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So today, the law went into effect that you can change cell phone carriers and keep your existing phone number. As a result, I'm shopping for a replacement for Sprint, which finally crossed my threshold of pain this afternoon. Here's what I know about the carriers I'm considering...

- Cingular: Based strictly on my experience in their store today I already like them better than Sprint. Apparently uses a "better" technology than most of the others, but has fewer towers. Guy at the store readily admitted that Verizon has better coverage. But that's all I know about them.

- Verizon: Everyone I've talked to tells me that Verizon is the stuff. Great coverage and customer service - the only carrier that has gotten universally positive reviews from people I've asked.

- Nextel: Funny, people have either told me it's the best thing ever, or that it sucks as soon as you get away from the Interstate. Phones notably more expensive than the others.

- Alltel: out of the question. Nicholson had (has?) one. I've known Matt for a long time now and have NEVER been able to make a call to that phone and have it work.

Anyone with experience with any of the above carriers, speak up. My phone is so old that it barely works, so now is the time. Thanks!

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Karl S.
2014 Baby, 2014 House, 2013 Ford Focus ST, 2013 BMW 328i, 1994 Mercedes E320
(Insert passive aggressive signature line here)

My advice Rice is to go to each of their websites and look at their respective coverage maps. Of the ones you've listed guess who has the best coverage? Alltel of course. I looked at switching a few weeks back and found that unless you never leave an interstate or live in a major metropolitan area all the others suck.

BTW, the only place I've found my Alltel phone doesn't have good coverage is near Laurinburg. I swear that I could stand under the damn tower and still not get a signal!

As always....YMMV.

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Vincent Keene
'06 Ford Mustang GT (track rat)
'15 Dodge Charger R/T (yeah, it's got a HEMI!)
'07 Ford Fusion SE (205,000 miles and counting)
'98 Chevy Z-24 (retired)
'93 Acura Integra (Team SWB 24HOL Car)

Alltel sucks. We could never make a call in the mountains or lots of other places.

Verizon is what we have now, and there are a few low-lying wooded areas where signal breaks up, but they're lightyears ahead of Alltel. Price is good, too. I only have experience with these two, but I would definitely recommend Verizon.

The Nextel thing is so annoying when other people here at work use it to talk to their hearing-impaired relatives, that I couldn't see myself using one.

Another vote for Verizon. Better customer service, better service.

My wife had Sprint for a year, and after the first three weeks, she swore she'd drop Sprint the day the contract ended. She did, picked Verizon and loves it.

I still have Sprint, and service sucks around my home, but works really well at work, where the phone is used a lot. I don't mind Sprint, but now the number portability is a reality, there's nothing holding me back from changing.

"Can you hear me now? Good."

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Tom Freeman
'98 M3/4/5 | '93 Spec3 325i | '12 TSX sport wagon | '03 Tahoe
Team Silver Bullets '91 240SX

Verizon does not offer coverage in Wilson. Guess where I am? That's why I have Alltel and haven't had any problems.

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Vincent Keene
'06 Ford Mustang GT (track rat)
'15 Dodge Charger R/T (yeah, it's got a HEMI!)
'07 Ford Fusion SE (205,000 miles and counting)
'98 Chevy Z-24 (retired)
'93 Acura Integra (Team SWB 24HOL Car)

I've had good luck with Verizon but my experience is mostly near major interstates. I forgot to check it at VIR.

One thing with Verizon (and maybe others). There are places where the phone shows "Extended Coverage". The rate structure of included minutes still applies (we have the nationwide version of Family Share) in the extended coverage areas. I suspect that this means that Verizon has a deal with whomever provides the service in that area. I also suspect this means that Verizon doesn't offer phones in these areas but their customers from other areas have service when passing through.

By the way, my next door neighbor with the turbocharged 77 Z is an engineer with Verizon.

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Dick Rasmussen

FS 50 2018 Mustang GT

I have been with AT&T Wireless for close to 4 years now. As far as reception goes, I have never had an issue with them. I went to school at Appalachian State in Boone NC for a year and never had touble getting a signal (analog) while all of my friends that had Sprint up there basically had no service what so ever. I think one plus for them is that they have contracts with a bunch of the other carriers to use thier towers. Often times I will pick up a Cingular signal on my phone.

My only complaint with AT&T really is the free or close to free Nokia phones you get. In 4 years with them I have been through 5 Nokia phones.



I have to agree with this.....this is the only place I have ever been and not had a signal on my phone. I couldn't get a signal within about 10 miles of the event site there.

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Stephen Westerfield
2009 Infiniti M35 | 2007 Honda Fit Sport | 2005 Ford Mustang GT |2000 GMC Sierra |1992 Acura Integra LS | Super Westerfield Bros Acura Integra

That's interesting. I have an AT&T phone and I was getting a strong signal at Laurinburg. Granted, it was from Cingular as you mentioned above but I had no problems making and receiving calls. I'm sure Jim P. will attest to that when my phone rang while I was riding with him during a fun run. Oops...

Jim

I'm probably the only person on the list that has had a phone for more than a year with every major carrier. When I worked on the Telecom Team for IBM Procurement, I worked with all of the national carriers, and thus had free demos with each one (for a year or more in most cases). By far, Verizon is the best. Take a look at any independent wireless carrier poll, and the results are astounding.

Now, for business, I would use Nextel, as long as your primary business area has good coverage. If it weren't for the 50% off discount I get from Nextel, I would be with Verizon. Word of caution, Verizon will be losing their walkie talkie functionality soon, for they violated patent rights held by Nextel, and Nextel wants to stick it to them.

Karl, call me and I can send you the IBM discount structures for all of the carriers. Verizon is quite attractive. - AB

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'14 Toyota Sequoia Platinum 4WD
Super Westerfield Bros - '93 Integra - LeChump Du Jour
STX 93 - Scion FR-S

That was not as bad as the Skoal can rattling around in my glove box at Rockingham. I thought the car was falling apart again. But back to the topic at hand. I had Sprint PCS for 4 years and got tired of the coverage or the lack there of. I switched to Verizon a year ago and have been quite pleased. The only lack of coverage is through the WV mountains, but what do you want from WV.

Please make sure you review the contract. I went to the Verizon store in Brier Creek to sign up. The woman signed me up for the America Business Plan. You can imagine my surprise when my first 3 months totaled over $800. To Veriszon's credit they did adjust my bill with little to no hassle.

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Jim Pastorius
2008 Silverado VortecMax
1992 Camaro CMC#92
2002 BMW R1150R

2009 3rd Place CMC Mid-Atlantic Championship
2009 CMC Hyperfest Winner

I agree with Vincent. We use Alltel and I have no complaints to speak of. My oldest daughter has national plan and was in RI for 2 years and we never had problems. Youngest daughter is in Wilmington on a statewide plan with no problems. Wife is on National business plan and works in Wilson a few days a week. No problems. I have the statewide setup. No problems. We made sure we got phones that switch to analog when needed. That saves you sometimes when the digital falls off. My friend just got Alltel with his daughter. She's at App State and no complaints. And he used it roaming around Biltmore with no problems.

Only thing with Alltel that looks weird is your calls are considered Local Long Distance when you are roaming. It's still a local call. They just changed the wording from roaming.

Laurinburg is a dead spot probably because it is still an active airport. Ann's cell worked fine until we got right on site.

A lot of this comes down to personal experience with carriers. I had Verizon before with no real complaints. Alltel offers us a better package for the way we use our phones and where are kids are located.

Graham

Karl - add a poll!

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Mike Whitney
whit32@gmail.com, 919-454-5445
V10, V8, V8t, I6, I6, V6, F4t, I4, I4, I4, I4, I2, 1, 1

Perhaps my phone sucked (the same Motorolla phone *everyone* has), but I never had a decent phone call when I was with Alltel. When it finally shit the bit, I threw it as hard as I could in the trashcan and canceled my service. If I ever get one again, it'll be with Cingular or Verizon. And I'm not taking the free phone this time. Lesson learned.

Go to each carrier you are seriously thinking of, and ask to borrow an activated phone for a day.

They all have to scramble for business now that they can't hold your phone number hostage anymore.

AT&T (who I have) sucked where I used to live, since there was no signal, and I had a dual-band phone. But that was a unique circumstance. Where I live now, I get signal in all parts of my house, and just about everywhere else. They are one of the better carriers, I think Verizon and someone else are ranked above them.

Also, AT&T offers a 30-day money back guarantee -- buy/try the phone, if it doesn't work out, then you can bail out of the contract and phone, but are charged the airtime for that month. I think the other guys offer something similar. If you are a technogeek, they are one of the few providers that offer phones with Bluetooth (wireless earpiece, connect your phone to your PDA, surf internet on your PDA through the phone, etc.)

Regards,
--Ashraf

I've had Sprint, Alltel, and Verizon over the past few years. Each has thier strengths and weaknesses. Sprint's coverage really sucked when I had them 4 years ago. Everything else about the service was pretty good, I just couldn't live with the poor coverage.

I had Alltel for 3 years. The phone worked everywhere, and I mean everywhere I ever went. I had friends complain that they couldn't get through to me frequently, but on my end, I was able to make a phone call almost anytime/anywhere I wanted even on elevators, and almost never got dropped. Verizon sucked in other regards though, phone selection was pretty limited, and their plan selection wasn't so good either, also the "extras" weren't impressive.

I recently switched to Verizon primarily because the phone selection was better and the coverage was supposed to be as good or better. I does work almost as good, and probably better in Larinburg than the Alltel did. However, it doesn't work very well on the elevator in my building at work. I don't get dropped, but the signal gets weak enough, that I can't continue the conversation, whereas my Alltel phone wouldn't skip a beat on the elevator. The Verizon phone also doesn't work quite as good at my house, which sucks since its the only phone I have.

It all depends on what is important to you, but Verizon is probably the best all round.