Preferred cellular provider in Minot/Carpio (Fargo, Dickinson: buy, bars, transit)

[Chris.Tengesdal]

Hello.

It's been a long time since I have visited these forums but I'm back with a couple of new question.

I will be visiting North Dakota in the near future and I am looking to be prepared on the mobile data front. After a short google session it seems as Verizon is preferable. Seeing Verizon has a CDMA network and I have a GSM phone that will be tricky. Can anyone report on AT&T's GSM network in the area? I will mostly be in Minot or Carpio area with my family. But it's also likely I will be taking a drive to South Dakota and visit Mount Rushmore.

I'm not dependent on doing phone calls. So the most important thing for me is data quality and service.
If Verizon is way better then AT&T I'll gladly get a MyFy (a mobile hot spot device) from Verizon if they have an option where I can just buy the litle box and pay them X$ for a month.

TL;DR
Google tells me Verizon is preferred in the area.
Is AT&T's GSM network way worse?
Should I get a MyFy from Verizon?
Will Verizon and, or At&T sell me a MyFy (mobile hot spot) and let me just pay for a few GB for a month or something?

Thank you for your time
- Chris

[Qazulight]

Originally Posted by Chris.Tengesdal

Hello.

It's been a long time since I have visited these forums but I'm back with a couple of new question.

I will be visiting North Dakota in the near future and I am looking to be prepared on the mobile data front. After a short google session it seems as Verizon is preferable. Seeing Verizon has a CDMA network and I have a GSM phone that will be tricky. Can anyone report on AT&T's GSM network in the area? I will mostly be in Minot or Carpio area with my family. But it's also likely I will be taking a drive to South Dakota and visit Mount Rushmore.

I'm not dependent on doing phone calls. So the most important thing for me is data quality and service.
If Verizon is way better then AT&T I'll gladly get a MyFy (a mobile hot spot device) from Verizon if they have an option where I can just buy the litle box and pay them X$ for a month.

TL;DR
Google tells me Verizon is preferred in the area.
Is AT&T's GSM network way worse?
Should I get a MyFy from Verizon?
Will Verizon and, or At&T sell me a MyFy (mobile hot spot) and let me just pay for a few GB for a month or something?

Thank you for your time
- Chris

Actually, the old 2g (GSM) network is pretty slow, but AT&T has made a lot of progress with its UMTS and LTE networks. Except for areas around Killdeer and New England (Both north and south of Dickinson) and near Mapleton (west of Fargo) and at Euclid (East of Grandforks) the AT&T UMTS and LTE networks are all using a gigabit Ethernet for back haul.

While AT&T has had some bandwidth issues, the engineers have made some pretty good progress using some new tech to improve download speeds.

There was a problem with a transition around Williston a few weeks ago, but that has been sorted out.

I was under the impression that at the 3G, 4G and LTE level AT&T had as good or better coverage than Verizon. But, I don't get out of Fargo much, and what I know, I find out from behind a desk looking at computer screens. Maybe someone in the Minot area can help.

[attentionspanltd]

I was up there a couple of months ago with my AT&T phone, and had full bars the whole time if I remember correctly.

[Kamsack]

My wife is from the Minot area and has in-laws 15-20 miles south of Minot....south of Radar Hill. AT&T have been expanding a lot and getting better. Still, not up to Verizon coverage in the rural areas though.....but getting a lot better.

So for that reason, we all have Verizon and many still do.

[Chris.Tengesdal]

Ok. And thank you for the response.
I'll check with my family what provider they use when I get over there. I'm guessing they are not heavy users of data tho.

And, will AT&T or Verizon sell me a MiFi (hotspot) device only to use a month? I asked someone on the AT&T chat. He said Sure. But first I would need a MSVP (or something), then copy pasted info about their great 4G network taken from the AT&T website.

In other words, it didn't really clear things up for me.