Mine's T-Mobile. I had Verizon prior to June of this year but it got too expensive. I'm impressed by T-Mo's coverage in my area.
I often find myself teasing my friend when he has no service and I do (he has T-Mobile). I have Verizon because I'm not the one paying for it. My family switched from AT&T to Verizon several years ago due to bad coverage, but I'm sure in that time they have vastly improved.
I used Verizon Wireless for probably 20 years. Just last week I switched over to Xfinity for my service provider...which utilizes Verizon Wireless's towers for their coverage, so I shouldn't see any change in service or reception.
Quote from: jeffandnicole on October 10, 2019, 08:01:42 AM
I used Verizon Wireless for probably 20 years. Just last week I switched over to Xfinity for my service provider...which utilizes Verizon Wireless's towers for their coverage, so I shouldn't see any change in service or reception.
We did the same. We switched to xfinity for mobile. Same coverage as Verizon but much less expensive.
I switched to Verizon last month. I previously had Sprint and their coverage is shit, especially in rural areas. My family travels to North Carolina often since our doctors are with Duke Health in Durham and for half the trip, I had no signal and what signals I did get were weak as hell. I also visit friends in Goldsboro and Wilson and I had very little coverage there too. Nobody I know in eastern NC has Sprint for the same reason. Even around here, the signal wasn't that great. Switching to Verizon took care of my problem.
PS: For those wondering why we go 60+ miles for healthcare, it's because good healthcare in Danville doesn't exist. But that's another story...
Quote from: cabiness42 on October 10, 2019, 08:09:44 AM
Quote from: jeffandnicole on October 10, 2019, 08:01:42 AM
I used Verizon Wireless for probably 20 years. Just last week I switched over to Xfinity for my service provider...which utilizes Verizon Wireless's towers for their coverage, so I shouldn't see any change in service or reception.
We did the same. We switched to xfinity for mobile. Same coverage as Verizon but much less expensive.
I needed new phones as well; ours were 3 years old (LG v10) and 2.5 years old (LG v20). Nice phones but they never caught on. The LGv10's technology updates never kept up with today's features either. We now have the Samsung s10.
Quote from: jeffandnicole on October 10, 2019, 10:14:55 AM
Quote from: cabiness42 on October 10, 2019, 08:09:44 AM
Quote from: jeffandnicole on October 10, 2019, 08:01:42 AM
I used Verizon Wireless for probably 20 years. Just last week I switched over to Xfinity for my service provider...which utilizes Verizon Wireless's towers for their coverage, so I shouldn't see any change in service or reception.
We did the same. We switched to xfinity for mobile. Same coverage as Verizon but much less expensive.
I needed new phones as well; ours were 3 years old (LG v10) and 2.5 years old (LG v20). Nice phones but they never caught on. The LGv10's technology updates never kept up with today's features either. We now have the Samsung s10.
I use Verizon service, but I bought my own phone which saves me around $20 a month vs leasing
Best network here is Appalachian Wireless, which is the CDMA network. Verizon roams off them. My work phone is from Verizon. It's problematic in US Cellular territory in West Virginia, where they only allow 1x data roaming for Verizon devices.
Personally, I have AT&T because I had to switch to a prepaid service a few years ago and the SIM card was cheap. My iPhone was an AT&T-only phone, so I had little to no choice.
I use Sprint because of the $25/mo unlimited kickstart plan. Also, they have good roaming agreements with T-Mobile and US Cellular so when I travel to some rural areas, I often have better coverage than even Verizon or AT&T that won't roam on those. Around Boise, they are pretty decent, though they have a few more dead zones here (indoors) than the other carriers. I think it works better than when I used to have AT&T, but I've heard AT&T has improved since then. When you're close enough to a Sprint tower to get a strong Band 41 LTE signal, it's the fastest you'll find here (except Verizon just launched 5G, but most phones don't support that yet), I've seen 160 Mbps on mine. T-Mobile and Verizon are the best 2 overall in Boise I would say, though.
Google Fi was great (the 3 carrier switching was perfect for my use case, and I'm a low data user so it was cheap), until I had some issues receiving calls. I don't know what happened, worked great for me for 2.5 years then it stopped working reliably, so I had to switch. I went to Total Wireless which runs off Verizon. Coverage was good, but speeds were not great, some areas with bad congestion and/or deprioritization. And I didn't get service in Trout Lake, WA anymore. That led me to Sprint which will roam on US Cellular LTE in Trout Lake, and I really can't beat $25 a month, and it works well enough everywhere I need to use my phone. If I didn't use Sprint, I'd probably give AT&T Prepaid or Cricket another shot and see if they fixed their bad spots around Boise (I know they work in Trout Lake which is a plus), otherwise probably a T-Mobile based provider like Metro or Mint (which my wife uses currently; we'd probably put her on Sprint too if her phone supported it though).
My parents have Verizon, as did I until a few years ago. The main criteria was that it was known to have good reception in both Rochester and the North Country (where I went to college).
When I upgraded my phone to a smartphone, I switched to Cricket because data plans with the "big 4" are expensive (especially Verizon and AT&T, which have better nationwide coverage). What I'm paying for 5 GB of data (which I never use, but I wasn't sure how much I'd need when I got the plan so I chose the middle one, plus this one includes free roaming in Canada if your usage there doesn't exceed 50% of the usage in a billing cycle) is not very much more than what I was paying Verizon for just voice/text after splitting my phone off from my parents.
My family, depending on which side of the family (in-laws included), will say either AT&T or Verizon. I know that my parents have been wireless customers since the days of Bell Atlantic, though, since we were once AT&T landline customers, they may have actually been AT&T/(New?) Cingular Wireless customers at one point.
Here, the Jags' stadium was once known as being sponsored by Alltel, which was acquired by Verizon over twelve years ago (although some of the assets were also acquired by AT&T).
BellSouth, formerly known as Southern Bell, once had its regional offices inside what is now the TIAA Bank Center here.
After moving into our two-year-old home, we decided to get AT&T U-verse instead of cable as that was recommended at the time (don't know if it still is). We don't have landline service, however (just internet and TV).
Ms1995hoo and I use Verizon. Among several other reasons, a major one for me is that they have by far the best service in the DC subway tunnels.
I use Total Wireless, which runs off the Verizon towers.
AT&T. Their cross ownership of DirecTV means data free streaming of about half of DirecTV's channels, and another set as "Watch ATT"; and their cross ownership of HBO means free HBO.
Around here, I find AT&T and Verizon to be about the same; Sprint is way inferior; the others only work if you are within 5 miles of I-64.
My favorite carrier is Anything Except Sprint.
My wife and I have had Verizon Wireless for about ten years now, and they're just fine. My main criterion is that I can use a GSM-capable phone. Even though Verizon Wireless uses CDMA, I can roam on GSM with the phone I have. Most phones they sell, however, can't do that. (The reason I need GSM capability is that the town in Mexico where we travel regularly only has GSM towers nearby, not CDMA.)
Quote from: SP Cook on October 11, 2019, 10:41:52 AM
AT&T. Their cross ownership of DirecTV means data free streaming of about half of DirecTV's channels, and another set as "Watch ATT"; and their cross ownership of HBO means free HBO.
Around here, I find AT&T and Verizon to be about the same; Sprint is way inferior; the others only work if you are within 5 miles of I-64.
I'm not really a happy DirecTV customer right now. I don't know if AT&T's takeover of them has contributed to the poor customer service and inflated prices or not. I've been with DTV for about 17 years now and am giving serious thought to switching to Dish.
AT&T has greatly expanded its reach into West Virginia in recent years. I was surprised upon a trip to Logan County a few years ago to find I had really good AT&T service along US 119 and WV 10. Nothing on my Verizon work phone except in a few spots.
The Elkins/Parsons area and segments along new Corridor H are also surprisingly good for AT&T reception. And as I stated in a prior post, if you can get service on a Verizon phone, which is spotty, you only get 1X data service through their roaming agreement with US Cellular.
Quote from: hbelkins on October 11, 2019, 06:56:04 PM
Quote from: SP Cook on October 11, 2019, 10:41:52 AM
AT&T. Their cross ownership of DirecTV means data free streaming of about half of DirecTV's channels, and another set as "Watch ATT"; and their cross ownership of HBO means free HBO.
Around here, I find AT&T and Verizon to be about the same; Sprint is way inferior; the others only work if you are within 5 miles of I-64.
I'm not really a happy DirecTV customer right now. I don't know if AT&T's takeover of them has contributed to the poor customer service and inflated prices or not. I've been with DTV for about 17 years now and am giving serious thought to switching to Dish.
To take it off-topic, I hear your DirecTV complaints across a lot of boards. Price I get, and it is a complex subject that involves a changing paradigm relative to pro sports. Topic for another day.
But, "customer service" ? This I just don't get. I have had DirecTV since just after it was invented, and can count my hands the total number of interactions with "customer service". They come in and install it, it works, perfectly, and there you go. I don't call "customer service" because I don't need any. You push the right buttons and it works. What "customer service" and I needing?
I use Straight Talk, which around here uses Verizon towers.
Quote from: SP Cook on October 12, 2019, 10:59:16 AM
But, "customer service" ? This I just don't get. I have had DirecTV since just after it was invented, and can count my hands the total number of interactions with "customer service". They come in and install it, it works, perfectly, and there you go. I don't call "customer service" because I don't need any. You push the right buttons and it works. What "customer service" and I needing?
I've had the need to interact with them this week due to losing my local channels and needing an upgrade. Being given several different numbers to call, being bounced around to different representatives who can barely speak English, having to provide the same information to each of them and them not recording the requested changes in information, and finally, them screwing up the request and telling me I needed to be home for a service call, so I take the day off work only to have the technician not show up.
Verizon definitely has the best coverage in the rural areas out west. Thankfully that's what my employer uses which means I get a discount. Either way I usually lose cell phone reception around the 5,000 foot elevation mark in the Sierras and really don't get much coverage at all in the Diablo Range.
Does anyone know if Spectrum Mobile is good?
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on October 12, 2019, 02:26:41 PM
Verizon definitely has the best coverage in the rural areas out west. Thankfully that's what my employer uses which means I get a discount. Either way I usually lose cell phone reception around the 5,000 foot elevation mark in the Sierras and really don't get much coverage at all in the Diablo Range.
Yeah you'll get that - I had plenty (or lack) of that around Yellowstone's interior and on the Beartooth Highway.
From age 12 to 17, I was on AT&T with my father. We were iPhone guys, and that was the only choice back in the day. But he had been with them since the Cingular days, so it was just by chance that he was with the right carrier.
I've been on T-Mobile for about five years now. Started with them back when the iPhone 6 was released (also my last iPhone), and they were doing their "Jump!" month-to-month promotion. I paid sales tax and a down payment up-front, and then spread the phone cost out over two years. But the plan allowed me to buy a new phone after 12 months of payments (or an equivalent of that). No other carrier was doing this at that point, and T-Mobile had both great international plans (for when I'm in Canada) and excellent service in my area (as they are based outside Seattle).
After five years, I'm just as satisfied. They really changed the whole mobile phone marketplace for the better, and T-Mo have only gotten better, in terms of their customer support, their phone/accessory selection, and their service in podunk areas. I am seldom without service, despite what my Verizon friends seem to think. Back in the day, Verizon led in service coverage, but it's a veritable tie these days. T-Mobile's LTE coverage is virtually identical to Verizon, and it's usually faster.
There was a period when I was with AT&T (yes, when I was in high school) where I bought a couple unlocked phones (LG G3 from Korea (w/ antenna!) and a Nexus 4). Bit fidgety with our cell bands, but GSM was a requirement, and therefore so was AT&T or T-Mobile.
Quote from: stridentweasel on October 13, 2019, 11:31:51 AM
Does anyone know if Spectrum Mobile is good?
Spectrum uses Verizon's network IIRC, so it should be.
Quote from: SSOWorld on October 14, 2019, 04:19:30 AM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on October 12, 2019, 02:26:41 PM
Verizon definitely has the best coverage in the rural areas out west. Thankfully that's what my employer uses which means I get a discount. Either way I usually lose cell phone reception around the 5,000 foot elevation mark in the Sierras and really don't get much coverage at all in the Diablo Range.
Yeah you'll get that - I had plenty (or lack) of that around Yellowstone's interior and on the Beartooth Highway.
Some parks like Grand Canyon and Yosemite Valley have some decent cell coverage due to private concessions or a tower a Park Service housing. Locally Pinnacles, Sequoia and Kings Canyon have non-existent coverage aside from a hike to a mountain peak along the Generals Highway. Even then you're usually picking up a tower from either Fresno or Visalia. Surprisingly I've found cell coverage in Death Valley to be pretty good since Furnace Creek has a lot of amenities. One that always surprised me was that the cell towers in Ventura County and Santa Barbara County don't seem to reach any of the Channel Islands.
AT&T, selected by process of elimination. (No other carrier had coverage in my house, in the office where I worked until I started telecommuting, and at at my inlaws' place.)
I suppose I ought to revisit that, but data consumption and need for calls to and roaming in Canada probably mean that my wife and I would be limited in options.
"Preferred wireless carrier" certainly doesn't mean "favorite", because it's like picking your favorite tow truck operator. In short, if you never need to call tech support, never have problems with billing, and you seem to have 98% up-time, then you've found the right carrier.
I've been happy with Verizon's coverage when travelling, as there's been far less signal drops than when I was with Sprint, which seemed to have limited rural coverage. Our own neighborhood has spotty coverage on any wireless network. Verizon has been reluctant to send me a signal booster in lieu of paying my bill in full and on time in the 8 years I've had service with them...but they'll sell me one for $300 with no guarantee. I figure that's a battle I don't want to waste time on, since trying to return it would be akin to talking to a wall.
The WiFi calling feature doesn't seem to do anything, though my suspicion is that having a competitor's (AT&T) internet service probably doesn't help matters. So we use Facetime Audio when we're both near wireless internet, it works fine and seems clearer to my ears. When someone says they want to live somewhere there's no cell service, I want to slap them: it's frustrating to keep up a ten minute conversation where things just randomly tail off or miss a text.
Speaking of which, I used AT&T/Cingular for about 5 years with few headaches, though that was in the 2G days, so random cuts in service (especially when driving near transmission towers) weren't unusual and accepted as the norm.
That said, I've never actually had a real billing problem 15 years with any carrier, although Sprint failed to send my wife a bill for 3 months. I was worried that they'd just cancel the service, so I called up to pay my bill. It turns out that "wanting to pay your bill" isn't something they're accustomed to hearing, or so I thought. They incorrectly lumped it into my company's plan, and wouldn't let me pay it, presumably because they didn't trust me to write out a monthly bill for the price of a nice car. So they just started the cycle anew; I presume my company failed to audit the cell phone number, I told my boss and we laughed it off.
Quote from: MikeTheActuary on October 14, 2019, 10:28:37 AM
data consumption and need for calls to and roaming in Canada probably mean that my wife and I would be limited in options.
I believe most (all?) carriers offer some sort of roaming option for Canada, and Mexico too. My T-Mobile plan has Canada and Mexico included at no extra cost. I haven't visited Mexico, but my phone jumps around in Canada between Rogers and Telus.
This site shows the coverage maps for Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, and US Cellular.
https://www.whistleout.com/CellPhones/Guides/Coverage (https://www.whistleout.com/CellPhones/Guides/Coverage)
Quote from: LM117 on October 14, 2019, 02:20:50 PM
This site shows the coverage maps for Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, and US Cellular.
https://www.whistleout.com/CellPhones/Guides/Coverage (https://www.whistleout.com/CellPhones/Guides/Coverage)
Their maps do not line up with the maps offered by the individual carriers on their websites. I'm not saying they're wrong, but they seem to be outdated, even if the article is new. The legalese indicates that data is collected from the carriers and other third party sources; not sure what they mean by "third party", and whether third-party data is the sole source for some of the maps, or if the maps are combined data, or what.
In any case, I would navigate to carrier websites to see their maps, rather than using these comparison articles. And, ultimately, look at your neighborhood first, since that's where you're using your phone most.
Now that T-Mobile owns Sprint, they should put Sprint users on T-Mobile towers, if that's even possible (as Sprint is CDMA and T-Mobile is GSM)
SM-G965U
Quote from: jakeroot on October 14, 2019, 01:12:41 PM
Quote from: MikeTheActuary on October 14, 2019, 10:28:37 AM
data consumption and need for calls to and roaming in Canada probably mean that my wife and I would be limited in options.
I believe most (all?) carriers offer some sort of roaming option for Canada, and Mexico too. My T-Mobile plan has Canada and Mexico included at no extra cost. I haven't visited Mexico, but my phone jumps around in Canada between Rogers and Telus.
Verizon has an option for travel to Canada where you use your regular calling plan and data for $5 a day; you pay only for the days when you actually access a cellular network (so you put your phone in airplane mode when you don't want to access the network).
Quote from: 1995hoo on October 14, 2019, 10:12:29 PM
Quote from: jakeroot on October 14, 2019, 01:12:41 PM
Quote from: MikeTheActuary on October 14, 2019, 10:28:37 AM
data consumption and need for calls to and roaming in Canada probably mean that my wife and I would be limited in options.
I believe most (all?) carriers offer some sort of roaming option for Canada, and Mexico too. My T-Mobile plan has Canada and Mexico included at no extra cost. I haven't visited Mexico, but my phone jumps around in Canada between Rogers and Telus.
Verizon has an option for travel to Canada where you use your regular calling plan and data for $5 a day; you pay only for the days when you actually access a cellular network (so you put your phone in airplane mode when you don't want to access the network).
The current policies are definitely more relaxed than they used to be. Until recently I've hardly bothered to carry cell coverage in Canada or Mexico with Verizon.
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on October 14, 2019, 10:47:53 PM
The current policies are definitely more relaxed than they used to be. Until recently I've hardly bothered to carry cell coverage in Canada or Mexico with Verizon.
Neither had (have?) most Americans. On my trips to Canada, I have to regularly remind any passengers to turn their phone on airplane mode. AT&T and Sprint both now offer similar unlimited plans to T-Mobile; AT&T even allows unlimited LTE data in Canada/Mexico, something I don't have with T-Mobile (5GB cap and then slowed).
Quote from: 1995hoo on October 14, 2019, 10:12:29 PM
Verizon has an option for travel to Canada where you use your regular calling plan and data for $5 a day; you pay only for the days when you actually access a cellular network (so you put your phone in airplane mode when you don't want to access the network).
It boggles my mind that, despite the insane cost of virtually all of Verizon's plans, that they don't include North America as part of their normal plans. They are the only major carrier that still requires a per-day fee.
To be honest, the number of Americans that insist on Verizon, so that they can get service in some cave in Utah, still drives me crazy. I get it if they're your only option, but it doesn't seem worth it otherwise, especially when most other carriers offer nearly-identical coverage in most places.
For the record, I have service throughout the WMATA Metro system, except under the Potomac, with T-Mobile.
I'd take T-Mobile's coverage map with a grain of salt. My coworker has them, and her phone has spotty reception at her parents house. She also experiences an area with no service on the Thruway. Both areas show solid coverage on their map.
How expensive do they come out to be? My Cricket plan is $45/month... on T-Mobile's website, it looks like I could get something similar on a prepaid plan for approximately the same price, without the need to watch usage as closely in Canada and with free tethering. I need a new phone anyways, so such things might be worth looking in to.
Quote from: vdeane on October 15, 2019, 01:00:34 PM
I'd take T-Mobile's coverage map with a grain of salt. My coworker has them, and her phone has spotty reception at her parents house. She also experiences an area with no service on the Thruway. Both areas show solid coverage on their map.
How expensive do they come out to be? My Cricket plan is $45/month... on T-Mobile's website, it looks like I could get something similar on a prepaid plan for approximately the same price, without the need to watch usage as closely in Canada and with free tethering. I need a new phone anyways, so such things might be worth looking in to.
Their maps have lined up with my experience thus far, but I'm sure all carrier maps are going to be more optimistic than reality.
I don't use the pre-paid plans myself, but I know they don't include Canada/Mexico (extra $5/month or something like that). I use the T-Mobile Magenta plan, which is their second-to-top plan; it includes basically everything minus a couple perks for in-air wifi and a couple other things. I also use their "Jump" subscription, which is like $10/month, plus the cost of the phone. I have a Samsung Note9, which is about $45/month. T-Mobile's plans are taxes/fees included, so the total charge comes to about $125/month. If you bring your own phone, it's pretty affordable.
T-Mo has historically been bad in NE, VT and ME. In the latter two states they have a roaming agreement with US Cellular. They are just starting to roll out LTE in Nebraska.
Quote from: LM117 on October 14, 2019, 08:29:01 AM
Quote from: stridentweasel on October 13, 2019, 11:31:51 AM
Does anyone know if Spectrum Mobile is good?
Spectrum uses Verizon's network IIRC, so it should be.
Funny... I work for a company that contracts for Spectrum cable, and I didn't realize Spectrum Mobile was a thing until just yesterday, when I decided to actually listen to the sales pitch that yammers at me during hold time. Then I get on the forum today and read your question! It has only existed for about a year, apparently, so I guess I don't feel too bad for not having heard of it before. Yes, they use Verizon's towers for calling.
Quote from: vdeane on October 15, 2019, 01:00:34 PM
I'd take T-Mobile's coverage map with a grain of salt.
Same with Sprint, at least in eastern NC in the Goldsboro/Wilson area. The map shows good coverage there, yet in reality, it's piss poor.
My only regret about ditching Sprint is that I didn't do it sooner.
Continuing the DirecTV saga...
I guess competence is too much to ask from the people at DirecTV.
Because they failed to show up last Friday when I took off work for the scheduled appointment to upgrade my equipment so I can again get the local channels, they scheduled another appointment, which was supposed to be today. Today is Thursday, the 17th, last time I checked. They called Tuesday afternoon to remind me of my scheduled appointment on Wednesday. Oops. So I had to correct their date. They called me yesterday to remind me of my scheduled appointment today between 8 a.m. and noon. Wrong. The appointment was for between noon and 4. I had planned to go to work this morning and come home to be here when they arrive, but with them having the time wrong, figured I needed to be here all day. I had been told the technician would call a half-hour prior to arrival and would get directions if they had trouble finding my location.
Guess who never showed up today and who never called? After I took a second day off work to wait for them?
After an angry call and a demand to speak to a supervisor, they've scheduled me a third time and logged that the technician failed to show up or call. They took down a second phone number to call to get in touch with me, and scheduled this installation for the morning so if the guy can't find me again, they can call in time for him to come out that afternoon. And they noted my request for a statement credit for having to call multiple times and missing two days of work for two failure-to-show on the part of their technician.
I threatened to change television providers. I may still follow through on that, depending on how this all gets resolved.
For what I'm paying for TV service, they should crawl on their bare knees through poison ivy to make this right. Not just have someone whose first language obviously isn't English read to me from a script.
Quote from: jakeroot on October 14, 2019, 01:12:41 PM
Quote from: MikeTheActuary on October 14, 2019, 10:28:37 AM
data consumption and need for calls to and roaming in Canada probably mean that my wife and I would be limited in options.
I believe most (all?) carriers offer some sort of roaming option for Canada, and Mexico too. My T-Mobile plan has Canada and Mexico included at no extra cost. I haven't visited Mexico, but my phone jumps around in Canada between Rogers and Telus.
For data hygiene reasons, I don't connect to public WiFi. My company's IT department also gotten through integration to the point where US corporate laptops can reliably connect to the Canadian corporate network. So, this all means that when I am neither at home nor at my father's apartment, I'm on cellular data. I generally use 5-7GB/month in Canada.
So, my concern isn't strictly with "is there Canadian roaming"; it's "will the plan include enough Canadian data?"
My AT&T "unlimited" plan (where "unlimited" = "we might throttle you after 22GB if the network is loaded') has a roaming rule of "not more than half your data use is roaming". Verizon, at the time I was shopping, was similar rule.
It looks like T-Mobile's high-end plan is limited to 5GB of Canadian/Mexican roaming each month. That's not going to work for me.
Sprint does appear to have "unlimited Canadian/Mexican data" in their top-end plan (and 10GB in the second tier), which wasn't the case when I last shopped. Good to know.
There are other things I could do that would produce more options -- I could make an argument to get a corporate hotspot to use for work. But there comes a point where simple is better, and I try to travel as light as possible. Awhile back, I refused to carry two phones...and the principle seems the same when it comes to the possibility of a phone and a hotspot.
^^^
Can't you use public wi-fi to connect to a VPN?
I use Straight Talk. I have the payment taken out of my credit card each month. I get pretty good service, and got decent service in Northern Michigan when I went last July.