Best Carrier for Cell Phone Coverage? (Atlanta, Alpharetta: sales, rental, home)

[brownhornet]

I switched from Alltel to t mobile because alltel's
smartphone plans were just too expensive. Plus they didn't have any Evdo coverage in the metro area. I love t mobile and have no issues with coverage or dropped calls and my bill is almost half what it was on alltel.

As far as t mobile and facebook not working, I don't know who told you that but I upload pics, videos and update status messages as well as make wall posts on mine. Do you have a smartphone or just a regular phone? Because if you have a smartphone you can use a program called facebook im, or you can also use a program called skybook. Both work with t mobile for me without issues.

What's ironic is I actually work for one of the other companies and have a nearly free phone I never use. As far as coverage though Verizon has that on lock... but in my opinion their phone selection absolutely sucks. Sprint on the other hand, has without a doubt the best phone selection especially with that palm pre, the htc diamond 2 and the htc pro 2 about to drop... but the service can be iffy. Their 3G internet download speeds are fast as hell though and they're actually in the process of rolling out the first 4G network here in Atlanta.

The worst to me is AT&t. Had their service and absolutely hated it. Well I should say I had cingular before they merged and things just went downhill from there. If it weren't for them getting exclusive rights on the I phone they'd be in bad shape. Then there's metro pcs.. but if you plan on traveling outside of town with your phone its worthless to get it. Kind of hard to beat that unlimited everything for 49 bucks though.

All in all it basically just depends what you want... the best coverage, the best phones or the most reasonable bill. Damn how obvious is it that I work in telecom? lol

[rl256]

I am typing this on my iPhone right now. I have never had any problems except when I am inside emory hospital. They have a contract with verizon so only their phones work inside.

[brownhornet]

I had an unlocked I phone on t mobile but aside from the apps I felt it was terribly overrated. You have to jailbreak it just to get the full effects of the phone. As of right now im rocking with the touch pro but im probably gonna grab that nokia n97 when it drops though.

[Sweet Atlanta Peach]

I am constantly in the 30311 zip code (I grew up between there and 30344), and my Verizon Service works well there. I have had all carriers, and Verizon is the best by far. I've had them since they were Air Touch (talking about BACK IN THE DAY LOLRL!!).

[Buckhead Betty]

Get the iPhone! I promise you'll be a very happy person.

I really was worried about switching from Verizon, but I have actually had far fewer dropped calls with AT&T. As was mentioned earlier, there are certain places where AT&T service goes away, specifically parts of hospitals. I've occasionally had to go out on the balcony of a hotel room in some cities. Those have been annoying problems, but the pleasures of the iPhone make it worthwhile.

I personally haven't found AT&T to have bad customer service, but the nice thing about being an iPhone owner is that you hardly ever have to talk to your provider because you get a year's unlimited tech support from Apple, which has great customer service.

If your issues are about the hardware or software, you call Apple. You only call AT&T about billing and coverage. My AT&T plan has ended up being far less expensive than Verizon's because they don't add extra charges for every little thing. AT&T has rollover minutes;with Verizon, your unused minutes expire each month. AT&T also is not roaming in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, if that means anything to you.

I have also found Apple to be really generous in their warranty coverage. I've purchased a number of Apple products over the past decade. They have always repaired or replaced them immediately if there was a hardware failure. (They even sometimes stretch the warranty terms in the customer's favor.)

The iPhone is everything it's cracked up to be and more. In June, they're upgrading to a new OS and it will become even better. New features will be added. There are already an amazing array of really useful apps. The Facebook app works great and you can upload photos directly from the iPhone to FB.

[StPaulEastSider]

Thanks Buckhead Betty, I cracked up at the U.S. Virgin Islands comment. Yes, the U.S. Virgin Islands mean something to me, I once spent 3 wonderful weeks at the Mahogany Run Villas on the Island of St. Thomas, and we made regular day trips over to St. Johns Island. My best vacation - ever!

But that was also in another life... I grew up fairly well-to-do but then my parents sold the family business and in short order, lost everything they'd worked their entire lives to achieve.

As for me, well, let's just say I had to of married for love - because it most certainly was not for money! LOL!

I'd LOVE to return to the V.I. one day, but it is not likely to happen any day soon

Thanks for the endorsement of the I-Phone... I played w/a friend's I-Phone this past weekend, and it was SWEET !

I do still worry about AT&Ts coverage on the west side of Atlanta. I'll have check back to the website listed in one of the prior posts in this thread, and see what they say about AT&Ts coverage in the 30310 & 30311 zip codes.

Have fun with your I-Phone!

[Buckhead Betty]

StPaulEastSider, St. Thomas and St. John are the best. If you ever want to go back, get in touch with me.

Meanwhile, you might learn more about specific AT&T coverage issues in their customer forums. Wireless Forums from AT&T - Wireless Forums from AT&T It is moderated by AT&T, but users speak very freely about their experiences. I would suggest going to the appropriate thread and asking about coverage in the areas you expect to be in.
You'll have to register to get into the particular discussions that would be helpful. (I hope you don't need to already have an AT&T account to do that.)

There's another thing you might want to think about, which is waiting until you get to Atlanta to purchase a phone and sign with a carrier. Try the service. Most give you two weeks during which you can get out of the contract without any penalty. I believe there is usually a restocking fee for the handset.

Oh, by the way, I checked my own zip code out of curiosity on that service rating site. The problem is that the vast majority of reviews are out of date. They go from 2003-2009 and there aren't enough from the past 12 months for the rating average to be meaningful, at least in my area.

[jaszmin]

T-Mobile 1208 Unlocked Non-contract phone will not provide critical minutes information if one takes it outside Atlanta area and turns it on. I bought the phone February 2nd, 2009 in a Kennesaw Wal-Mart. I bought 100 minutes which qualified me for the 10 cent a minute rate. But I didn't know how to access the number of minutes. Went to Chastain t-Mobile store where tech showed me #999# , the press green phone method of accessing minutes on April 25th, 2009. It worked. I tried it myself twice before I drove north toward Sparta Wisconsin where I live half the year. Three and a half hours later in Paducah, Kentucky at the Five Star gas station, I tried to access my minutes again but couldn't. Back in Atlanta on may 13, 2009, I went back to the same T-Mobile store for help. He couldn't get it to work. He called Atlanta T-Mobile system and they had no answers. Finally, he took the sim from my non contract unlocked phone and put it in a locked off the shelf T-Mobile phone. It provided the number of minutes I had. The Tech suggested I contact Nokia. I did. The Nokia tech said the T-Mobile's test was not a fair test. The off the shelf phone at the T-Mobile store was a locked model with the entire T-Mobile system programmed into it. My T-Mobile 1208 unlocked had only the actuation of a Wal-Mart clerk in the store where I bought it. MORAL OF THIS STORY; T-MOBILE OF ATLANTA HAS PROGRAMMED NOKIA 1208 NON-CONTRACT PHONES TO DENY USER CELLPHONE MINUTES INFORMATION IF ONE TRIES TO USE IT OUTSIDE THE ATLANTA AREA!

[neil0311]

I've had AT&T (formerly Cingular and previously AT&T Wireless) for many years now. Verizon is always touted as the better carrier, and was always hailed as superior in the northeast US. I've heard the same here in Atlanta. Since 3G coverage on AT&T, I've had excellent performance and limited dropped calls. My coverage in the Atlanta area has been almost flawless. AT&Ts HSDPA data network is also faster than the EVDO from Verizon, assuming data is important to you.

Still, it's really a toss up with Verizon until you consider the difference in the technology. Verizon uses CDMA, which is really limited to North America. If you travel, you will need to rent a phone or go without. If you want to use different phones for your number and switch back and forth, it can be a bit of a hassle.

AT&T (and others) use GSM which is the world standard. You can take your phone just about anywhere and it will work (although roaming may apply) and you can use your SIM in just about any unlocked GSM phone. If you travel, GSM is the only way to go.

[ronosl550]

I've used Verizon, T-Mobile, and Sprint

Currently for the past 3 years I 've been with At&t. I enjoy much better service with At&t as far as reception, and reliability goes. I am a real estate agent that lives in the city, and travels throughout Atlanta both inside, and outside the perimeter. I also go up to Lake Lanier quite often on weekends to visit family. My favorite, and current carrier is the most reliable. At&t is best in the area for me. But, if I ever decided to change carriers more than likely it would be Verizon. Their only draw back is they don't use Sim cards(TDMA). At&t, and T-mobile are both GSM which means you can use the phone you already have, and not sign a new 2 year contract to get At&t new service. If you like technology and flexibility you are somewhat limited with TDMA carriers. Their coverage is still comparable to At&t, if not equal in some areas. But I would definitely say not better especially in dropped calls. So I recommend you select At&t, and you won't be disappointed... Let me know if I can help you with real estate here as well. With so many options in this current market, we would love to work for you.

Originally Posted by StPaulEastSider

Wow!

I am so glad I thought to ask this question prior to renewing our contract with T-Mobile. It looks like T-Mobile is out of contention. Verizon is getting the most rave reviews here, with four votes thusfar.... and one vote for Sprint [thanks DoveDive] and AT&T was noted to have better coverage than T-Mobile, which, apparently, is not saying much!

I will not be making a decision for another couple of weeks, so keep posting to this thread and I will keep monitoring it.

I am especially interested in hearing from a few more people who have experience with ITP on the westside of dwtn - specifically West End, Westview, Capitol View, Washington Park, Adair Park. West End is our top pick - at least as of today.

Great initial response - THANK YOU!