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Need Advice Wireless providers - who do you like & why?

Discussion in 'General Chat Forum' started by lilpea, Sep 7, 2009.

  1. lilpea

    lilpea Member

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    So after 15 years with Sprint/Nextel, I am looking to change providers and really don't know who has the best coverage.

    What are your thoughts on who has the best network (both of us travel & take the DC metro)?
     
  2. luftinarr

    luftinarr Member

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    Verizon. My calls aren't dropped except in the deepest parts of the Metro. I've had very good service (including customer service) with Verizon. After being forced to use T-Mobile with a previous company, I was so glad to go back to Verizon. I've also been able to travel to the West Coast and Verizon was great. Northeast and Verizon was great. All over the Atlantic seaboard and Verizon was great. T-Mobile not so much.

    T-Mobile service (for me) was non-existent in Southern Walk. My neighbor, who does have T-Mobile, has no problem with coverage.
     
  3. Brassy

    Brassy Hiyah

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    We've been with Cingular for years. There family plan is good and lots of my family are in the same network
     
  4. mjbenteler

    mjbenteler mom2three

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    love my verizon! very rarely have had a dropped call. plus my hubby gets a discount from work. (he works for a government contracting company and they get a 20% discount) might want to check into that.
     
  5. gunzour

    gunzour "Living on the Edge"

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    In terms of Metro, Verizon has had for many years an exclusive deal with metro to provide coverage in underground stations (and tunnels?). I think that exclusivity is set to run out soon, so other providers will be able to offer service there soon.
     
  6. PowerPlay

    PowerPlay Member

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    I have Sprint and can get service in Metro tunnels. It's roaming, but service just the same.
     
  7. beahmer

    beahmer Member

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    Verizon has been great for me. Used to be ATT and the ticked me off a few years back. Also, keep in mind if you have lots of friends/family on one of the networks - free mobile-2-mobile is a plus.
     
  8. Dawne

    Dawne HOA Sec/Treas, Tech Comm

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    We were Verizon for years. Mostly because they were exclusive in the Metro. Though, I too have heard that exclusivity is going away in the next year or so.

    We had AT&T eons ago, and swore we'd never go back. But, if you want an iPhone, you don't have a choice right now. Seems AT&T doing much better since the merge with Cingular. We've had NO problems at all.

    Oh, and love the iPhone!
     
  9. PDILLM

    PDILLM Well-Known Member

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    My wife's personal phone is Verizon. No problems...no dropped calls. I have a work blackberry on ATT and a personal iPhone on ATT. About 3-4 months ago phone calls started dropping like crazy. Data has been great, but most voice calls either drop or take forever to connect. The below may explain some of ATT's ongoing issues:

    http://www.thespec.com/News/Business/article/630437

    Doesn't appear as a localized problems as we are fielding complaints from our offices across the US regarding the dropped calls. I also have a Sprint aircard, but haven't used it enough to give an unbiased opinion.

    If I was to choose today I'd go with the Verizon for the best domestic coverage.
     
  10. hollren

    hollren New Member

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    lilpea - just wondering - why are you thinking of leaving Sprint? If you have trouble with coverage, they do have a product, Airave, that can provide extended coverage to your home..
     
  11. methodt

    methodt New Member

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    If you are having problems let me know I can try to help with EHC(employees helping customers) and/or some better plan pricing through the Everything Plus Referral Program.
     
  12. Chsalas

    Chsalas Active Member

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    I have Sprint/Nextel, I want an Iphone, so I may go with At& T soon. I dunno. I may go with a better phone on the Sprint network if I can hold out one more year. I have come to realize I hate typing text's with just the numeric Keypad. (who knew I would have to text so much).
     
  13. lilpea

    lilpea Member

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    It's a combination of reasons;
    1) I think we've been a customer for too long (poor customer service as of late)
    2) Outrageous bills because we are on the wrong plan.
    3) But the biggest factor is: I am finding at certain client sites, I have zero coverage on the sprint network.
     
  14. fidothedog

    fidothedog Member

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    Verizon. Very good service with only a few dropped calls. I used to have T-Mobile and would drop 2 to 3 calls a day.

    Also have integrated billing with FIOS.
     
  15. flynnibus

    flynnibus Well-Known Member Forum Staff

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    Cingular used to be the best answer - but over the years AT&T has slowly made it more and more like Verizon - which means draconian - overbearing - and completely miserable to deal with.

    Verizon still neuters their phones. They have miserable contract terms and 1,001 ways to 'reset the clock' on your contract. It's nearly impossible to get easy service in their stores. They have a good network, but generally you are a slave to them.

    AT&T has picked up the contract stuff, but you can change your offerings at any time without any real penalty. They have an 'ok' (no longer great) phone selection. They have (depending on what you are after) reasonable pricing.

    I never have problems with dropped calls or call quality.
     
  16. lilpea

    lilpea Member

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    I am in Huntsville, Houston, Ft Leavenworth, NYC and Boston at least once a month and recently started crossing the Atlantic pond more than I like.

    AT & T seems to have a strong EU presence as well as US West Coast, but many of my government clients have Verizon towers and/or BDAs on their prem - so that maybe the determining factor for me.

    Do you have input on their International or more rural domestic coverage?
     
  17. flynnibus

    flynnibus Well-Known Member Forum Staff

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    AT&T has a leg up on Verizon simply because they are a GSM network to start with. So all of the AT&T phones will be 'global' phones. There are multiple GSM bands, but I think lack of a certain band is less common now.

    Verizon has started to offer some specific 'global' phones, but most of their handsets are CDMA which would be bricks overseas.

    AT&T offers international data and voice add-ons which give you a cut on rates when roaming international. And since you can turn them on or off at will, many people in my company simply turn them on before they travel. It's still expensive to make calls tho (something like $1/min ?? forget)

    Here is a rate chart
    http://www.wireless.att.com/travelguide/coverage/product_rates_compare.jsp?PIDL=IRSD|IRWT

    I switched to Cingular years ago based on the GSM network for international use and the contract flexibility.
     

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