Sorry if this topic is a repost, stupid search isn't working.

I'm moving back to Raleigh and need to get a cell phone. Last time I was there, I was still using the phone my mom had bought me from Sprint. I noticed Sprint didn't have a very good range or signal in a lot of places. A friend of mine has AT&T and he sometimes sends blank text messages...which be blames the provider (not sure if that's true).

What service provider would you suggest? I would be using the cell as a primary phone so it needs to be able to get a signal. I would need texting service, free long distance and nights and weekends free. How is Verizon and Altel compared to Cingular/AT&T and Sprint?

Thanks for your help!

4/24/2008 12:58:26 AM

i have sprint and it works fine, and it's cheaper compare to other providers if you get the SERO plan. I get 500 anytime minutes, unlimited text and data for $30/month.

4/24/2008 1:05:38 AM

Quote :

"from mom to Josh , date Wed, Apr 23, 2008 at 7:33 PM subject hey mailed-by triad.rr.com hide details 7:33 PM (5 hours ago) Reply I can’t believe that you only used 11 minutes on your cell phone. Were you sending text msgs? I only used 34 minutes, I think its time to look for another cell plan. When is school done? "

4/24/2008 1:13:58 AM

^^ Yeah I'm with you on sprint. I got the rumor cheap (great phone) with the cevo plan and its awesome. My gf has sprint and she gets the bulk of my minutes so those are all free, and I haven't come close to using my other 500. Unlimited text and data rocks too. Can't beat it for 30$.

4/24/2008 6:36:20 AM

Quote :

"cevo"

sero

when was the last time you were in raleigh and used sprint?

nowadays in decently large cities coverage is largely dependent on the phone and not the provider

4/24/2008 8:09:58 AM

Er sero, you know what i mean.

4/24/2008 9:39:05 AM

Nextel has awesome coverage in Raleigh now.

4/24/2008 9:58:26 AM

I currently use Sprint and haven't had any problems. I had AT&T before and they were also great. The only reason I switched was to get a new customer deal on a new phone. I recommend going to Best Buy because they represent several different service providers. They make comparison shopping easy and their salespeople are less sleazy than standalone cell phone stores.

Just avoid alltel and suncom.

4/24/2008 11:56:46 AM

Sprint, no complaints. I get coverage anywhere on campus, in buildings and all. As far as all over Raleigh goes, I am a freshman with no car here, so I can't help you there.

All of that is with a shitty ass phone by the way.

[Edited on April 24, 2008 at 12:00 PM. Reason : phone]

4/24/2008 11:59:39 AM

I used to be with Sprint and liked it, they just didn't have the coverage I needed. I could not use my phone in my own townhouse in Holly Springs. I switched to Alltel, the coverage is 10x better all around. Not much of a diff otherwise, Sprint's vm system was a little easier to use.

4/24/2008 12:05:37 PM

i ♥ alltel...but then, i travel and need service outside cities and major highways, and at&t/cingular sucks donkey balls at anything but city service (in my experience)

4/24/2008 12:11:37 PM

seriously, for the price, you can't beat sprint.

4/24/2008 12:20:51 PM

Quote :

"i ? alltel...but then, i travel and need service outside cities and major highways, and at&t/cingular sucks donkey balls at anything but city service (in my experience)"

Funny, thats the exact opposite of my experience. My company used to have alltel and everyone was always complaining that the coverage outside of major cities was horrible. On top of that, there was no reception in our office (in downtown Raleigh, mind you). Sprint and AT&T worked in the places Alltel did not.

4/24/2008 12:29:11 PM

So no idea about verizon in the area...

Ok, I'll look into Sprint again...I noticed a problem outside of Raleigh like in Garner and Cary..If that's been fixed, great. Thanks for your help guys

4/24/2008 7:51:43 PM

Quote :

"Funny, thats the exact opposite of my experience. My company used to have alltel and everyone was always complaining that the coverage outside of major cities was horrible. On top of that, there was no reception in our office (in downtown Raleigh, mind you). Sprint and AT&T worked in the places Alltel did not."

then you're one in a million...i seriously doubt anyone's going to argue that GSM has better coverage than CDMA in this country, when you take the entire country as a whole into account...i can get 2 out of 5 bars reception in a second-level basement at NCSU where GSM carriers can't even dream about making a call out, and that's pretty much how it is with CDMA in general...people can argue call quality all they want, but not even the GSM stores will lie to you about how great their coverage is compared to a CDMA carrier

4/25/2008 8:31:53 AM

^All I know is, when my wife had Alltel and I had AT&T, I had service tons of places where she did not. Maybe it was the phones, maybe it was the network. Its the same with Sprint. I have excellent service everywhere now. When my company used Alltel, no one could use their phones in the office (and there were several different types of handsets in use). AT&T and Sprint both work in the office. I don't know the difference between GSM and CDMA, but I will NEVER use Alltel.

e: I did a quick study of GSM and CDMA. GSM is the dominant technology outside the US. CDMA is the main one here. AT&T and T-Mobile are GSM (they use sim cards). Sprint and Alltel use CDMA. Some rural areas have CDMA, but have not yet added GSM.

[Edited on April 25, 2008 at 9:16 AM. Reason : .]

4/25/2008 9:08:29 AM

^^ Yeah, Alltel is amazing, and flame all you want, however, consumer reports even ranked them in the top pick (as far as customer satisfaction, dropped call rate, & coverage area iirc). Sure their $30 and $40 plans aren't as good as other service providers (from what I saw about 6-8 months ago), however, the coverage is, thru my experience, the best. I've got a package for roughly $45/mo (which was a special 3 years ago) which includes 500 text/picture text messages free, 1000 anytime minutes, almost 0 roaming charges because of the national coverage, and unlimited mobile to mobile, weekend, and night (9pm) minutes. The only times I can't get reception are when I'm in the basement of a 30+ year old downtown building (even the tv downstairs barely gets reception and the antenna is located in the ceiling, or beneath the 1st floor ), or I'm on the Tail of the Dragon.

I've never had any trouble in the last 3 years I've had them. Average customer service over the phone, better than average whenever I walked into the offices/stores around town. I say better than average instead of fantastic because often times there is a line of about 3-4 people ahead of me every time I go, which can be a 30-60 minute wait. However, I don't go often, and if time was an issue, I could always call no problem. I just prefer personal service and thus don't mind waiting for it, though it could be improved imo.

Don't count any provider out though. Shop around and find something that fits with what you need.



[Edited on April 25, 2008 at 9:51 AM. Reason : .]

4/25/2008 9:29:31 AM

Thanks guys. I am shopping around, I just wanted opinions about service coverage and personal experiences.

4/25/2008 9:50:29 AM

^ please tell me your screen name is a reference to zelda

the gf and i share an alltel plan for $79.99:

- 2 lines
- 1000 anytime minutes
- unlimited nights/weekends
- unlimited mobile-to-mobile
- 1000 text/pic/vid (each, so 2000 total)
- national coverage
- 10 "my circle" numbers

the only plan that even comes CLOSE to beating that is sprint's SERO...we only have 7 of the 10 "my circle" numbers filled in, and our total usage (together) comes to less than 300 anytime minutes per month

and yes, we could debate the CDMA vs. GSM (in terms of better technology) all day, but what it breaks down to is that CDMA is used only in the US and in japan (IIRC) because it was developed by the US military around world war 2 (i think)...it's a more efficient system than GSM, and the throughput is higher than GSM (if you care about internet access and such, which my parents use because of where they live)...also, there are more towers supporting the CDMA network than there are GSM (though, i admit, that's changing), but CDMA signals have a further range than GSM signals, so each CDMA tower provides more coverage than the GSM equivalent

yes, GSM is used just about everywhere else in the world and if traveling (with the desire to pay astronomical rates) and using your cell phone is a concern (which it is for a some people, particularly those working for international businesses), then GSM should definitely be a consideration

FWIW, alltel now offers the blackberry "world edition" phone (i can't remember the model number) that supports CDMA and GSM, so if you're in the market for a pocketpc and you want the ability to use it on any network, you should DEFINITELY look at that as an option

with CDMA, you'll get the "clicking" at the beginning of most calls that GSM people love to point out, but aside from that, in all but the most remote areas, call quality is same (in my experience)...when i was up in montana, i loved the fact that i had, quite literally, full coverage, while my friends with GSM phones couldn't get jack...i've never seen or experienced the reverse before, but as stantheman pointed out, it's possible (just unlikely)

[Edited on April 25, 2008 at 9:59 AM. Reason : .]

4/25/2008 9:52:58 AM

I had to switch from sprint to verizon becuase when i would go home to va the service would cut out completely and i'd have NO signal until i got back into NC
I now have verizon and while it's a bit more expensive than my sprint plan, I get coverage everywhere and I dont have any problems with text messages (like i did with sprint).

4/25/2008 10:40:52 AM

My experience:
I love sprint. My mother claims that coverage in their house has declined, but I think that's due to the fact that she's had the same phone since 9/06, drops it 93 times a day, and never restarts it.

Since she's not happy with it, but I love sprint, I'll be switching to SERO in september.

I -LOVE- Sprint, after having been with Cingular previously. With them, they'd
- always fuck up my bill
- CSRs were fucking RUDE (more so than is to be expected)
- ~60% of the time, my text messaging didn't work
- It seemed like I could only get coverage near campus. Anywhere else, and it was a crapshoot.

Moving to sprint
- MY TEXT MESSAGING ALWAYS WORKS <3
- When they fuck up my bill, it typically takes 1-4 cycles (depending on how stupid the first rep is) to get it completely fixed, but they aren't rude. At worst, they're indian
- I always have service
- 7pm nights and weekends isn't a big deal for me, but it might be for you.

When I had cingular, I had zero coverage in the underground labs at textiles. I love it when I went to send a text while down there, and actually discovered I was able to make a phone call

And I get a 23% discount with USAA

4/25/2008 10:58:49 AM

Had Nextel (wayyy before it changed to Sprint) for years and loved the *chirp* direct-connect stuff since my family had it. Really saves on minutes, BUTTTTTTT I hated my text messaging. I would send ppl messages and they wouldn't get them til' the next day at CRAZY hours and vice versa. HATED IT!

In 2006, I got Verizon and couldn't be happier! Love their price plans, text messaging, internet, and mobile IM packages/bundles! I text about 200+ messages/a day.....so yeah! Love my "V" phone (it's the phone that was replaced by the EnV and now the Voyager which I will have soon enough)! As far as coverage, I pretty much have a signal ANYWHERE. In the mall it can be hit or miss (with Nextel, I NEVER HAD SERVICE IN THERE)!! Customer service is optimal as well. Never had a complaint. If you mess up your phone or it becomes to scrated up, you can *exchange* your phone for a replacement ONCE a year...that's awesome. They give you HUGE corporate discounts. I get 22% off phones and equipment, as well as like 15-20% off my monthly plan!

4/25/2008 11:16:31 AM

I've got Verizon, and the coverage in cities is about a 3 or 4 out of 5. Five or more miles out of the city and it's gotten better these last few years with ok service everywhere. I lose reception in some on-campus buildings (read: basement/ground floors) but its probably my old-ass phone. Decent plans, but I don't know how they stack up against others. I'd say there's better options but depends on what you want.

4/25/2008 11:35:35 AM

verizon has a larger physical network (in that they own the equipment), but alltel uses verizon's towers in addition to their own (or that's how it was explained to me, but i can't verify that)

alltel is the DEAD LAST company to get ANY new equipment, so if you're looking for something that's out with verizon but not with alltel, give it 2 or 3 months

with alltel i've had the moto startac , the moto v60, the nokia 6255i, and now the moto rockr (z6m)...i've always had excellent reception (for the time), but then i researched each phone before i bought them to maximize my service

4/25/2008 11:40:22 AM

^ yeah. I've got the LG Wave AX380. Cool phone. Does more than I need it to, but still a cool phone none the less.

btw, that moto rokr is pimp... I missed out

[Edited on April 25, 2008 at 11:49 AM. Reason : .]

4/25/2008 11:46:47 AM

Yeah, forgot to add that Verizon works off of Alltel towers as well.

4/25/2008 12:16:01 PM

bttt

3/26/2010 10:13:59 AM

Hey guys, I asked omar to bump this for me.

Here's my situation:

I'm coming back to the states in 2 weeks and will need a cell phone obviously. I don't know the pros and cons of providers other than:

ATT- Weak coverage, shitty customer service, has iphones
Verizon - Fairly fast, mediocre customer service, more expensive phones
T-mobile - Decent coverage, Amazing customer service, mediocre phone lineup

I've gotten what I can about the providers through google and the tubes, but I'd like some recommendations or reviews of providers in the area.

On the topic of phones, I'm interested in a smartphone, but am kind of turned away by the cost. Other than having an app that I can shake the phone and watch boobies jiggle, I don't really know what I would use a smartphone for. I think some of the droid phones look pretty cool, but app support for the iphone is just so overwhelmingly huge, that I dunno.

tl;dr
Recommend wireless provider
Recommend phone/smartphone

Thanks everyone.

3/27/2010 11:03:18 PM

The biggest appeal to having an iPhone for me is being able to jot down random shit I think of during the day and always having it There are a lot of free addictive games you can get to.

If you plan to stay in the triangle area (ie not travel around the state a lot) I think AT&T and Verizon are probably comparable. I never really had a ton of problems with AT&T the 5 years I was in Raleigh but it seems like a lot of people swear by Verizon also.

Quote :

"A friend of mine has AT&T and he sometimes sends blank text messages..."

And this from earlier in the thread...I'm pretty sure is an EBKC problem.

3/27/2010 11:52:53 PM

i've got a droid with verizon and i love it. android has a shit ton of apps too.

i mainly use the smartphone for email and googling random shit when i'm not near a computer. i also like having the calendar, contacts, etc automatically sync with my google stuff. it's seamless. after i graduate, i don't think i'll have much use for the smartphone. it'll still be cool to have, though.

verizon is ridiculously expensive, but they have excellent coverage. i had to go with them because i spend a lot of time in rural areas where verizon and US Cellular are the only carriers with service. USC's phone selections blow.

i'd look at Tmobile

3/28/2010 12:58:54 AM

I'd get a Nexus One on Tmobile

3/28/2010 1:48:09 AM

why?

3/28/2010 5:09:26 AM

verizon has INSANELY BETTER coverage outside of big cities than at&t. at&t has no service in all in lots of those areas.

that said, i am with at&t b/c i wanted an iphone i've had a lot of the pre-iphone/touchscreen smartphones and once you have one you can't imagine how you tolerated any other phone. i've never used a droid phone though.

3/28/2010 9:57:24 AM

I live out in a pretty isolated area in Chapel Hill and have AT&T and their service SUCKS at home. They only way I can get even 1 bar is to stand in a certain spot on our deck and angle my phone to the sky and wait 5 minutes. No major issues in cities though. When friends come over if they have Alltel or Sprint or Verizon they have service. I'm going to switch as soon as my contract is up.

3/28/2010 10:26:04 AM

http://www.thewolfweb.com/message_topic.aspx?topic=364512

3/28/2010 12:57:56 PM

Hey look, a thread from 2005; I am sure it will be relevant. Thanks for the help smath.


On another note, I saw that skype now has skype mobile. They imply on their website that only verizon droid phones can run it, while I doubt that is the case.

Does anyone have any experience with Skype Mobile? I'd be interested to hear as I will probably be making alot of international calls with it.

3/28/2010 7:49:35 PM

It should be available for blackberries also. Apparently it can only be used over 3G though. Skype to Skype calls are free and calls to other numbers use your verizon minutes.

3/28/2010 8:08:36 PM

page plus unless you need a smartphone

3/28/2010 9:28:53 PM

^^^that is the way of things. lock this thread up.

4/6/2010 11:10:15 AM

rumors swirling about that the iphone will be available on other networks when AT&T's 5-year contract with apple runs out, which is I think early 2011? Just something to consider.

4/7/2010 11:53:19 AM

^ Its been confirmed they have a CDMA iPhone in dev right now, Verizon pretty much has said they are picking up the contract with that.

4/7/2010 12:49:51 PM

^While I hope that's true, and its the obvious conclusion to assume, can you please cite the source where you got that information ?

4/7/2010 1:29:11 PM

Quote :

"AT&T's 5-year contract"

i thought the first iphone came out in 2007?

how does 2011 equal 5 years?

4/7/2010 1:54:06 PM

^ further proof that people are stupid

4/12/2010 10:17:22 AM

verizon's got the best coverage by far of any provider i've used, from the city to the holler where my mom lives (first provider to even get a signal within 20 minutes of her home, and i get full service at her place)

great phone selection and great customer service, but kinda pricey compared to some of the other budget providers

4/12/2010 11:48:47 AM