I've been using Verizon for the past several years, and I originally went to them about 5-6 years ago because of coverage in the bay area. At that time, they simply had the best, and the other out there (AT&T, cingular, etc) simply had too many drop outs to be usable.

Ok, I know times change, and it's now mid 2006... and I'm considering switching carriers since Verizon phones suck or are too expensive. Tmobile and cingular seem to have the cool phones.

How is the coverage from the other companies in the bay area?

Please let me know which carrier you use, what part of the bay area you use it in, and how the coverage is.

 

I have Cingular, I switched from Sprint...Don't even try going to those ****ers. They suck ***. I got my Motorolla SLVR for 200 dollars. And they were recently having a deal for 99.99 with a contract. I like their service 100x better than sprint. And they have cool phones. Service in the Oakland hill suck, but everywhere else. I seem to not go under 2 bars. Even in my home. I usually have 4 or 5 bars. our of 5 of course.

Hope this helps.
Ben

 

Tmobile reception sux *** at my place (pt. Richmond). Everywhere else seems to be okay thou.. their customer service is alrite..

I had cingular before.. their coverage is okay but thier customer serivce is terrible. The important thing is that they rip u off with all these taxes they make up.

 

had tmobile for like 4 years now with no problems. Reception is good everywhere except in my apartment, lol. I gotta stand near the window

 

I have Cingular, got the Razr for $30 w/ 1 yr contract. I been all over the Bay and the reception is good. Well except I was in Millbrae couple weeks ago, and the reception sucked ***.

 

i have sprint. pretty good service imho. reception is good. customer service is eh ok.

scale of 1-10... i'd give a 7.

 

I have stayed with verizon for about 6 years, been thinking about going with Cingular for a while though.

 

i switched from cingular to verizon about 2 yrs ago and have been happy with my decision. IMO, verizon gets better fringe coverage when you're out in the hills and the middle of nowhere.

 

my phone works everywhere for me except where I work, my girlfriends house, and my apartment.

 

I'm in San Jose - pretty close to downtown/Willow Glen. I have T-Mobile and the coverage is fine. I used to have Verizon, but switched out because of cost and T-Mobile had the SK-2 which I wanted. Overall, Verizon had fewer dead spots, but I found that T-Mobile is adequate for my needs and the costs/phones make up for the difference in coverage.

My plan is $39 a month for 1500 anytime minutes + $20 a month for unlimited data/text/internet access. I use the internet feature very heavily. Although it is slow ( 40 kbps ) the ability to use it anywhere is awesome.


One important note is that many carriers will let you do a trial period. When I was with Verizon, I went into the T-Mobile store and said I was interested in their service but was worried about coverage and whether I would like the SK. They have a 30 day trial period during which you can return the phone (assuming it isn't damaged) and all you pay is for the service - no early termination.


Useful www: http://www.cellreception.com/

 

IMO Cingular has the best coverage.

 

T-Mobile was horrible in my house (S.F. - Sunset) last year. I would pretty much have to sit next to a window on the 2nd floor in order to get a signal. I switched to Verizon in December, and I have reception everywhere in my house.

-Mike-

 

Verizon is still the best for coverage. If you NEED your phone to work, you simply have no choice but verizon. T-Mo and Cingular dont hold a candle in terms of coverage, and dont get me started on Sprint.

 

Verizon gets the best coverage, but their phones sorta suck (although the new LG Chocolate's "okay"). I have Cingular and I'm using an unlocked Samsung D600. So far so good. Although, with my old Sony Ericsson S710a, it kept breaking up my calls. Pissed me the hell off until I changed phones recently. Hardware can play a role on how well the service works for ya, unless someone can chime in with more info about that. This is just coming from my own experience.

 

I would disagree. I think the Moto E815 is the best phone on the market, GSM or CDMA. Incredible signal pull, EVDO DUN support, Bluetooth OBEX/FTP support (with a bit of hacking), iSync support, FAST browser, FAST interface, no Verizon standard UI, very hackable if you like that sort of thing, great battery life, tons of accessories available.