By For quite some time, the United States mobile market has been dominated by four main players: Verizon Wireless, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint. The past few years we’ve seen consolidation, with Verizon acquiring Alltel, and more recently AT&T failing to acquire T-Mobile. Each carrier tries to brand themselves a certain way, but are they successful? I’m curious to hear what our readers think about each of the Big 4 American mobile carriers.
From a few years back, I would have said:
- Verizon = most reliable and best coverage, home of the Droid
- AT&T = home of the iPhone
- T-Mobile = best value, pretty t-mobile girl
- Sprint = PTT, value, more recently unlimited data
But the last few years the market has changed a ton. Does the failed T-Mobile acquisition leave magenta colored egg on AT&T and T-MO? Have the varying speeds of 4G rollouts altered any opinions? How about device selection?
Remember: before Android, Verizon was considered the most locked down carrier on the planet. That may (still) be partially true, but Verizon was only 2nd to T-Mobile in adopting Android. Back then, AT&T seemed like they would NEVER get an Android phone.
There was also a time when WebOS was going to be the next big thing. Nobody cared about Android, Palm stock was surging, and Sprint was lined up to be the exclusive launch partner of the Palm Pre. For awhile there, I think Sprint had the best lineup of Android devices. The EVO was a hit and getting the Nexus S was huge… but the playing field has (at least) seem to level out in terms of product offerings.
Times change. Opinions fluctuate. But I want to know, RIGHT NOW, what is your opinion of each carrier? Hit up the comments and let us know…
Please format your comment like this:
— AT&T: opinion here— Sprint: opinion here— T-Mobile: opinion here— Verizon Wireless: opinion here
[polldaddy poll=5930509]
My choices would be Sprint or Verizon. Had Sprint for close to 10 years now, the slow data speeds can be annoying but the service is still good. I also live in Houston, so I will get to see if their Network Vision will actually help any and be one of the first with LTE. WOOOO
I have to go with VZW, because theirs is the only service I can get reliably where I live.
fair enough – curious though, have you tried VoIP at all? if you are remotely frustrated with your carrier and the issue is having service at your house, there are a few VoIP options available.
I’m currently on Republic Wireless (in limited beta testing, slots opening up on a seemingly erratic basis) and their service switches between cell/wifi just like a typical phone switches between 2g/3g/4g. it’s not perfect yet (handoff between wifi and cell isn’t seamless yet) but it’s cheap and it means i have service EVERYWHERE that i have wifi – oh and unlike using skype or something it’s just one number, one service plan, one payment to make and it just works like a phone.
There are other options too – truphone for example, or any SIP provider in the world if you have a phone that supports SIP (every symbian device from nokia for the last 6-7 years, for example).
just thought i’d toss that out there since you didn’t exactly jump up and down with glee that verizon was the one service option you feel is available.
-bit
I’m fine with VZW, that’s not the issue. I’d like more options of the big 4 than just VZW. And I live in a small town and there isn’t wifi nearly anywhere except a few peoples houses. I can’t go for voip.
Take att over Verizon only coz att is GSM based.
dont forget the part where Verizon’s LTE network is a GSM based derivative…
just sayin’
Where’s the “Over my dead body” option? None of these evil bastards will get 2 years of my life any more. Full price handset with month-to-month from now on out.
You realize that to pay full price is usually more than the subsidized cost of the phone plus the cancelation fee right?
You do realize that most month to month plans are nearly half the cost of plans on contract right?
do you not realize that there are very little offerings of month-to-month plans on the big 4 that have a significantly cheaper pricing structure than their 2-year contract counterparts?
This has been my one major criticism of the mobile phone industry in the United States for a couple years now… Even so, when you do find cheaper off-contract plans, they try to lock you into a specific device or range of devices which may or may not be your preferred one.
I call shennanigans American telcos!
I agree with you completely it’s really hard to find. Which is why I am glad Straight Talk is now allowing people with unlocked devices to run on their network, and selling SIM’s separately. It fits my needs perfectly for only $45 a month.
Before I was with Straight Talk I was with Simple Mobile. These are the only two prepaid carriers I have found that will let you use the device that you want.
I wish things here were more like they are in Europe. I’m fully willing to pay full price for my devices, as long as I’m not paying the same amount as people on contract are.
I’ve been using non-T-Mobile devices on their network for years, and they also offer contract plans that are cheaper than the contracts that give discounts on hardware. Their value plan we’re currently on gives us two lines, 750 mins, unlimited texts, 2gb per line of data, for $89/month.
So instead of getting a discounted phone for signing a 2 year contract, you get a discounted monthly rate. Works perfectly for me since it then gives me the hardware freedom that the carriers try so hard to take away from us!
why pay any cancellation fee? he said month-to-month. all the carriers support contract-free accounts now, and with no contract comes no cancellation fees.
You do realize that the subsidized phone plus required ‘features’ on your plan are more expensive than just buying an unlocked phone every two years, right?
I don’t see how unless you are using one of these smaller carriers or paying month to month. If you are on a standard plan with at&t or t-mobile and you buy a phone full price, you still end up paying the subsidized plan each month. Your contract price doesn’t drop just because you go off contract. That’s why it’s best to not hold on to an upgrade because you are always paying higher prices to make up for new subsidized phones
well, the OP stated they were going month-to-month, so “…unless you go month-to-month…” is sort of the point.
as far as your other points on price: you actually do get a good savings for going month-to-month. T-Mobile’s “Even More Plus” plan differed from their “Even More” plan explicitly by dropping $10/month along with subsidies and contracts.
$10/mo = $240 every 2 years, plus some minor offset for not paying additional taxes and fees. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
If you sign on for a contract, you’ll have to include a high priced data plan. Not sure of the numbers anymore, but last time i considered a subsidized phone (a folly i thankfully never followed through on) a standard unlimited data plan was $15/mo, but the ‘smart phone’ plan was $30 (i think this was on at&t, but all the carriers had the same sort of thing going on). If you sign the contract you are obligated to pay the $30/mo for 2 years – you can’t drop to the $15 plan and you can’t opt out of data entirely.
Bring your own phone and you can use the $15/mo data plan. You’re not supposed to, and Sprint/Verizon would know what phone you had and enforce their rules so it really only work on a GSM network, but right there you save $15/mo.
$15/mo = $360 every 2 years, plus fees, etc.
That’s an ADDITIONAL $360 over 2 years on top of the $240.
Now assume you hit some hard times financially (like the rest of the population has at some point in the past few years). You decide, for a few months, to drop the data portion of your plan. On contract? too bad, you owe the money each month, or you have to sign a new contract and use a different phone (because the carriers like to enforce their minimum monthly rates on smart phones as higher than on feature phones). But off-contract? you can go ahead and drop the data package entirely.
Assume 6 months over two years that you selectively drop data costs to $0: $15/mo for 6 months = $90 plus fees, taxes etc.
That’s in addition to the $240 + $360.
So, conservatively and without screwing over the carrier that would willing screw you over, you save $240 over 2 years. That’s about equal to the standard subsidy already (typical subsidy is about $200 from what i’ve seen, though sometimes they inflate the apparent subsidy by quoting the MSRP rather than the actual sale price).
Again, conservatively and without breaking any rules, you actually save about $40 more than the subsidy over 2 years by bringing your own phone.
Then break (bend) the rules a bit and save an additional $360 over 2 years and you’ve now got the biggest baddest phone entirely free instead of just $200 off. Maybe you’ve still even come out more ahead than that, depending on the phone you chose.
Finally, if you hit some rough times and need to reduce costs for a bit you can save another $15/mo by temporarily cancelling your data service – do that for 6 months and save $90.
So, month to month does exist – it does save you money – it makes a lot of sense to buy the phone unlocked and go month to month. Plus, if you decide you don’t like the phone, it’s worth more unlocked on ebay – sell it and buy a different model – no penalties, no lost subsidies despite paying the premiums, no getting screwed by the carrier.
I won’t be getting my next phone from a carrier. I will be buying it full retail price and using it on any carrier I wish. 2 year contracts just get way too expensive in the long run.
Any carrier you wish? Your only GSM choices are T-Mobile and At&t.
the man has a point.
What about the carriers that have contracts to run on those GSM networks. Straight talk or Simple Mobile anyone? Yes it’s still technically the same networks, but the pricing structures are different.
the fact that you can’t (or it’s very difficult) to buy unlocked phones supporting VW or Sprint is a fantastic argument for staying away from those two carriers.
But, if you were to consider the spirit of the OP’s statement, rather than the letter of it, you could stretch it a little to note that you can acquire VW and Sprint compatible phones and use them without signing a contract. Some of the benefit does go away, of course: if VW wants to charge iPhone users extra by demanding all iPhone users get a super special more expensive data package then, well, they can do that regardless of how you acquire the device.
SIM cards enable users to not only switch between carriers at a whim, but also to treat the carrier as a dumb pipe (which is what they should be) instead of some contrived source of phones and magic special service plans with names and prices that grow fancier and more expensive as you migrate to better devices.
You also do have other GSM options, by the way. Just not very practical ones (hence leaving this for the end of my comment). I use TruSIM, for example. Sure, it is effectively roaming on either T-Mo or AT&T, but neither of those companies get a cent directly from me, I have no monthly costs (prepaid) and my credits never expire. Oh and when I travel I bring that SIM with me and get 3G service everywhere (pentaband nokia E7) at a tiny fraction of the international rates any full-fledged adopter of one of the big 4 companies would pay.
He might buy a Cricket phone and use it on Sprint. LOL
LTE phones as long as they have the correct frequencies can be used on any of the Big 4’s LTE networks in the future.
But only if you don’t mind not having any signal at all when out of LTE coverage. Your average, unlocked LTE phone will have GSM/UMTS/HSPA as the fall-back, still leaving Verizon and Sprint out in the cold.
Yeah, I was thinking more on a global scale though. I know Sprint and Verizon are CDMA and I don’t really consider them in my decision anyway.
I’m with you, it feels nice not being locked to one carrier.
Verizon network from my experience has to many bugs.
– AT&T: service is fine and phones are good
– Sprint: service not the best and phones are good but not many
– T-Mobile:service not the best but some good phones
– Verizon Wireless: service is wide spread but has alot of problems, phones are very powerful but get delayed alot
Please format your comment like this:
— AT&T: opinion here
— Sprint: opinion here
— T-Mobile: opinion here
— Verizon Wireless: opinion here
I voted “Depends…” but really NONE of these options match my past or future phone/carrier selection criteria:
For the big 4, my opinion is the same for all of them:
I would never buy a phone from them, would use them only month-to-month (no contract).
— AT&T:
— Sprint:
— T-Mobile:
— Verizon Wireless:
I only buy unlocked phones, or branded phones from smaller MVNOs that offer considerable cost savings. I recently switched from a month-to-month T-Mo service to Republic Wireless, and for that I had to buy their one cheap (as in crappy) phone, the Optimus S. Yes, it’s an MVNO that uses Sprint, so you could say I’ve bought a Sprint phone – but I didn’t sign a contract and my monthly bill is exactly $20.
Aside from that, my history of unlocked GSM phones speaks more than I could say by portraying my intended future:
main phones: Nokia N95 -> N97 -> N900 -> E7 -> Lumia 800
(yes, I only paid for 2 of these, the rest were developers gifts, but even if i had to pay full retail for each one it would have been cheaper than being contractually obligated to the extra costs associated with ‘smart phones’, and i still had unlimited data on all of these).
Now I’ve got the optimus S, my first CDMA phone (ever i think) and I can’t believe the sort of crappy connectivity you CDMA fanboys called 3G all these years. No simultaneous data and voice? wasn’t that in the first paragraph of the 3G spec?? data speeds congruent with the top-end 2G bandwidth? really? 3G on T-Mo with my nokia devices typically meant about 6 megabit, throttled to 2megabit after passing the 2GB/mo mark. Sprint loves to tout that T-Mo throttles you back after using a lot of data, but I’m not sure my ‘3G’ device on sprint is technically capable of pulling in 2GB of data in only 30 days, never mind worrying about being throttled ‘down’ to a rate about 10x faster than sprint calls 3G in the first place…
meh – my whole argument just reeks of bias – if you bothered to read my post then i’m sorry, i ‘m clearly biased against CDMA and you should ignore my posts here. but seriously, who allowed VW and Sprint to advertise this CDMA crap as 3G?? sorry. sorry, i’ll stop now.
-bit
Good post. It makes me laugh to think of there being gsm fanboys. How is the Lumia?
Ya know, people bash CDMA all the time, but having had a VZW smartphone since the droid 1 released (what, 3 or 4 years now?) I can tell you that I have wanted to use data while on a phone call about 3 times. Certainly not more than 5…. And as far as 3G goes, I would much rather have a slightly slower (remember, T-mo JUST RECENTLY upgraded to HSPA+) speed more consistently than a fast speed some times. Before the HSPA+ upgrade, I was getting almost identical speeds on VZW as friends were on T-mo.
Please format your comment like this:
— AT&T: FAIL
— Sprint: Best Family plans, Unlimited Slow data, (hopefully a comeback king)
— T-Mobile: Fast HSPA+42, limited but hopefully expanding 3G, Epic $30 prepaid plan
— Verizon Wireless: Largest and fastest Network, stupid expensive
— AT&T: Somewhat pricey, decent service.
— Sprint: Decent pricing, Sloooow piss poor data. Stayed with them for 8 years due to pricing but the nothing is wrong with our network excuse when at bet getting .17 Mbps… horrible!
— T-Mobile: New carrier, cheaper than Sprint and excellent coverage in my South Florida area. Data speeds are great ..never no less than 3 Mbps and usually 8+. Ill stay here as long as I can unless someone comes out with a better plan.
— Verizon Wireless: Riiiiiipppppp Offffff. Big time. Why would anyone over pay these guys. We are in a recession and people have money to throw away..its just crazy.
You’re stupid because Verizons prices are EXACTLY the same as AT&T’s. Why do retards post without researching..
AT&T: Single 450 39.99 Unl Txt 19.99 and 3 GB of Data $30
Verizon: Single 450 39.99 Unl Txt 19.99 and 4 GB of 4G data $30
tard
Yeah, I love when people swoon over AT&T then in the same breath call verizon too expensive.
Actually with AT&T you’re getting
Unlimited Mobile to Mobile when you purchase an unlimited texting plan. Also Verizon doesn’t have a 4GB plan anymore, it’s 2GB.
That would normally be true but right now they are offering a 4GB data package for $30.
Your are STUPID! I just signed up with att and thoes numbers are wrong! Idiots like you post false info all the dam time!!
And Tmo cost more than Sprint at the end of the day for my type of family plan on contract. Then you have to pay extra for each phone that gets data. That is freaking stupid.
Without those stupid proxies I get a consistent .512mbps on Sprint. During peak I may get about 350kbps. With the proxies I cut that in half. I get about .05-125kbps not even .17. Same with the ping 140 without proxies anywhere from 300-2000 with.
4g in my area is spotty, but I seem to be in coverage the majority of the time. So no complaints on that end.
I have actually seen my 3g data speeds get up to 1mbps during peak times without the multimedia proxies. Question is now why do they proxie the data and make it so slow. I might as well use TOR.
–Verizon Wireless awesome, but expensive
–All others, who cares?
Verizon: best carrier, best customer service, best phones. More expensive but you get what you pay for.
Att: Awful service, customer service and more expensive than most.
Sprint: falling behind with lack of 4G but making strides to compete in 2012.
Tmobile: The motel six of the industry. Again, you get what you pay for. A budget ATT with equally bad service.
wow, and i thought i was biased.
just to mash our biases together in a single thread i want to point out that i consider:
verizon to be the most expensive,
at&t to have a reasonable mix of cost and network performance,
t-mobile to have the best data rates and biggest bang for the buck,
sprint to be the worst at everything but at least it’s chepear than verizon.
notably we directly disagree with regard to which is the most expensive – which is a testable, measurable thing. of course it gets clumsy when you try to figure if we should compare family plans, unlimited plans, costs for going over usage allotments, etc – so maybe not all that measurable after all… i know for my own usage verizon was always far more expensive than the others of the big 4.
and network reliability doesn’t do me much good if i can’t utilize it fully – that is to say 3G on verizon and sprint (i know, they’re updating to LTE now) never had simultaneous data/voice and never had the throughput of T-Mo or At&t. I used to fire up Joikuspot (3rd party wifi hotspot app) on my nokia E7 connected to t-mobile and stream netflix on my laptop constantly. when i went over 2GB of usage they throttled me down from 6megabit to 2megabit, which was still fast enough to stream netflix reliably on my laptop. All the while my phone was able to ring and i could answer it without pausing the movie (left playing to accommodate others, kids for example).
Sprint/Verizon ‘3G’? well, if you did what i just described, you wouldn’t be able to take or make a call without killing the movie, the movie wouldn’t be able to stream at all because you’re only at about 10% of the required bandwidth, and all the while you’re paying even more money for this so called better service. the data plan i had with t-mobile during the time i described was unlimited for $15/mo on top of my $40/mo voice plan. i don’t think you could even come close to that level of service for under $100/mo on a CDMA network.
Best customer service? Not in my 10+ years experience with VZW. Although, it has to be said that everyone has different experiences.
Verizon is just too expensive… and I don’t live in an area with LTE coverage, aaaand the nexus prime… er galaxy nexus might be coming to t-mobile so that’s where I am.
— AT&T: crappy coverage in my area (bellingham wa)
— Sprint: my next choice over t-mobile, my roommate has sprint, and he likes it
— T-Mobile: cheap, pretty good data speeds
— Verizon Wireless: expensive, evil
your just about the only person that can read. +500000000 internets to you sir.
They all seem to have their problems, but I voted Verizon because that’s what I’m on, which means I’m grandfathered in to their unlimited data plan, so I’ll probably stick with them since none of them are leaps and bounds better than the other.
for me, a lot of it just comes down to service. tmobile and sprint suck where i live,at&t has descent service, but nowhere near the quality of verizons. one of the only reason i really ever thought about going back to at&t was because of the iphone. but now verizon has the iphone too, so if i ever decide to get it,i wont have to switch networks.i’ve had nothing but good experiences with verizon,and the network has been extremely reliable.
verizon: reliable network,good phones,but could do without the prices
att: descent service, and a pretty good selection of phones. but the network isnt reliable where i live
sprint: i like the prices, and they have a pretty good phone selection,but service sucks
tmobile: no service, phone selection is only descent, i dont think they ever recovered from getting rid of the sidekick.
I’ve had Sprint, VZW and US Cellular. VZW has always had the best coverage and technology. Sprint has a decent price and unlimited data, but their handsets suck. US Cellular is for old people in rural areas. At this moment my Sprint handset only goes for 5 – 7 hours on a charge and I have no service right now. But VZW only has extended 3G here and the nearest store is over an hour away. I’m so screwed.
Aren’t all four carriers priced just about exactly the same now ? Except that tmobile walmart plan
Sprint is my carrier of choice. I guess it has more to do with loyalty than anything else, plus I haven’t had any major issues with them. The data speeds sure can be a bit annoying, but I am always around WiFi so it’s not as big of a deal to me as it may be for others.
None of the above. I don’t do contracts and only do GSM phones so AT&T and T-Mobile are my choices. I stick with GSM so I can switch phones easily and use my phone in other countries (prepaid data from international carriers is cheap) I usually use AT&T although I did use the VZW hotspot from Google I/O as my data for a while. I also don’t limit myself to the carriers limited/delayed options. My last 3 phones were a G1 from Rogers, the Nexus One with AT&T bands, and now the international Galaxy S2.
– AT&T: My preferred GSM carrier
– Sprint: Not GSM plus their frequencies lean towards spotty coverage
– T-Mobile: Backup GSM carrier but odd frequencies limit options
– Verizon Wireless: LTE is awesome but I can’t use my phone with foreign carriers. Plus they are expensive.
– AT&T: Bad coverage no LTE yet?
– Sprint: Very slow data speeds. Hopefully LTE fixes that
– T-Mobile: I have Tmobile 4G coverage is poor and Data speeds vary wildly
– Verizon Wireless: Best coverage, biggest LTE network
At&t has some of the most spectrum, and they do have LTE.
Sprint does have slow data speeds agreed.
T-mobile 4G coverage is poor and data speeds do vary wildly.
Agree with Verizon statement.
I just don’t agree with your At&t statement.
I was with T-Mobile for 8 years. Jumped to Sprint cuz of the Evo 4G thinking the carrier will only “get better.” I was totally wrong. Things got worse. Coverage didn’t improve. 4G didn’t improve. Perks were removed.
Meanwhile everyone else was getting better 3G. Super fast 4G. And I’m getting left behind.I was about to jump ship to T-Mobile as soon as my contract was up, but now I’m thinking I’ll stick around for a little longer…. but I’m torn.
I don’t want to WAIT for Sprint to rollout their 4G when I could be enjoying myself on another network. *sigh*
thats one of the reasons why i couldnt go to sprint. when verizon wants to improve their network, or roll out 4G,it gets done. Sprint started rolling out 4G before everyone else, had the first 4G phone, and still got left in the dust by the other carriers. i switched from at&t to verizon a few years ago and havent looked back. better network, better customer service, and, with the iphone, a better selection of phones in my opinion
and now they’re buying out redbox so i can stream movies, which is great, since im grandfathered into the unlimited data plan
sprint didn’t roll out 4G before anyone else, they were just the first to re-brand a 3G technology as 4G. it started a horrible trend where advertising took over engineering integrity.
WiMax was sprint’s big early ‘4G’ push – which wasn’t even a recognized 3G service at the time because it was too slow in several metrics. Nonetheless, it was added to the 3G spec as an alternate implementation for a similar quality of service as the other 3G technologies.
After that, sprint kept calling it 4G, next came verizon, then at&t, and finally T-Mo: all calling proper 3G networks by the 4G moniker. None of the ‘4G’ out there comes close to qualifying for the orignal 4G spec – speeds of 100 megabit standing still, and 10 megabit while traveling in a car would be required and all the networks are an order of magnitude less than this.
Switch to At&t. I know everyone on these online blogs bad mouth them, but everyone I know in REAL life loves At&t. I never hear the horror stories about At&t from family and friends that I hear from people online. I think most people bad mouthing At&t online don’t even have their service.
I’m a long time loyal with T-Mobile, but leaving soon. I can’t stand them anymore. Plus At&T has roll over and unlimited voice to any mobile. Their pricing isn’t that bad. Plus everyone I know praises At&t. They also have LTE!
that’s sound advice, i used to have AT&T and switched when i got a nokia n900 (it only had t-mobile’s 3g bands and i wanted 3g speeds – on that phone 3g means up to 21 megabit).
overall, from a straight-forward “i just want it to work” perspective, at&t is fantastic. the whole dropped-call shenanigans is just crap: the iphone has poor RF features and iphone users screamed loud enough that it’s still echoing today, but of course apple couldn’t be blamed so they blamed at&t.
in most states you have a grace period – in MA it’s 14 days – where you can return the phone and cancel service penalty free. try at&t and if you don’t like them switch elsewhere for the next 14 days or so. i think you’ll like them.
take this advice from VS (above) who is not an at&t user, and from me who is also not an at&t users (i left T-Mo also, and am now with Republic Wireless and also use TruSIM – neither of which would be appropriate to recommend to you at this time).
You need to join their Facebook page and see how much everyone truly loves them.
I’m not a fan of T-Mobile but drop Sprint. Sprint took 2 years to introduce wimax to a phone after it’s first network release. Then abandoned the technology a year later. There may be improvements coming but Sprint’s track record is not reliable at this point. T-Mobile isn’t the best but they are better than Sprint imo.
I stick with sprint for the following reasons..
#1. Its the cheapest for what I have and use on my phone plans
#2. I get great 3G and 4G in my area even though i use wifi 80% of the time
#3. I’ll be in one of the first LTE areas
#4. True Unlimited Data
— AT&T: I WOULD NEVER USE AT&T!!!!!!!!!
— Sprint: Have it but considering other options
— T-Mobile: my gf has t-mo and it is very UNRELIABLE. drop calls, crappy phones, etc.
— Verizon Wireless: I would switch to verizon if they are not so expensive.
Your gf must live in a hole
I will continue to stick with AT&T because they still have the cheapest plans (~$60/mo 200MB inc taxes) for my light off-wifi usage pattern, and very decent coverage.
1 — AT&T: cheapest plans for my light data use pattern, great coverage (2nd to verizon, but equal in NYC), and great phone selection. Upgrading my Captivate to the Galaxy Note when eligible in in 3 more months. (imminent SGS3 doesn’t matter as much as the 5.3″ screen to me)
2 — Verizon Wireless: most expensive and ‘evil’ carrier, but awesome coverage if that’s what matters most to you. Good phone selection too. I’d switch to verizon if they could match AT&T’s value to me, but they can’t (and I even have a brother-in-law who owns a verizon store who could hook me up!)
3 — Sprint: only thing going for it is/was “unlimited” data and the evo. crappy coverage. 4G was an extra charge.
4 — T-Mobile: crappy coverage, and their (unsubsidized) plan prices aren’t that cheap anymore. nice chick, though.
5 — All the various pre-paid resellers. Too many to name.
LOL, at&T sucks
The tellcoms all look more alike, with their own quirky characteristics. I believe tmobile is just the precurser of whats comming. All of them are going to see declines due to the consumers settling into their device of choice. Environment will have a lot of influence on devices. For example if I were in wifi all day I would use skype calling etc.
Why no option for no-contract? My phone, bought from Negri, with a $30 TMo off-contract plan will break-even within a year’s time, compared to even a “free” phone from TMo and their cheapest usable contract. After that, it’s all gravy. And not being on contract with these thieves just makes me feel good. :)
AT&T: worst customer service I’ve ever experienced.
Sprint: Was a fine carrier for me but “4G” in my area couldn’t keep up with others “3G”
Verizon: Galaxy Nexus. Super fast 4G. Good so far.
T-Mobile: What’s a T-Mobile?
What’s a shut the fuck up?
Hartford, CT Market:
AT&T: Wife has this on an old iPhone 3GS and constantly complains of dropped called, text’s not going through, and resorts to her work-provided non-smart VZW phone for reliable phone calls.
Sprint: Does the job for great rates… I’m lucky enough to have strong 4G in a lot of towns around Hartford… the unlimited data is a nice plus too. I might consider paying more for a carrier that has better 4G coverage in this area, but as of now, none exist.
VZW: Overpriced and overrated… I thought my Sprint 3G was slow only to have a VZW friend of mine do a speedtest to get the very same results… he told me he only gets 4G near a VZW store.. so yeah, that shot my plan of paying more to get more… I consider this carrier the hands down best if you travel a lot, but one of the worst if any other carrier covers your area.
T-Mobile: I had them for awhile on my N1… spotty 3G coverage back then, but I must say that where it did have 3G coverage it was significantly faster than Sprint or Verizon 3G data.
— AT&T: Overpriced iPhone fanboy company. I will never have one of there devices.
— Sprint: They are good, currently with them. But they are starting to be a bit higher then TMO
— T-Mobile: We use them for work. They are good, but still have coverage issues here where I live. I do like allot of there phones.
— Verizon Wireless: Best all around, but way too expensive, can’t afford them.
— AT&T: lolwut
— Sprint (currently with): decent value for now, unlimited data makes it worth it
— T-Mobile: sinking ship
— Verizon Wireless: best but you have to pay for it. they know that and they treat you like such.
— AT&T: I don’t know about their cell coverage, but I hate the company
— Sprint: Neutral
— T-Mobile: Pretty good Data speeds in the Birmingham, AL area. Service is almost non-existent if you get too far out of the main cities.
— Verizon Wireless: Have very good coverage. Service picked up in a basement bar when T-Mobile service wouldn’t. Pricey.
I picked T-Mobile as the company I will go with.
— AT&T: I had an AT&T account for several years, with little reason to complain. Looks like this is still the place to be for iPhone and Windows Phone users. Android? Not so much.
— Sprint: Unlimited data, but it’s also the slowest.
— T-Mobile: The ONLY carrier to say “if you paid for the phone, we’ll charge you less.” I just wish their coverage was more complete.
— Verizon Wireless: The big dog of the industry. They have the biggest and fastest network, and you pay for that quality.
-AT&T: Overpriced, poor coverage(Kansas City), Good LTE and choice of phones.
-Sprint: Great price, ridiculous data situation but with LTE coming they should be an excellent value, unimpressive phone selection
-T-Mobile(I have): Excellent value especially with HSPA+ 42, spotty coverage thats poor indoors, nice phone selection.
-Verizon: High priced(not overpriced), excellent data and coverage, superior phone selection.
I love T-Mobile’s price for all that you get and as a big Galaxy fan I don’t need any other phones. However, I could see myself switching to VZW for LTE, phone selection and better coverage indoors. $20+/Month more might be worth premium service and phone options.
– AT&T: They’d have to be the last provider available for me to use them. Customer service sucks, far too many dropped calls. Ironic each time I would drive by their sign stating “the fewest dropped calls” and that was always where my calls dropped, without fail.
– Sprint: I’ve never used their service. My perception, from hearing others, is that they offer fair service.
– T-Mobile: I’ve never used their service. My perception, from hearing others, is that they offer good service (though not the best).
– Verizon Wireless: Expensive but I have found their service to be excellent. I’ve never had a call drop while using Verizon (even on the spots where my calls always dropped with AT&T).
Unless the option for unlimited data comes back, I’ll be sticking with my current carrier (Verizon) and my grandfathered plan. It would be nice to have the ability to change carriers but I don’t have many complaints again VWZ since I’m in one of their 4G coverage zones.
– AT&T: too big, too expensive, terrible customer service and general service
– Sprint: CDMA not practical
– T-Mobile: the best of the 4, great customer services, great prices, needs more coverage
– Verizon Wireless: too big, too expensive, CDMA is not practical
I have had t-mobile and I love it. For the price, I get excellent service and data where I live. I recommend it to all my friends
– AT&T: Best data speeds. Worst customer service
– Sprint: Best plan prices. Worst data speeds.
– T-Mobile: Best Customer Service. Least honest in advertising.
– Verizon Wireless: Best coverage for data and voice. Most expensive.
i dont think i will leave VZN unless they remove my unlimited 4G.
– AT&T: EVIL
– Sprint: Pretty good, if their commitment to unlimited holds and LTE rollout is successful
– T-Mobile: WAY oversell themselves as a national player. Still a regional one from my viewpoint
– Verizon Wireless: Good, but too expensive. Shared data plans might be interesting.
Lmao, you’re a dumbass
Wow, you make such a well reasoned response! I want to be like you when I get senile.
– AT&T: No experience with these guys, but I hear nothing but horror stories from everyone I’ve ever met who is or has been with them.
– Sprint: No experience with these guys either, but everyone I know who’s been with Sprint has had positive things to say and claims their supposed lack of coverage is not true.
– T-Mobile: Been with T-Mobile for almost 10 years before switching to Verizon. I have nothing bad to say about T-Mobile. Speeds are great on data, coverage is as good as Verizon (in my experience) and the prices can’t be beat. T-Mobile really deserves more credit than people give them.
– Verizon Wireless: I only recently switched to Verizon a few months ago and only because my employer offers me a deal that makes it worth my while… also the Galaxy Nexus. So far, no complaints. LTE is stupid fast and I get great call coverage everywhere (but that is to be expected in LA). So far so good.
All of that said, I hold no loyalty to anyone. I go where the prices and phones I want are. If my employer stops making it worth my while to stay with Verizon, or if T-Mobile really just has a phone I absolutely must have, I’ll switch. Simple as that.
Verizon: Best reliability and coverage; pretty much put Android on the map with DROID brand; 4G LTE now; expensive and somewhat corrupted.
Sprint: Good coverage; unlimited data; no WiMax in my area.
AT&T: Was the only place to get an iPhone; second to adopt 4G LTE; crappy reliability and coverage in my area.
T-Mobile: Best value; great phones; worst coverage in my area.
–T-Mobile – Service back home in Chicago was awesome! 15Mb/s down easy on my amaze 4g and tab 10.1. Now i am in Wilmington, NC and 3g/4g is a little more spotty and i have coverage issues in a few parts of town with 3g/4g. (No 4g in carolina beach for example) Im told thats due to the military use of the spectrum in this area, and should be getting better soon, with new 3g in Jacksonville. (aka camp lejune). Govt finally getting off the spectrum.
When i do have it, i get awesome speeds!
sprint has gotten really slow lately. and their 4g services suck monkey balls
Please format your comment like this:– AT&T: Still the iPhone carrier
— Sprint: value, needs another Evo-like hit though– T-Mobile: value, needs a splash after AT&T debacle– Verizon Wireless: expensive
– AT&T: service has improved, but they skimp on investment whenever possible, tends to hold up OTA upgrades.
– Sprint: slow but unlimited data, good coverage due to verizon roaming. They could be good competition to the other two, but needs network investment.
– T-Mobile: great HSPA+ network, but seriously lacking when it comes to coverage
probably ok for people living in the city, but spotty for anyone else.
– Verizon Wireless: 3G network is the slowest, 4G network is the fastest, best and most reliable coverage of all of the big 4, and they don’t skimp on investment on their network, which is why I use them. Not sure about all of the expensive claims about Verizon, It’s cheaper for my needs than AT&T and only a few dollars more expensive than sprint for much better service. I have an individual plan, it’s possible that family plans vary more.
AT&T Service: GSM based and while switching phones is much easier, it’s a less superior technology to CDMA. (Unfortunately most of the world has been built around the cheaper GSM based technology) Purchased a LTE tablet did not experience as reliable speeds nor coverage as VZW LTE in Houston. Phone selection is mediocre. High Price
Sprint Service: CDMA based, horrible data network. Improvements are coming but improvements for wimax that were promised never surfaced. Took Sprint 2 years to get a phone on wimax only to abandon the technology a year later. Phone selection is mediocre. Good Price
T-Mobile Service: GSM based, HPSA+ 42 is finally catching up to LTE speeds but limited availability and the worst coverage of the big 4. Phone selection is good. Cheap Price
Verizon Service: CDMA based. Superior 3G and LTE data networks (reliability for both and speed for LTE). Coverage cannot be beat. (My current provider) Phone selection is good. High Price
FYI: 3G on the GSM path uses the superior WCDMA technology, which improves on the CDMA technology used by Verizon/Sprint.
Only going to speak of VZ and Sprint since I’ve only been a customer of those 2 in northern CA and east coast.
The image has always been VZ is the most reliable. I was a sprint customer for about 13 years and I am very dubious of those VZ claims. For the last 2 years that I was with sprint/palm pre I have had consistent 3G data. There were very few dead spots that I was aware of so I knew where I would have trouble. Beyond that no data issues and no voice issues. With VZ in the same areas I have very flakey 3G. Voice has been perfectly fine but not data. 4G is great but is so inconsistent. Won’t talk about battery life since thats outside the scope of this topic. 4G is still usable but normally for just about 15-30 minutes without some kind of connection lost. Could be the phone. I’ve only had one phone, GN on verizon so I’ll reserve my judgment.
VZ is also about 10-20% more expensive than what I was getting with sprint. So overall I don’t think its a good value to be with VZ. I’m there only because of GN and nothing else. If there was a GN on t-mobile thats where I would have gone.
Sprint’s issues are many. For over a decade they have had some serious issue with getting decent phones (and they know it based on all the people I’ve talked to at sprint). And when they did get a good phone (like the pre) they jacked it up good. About 9 months after launching the pre they stopped updating the OS when the OS still needed a couple of serious upgrades. Very lame. Ended up having to update on my own. Sprint also has the habit of providing you with benefits and have no trouble with pulling those away like premiere status (upgrade phone every year at new customer pricing). And they do lame things like “everyone will now pay $10/month for premium data even if you don’t care nor use 4G” which they implemented in Jan 2011.
To me, the best choice is something more like virgin mobile. BUT thats only if you don’t have a need for the latest and greatest phone. If you’re going to value then you should just go virgin mobile. Its basically sprint anyway (unless your region has coverage problems of course).
???
“Sprint’s issues are many. For over a decade they have had some serious
issue with getting decent phones (and they know it based on all the
people I’ve talked to at sprint). And when they did get a good phone
(like the pre) they jacked it up good.”
What planet have you been living on? They dropped the original iPhone killer: The EVO. Then the EVO3D, the SGSII and now the iPhone4S. ??? The “Pre”? Who the hell wanted a “Pre”? The phone sucked and everyone knew it. It was Palm’s last gasp and again, everyone knew it.
I left T-Mobile because (at the time) they did not have good phones…and I came to Sprint precisely because they had the BEST phone.
Anyway…
I’d have to go with:
Sprint – Best plans & phones combination
T-mobile – they’ve upgraded their phones and their prices are still decent
_____________________
AT&T and Verizon are both in the tier two “won’t ever do it” category because Verizon’s prices are ridiculous and AT&T’s whole vibe is a joke. They pimped the “exclusive” iPhone retailer hustle to condescension. So now, they can sit & spin.
– AT&T: Still streets behind the other carriers. They used to be on top so they think they still should be, and they don’t care about their customers.
– Sprint: Sprint is alright, but I am not a fan of CDMA technology, and they won’t activate several phones they have no reason to deny service to.
– T-Mobile: They have their ups and downs but ultimately the friendliest carrier, the most Android friendly, and I get the best and cheapest data from them.
– Verizon Wireless: I hate Verizon. No exaggeration.
Sprint:great service, good lineup of phones, sometimes i can’t get good covered but rarely. And no 4g but when I got it in new York it was fast. Oh and costume services is great. (I know some people complain about it)
T-mobile: I just hate them. Sorry.
Att: coverage was alright where I lived. The 3g is fast here. But no LTE.
Verizon: amazing service but you get what you pay for. It’s really expensive compared to other companies with unlimited. It’s almost half the price on Sprint then Verizon.
You’re funny, sprint sucks
– AT&T: Good phones awful reception where I live
– Sprint: Cheap plans worst 3g EVER!
– T-Mobile: Good phones, haven’t tried them yet.
– Verizon Wireless: Good reception, reliable, expensive
Might try t-mobile next.
You wont regret it, i agree with your opinion on sprint, they are terrible
Having been a customer of each of these, here has been my experience:
— AT&T: drops calls more frequently than other networks; expensive; too iPhone-centric; 3G and 4G (HSPA+) slower than T-Mobile
— Sprint: hates Detroit (no 4G) but still makes you pay stupid $10 surcharge for their it’s not a 4G charge but it really is; make promises they can’t keep (for the past two years promising Wi-Max is coming soon to Detroit); customer service is horrible
— T-Mobile: good customer service, but that has declined; great for Android phones; unlimited data claim is BS; fastest 3G carrier (I beat everyone on SpeedTest); pick up Canadian carriers (on other side of Lake Huron) for roaming when in the U.S. when their coverage map claims I should be getting a strong signal; best carrier for Nexus phones
— Verizon Wireless(current): slowest 3G, but LTE rocks when it works; most expensive – they love to nickel and dime for services that are free on the others; most restrictive (can’t use Google Voice for voice mail); works in remote places; not very friendly to customers; should never get an exclusive Nexus launch again
I only went with Verizon because of Galaxy Nexus. If it had come out on T-Mobile, I would have stayed a customer.
You CAN use Google Voice for voicemail on Verizon. You just have to activate it on a computer. The Verizon network doesn’t support activation from the phone. Just login to Google Voice from your computer at
http://www.google.com/voice
and click on Voice Setting up in the top right corner (looks like a gear), then click on “Activate Google Voicemail on this phone”.
Been using it for a week.
I had actually tried doing this before and it would never give me the notifications. I don’t know if it was because I have a Galaxy Nexus and perhaps there was an issue with ICS when I did it before; but I deactivated and activated it again, and it worked.
Thanks Bugaru!
– AT&T: The past
– Sprint: The future
– T-Mobile: The never
– Verizon Wireless: The present
As long as we’re dreaming… I would make one little change.
T-Mobile is the future after an employee stock buy out from DT.
Then T-Mobile picks up the assets from Sprint after Sprint enters Chapter 11 because it wasted too much money on clear.
Lmao…yeah and I’m the one dreaming.
I wish Sprint or T-Mobile had money to build out their networks quick and better. They’re both good companies.
Carrying an iFone, are ya?
No? Some consider me an Android Fanboy. Stop being so judgemental
Many apologies-some might say your above comments are judgemental..
I’ve been in the industry for 6 years now…yes I started at 14. I’ve watched things progress and these are my opinions. Not judgements.
Defensive much? Lol-OK, we’ll call it a draw. Relax-found your opinions very opinionated & Inaccurate but, so what-just another opinion :)
I apologize too. Defense is usually the first stance you take after awhile :-
You kids dickriding sprint make me laugh. Sprint is the never. Slow, spotty, and useless
You call me a kid then use to the word “dickriding,” seriously? lol You aren’t even suppose to combine the two together. If anything it is “dick riding” and that is an extremely immature way to try to support yourself. And I’m the kid…
AT&T: Sucks big fat peanuts! I’ve had their coverage since it was Singular and they still to this day act like I’m the bastard son they wish they never had. When they throttle unlimited data, it is no longer unlimited. Period. But they still say that I’m getting a good deal, even when a web based page takes 3-5 minutes to upload and I can’t even load Netflix or youtube. I don’t know I may be wrong, but I’m considering changing to Verizon.
Verizon: I’ve heard nothing but good things about them, hopefully they can give me unlimited data for switching.
I’ve used US Cellular, T-Mobile, and am currently with AT&T.
I left US Cellular for GSM texting on T-Mobile, something I don’t use at all now. It was a technology issue back then.
I liked T-Mobile. Voice quality was always fantastic. However, they dropped the tower where I work leaving me with no coverage in an industrial park. I did not get any coverage in the area till about 5 miles down I-43. I don’t know how they could consider themselves a national carrier if they don’t have coverage on an interstate.
I’m with AT&T now. It’s ok. I’ve got a Blackberry I can’t give any comment on 4G-3G stuff. I did have data and phone nearly everywhere I have gone with it except for Bond Falls in Michigan (no service of any sort there).
Sprint will probably have me as a customer if they get the Galaxy Nexus soon. I like the idea of unlimited.
James, what is or was GSM texting? Was that a format difference? By this I mean; a long time ago, when I had Sprint, my replies to other people’s texts usually got me a “WTF?” as it formatted the texts like an email for example: (re: holla!)
GSM texting supports up to 200 characters, Unicode, and Emoji. In general, GSM texting was a far better technology solution. Most carriers limit to 160 characters and allow Unicode and Emoji.
Unlimited (at 1mbps)
– AT&T: Greedier
– Sprint: Greedy
– T-Mobile: Least Greedy, underdog
– Verizon Wireless: Greediest
– AT&T: havent tried them but like the fact that there GSM
– Sprint: is a joke
– T-Mobile: im satisfied get fast speeds and dont drop calls and like that there GSM
– Verizon Wireless: F@CK u verizon im not bending over and taking it
Here are my comments:
– AT&T: ridiculously large bill, and too many restrictions along with poor coverage (in my area).
– Sprint: too little coverage, even though I’m seriously considering going this route for my next contract due to the fact that they still do actually have unlimited data plans.
– T-Mobile: Wish they were stronger, as they should be rewarded for basically kicking off the Android phone craze. Did go with them due to what I consider gross misrepresentation of their data plans. They say “unlimited” but they really mean 5 GB a month.
– Verizon Wireless: Greedy mongers, having done away with affordable actual unlimited data plans they keep finding ways to squeeze money out of you.
Im on at&t and their new throttling unlimited customers at 2 gigs is straight bullshit*t.
-Sprint – my current – 4g fades indoors, spotty coverage at home, wife works in complete dead spot, decent phones (Evo3d Fan). Prior Long time Sero $30 Unl Data plan….was cheapest data on the planet (but not with Android :-(( )
-Verizon – great coverage and unbelievable LTE speeds (work usb modem)…really 26 mb down, 13 mb up??? UFR – Most expensive be a large amount. -ATT will be moving to in 2 weeks to resolve wife’s dead spot problem (Thanks to Sprints TOS change!)- looking forward to 5.3″ note and 4G/LTE that works indoors.-T-mobile – looks to be cheapest for smartphones – but only HSDPA+ – no LTE and only about 40% of the 4G coverage AT&T has.In the past I was very partial to CDMA due to the signal penetration into buildings….many times GSM would lose signal inside malls or big office buildings…used to laugh at the Tmobile and ATT customers that had to go to the windows at the GM Tech Center to make or receive calls….I am hoping that is a thing of the past now….will find out in 2 weeks when I move to ATT.
– AT&T: Several coworkers complain but only with them because majority of family is with them.
– Sprint: Been with them for years
– T-Mobile: Never used them
– Verizon Wireless: More expensive then my Sprint plans and they restrict features on phones that other carriers don’t
– AT&T: Expensive as verizon but not as good. Great for people that use unlocked phones though.
– Sprint: Great prices, great call quality, but a horrid data network..
– T-Mobile: Worst of the 4, budget carrier. Great prices horrible coverage. Get what u pay for.
– Verizon Wireless: Over priced but definitely the best network. Most robust 4g and 3g coverage.. Will hurt your piggy bank!
– AT&T: Tried them for a very brief time, Canceled my service not even 10days into it, Absolutely horrible experience all together, Terrible Customer service, and even worse Coverage in my area
– T-Mobile: Never had any experience with TMobile
– Verizon Wireless: Same as TMobile, I did work as a Technical Support rep for them for awhile, Even with the discount they offered the same service as I had on Sprint was nearly $200/month more.
– Sprint: I’ve had Sprint for about 8years now, Never had a single bad experience with them, Everybody claims their 3G is so slow, I’ve never had a problem, I don’t speed test it regularly but I just ran one and its running at 1689kbps in the basement of my house, on a Nexus S 4G. Wifi and 4g Off. I’ve had nothing but excellent customer service whether calling them, going into a store, or live chat, I currently pay $289/month for 5 – 4G Android Phones on their Unlimited Everything Data Family plan with 1500minutes, I have no plans of leaving Sprint.
Honestly, they all suck in one way or another. I stick Verizon because:
1. They have the best coverage (at least they do everywhere I go)
2. They are in beast mode with their 4G rollout
3. Almost everyone I know is with VZW (mobile to mobile)
4. They have the G-Nex
Before the Galaxy Nexus came out I was extremely irritated with Verizon’s device selection. It seemed like they were always behind the other carriers. The RAZR is not a horrible device, but the non-removable battery was something I just couldn’t get past. If the RAZR Maxx had come out before the G-Nex I may have pulled the trigger. Love my Nexus though.
+1 VZW
AT&T: Hates their customers.
T-Mobile: Best deal out there, 2012 is make it or break it year.
Sprint: Same as T-Mobile but costs more.
Verizon: Not worth the price premium.
The sad thing is, because everyone believes Verizon is worth the price premium, there is
1) No pressure on Verizon to lower prices.
2) Verizon is reaching a critical mass that will destroy the rest of the market.
I *REFUSE* to even consider Verizon as my carrier because I will not support a 1-carrier marketplace, which is where we’re heading. Especially if I have to pay more to do so.
TMO FTW
— AT&T: Eww…..
— Sprint: Not that bad, I like truly unlimited
— T-Mobile: VER PRETTY GIRL :D
— Verizon Wireless: Love the phone, hate the Customer service…
– AT&T: INCREDIBLY Overpriced Plans.
– Sprint: INCREDIBLY Overpriced Plans
– T-Mobile: INCREDIBLY Overpriced Plans
– Verizon Wireless: INCREDIBLY Overpriced PlansThe first problem is switching from a 7 year old phone and a 5 year old phone. We have two lines for these so called lack of “Feature” phones, and pay a grand total of $60.00 a month. I’d really like to buy the Samsung Galaxy Note (Actually, I’d wait for the Note2), but on ATT just ONE line, after taxes, fees, fees on fees, and other things REQUIRED just to have a contract, it costs over $150.00 a month. ONE line, compared to $60 for 2 lines. There is just no NEED for all this, and it comes down to do I want to WASTE the money to play or do I have better things to do and just keep my perfectly good 7 year old and 5 year old phones. I’ll keep the old phones a while longer. Hope they never do away with simple “feature” phones at a reasonable cost.
I’m doing this upside down starting with my criteria and ranking in order of carrier.
-Non restrictive and non controlling(not still trying to charge for email, data, video, tethering, controlling approved apps): TMO, Sprint, ATT, VZ
-Coverage: VZ, ATT, TMO, Sprint
-Coverage based on high speeds(download & upload) and not throttling: TMO, VZ, Sprint, ATT
-Device Selection: VZ, Sprint, ATT, TMO
-Value(with 2 yr agreement): Sprint, TMO, ATT, VZ-Value(no agreement): TMO, Sprint, ATT, VZ
-Data Plans medium/heavy data usage(less than 5GB per month): TMO, Sprint, ATT, VZ-Data Plans super heavy data usage: Sprint, TMO, VZ, ATT
I’ve got to have GSM for world travel so. My options are t-mobile not bad but not sure of future of then or ATT had them 15 year (bellsouth days) not much of an issue wish pricing was cheaper. I could never use an old outdated cdma technology where only a few countries are stuck on it kind of like 8 tracks and records
LOVE AT&T!!! best coverage around here! Plus, no crazy high charges like Verizon.
— AT&T: hate
— Sprint: hate
— T-Mobile: hate
— Verizon Wireless: hate (current carrier)
Any plans to become Amish? ;)
-ATT: Horrible Android phones, Dropped calls, home of the (I-fail)!!
-T-mobile: Great Android phone gateway, horrible customer service, Spotty network
-Verizon: Best coverage I have ever had, but killed my pocket. Okay customer service
-Sprint: Good prices, okay coverage (never had a dropped call), new 3G coming alongside 4G LTE! (Price and Android phones will keep me with Sprint my current 2 year contract ends in May I live near Houston so 4G LTE should be here around the same time) :D
– Verizon Wireless: best carrier right now. a little over price
– AT&T: cheaper/worse version of verizon
– Sprint: worst data speeds, best value/unlimited data. future looks promising
– T-Mobile: good value good data speeds w/ unlimited even tho its throttled and phone selection.
— AT&T: Monopoly. Anti-Competitive. Anti-jobs. Anti-Net Neutrality. SOPA-supporting. Will not be getting a penny from me.
— Sprint: Good phones. Good customer service. Mediocre 3G data speed.
— T-Mobile: Hot T-Mo Girl.
— Verizon Wireless: Anti-Competitive. Anti-Net Neutrality. SOPA-supporting. Expensive. Will not be getting a dime from me.
Step A) Buy unlocked i9250 Galaxy Nexus with pentaband to work on AT&T and T-Mobile 3G GSM networks
Step B) Test AT&T and T-Mobile signal at work and home.
Step C) Get Straight Talk SIM card for either AT&T or T-Mobile based on Step B results (See also: http://www.straighttalksim.com/ )
Step D) enjoy
Note: Straight Talk does seem to have some issues with their support, though. But, for $45 a month you get unlimited calling, unlimited texting, unlimited data.
– AT&T: Pure evil, poor service. only pro is being able to import phones
– Sprint: good balance of price and reliability, unlimited data is a +, network makes me hesitant
– T-Mobile: cheapest carrier with real phones (vs prepaid ones) but has terrible service.
– Verizon Wireless: Ultra-reliable 4G LTE = WIN! phones are not the best but still pretty good. only downside is price.
To all you sprint fanboys out there…how can you possibly support a company that is a:bleeding money like crazy and b: whose genius network plan is to have 4 different networks going forward…they can’t even support one network! Also, read the fine print on the “truly unlimited” plan…only unlimited on sprint towers. Very limited if you ever go into roaming.
Also, since when is at&t cheaper than verizon? Last time i looked, their prices were virtually identical across the board… just sayin
— AT&T: Evil, overpriced, crappy website, crappy data… NO WAY IN HELL, EVER.
— Sprint: [PREVIOUS CUSTOMER] Not too bad, but being forced to use Sprint ID… no thanks. Plus, they seem to rollout Android phones too slowly.
— T-Mobile: [PREVIOUS CUSTOMER] I like T-Mobile a lot, but they have some pretty crappy “deals” (so they call them), customer service is friendly, but will not help you get a replacement device as quickly as they used to. I need my service to work, and then I will keep paying my bill. They don’t want to pay for a new phone for you, and don’t realize that their money comes from recurring monthly payments. 4G service isn’t bad, but downgrade me to 1X after my allotment? NO THANKS
— Verizon Wireless: [CURRENT CUSTOMER] Since switching to Verizon, I have been extremely happy with service. I get a 10% monthly discount from my company, which is nice, 4G service is BLAZINGLY FAST, customer service is very knowledgeable, friendly, and doesn’t beat around the bush… and you’re not on hold forever either. I have unlimited 4G service, so I can’t comment on data usage and restrictions, but overall, I am very pleased. I recommend Verizon to all who receive signal.
T-Mobile doesn’t offer 1X. They downgrade you to HSPA 7.2, HSPA 3.6, or EDGE depending on the market.
AT&T: Humungous coverage range. Horrid consistency with calls, Clogged Network since iPhone. Too Expensive. Positive of being 1 of 2 major carriers to use whatever the hell GSM phone you want. Throttle’s the hell out of you after you abuse their network. Has iPhone
Sprint: Carrier with Average service. Range extends as far as Verizon coverage with 1X or 3G, depending on roaming agreements. Customer service has improved drastically, Plans are affordable for the service you get, Unlimited data a plus. 4G wimax is horrendous in doors, and poor wimax coverage thru out the country. LTE coming and will drastically improve coverage. Unfortunate for those locked into a 2 year as of recently with a 4G Wimax device. Unfortunate you can not choose the device you want to bring on their network, like ATT and T-MO do. NEXTEL could have been an excellent addition to its phones, but horrid coverage limits that service. NEXTEL Ptt is still the fastest and best Ptt network. Unfortunate they are really not optimizing or finding ways to merge it better. throttling performed on data services even tho advertising says NO. Carrier bloatware on Android phones is out of control. Has iPhone
T-Mobile: Data speeds are fast to me in the Union City, NJ area. Service can get a lil spotty and drop calls here and their, but no different then Sprints dropped call experiences I’ve had. T-Mobile remains affordable and unlimited data remains with occasional throttling. Probably on the verge of tanking if it doesnt shape up. Coverage range is Abysmal and somewhat like the smaller carriers, forget about coverage in far off country areas. HSPA is a very good solution to giving faster 3G speeds. Needs LTE in a bad way. Needs iPhone
Verizon Wireless: Ginormous Coverage Map.Throttles the hell out of you without a doubt. The most expensive carrier compared to the other 3. Customer service can be abysmal or good depending on situation. Reps can get very snooty and nasty. Fast as hell 3G speeds. Blazing Fast 4G LTE speeds. PTT service is close to as fast but not quite their as NEXTEL. Tons of issues with Continous replacements of Droid Smartphones, horrors stories of 4,5,or 6 + replacements of phones with no resolution. Very strict with their 14 day return policy, and ETF fees(Dont think you can get one over on these guys easily). Rigorous testers and bring forth quality phones and excellent line up. Carrier Bloatware on Droids is out of control. Has iPhone.
#1 Things for all carriers to do: Install 4G LTE as a standard in the USA. Stop branching off to shitty technologies and making differences (Eg CDMA, GSM, Wimax). Allow customers to easily use the phone they want between all four.
– AT&T: + Solid phone selection,+ talk & surf, -data limit issues, -dropped calls, -value
– Sprint: + value, + data, Good coverage, -Phone Selection becoming limited, -limited text 170 characters, -no talk & surf.
– T-Mobile: + Value, + data speed, Decent service, -brand image, -phone selection,-no niche identity.
– Verizon Wireless: + coverage, + data speed, + home of droid, -pricey, -data limitations, -feels like big red mark on your wallet.
– AT&T: Don’t know , never used
– Sprint: Dnk, nu
– T-Mobile: Dnk , nu
– Verizon Wireless: 3g is crap have had nothing but problems with VZW service where we live , phones are now getting to expensive , we make fun of the “can you hear me now ?” , NO !
“Most reliable network !” , yep we can always be sure it will be crappy .
If VZW gets a Sony product I will stay , if not AT&T [Sony Ion] looks better and better .
LTE with VZW and their offerings right now are bad , power hungry , battery draining pieces of junk , yes Nexus and RAZR/MAXX overpriced .
Droid 4 , forget about it , locked down both bootloader and battery .
Oh , I am a VZW customer so I can say that right ?
Att: solid prices and service.
T-Mobile: underrated, inexpensive and good customer service.
Verizon: over priced in every way. Horrible customer service.
Sprint: very spotty coverage, slow network, really inexpensive.
Sprint: I haven’t seen too many people talk nice about Sprint and that’s probably justified. I’ve had Sprint for about 1.5 years and like it. They have good prices, pretty good coverage in San Francisco, although, I’ve heard horror stories about download speeds further down the peninsula from San Francisco. Re 4G: Sprint’s WiMax, compared to Verizon’s LTE, is a joke. The fastest WiMax speed I’ve ever gotten on my Evo 4G was about 8 mbps, and that’s with full bars. Also, I am getting really annoyed at how they just change their policies and rewards programs (aka Premier status) on a whim. They took away yearly upgrades even though I bought my Evo 4G on a 2 year plan. I wouldn’t be surprised if they take away unlimited data next week.
AT&T: I’ve haven’t used AT&T for 1.5 years, so I can’t comment on the reception (worked fine when I WAS on it). I do recall thinking it was expensive compared to Sprint when I first switched from AT&T to Sprint.
Verizon: I’ve never used it for phone service, but I have a Verizon Xoom LTE and the download speeds on LTE are insanely fast. Service seems pricey, though.
T-Mobile: I’ve never used T-Mobile, but have friends who have it and they always say good things about it.
wtf author – carriers must be paid enough
There is on options – no contracts?
they already did the 2-years contract only. and you are keep going to support that. let’s do 3-4 years – why not
AT&T: Horrible coverage here in San Francisco, limited data
Sprint: Best bang for the buck, best Android phones, slow 4G rollout
T-Mobile: Pink… Great HSPA+ speeds, limited data
Verizon: Expensive, ugly Android phones, constant 4G outages, fast LTE speeds, limited data
VZW: My current carrier. It has the most LTE, and the best phones (Droid, GNex). Customer service is good too. However, it is in fact, stupidly expensive.
AT&T: Most people I know that have had AT&T have not had a good experiences with them. My mother had an iPhone 3G on AT&T, and would oft have no service while our Verizon phones had full bars. I have heard that their CS isn’t very good.
SPRINT: My uncle, who has Sprint, was able to get free phones with unlimited everything for half price, after so many complaints.
— AT&T: Scary Monster that eats companies and screws its non-grandfathered customers
— Sprint: Unlimited? I think not. Overpriced? I think so.
— T-Mobile: Cheaper than others still, great coverage for HSPA+, but lies about unlimited
— Verizon: expensive, but best phones ever anywhere
– AT&T: Epic Failure as a company.
– Sprint: Good on value, but it’s not quite as good as t-mobile. They don’t have that great of android selection and they’re kinda slow on the data speed.
– T-Mobile: Fast and affordable. Especially the $30 prepaid plan. Great phones, but could use some more good phones. Better coverage wouldn’t hurt either.
– Verizon: Best service, but not customer service. Terrible pricing. Everything is so expensive.
But all of our companies fail in comparison to Europe. Partly due to the fact that you can apparently buy an unlimited natural existing resource called spectrum.
Verizon: expensive, glitchy, but has more coverage and stupid fast LTE
Sprint: has truly unlimited data, but they invade privacy frequently
AT&T: seems like a joke in the phone department.
T-Mobile: has great HTC devices, but I don’t even get 3G in my town, let alone 4G
First a note: I’m in rural NC; the only network with a reputation for solid coverage is VZW.
AT&T: left them after ten+ years, because their customer service was nonexistent and they offered almost no interesting and accessible android phones as that segment was exploding. Mostly used unlocked Nokias; I never saw a plan phone that I wanted to upgrade to. I wanted GSM phones and the ability to run any (compatible) phone I wanted. Post-iPhone, they seemed to be trying to extend that pricing model throughout.
Sprint: no data, no real interest. At the moment they look like an attempted VZW clone (especially in terms of lockdown), with incompetent execution. My home is in a complete dead spot for them, so I doubt they’d take me as a customer, which is fine.
T-Mobile: as the other GSM carrier, they were where I went when I left AT&T; I got a G2 and then a Nexus S. Still kicking myself for getting talked into a contract instead of Even More Plus. Coverage is actually better where I live, but about equivalently spotty (different pattern of spots) where I generally travel. I get 3G speeds at home, now, which I never did (Edge max) on AT&T. Customer service has been outstanding.
Verizon: won’t touch with a stick, even though they have the most solid reputation for coverage in this area. They also have a reputation for high prices, lock-down, and nonexistent (actively hostile, by several reports) customer service.
I’m happy with T-Mo (and was incredibly depressed when it seemed they (and I, by extension) were going to get borged back into the deathstar). I’d like better network coverage, but this is an underserved area, so it’s going to be spotty for anyone but the evil V. T-Mobile’s phones are actually attractive enough that I’ve taken the bait and signed up for contract plans, instead of being reasonable and buying the phone I want and going month to month. Once my contract is up, I’ll stay with T-Mo (unless things change a lot), but go with a better plan.
AT&T – Donates money to people I don’t support. Also wants to control everything like another company I know of.
Sprint – Not bad. Terrible coverage where I live. (Indiana)
T-Mobile – Best value for the money & GSM based. GSM FTW!
Verizon – Ugggghhhh
I don’t think it’s fair you are labeling Verizon most reliable as it depends on the area you live. Where I live I have the best signal with T-Mobile. Verizon has spotty coverage and doesn’t work indoors that well.
*Note I live in Cleveland, one of the first cities with VZW LTE.
Vzw….love it yea it a little pricey but when I need coverage its there
T-Mobile…..its cheap not to bad of coverage
Sprint……ummm the pain of there speed and how horrible there coverage is
AT&T……….what a dumpster for phones and there coverage and customer service is a joke
att- prepare to bend over to get raped for crappy service
verizon- amazing network but huge bill
t-mobile- spotty coverage
sprint- growing pains possible future best carrier
Everyone is talking all this CDMA, GSM crap. Look GSM is obviously a better technology than CDMA (at least Data wise). The problem is the only 2 major GSM carriers suck in the U.S. I had T-mobile and their coverage was terrible. In my whole neighborhood I had no signal. So I switched to Verizon and I must say the my coverage was much better. I have used my phone in Canada and several countries in the Carribean and my CDMA phone worked just fine. When you guys talk about the world you guys talk are talking about Europe which has adopted GSM as their only standard. If you travel to Europe a lot then Att and T-mobile are the phones are your best bet. Although VZW has several GSM phones on their network. If you don’t travel to those areas it won’t matter what carrier you get.
– AT&T: Best balance of value and initial cost. Excellent customer service.
– Sprint: Unlimited Data, ideal for single-phone power users.
– T-Mobile: Best value for low monthly payments.
– Verizon Wireless: Best selection of Android devices.
I switched from Verizon to AT&T when Verizon announced they were going to tack on mandatory $10 fees on feature phones. I went from one smart phone and three feature phones on VZ to two smart phones and two feature phones on AT&T while paying substantially less per month. AT&T has been second to none in customer service, both in the stores and over the phone. While their Android selection is notably lacking variety and their low-end phones are awful, the Galaxy SII I bought is in my mind the best Android phone out there — certainly the best GSII variant. Additionally, HSPA+ is underrated — it gives a good balance of speed, coverage, and battery consumption.
Ive only had verizon so bare with.me here….
AT&T: they lie about their DSL speeds….and i heard they have good coverage for a little less than verizon ….little….–
Sprint: coverage is ok but outside the city…yikes…my dad owned a sprint and it sometimes didnt work….the data is not so great either but after they get LTE people will RUN to sprint if they keep unlimited data plan…
–T-Mobile: my friend has t mobile and let me tell you …..his calls drop quite a bit….sometimes 4-5 times in a row…… but good coverage because he travels all over atlanta and he connects from everywhere here…data speeds are decent
Verizon Wireless: let’s just say….I use to be a traveling roofer that went to the most broken down country towns in georgia that LITERALLY smelled like pig shit in the air with malls the size of 3 bedroom houses or just rolling plains or woods with roads that you have to drive for 20 mins to see another car and 98% of the time I would have service AND 3g on top of that…it was in 2011 on a droid incredible…..all outside of any major cities or towns….I believe verizon has the best service but sometimes I’ve payed over $150-$300 because I went over my minutes text and/or data….this is one line btw….If u want verizon you have to be careful about your limits…..they will eat you alive…..and THEY DONT LOWER THE FUCKIN BILL AT ALL….THOSE ASS HOLES…..but I wanted their LTE …..(which btw I get all over atlanta and the huge amount of subcity areas but its sometimes down like for 3 days a couple of days ago but I get 10mbs-35mbs down so its worth it …it works 90% of the time) …..that’s what I truly think about verizon…great service….great customer support….bad payment help….
Verizon- great service, great customer service, most reliable. Expensive but hey, au get what you pay for with them!
At&t- Same expensive pricing as Verizon except in this case, you don’t get what you pay for. Service is mediocre and customer service is horrible.
Sprint- Same as At&t but with better pricing.
T-Mobile- Great pricing, OK service, OK customer service. Actually can’t figure out why they are the smallest out of the 4. I would put them at 2, Verizon at #1 of course.
AT&T – Still pissed off they don’t exclusively own the iPhone. Good with Galaxy S phones, worst ratings on Consumer Reports with customer service. I don’t hate or love them, just not my preference.
T-Mobile – (T-Crap as I call them) I had them for about 3 years, 2005-2008. Terrible coverage, pretty much dead outside the city, but inexpensive at the time. Customer service people in the stores were as bad as government employees. If you use them, I hope you have zero issues, or terrible issues so they let you out of your contract, mine was right in the middle of those extremes.
Sprint – Decent price for what you get, good value, unlimited data. I just don’t trust them enough to use them on a daily basis, even though I could get on my friend’s family plan with an amazing discount at a third the price I pay now.
Verizon – This is who I pay the big bucks to. Yes, they are expensive, but I honestly don’t feel ripped off. Since I have grandfathered unlimited data, and my wife uses our WiFi with her iPhone, it works well. Rarely any dropped calls or failed deliveries of texts, pictures, or any data problems. Super fast LTE, I got 57mbps downstream in downtown Ft. Worth on vacation, about peed my pants! Usually 10 to 20 downstream here, 5 to 10 upstream here. Great customer service, but some stores are worse than others. I trust them enough for daily life with no landline.
AT&T – Still pissed off they don’t exclusively own the iPhone. Good with Galaxy S phones, worst ratings on Consumer Reports with customer service. I don’t hate or love them, just not my preference.T-Mobile – (T-Crap as I call them) I had them for about 3 years, 2005-2008. I didn’t have a smart phone then, by the way. Terrible coverage, pretty much dead outside the city, but inexpensive at the time. Customer service people in the stores were as bad as government employees. If you use them, I hope you have zero issues, or terrible issues so they let you out of your contract, mine was right in the middle of those extremes.Sprint – Decent price for what you get, good value, unlimited data. I just don’t trust them enough to use them on a daily basis, even though I could get on my friend’s family plan with an amazing discount at a third the price I pay now.Verizon – This is who I pay the big bucks to. Yes, they are expensive, but I honestly don’t feel ripped off. Since I have grandfathered unlimited data, and my wife uses our WiFi with her iPhone, it works well. Rarely any dropped calls or failed deliveries of texts, pictures, or any data problems. Super fast LTE, I got 57mbps downstream in downtown Ft. Worth on vacation, about peed my pants! Usually 10 to 20 downstream here, 5 to 10 upstream here. Great customer service, but some stores are worse than others. I trust them enough for daily life with no landline.
ATT: Terrible services, and rip off lame phones(iphone)
Sprint: Terrible 3g, 4g pretty fast if you have it in your area. pricey plans not many phone selections
TMobile: Great Customer service, Pretty damn got 3g (nexus S) and 4g is fast. cheap plans good buy.
Verizon: Best coverage, rip off as hell!!! must be working with the devil!! wiked fast LTE but super expensive plans!!
ATT: Poor customer service and expensive
Sprint: Slow data spoty coverage in my area
T-Mobile: Fast cheap good coverage in my area but not outside of it.
Verizon: Too expensive for me.
Phone- GSM Galaxy Nexus on T-Mobile
My first phone was a tracphone then a crappy dumbphon from AT&T and my first real Smartphone is a boostmobile phone so I can not really comment on any of the top 4 carriers. I get crappy speeds and no service since I moved tho. I only get service when I walk outside and since its the middle of winter I can not always walk outside. SO I honestly do not know where I will be going next if I do decide to get a better phone/service so I have decent coverage and decent speeds instead of the 100-120kbps I get now with boost
I’ve had AT&T for 4 years now and I have never had a problem. Started with the iPhone and then moved to android. I had Verizon before hand and got charged a 400 dollar bill for no reason. I have never had bad customer care with AT&T, they have always been great to me. I have 3G everywhere I go and if the rumor is true, LTE in a couple of months which will make my SGS2 Skyrocket that much better.
Verizon = No experience with VerizonAT&T = Most greedy, liar and Evil. Good smartphones variety. T-Mobile = Mediocre customer support, sellers, smartphones, and data coverage. Lot of dropped calls. Good voice plans though ($).Sprint = Mediocre voice coverage, bad 3G speed. Good voice quality, customer support, and smartphones selection.
Just read through all the comments and I find it funny that everyone knocks on Verizon for being the most expensive, which I agree, yet they are the #1. lol. I’ve had Tmobile since the Voicestream days. In my area we have decent service. We just switched from 2 android phones, Galaxy S 4g and Vibrant to the new Nokia Lumia, yes Windows phones, but that’s not the point…lol. 1000 minutes, unlimited text, 200mb data as we can use wifi wherever we go, for $90. And if your at all curious about the new Lumia, u should go check it out!
Simple, Verizon – best coverage, more 4G, best Android devices, I love my Rezound and Samsung Galaxy 10.1 but they also have the Nexus, RAZR, and more.
— AT&T: Overpriced, crappy data…
— Sprint: [CURRENT CUSTOMER; SOON GOING] Just OK. Dan Hesse started out good but now lost his way. Customer service is going back to shit. Took all the perks away from loyal customers. Thanks Sprint for changing the terms so I can get out of my contract! Roll out of any good Android phones too slowly. NEVER WILL GO BACK!
— T-Mobile: 4G service good, but downgrade me to 1X after my allotment? PASS
— Verizon Wireless: [FUTURE CUSTOMER] All my friends, have switched from Sprint and have been happy with service. 4G service is SUPER FAST. Customer service is very friendly. Just waiting for them to deploy the family data plan to switch 5 phones from Sprints. All eight of my friends that had Sprint have switched the past few months and love Verizon.
All of the wireless companies charge way too much imho. How much does it really cost to give people service? I understand they have to upgrade their networks but, come on. They have to all be making yacht-loads of money from us.
— AT&T: Had them for decades – Love the coverage nationwide. Never had a customer support issue. Love the phone selection. Love GSM. Mountain coverage here in Colorado is not as good as Verizon
— Sprint: Don’t know anyone who uses them – but postings I have seen on car forums indicate dropped calls.
— T-Mobile: GSM is good but don’t think they can survive long term. Don’t seem to have as good of coverage as ATT and Verizon
— Verizon Wireless: Verizon – hate CDMA as it is not a world wide technology. Best mountain coverage usually compared to ATT but again this can change depending on location. My neighbor has Verizon but gets dropped calls all the time in his house – whereas ATT works great in his and my house.
AT&T – best family plans wicked fast lte speeds great phone line up
Sprint – Spotty coverage NO 4g NO plans od LTE (indianapolis) decent phones
(htc evo 3d is pretty beast mode, just like the vivid on att just not lte
T-Mobile – if she came with the contract I would sign otherwise no way
crap coverage crap phone even if they do get the nexus
I just hate Samsung
Verizon – They are like iphone users to me, They are getting d*cked but will stand
up and defend their brand till the end.
I do work for att by the way but I use sprint personally I do know quite a bit about each carrier but I am happy where I work and ready to switch to the big orange,
Also I hope people keep putting their locations! If I had sprint in a 4g city that was getting lte I would be singing their praises, but I don’t so… yeah
Verizon may be expensive but I have always had superior customer service over the phone. Not in person though, the people in their stores can be @$$holes! But always taken care of over the phone. Great coverage & great phone selection.
Att : OK
Verizon:OK
T-Mobile :OK
Sprint=shit
Verizon: reliable, nice handset range fast 4G, expensive to have.
AT&T: appealing rate plans but expensive data plans, network and dropped call frequencies are getting. V better, very few appealing. Phones.
Sprint: a good value but handicapped 4G network, plans don’t look like they save you money nice phone range.
T-Mobile: HSPA+ 42 Makes you wonder if LTE is needed, still get a lot of minutes and data for the price, choice of phones are great, dropped calls rare but coverage is lacking in areas, has gotten expensive, wi-fi calling is a neat feature.
Verizon: reliable service, fast LTE, nice phone line up, expensive. Plans with less minutes than competition.
AT&T: nice rate plans, fairly good network reliability that seems to be improving, many choices of phones, expensive data plans
SPRINT: okay phones, good coverage, 4G is a failure, rate plans seem seem not to show value.
T-Mobile: still the cheapest and the most minutes for the money, hspa+ 42 is fast a
LTE, reliable network thought needs to be expanded, nice choice of phones, Has gotten more expensive over the years.
– AT&T: Excellent 3G coverage, minimal LTE coverage, moderate prices, excellent phones, bad customer service.
– Sprint: Decent 3G coverage, minimal WiMax coverage, moderate prices, good but limited phone selection, terrible customer service.
– T-Mobile: Bad 3G coverage, no real 4G (but nice fast HSPA+), cheap prices, decent phone selection, good customer service.
– Verizon Wireless: Excellent 3G coverage, excellent LTE coverage, high prices, excellent phone selection, excellent customer service.
Order of Carriers I would choose: Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, then T-Mobile.
Coverage comments are specific to my area.
— AT&T: TROLLS. OVERPRICED, TERRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPS, COCKY AND UNGRATEFUL.
— Sprint: SPOTTY FAST 3G, NOT ENOUGH 4G WIMAX BUT 2012 LOOKS PROMISING WITH LTE BUILD OUT.
— T-Mobile: TERRIBLE NATIONWIDE COVERAGE. THE AREAS THAT IT DOES HAVE COVERAGE TEND TO BE GOOD DATA AND VOICE COVERAGE BUT THOSE AREAS AREN’T NATIONWIDE.
— Verizon Wireless: KNOWLEDGEABLE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPS, THEY SEEM MORE CLASSY THEN ATT. GREAT PHONES, TERRIBLE OVERPRICED PRICING.
Sorry for the caps. I work for att but hate our business practices. Where I live, Sprint tends to be up to par to Verizon and ATT but we like to practice the “we are better then you” motto and unnecessarily downgrade the rest of the carriers with misleading lies of coverage and speeds. I have sprint and would never myself get ATT. (as you can imagine, all our customers hate me and ATT and i definitely empathize with the zombies that we have trapped into our 2 year death traps). I would only consider Verizon but they are very expensive.
my ratings from best to least worthy.
1. verizon
2. sprint
3. tmo
4 at&shit.
I love the video and movie playback with Verizon.At&t was bad at always buffering.yeayyy go Verizon.
verizon: best coverage for me, huge bill
T-Mo: best prices, loved the customer service, and they UMA was awesome. had to leave because of crappy reception at my new house.
hell id still be with t-mobile if they had just kept using the UMA technology. they would own the mobile market if they just told people what it was and came out with new phones that used it.
Please format your comment like this:
– AT&T: My Mother’s network. Still grandfathered in to Unlmtd.
– Sprint: Decent, in need of LTE. Good Data, ish.
– T-Mobile: Powerful, not enough service. Decent rates.
– Verizon Wireless: Lots of phones, too many users.
T-mobile,best in everything, att,expensive in everything, verizon wireless,hire taxes on everything,sprint-thogether with nextel,always liyng on every bill,verizon#1,t-mobile#2,att#3,sprint#4….
Please format your comment like this:
— AT&T:Wouldbe nice if you could hold a call on there service. they are good for data only and that’s limited so they’re useless, priced like VZW = over priced
— Sprint: Slow speeds now, but with the changes they’re reporting by 2015 (-_-) they should have a damn good service. very decent price and they do REAL phone repair!( my current phone service.)
— T-Mobile: T-maybe… needs more coverage or roaming partners. greate phones imo
— Verizon Wireless: decent coverage, assholes to deal with on the phone, way over priced. esp good for rural areas.
Glad you guys opend my eyes to the Tmobile value plan. That is going to be my next option if sprint keeps dicing me with these network upgrade problems. I should not have to hack my phone to get good speeds.
Tmobile great prepaid deals+ good 3g speed, lacks some coverage.
Sprint slowest 3g. Good voice quality. Overrated value.
Att best gsm coverage. Fast 3g.
Verizon LTE beast. Expensive. Slow 3g.