4/16/04

Who do you feel has the best national cell phone coverage right now? I want the cell phone that will have the highest probability of providing reception no matter where I am. I want to change from AT&T to a better service but have no idea who has the most coverage/best reception right now. Who do you think offers the most comprehensive coverage around the US now? Who do you think we should definitely stay away from?

Verizon

-- Mitchell Goozé

The answer is Verizon by any measured standard for national coverage. BTW, they had the only reliable working service in the NY blackout last year also.

-- Suzanne Vaughan

I use Verizon Wireless and find that their coverage is pretty comprehensive. The few places that are not covered are pretty remote. Call them or stop in and ask as they will give you a map that shows their coverage. I have had them for years and have been very satisfied. I have used AT&T however, and have had problems with them as far as charging what they say they do -- it was always more -- and not easy to work with. My experience with Verizon has been good.

-- Troy Evans

Verizon, hands down! There are very few places I do not get service, and they have fantastic packages with no roaming or long distance fees. My wife uses Sprint, and when we travel together it's amazing how many areas she does not get a signal where I do.

-- Nancy Stern

Verizon has the best coverage!

-- Joe Calloway

I have a lot of wireless companies as customers and it seems that Verizon has the best coverage.

-- Joe Bonura

I just switched from Cingular (horrible service) to Verizon. Verizon has been terrific. I even have AOL access on my PDA.

-- Michael Schatzki

I switched from AT&T to Verizon two years ago. I have had no reception problems, even in places where I expected to have them. I have only spoken in one location (in the middle of MN) that was off their network.

-- Marv Marshall

Verizon -- without question!

Nextel

-- Robert Auer

Nextel is by far the best. A little bit more expensive, but I have gotten awesome reception all the way from San Francisco to Montreal.

AT&T

-- Harriet Meyerson

I don't know about other areas, but AT&T works on the ski slopes in Aspen & Snowmass Colorado. We could keep contact with the office from 11,000 feet.

-- Elaine Dumler

I know you said that you'd like to get rid of AT&T, but I've done some extensive looking around, for both coverage and price, and I have to admit that the AT&T "one-rate" plans turn up on top. It's what I've had for over 3 years and I've worked in some pretty "podunk" places and had good luck with coverage. What I like most is that no matter what the phone "says" -- like "roaming", "out of area", "extended area" -- when I connect a call, it's all included. No surprise charges for traveling out of a service area in the middle of a call. I've never been charges extra. Everything is truly included in the monthly fee. I even get nights and weekends free. I know that they are more expensive for a lower number of minutes, but I truly don't worry about coverage.

Cingular

-- Tim Durkin

I am in the same boat as far as wanting to leave AT&T. My research thus far with friends who travel is pointing to Cingular. The GSM network is a triple or four band system. AT&T is one and then they changed it to another causing further problems. In addition my colleagues swear the reception from a Cingular GSM is like standing right next to the person. Next is the feature that lets you put your cell phone in a cradle and then it automatically transfers calls from your cell to your home or business phone which is sitting right next to it. Thus saving loads of minutes. (I'm told approximately 40% of cel phone calls are conducted in home or office.) Finally there is that roll over minutes option which is truly a great deal. I also think the Cingular phone selection is better than Verizon AT&T and T-mobile.

-- Roger Dawson

I switched to Cingular and found that I can get coverage anywhere in the country. I pay $29.95 a month and have never exceeded the allotted minutes with no roaming charges.

Sprint

-- Chris Gallagher

I currently use Sprint PCS Service. I have been a Sprint PCS customer for over three years. What intrigued me about Sprint is that I am on their service in the entire nation. I have traveled to Ohio, North Carolina, South Carolina, Kentucky, and Tennessee. I have had great service wherever I travel.

-- Stephen Tweed

We have used Sprint for a number of years, and have been very satisfied with the results. We have good coverage in all major cities, and only occaisionally find the phone in roam in some rural areas. Last week I was driving back from West Virginia and had several spots where I was on roam. Elizabeth and I have a package with 4 phones with 2000 minutes of peak time coverage, and unlimited off-peak.

Other

-- Brad Snyder

While Sprint has pretty good coverage, and decent telecom quality, their customer service sucks. It's the worst in the industry, and the worst I've ever seen and I live in "Sprint" country.