Cell Phone Service Reviews from the Major Cell Phone Companies!
"Can You Hear Me Now?"
Picking the right cell phone service can prove to be very challenging. Most people want a good reliable service that doesn't have a lot of drop calls and that doesn't cost a lot of money each month. Some of the major companies for cell phone service include, but are not limited to: Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon, and Cingular/AT&T.
Most of the reviews on these four services show that Verizon has the best call quality and also provides the best phone service plans. Verizon uses what is called a CDMA network, Code Division Multiple Access, which uses an analog to digital conversion to help reduce signal break-up as the phone passes from one cell site to another. Extended range (From each cell site) and excellent quality are gained by using a CDMA network; however, they do not have the roaming capabilities that the GSM network has, which I will talk about later. Another benefit to CDMA is the speed of data transfer. A lot of reports suggest that the real world speed of CDMA data transfer is around 300 - 700 kilobits per second, which is similar to the speed of DSL.
T-Mobile is close to Verizon mainly because they use GSM, Global Systems for Mobile communication, instead of CDMA. GSM gives T-Mobile an edge due to the fact that it is widely used in Europe and Asia, making it a great service for international travelers. GSM has currently 120 million customers worldwide in over 120 countries, so it is easy to see why companies, like T-Mobile, would employ this type of mobile telephone system. Also, GSM networks have contracts with other GSM carriers, so the users have better roaming capabilities for when they are in rural areas. Another cell phone company that uses GSM is Cingular, but they have lower scores and not as good of customer satisfaction as T-Mobile.
Sprint PCS, Personal Communications Services, is a wireless phone service but is similar to cellular service. The advantage Sprint has over cellular service is that it incorporates better personal service and provides an extended mobility. PCS uses technologies such as CDMA, GSM & TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access) for their mobile service systems.
Ok, so it seems that GSM and CDMA are the two best (For now at least) cell phone networks, but I haven't really listed any disadvantages to them. So below is a list I compiled that gives the advantages and disadvantages to each network.
CDMA:
Advantages - Excellent call quality and data transfer. Also has extended range from each cell site.
Disadvantages -Doesn't provide a lot of service in rural areas. Also, they currently do not provide good international roaming capabilities.
GSM:
Advantages - Excellent roaming capabilities in both the US and in other countries. GSM networks use a sim card which stores data on your phone and can be transferred to other GSM network phones.
Disadvantages - Shorter range from each cell site which requires them to have a lot of base stations in order to provide a good signal. They provide slower transfer speed and less quality when compared to CDMA networks.
After looking at the reviews from all these different types of cell phone services, I have come to the conclusion that if you reside in an urban area and want good call quality and data transfer, then Verizon is the best phone service. But, if you want service in more rural areas and in other countries and are not as concerned with good quality and data transfer, then T-Mobile would be the best phone service.
Hopefully this will help shed some light on the different cell phone services and provide you with some helpful information when deciding which service to employ!!
Published by JW
Just a guy writing about the things he enjoys! View profile
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- CDMA has the best sound quality and the best data throughput!
- GSM has excellent roaming capabilities but has limited range & lower quality compared to CDMA.
25 Comments
Post a CommentI just cancelled my Sprint PCS service due to deep disatisfaction with service coverage. I have had extreme difficulty getting decent coverage in a multitude of locations. I switched to TMobile and have found it provides good coverage where Sprint was terrible.
Now Sprint is charging me an early cancellation charge...don't go with Sprint PCS.
BOOST MOBILE JUST CAME UP WITH THE SHRINK PLAN, THERE IS HUGE GLITCH IN THERE SYSTEM, YOU CAN GET THE COMPLETE 35 DLLS DISCOUNT IN JUST 2 WEEKS, YOU HAVE TO BE PATIENT AND YOU WILL GET IT, IM THE FIRST ONE TO DO SO, JUST CONTACT ME AND I WILL TELL YOU HOW, I WORK WITH BOOST BUT THEY HAVE TO PAY FOR THERE ERRORS, OUR WIN IS THERE LOSS,...
COTACT ME AT: micinemania@gmail.com
Tracfone offers very cheap service and non existent customer service. When you eventually have a problem you will spend approximately 6 hours on the phone being told how sorry Tracfone is, entering codes and relaying codes and then being told you have no complaint that the phone is working. I have had Tracfone for 2 years now and I'm switching ASAP, I paid for service, the phone was not updated and Tracfone continues to tell me the minutes were added, I've finally given up.
It's a shame Verizon is the "best" when it comes to cell phones, because they're terrible!!! Their automated phone system is rediculous and their coverage isn't all that great, despite being better than others. When will a new, handsome cell phone company in shining armor come to rescue us from all the other awful cell phone companies?
Verizon is one of the WORST Customer Service Companies I've Ever had the Pleasure to Speak with. They think that if they bully you around on the phone that they will eventually get you as a customer! IMAGINE THAT! LOL! ATT IS AND WILL ALWAYS BE BETTER :)
I purchased a Blackberry Storm off Ebay, Verizon won't provide me with a subsidy unlock code. Imagine I was actually thinking about moving to Verizon as a service provider, I certainly won't when they great me with that type of response. I have to be a customer for 60 days? I BOUGHT THE HARDWARE, YOU DIDN'T "GIVE IT TO ME" Take a note from ATT, Verizon, you guys are HORRIBLE AT MAKING A (FUTURE)CUSTOMER HAPPY. :)
Would never recommend Sprint. After 8+ years of being a loyal customer, I have had it. Horrible coverage. Terrible customer service. I am switching to Verizon tomorrow morning.
Verizon stealing money? If you use the services you have to pay for them. All the money Verizon "stole" from you could have been prevented if you used the simple # features programed in you phone. #data checks text messages, #min checks mins. Just because you change cell companies does not mean you will be any happier. T-mobile charges just the same as verizon when you go over, or when you do something that is not included in your plan. All cell phone companies do that. What everyone needs to do is make sure they are on the right plan. Verizon unlike most other cell companies will allow you to change your calling plan without any penalty, or contract extension.
As manager of a Verizon Wireless Store I have to back them but, I have worked for T-mobile and there plans are cheaper by about 15%-20%. That is why I joined Verizon. Key word "cheaper." If you travel outside of a metro area you will drop calls with t-mobile. Verizon has a 97.3% call take rate compaired to T-mobiles 93%. Concidering Verizon calling area almost doubles T-mobiles, I think that is pretty good. On top of that T-mobile has around 31 million US customers. Verizon has over 80 million. So based on those facts, If T-mobile had as many customers as Verizon, T-mobile call take rate would be below 80%.
Had TMobile for years with no problems. Due to economy, strayed away to BoostMobile. Awful decision. They're awful. Now i'm back with TMobile. Cheaper is definitely not always better. -BMR
I have been with T-mobile for many years and I have come to the point where I am no longer impressed with them. They have been holding 411 dollars of mine for almost a month. I have already returned the product that i didn't want and was told in 3-5 business days I would receive my money back. I HAVE NOT GOTTEN IT. The economy is not getting better folks.. DO NOT PUT YOUR MONEY WITH A COMPANY WHO WILL NOT GIVE IT BACK. THERE CUSTOMER SERVICE IS BEYOND HORRIBLE, EVEN IN THE CORP. OFFICE. T-MOBILE DOES NOT VALUE THERE CUSTOMERS.