AT@T Cellular Service in the Triangle? (Raleigh, Greensboro: taxes, live)

[TheAtlantaTransplant]

I want to get an iPhone 3G but am hesitant considering I am trying to leave a carrier with a horrible network.. (Sprint)

Just wondering anybody who has an iPhone.. How is the service? The kind of work I do takes me outside the triangle into surrounding counties, I need something thats gonna work everywhere I go. Thanks!

[Sayantsi]

Service is fine in NC. I've been all over the state and wherever other carriers work, AT&T works as well.

[DanielleNC]

Works great in the Triangle, but spotty on the outskirts in smaller towns.

[VickiR]

Originally Posted by DanielleNC

Works great in the Triangle, but spotty on the outskirts in smaller towns.

I agree.

Vicki

[wheelsup]

I had Verizon for 6 years. Switched on July 1st to AT&T and the 3Gs iPhone. The iPhone was returned on July 11th and I am back to my el cheapo L7c w/ Verizon. I found myself asking my wife "can you hear me now?" 99% of the time on the phone with her. She had several dropped calls in one day; I can count on 1 hand the amount I've had on Verizon in 6 years.

AT&T sucks. Their GSM network uses a high rate of compression so it sounds like you are talking in a bathroom stall and muted. The voice is not clear at all like it is with Verizon's CDMA technology (and CDMA in general).

I had a post on here about it:
http://www.city-data.com/forum/cell-...ing-going.html

Also anytime I walked into a large building AT&T's GSM coverage would drop off. Their technology doesn't penetrate walls very well. Cool phone, crappy network. Do yourself a favor and go to Verizon. I sound like a Verizon fanboy. No I don't own stock. But I won't stray again - I hope they can line up the Palm Pre next year. I also hear people complain about how expensive they are. Two things 1) you get what you pay for and 2) I pay $65 after taxes for 2 lines and 700 minutes. That's pretty cheap to me.

[Frrrunkis!]

I've had AT&T/Cingular down here for about 5 years...and I sure don't have any complaints about the service here in the Triangle. It's pretty solid throughout. I don't have an iPhone though...I do have a HTC Tilt...which is slightly comparable and I love it.

[R-triangle123]

In the triangle, ATT has 3G coverage, so they should have you covered, as for outside the big city area, you will not really get 3G. Their 3G network is small and basically covers only big cities.

Verizon and Sprint have the best 3G coverage in the nation, and their coverage maps are pretty much the same. I like to call them highway networks; as if you're near a highway or in a medium sized city and up you are gonna have 3G coverage.

I use Sprint, my family has Verizon. The only thing I dislike about Sprint is not so great customer service sometimes. My problems with ATT is plans are no so good and the 3G coverage is very small nationwide. Though I do like the iPhone, that's one of their pluses.

[donna78]

I had verizon when we moved up here, I found it to be okay but many areas with no signal; probably improved now. Then I went to sprint to save some money and that was a big mistake! Terrible customer service and poor network. I have had the iphone for a little over a year now and have no complaints. Sure I get the occasional dropped call but, for the most part, I am running 3G all around the triangle with a few minor exceptions. When I travel around, I find that the network is good around the US. My bill for two iphones on a family plan is the same as I used to pay on verizon, the plans can go as high as you want! I like the rollover minutes; we have accrued about 3000 of them so far; don't know how we'll use all of them!
Also, I have played with many of the competitors iphone "equivalents" and they really don't come close as far as being user-friendly, great easy interface, web browsing, typing etc. Even the Palm Pre, which has many nice features, can't quite reach the level of the iphone. I would not be without mine now.
My advice; get the iphone; you have 30 days to return and cancel. Try the network out for you. We can all tell you how it is for us, but you need to know if it will work where you live, where you work and where you spend your time. If it doesn't work out for you return it and try another network.

[CHTransplant]

I have both Verizon and AT&T phones. My personal experience (yours will vary), Verizon provides better coverage than AT&T here. AT&T's coverage is still pretty good, but I do drop a lot more calls on my AT&T phone than I ever do on my Verizon phone. One frequent problem spot for me. I-40 just east of the airport. On drives north of the Triangle, I find almost no AT&T coverage along the routes I take.

[miamiblue]

Have had AT&T/Cingular for years. I thought about switching when I moved to NC, but I couldn't find anything that beat the rollover minutes. Why should I pay extra for early nights/weekends, a bigger anytime package or "circles" when I've got 1,000 rollover minutes banked?

I don't have an iPhone, but just recently purchased new phones, although we don't really use the multimedia stuff much. The coverage is good and I can't complain since a few of my friends on other carriers often have bad connections. I used to not be able to make/receive calls when I was in the North Hills parking garage and Target, but in the past year or so it has been no problem. The signal is lower, but still works. In the building where I work the signal is low, and I see people with Verizon and Altell always walking over to the windows or outside to make/receie calls. I can sit comfortably at my desk and not experience any problems.

I know there is a funky spot on I-40 like CHTransplant mentioned, but we shouldn't be on the phone if we are driving on I-40 anyway. That said, I have actually talked on the phone from Raleigh to Greensboro before while riding (as a passenger) on I-40 with no problems whatsoever. I think that often signal strength and call quality might vary by phone. So, as always, YMMV.

I know people with iPhones locally and they seem to be happy with them.