Cell Phone Companies (Fargo: price, bars, bill) - North Dakota (ND) - City-Data Forum

hokegoalie · 03-09-2009, 04:36 PM

I have applied to MNSU-Moorhead and will be attending assuming I get in(I should easily...)I was just looking at T-Mobile and apparently there is no coverage in Fargo/Moorhead. What is the best company for coverage in Fargo? I plan on making many, many trips to Fargo and as any 22 year old, a cell phone is a necessity. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

kerplunk · 03-09-2009, 05:34 PM

I don't think there are any GSM networks up here. All CDMA. I have used Sprint, Alltel, and Verizon within the past few years and I have to say that I would rank them in the following order of best to worst:

1. Verizon
2. Sprint
3. Not having a cell phone (har har)
4. Alltel

hokegoalie · 03-09-2009, 05:38 PM

Pardon me, but GSM? CDMA? I'm not TOO techie advanced

. I kind of figured Verizon would be the best, it shows to be the strongest on their site. ATT apparently has "partner" coverage, what does this mean? I'm soooooo hesitant to go to Verizon because they are so expensive...

Fischer_girl · 03-09-2009, 09:24 PM

Everyone is going to give you their opinion..just like asking whos better...the NDSU bison or the UND Sioux. However!!! You're right, the t-mobil coverage is horrid in that area. I have many family members from SD with verizon, and every time the come to ND no one has service. I have been with Alltel for over ten years and never had a problem with coverage... I have had coverage from ND to the Florida Keys and now all the way to Santa Fe NM. No problems.
I have also heard bad things about the Sprint coverage in the area...and I don't think Id ever go with ATT...although I'm not sure why.
PS.... depending on where you work your employer may qualify you for a cell phone bill discount. My hubby works for Citi financial and we get 25% off our bill/month.

hokegoalie · 03-10-2009, 11:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fischer_girl

Everyone is going to give you their opinion..just like asking whos better...the NDSU bison or the UND Sioux. However!!! You're right, the t-mobil coverage is horrid in that area. I have many family members from SD with verizon, and every time the come to ND no one has service. I have been with Alltel for over ten years and never had a problem with coverage... I have had coverage from ND to the Florida Keys and now all the way to Santa Fe NM. No problems.
I have also heard bad things about the Sprint coverage in the area...and I don't think Id ever go with ATT...although I'm not sure why.
PS.... depending on where you work your employer may qualify you for a cell phone bill discount. My hubby works for Citi financial and we get 25% off our bill/month.

Seems to be some conflicting reports! You advise Alltel, while Kerplunk says he'd go to it last! This is not good for my confidence level in terms of signing a two-year contract with a company haha.

mj.cello · 03-11-2009, 11:12 AM

I have Alltel, and it works just fine for me!

johnnyreb · 03-11-2009, 11:42 AM

I've had both Alltell and Verizon in Fargo. Both work fine.

kerplunk · 03-11-2009, 04:31 PM

Any of the cell phone companies I mentioned will have "full" coverage in this area. The deciding factor is the quality of coverage. Alltel's network may have a lot of bars, but I consistently found myself dialing a number and having to wait a good 10-20 seconds for the call to start ringing. This is just one example of what I dislike about Alltel.

As far as Sprint is concerned, they do not have their own network here. They use mostly Verizon and occasionally Alltel's towers. I had Sprint for four years and loved them. The only reason I left them was because of their phone selection. You might pay a little bit more for Verizon service, but there is a reason. I'll let everyone here converse about whether or not there is a noticeable difference. I think there is. Good luck on your search!

If price matters to you, go with Sprint. If quality matters to you, go with Verizon. If you find the Alltel TV commercials hilarious and witty, go with Alltel.

Fischer_girl, I find it very hard to believe that your relatives with Verizon have spotty coverage here. Also... the Fighting Sioux.

hokegoalie · 03-11-2009, 04:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kerplunk

Any of the cell phone companies I mentioned will have "full" coverage in this area. The deciding factor is the quality of coverage. Alltel's network may have a lot of bars, but I consistently found myself dialing a number and having to wait a good 10-20 seconds for the call to start ringing. This is just one example of what I dislike about Alltel.

As far as Sprint is concerned, they do not have their own network here. They use mostly Verizon and occasionally Alltel's towers. I had Sprint for four years and loved them. The only reason I left them was because of their phone selection. You might pay a little bit more for Verizon service, but there is a reason. I'll let everyone here converse about whether or not there is a noticeable difference. I think there is. Good luck on your search!

Fischer_girl, I find it very hard to believe that your relatives with Verizon have spotty coverage here. Also... the Fighting Sioux.

I never really thought of it that way. I chose T-Mobile with my last contract because it was my first phone bill on my own and wanted a good value. Now that I think about Verizon being more expensive, is paying for better coverage. I am probably more apt to go with that now than I was before.

kerplunk · 03-11-2009, 04:38 PM

I'm pretty sure that most cell phone companies these days have a "30 days or your money back" promotion. You can try them and if you don't like it you can return your phone and go somewhere else. Ask them about that. Good luck!