verizon over AT&T any day of the week.

Edited January 21, 2012 by Vanessa&Tony

[GCPony 14]

Actually Verizon has a contract with Vodafone. I have a Droid Incredible. It has a vodafone SIM for when I'm international, and Verizon CDMA when I'm in the states. I take Verizon over AT&T any day of the week.

And I bought my iPhone in England and use it everyday in America. I was on Verizon for 5 years and after switching to ATT, I couldn't be happier.

Simple fact for me was that 'Droid cannot run the applications I use and require and since I couldn't care less about the phone (I bought it to run software, not to make a statement), Droid's simply aren't "Incredible" to me.

Coupled with the fact that Verizon's lame, bass-ackward 1980's network can't even do the most basic tasks such as simultaneous voice and data, I'd go out of business if I were forced to use it

Lastly, the idea you need a contract with Vodafone just to use the 'Droid overseas is rather quaint. Buy an unlocked iPhone, use it anywhere with SIM's provided by your carrier of choice and you're done.

iPhone is not the problem, Verizon's lame 1980's network (in America) is. I can't do my business when I have to hang up on a client to browse the web and send them data. I like to make money. I like to eat and pay my bills. I cannot do that in my business if I downgraded to Verizon again.

[Afrikan Queen 11]

May you share your experience with AT&T, T-mobile, Verizon, or any others regarding Plans, extra prices, network coverage, customer service,...etc.

As well, if I relocated from NY to any oil states such as Texas, California, Gulf of Mexico, North Dacota,...what will be the coverage of each one?

Thanks

Verizon has the best coverage.

AT&T has good coverage too but not as good as Verizon however they have rollover minutes. So if you don't use all your minutes in one month they will rollover into the next month.

I don't know much about T-Mobile.

[VanessaTony 3,567]

Lastly, the idea you need a contract with Vodafone just to use the 'Droid overseas is rather quaint. Buy an unlocked iPhone, use it anywhere with SIM's provided by your carrier of choice and you're done.

Lol. Just like Apple computers I'll take a PC any day. iPhones are just too restrictive. Fun though.

Totally your choice who you go with of course but I felt I should correct you here. There is no need for a "contract" with Vodafone. If you use the Verizon/vodafone SIM that's built in the costs will appear on your regular Verizon bill (apparently not cheap). However once you've been a customer in good standing for around 6 months you jut get the SIM unlock code. I could have AT&T AND Verizon if I wanted, I just need to press a little widget on my phone to make it switch between SIM or CDMA. I would never get AT&T though because the signal is just that bad.

It would work really well when I visit home. I don't need to change phones, I just put a home SIM in it which is better than the old way of just having back-up phones at home (that and my brother killed my Blackberry and iPhone).

Great that AT&T works for you. Great that you find it reliable but having the ability to browse while being on the phone is useless when the signal sucks balls. That and I personally find it rude to be online whilst on the phone. Write a list of what you need to do and end the call. We survived long before the ability to browse AND call was available. Do what you need and call back if required... or sit at a regular computer where the tap tap tap on the phone isn't irritating.

Edited January 22, 2012 by Vanessa&Tony

[Ippsy Pippsy 31]

What a funny thread. There is no one "best" phone company for everyone. It depends on what you need.

At this point, it looks like the t-mobile and AT&T merger is dead. Which is great, because otherwise only one US company would control the GSM spectrum.

When picking a commpany, you might want to pick a phone first. Does it have to work internationally? Do you want it to have a SIM card so you can buy a local SIM card? Does your home country use GSM? That limits you to t-mobile and AT&T. You might get a better phone if you buy it elsewhere unlocked, and then import it. Otherwise, understand that US phones are "locked to carrier". I found this out when I tried to use my phone overseas with a SIM card from there. I ended up calling t-mobile help and they gave me the code to unlock it. It was an older phone by then, so they might not do that for you. Also, iPhones are locked to Apple.

In surveys t-mobile supposedly has the best customer service. But I'm not sure how helpful that really is in the end. Look at coverage maps, and ask people who live locally.

[Nica_In_Love 98]

What a funny thread. There is no one "best" phone company for everyone. It depends on what you need.

At this point, it looks like the t-mobile and AT&T merger is dead. Which is great, because otherwise only one US company would control the GSM spectrum.

When picking a commpany, you might want to pick a phone first. Does it have to work internationally? Do you want it to have a SIM card so you can buy a local SIM card? Does your home country use GSM? That limits you to t-mobile and AT&T. You might get a better phone if you buy it elsewhere unlocked, and then import it. Otherwise, understand that US phones are "locked to carrier". I found this out when I tried to use my phone overseas with a SIM card from there. I ended up calling t-mobile help and they gave me the code to unlock it. It was an older phone by then, so they might not do that for you. Also, iPhones are locked to Apple.

In surveys t-mobile supposedly has the best customer service. But I'm not sure how helpful that really is in the end. Look at coverage maps, and ask people who live locally.

You're right that it's best to choose a cell phone company based on your own needs. However, there are more options for GSM phones, not just T-Mobile and AT&T. Now you have Simple Mobile and H20 Wireless for example and I think I read somewhere that Straight Talk was going to have GSM phones too but I'm not sure. These plans are great for people who want the freedom of changing phones whenever they want or cancelling the plan whenever they want since there is no contract. I prefer GSM phones too because when I go to Nicaragua I can use my Movistar SIM card with no problems. In order to avoid problems with the phone being locked, you can buy an unlocked phone from eBay. iPhones can also be unlocked and jailbroken to be used with other carriers.

[himher 634]

AT&T is our provider. We have coverage in Saudi/Bahrain/UAE. Coverage in Indonesia. Coverage in Alaska. Coverage in Texas / along the gulf coast.

Summary: If there is oil - there is probably coverage by AT&I

We have a louisiana number but our residence state is Texas.

May you share your experience with AT&T, T-mobile, Verizon, or any others regarding Plans, extra prices, network coverage, customer service,...etc.

As well, if I relocated from NY to any oil states such as Texas, California, Gulf of Mexico, North Dacota,...what will be the coverage of each one?

Thanks

[Sandra G. 5,079]

I use METRO PCS cell phone plan

I had Verizon and Sprint before, and believe me "Metro Pcs" is the best plan ever.I talk with my family without pay per minutes, it's free phone calls.I just pay monthly $60.00

Unlimited phone call to 122 Countries(landlines phone)

Unlimited text messages inside the USA and outside USA

Unlimited internet use

Unlimited use of cell phone, thank God no more minutes,LOL

NO CONTRACT.

The down side is the customer service, because the awaiting time to talk with them is around 20min,but in the last 3 years i had to contact them just twice then it's not a big problem.Their signal coverage is the same one of Sprint, because they use the same satellite.I pay the same amount every single month. I send over 3.000 messages monthly,lol.I call my home Country (Brazil) 2 to 3 times per week, sometimes I talk 1 hour with my mom, sometimes 2hours.I call my sister in Australia each 10 days and we spent hours talking.I call my niece in London almost every week and we talk a lot as well, besides all friends that I call in my home Country every week and I never paid one dollar more than the plan I chose ($60.00). You can send free text messages to another cellphone outside of USA, but you can make free phone calls OUTSIDE of USA just to landlines.

Check it out maybe your home Country is in their list for free unlimited phone call.Good luck.