It depends on your needs. Also coverage may vary depending on where you live. We like T Mobile but we have smart phones and are heavy users of all their capabilities so the unlimited data works well for us.

Verizon works best in our area. ATT calls get dropped a lot here in NW AR.

we have Verizon and have had zero problems with dropped calls. we live outside a major city so coverage is good. pricey, but they changed their plans, you now have to buy your phone outright and then monthly price goes down. i think ATT is doing this also. All in all, we are satisfied but its still a big hit on the wallet!! my sister has ATT, lives 10mins from me and they have problems with calls in general.

do your homework and get what meets your needs. after our kids are on their own, we will probable down grade all-together and get something really cheap!!

Coverage makes all the difference. Where we lived before, in California, AT&T had horrid coverage. But when we moved the Philly, the Verizon was terrible. We switched and for a shared plan (contract, new phones), we are paying $30 less a month with AT&T.

We've had AT&T for years and get good coverage. No real complaints.

This is a 'local' question -- depends on the service provided where you live. We're on our DS's T-Mobil 'family plan'. Near Chicago, it's 'pretty good'. On Maui, it's 'excellent'.

Verizon works best in our rural area. AT&T didn't even cover our area when we built here 17 years ago. We also travel a lot & I used to travel often for business. I have had Verizon for years and found very few places where I was without coverage. AT&T was the subscriber for my work mobile phone. Different story there. So it would depend on your situation and requirements. Look at the nationwide coverage maps for both if you are curious.

We've always and only had Verizon, it's the best coverage in our coastal area. But I am not consumer loyal, I would go with the best service, price wherever I lived. Just wish they had a better price for a two party plan, it's not as cost effective as I'd like to see unless you are one, or three ;0)

My SIL bought a T-Mobile phone for my mother an hour north of her a few years ago...'no bars at Mom's house'....It went back, contract cancelled.

My number one priority is finding the best coverage for my frequently visited areas...home, work, parent's house, etc. Then, I would check for the most economical plan based on my type of usage. Almost all of the carriers have coverage maps on their websites; some can drill down to the zip code or address.

Thanks, all. Yes, coverage is primary. I'm in MA. I'll also ask around locally.

For the major carriers, I think the days of spotty coverage and dropped calls in built-up areas and highway corridors were more common in the past than they are now. Networks are mature and problem areas the carriers have encountered from time to time have mostly been addressed. In my area, there are sometimes hills and canyons, and remote areas in the mountains or stretches of coastline where coverage can fade with all carriers but I think that's to be expected.

Verizon vs ATT? I think it's a matter of pricing, device choice and personal preference. I've been a customer of Verizon and its predecessor (GTE Mobilnet) since the dawn of time. I've travelled extensively throughout the US over the years and found Verizon's signal reliability to be tops. Including in and around Philadelphia, sushipup, that I used to visit regularly. You may be in a particular area of bad reception and, of course, "Your mileage may vary", as they say.

Yup, our mileage here varies. But I'm speaking about what we get here at home, altho we do use the home wi-fi boost with our phones anyway. I got lousy reception here, the neighbors have same experience. When you speak of coverage, you really are speaking about local geography, block by block.

One of our kids spent a good number of years in Philadelphia, for undergrad and professional school. Sprint did a full court press marketing and sales effort at this university and made sure reception was primo in every nook and cranny of campus and the surrounding neighborhood. My kid decided to get a Sprint phone. It worked great in Philadelphia (as did our Verizon phones when we visited). When the kid was home visiting, it was learned there was no Sprint reception indoors nor in the front yard. Back yard only, or when a screen was taken off a back window and the phone was held outdoors with the user leaning out the window.

If you're using a wifi booster with whatever service you have and the neighbors also have problems, then as you say, the reception problem is because of the area and not a system-wide issue of the carrier(s).

Verizon is supposed to have the largest coverage area of all the carriers, at least it was when I checked last year. Google coverage maps for the companies in which you are interested, and compared coverage.

I checked the coverage map for AT&T, and know it is not accurate. Some sections of cities in SW San Bernardino County CA get zero bars--despite what the map shows. Had to get Verizon for service; the Verizon works fine.

I've had both and Verizon worked better for me, but I live in the boondocks in what they refer to as a "cell phone sink hole"....and it is hard to get good reception but Verizon worked pretty good. I have T Mobile now and it is okay too.

My personal phone is with Verizon and my work Blackberry is with AT&T. I use both phones within the same coverage areas. I don't like my work Blackberry because it often drops calls. My personal phone, with Verizon, never drops a call.

Either is fine. Just don't take a Verizon phone after it is unlocked to AT&T. That doesn't work. AT&T wasn't able to get it going on their network. I called and called, spend hours at their service center and on online chat... but ended up going back to Verizon.

Now, you ask, why did you change in the first place? Well, it was bought in Florida, cause AT&T didn't work well there... but now back in OKC I no longer wanted a Florida number nor the memory... and wanted back with AT&T. Well, it wasn't meant to be either.....

Moni

Verizon phones, and cell towers use CDMA technology, AT&T's use GSM. Each is generally incompatible with the other.

Verizon's so-called "global phones" (also called tri-band or quad-band phones), which includes most of the smartphone models they offer now, will roam on GSM networks outside the US. They're specifically prevented (by Verizon's spec) from connecting to GSM signals of US carriers.

My wife made her choice several years ago and conditions may have changed since then. She chose Verizon based on cost ( plan selections), coverage, reliability, and roaming. At that time, we dropped Sprint due to their stretched advertisement of full coverage over most of the contiguous US. What we discovered to our dismay on a trip, (at that time) was their coverage was limited to within 15 miles of the interstate highway system. Our phone was of no value to us for most of the locations we visited; it was no good for 911 emergencies at those locations, could not contact the police, and no good for contacting AAA, etc. On our return, the phone was tested at their local office and found to be in good working order. We contacted the company and found it very difficult to discover why our phone had failed us.

We had to go with Verizon as they were the only company that would "reach" to the University where our first chose to go to college...in the seven years we have worked with them we have not had one issue.

Elmer, I wish, I had asked you about all this, before trying to switch. Could have saved me some money. ;)

Moni

Check with your neighbours as to what coverage and plans they use.

ole joyful ... who isn't in a cell ... and hasn't used one (yet)

Verizon works best in where we live. Next month, I finally will be done with a two-year contract with Verizon. $65/month for ONE gig of date and unlimited text and talk. Then I am switching to Total Wireless, will still be on Verizon towers (prepaid plan), but will have 5 gigs and unlimited talk and text for $35/month.