I think as the carriers have added "Gs" the biggest impact has been on data speed (smartphone use) and not so much call quality. There's no industry standard for Gs as between different systems, so one carrier's 4 G isn't necessarily faster than another's 3 G.

Other than people who need smart phones for work (and many do), I'm not sure that too many people truly need a smartphone. But once you have one, you never want to be without it, that's for sure!

All smartphones can be used on Wifi for data, so most people do that when home and at work to economize on data charges.

As far as carriers go, I'm a longtime (like >25 years) Verizon Mobile customer but I live in an suburban area well served by towers. The only areas around me with weak signals are in the more remote hills and valleys and a few coastal areas. Unless your house is situated differently from those around you, check with neighbors to see what carriers they use and how strong their signal is.

Good luck.

My old Razor has served me well, but it doesn't have half the signal as my hubby's basic LG phone. There are spots inside my house that I get zero signal and others have no issue with signal.

It's time to upgrade, at least for me.

I am now using Verizon- not willingly, but I need to use it when I am up in northern Wyoming for some volunteer work there also.
In San Antonio the signal is zip! Dropped calls . I have to stand at the window for a good connection.
In the boonies of Northern Rocky Mountains I get a better signal-BUT...I have noticed if I pull my blinds down in either place, the signal is much worse! I think the metal of the blinds interferes with the signal.
I have used a few different phones. The sensitivity of the 4g android does much worse than a plin ol simple phone.
The maps, Gps, do not work in the 3g area, which is all of Wyoming/Montana.
If you are thinking of getting a more expensive phone I would make certain you can bring it back. ..

In my experience (Verizon and ATT), carriers are pretty quick to add capacity and coverage where they have customers and logjams. In a small town or in remote areas (other than on an interstate highway), it's a different story.

Dead spots and signal shadow areas in particular areas are unavoidable, that comes with the technology.

The current issue of Consumer Reports compares phones and carriers. Verizon comes out first nationwide and also in most markets. I used to have two phones, Verizon and ATT, and it was not unusual to have a strong signal on the V phone and little or no signal on the ATT one. This was in different parts of the SF Bay area, not out in the boonies.

Edit -
The place to place signal variability issue was why I suggested this user check with neighbors to see if one carrier works better or worse than others.

This post was edited by snidely on Tue, Dec 10, 13 at 1:50

There are phones out there that will give you better reception, but it's impossible to say which ones without trying them. You could buy the most expensive phone on the market and it might not perform well in your location. I suggest you find out what models your friends use that get better reception, regardless of who their carrier is, and try one of them out. As ilmbg pointed out, make sure you get one that you can bring back if it doesn't perform better than what you have now.

No offense to anyone, but I suggest you focus mostly on the responses you get from members who live in like circumstances. Remember topography, natural surroundings, and distance are your enemies.

In my case I live in in rural America in a terrain depression equi-distant from three distant towers. The original local network was poor. Through the years along came 3G which was an improvement. Finally, Verizon partnered with the local provider and the 4G LTE arrived with vast improvement.

In some instances there is nothing that can be done as the signal is finite, and doesn't bend.

I wish you luck as I know how frustrating it can be.

DA

This post was edited by damccoy on Tue, Dec 10, 13 at 19:34

You cant go by brand of phones either. My daughter used to get excellent reception when she visited me, but, her hubby didnt. They both got new phones, and both got the brand, they previously had, but, now it has switched, and she cant get any reception here, and his is excellent. I do have close towers, and have full bars all the time on both my last phone and this new one. Wish my last phone would have lasted a couple more years. I did get 5 yrs out of it, but, I really liked that phone. I really dont like this new one, not even a tiny bit.

When I lived in NY I had a Blackberry through Verizon and I never lost a call. Moved to Florida, Blackberry worked well but I noticed lower bars. Bought the new I Phone with Verizon and it is terrible. I can't make any calls inside my house or back yard. Most time the phone goes to voice mail and I don't even realize I missed a call.

This is Florida - flat as a dime! Phone is terrible.
NYC is surrounded with huge buildings, hills, etc. Blackberry worked like a dream.

I think its the fault of the phone so I agree you should speak to people in your area and find out how their phones work and what carrier is best.

Jane

This post was edited by jane__ny on Tue, Dec 10, 13 at 23:47