Best cell phone carrier in Phoenix? (Gilbert: live in, stores, suburbs)

[shiphead]

Originally Posted by Lovegun

Verizon is really expensive and their phones are locked down.

I had T-mobile in Phoenix and never had any problems.

Same here. My co-workers have a G1 and a sidekick, they never complain about the service.

[BillRadio]

Sadly, Alltel was the leader in Arizona. Verizon's acquision of Alltel has made Verizon that much better in the state. There is no better choice for coverage in the west. However, it depends on where you spend MOST of your time. My 2nd choice in Phoenix is Sprint because they roam on Verizon outside of town.

The future is a bit murkey for the others. AT&T has always had challenges in PHX, but by the end of next year, they will take over the Alltel network in Phoenix and convert it to GSM. That will help. The downside is that Verizon will no longer expand or upgrade Alltel's GSM network, and they can drop it in 4 years, so GSM (AT&T + T-Mobile) outside if the Metro area will slowly degrade.

Make your decision based on what you need today. There is a web site where you can compare each carrier's coverage on the same screen, and see if the one with the best price has coverage where you need it.

[Xica_da_Silva]

I live in Central Phx and have been using Sprint for several years without problems...no dropped calls or poor reception. I pay $35 a month and am on the free calls past 7pm and on weekends, with 200 anytime minutes. As I don't have kids and work during the daytime, this is really not a problem...plenty of minutes for me.

[purplepalace]

I've got VZW and has had sprint before and it wasn't very good at my house at the east valley. Maybe look into a repeater if you really want to have sprint.

Moderator cut: can't make recs until after 10th post

[Howard Roark]

My Alltel phone's antenna broke a few months ago. I had an old LG dumb phone. With Alltel, before the phone broke I still would get a bunch of dropped calls.

Now I went to its parent company, Verizon, got a smart phone. My Alltel contract ended anyway. I have been happier since. No dropped calls. Voice clarity is much better too. I am in love with the LG Versa - it's no Iphone, but I like VZ Navigator and its internet capabilities.

[chipnjaz]

Sprint - Coverage is very good, extensive roaming (as mentioned), the best priced plans.

[AZ Bandit]

Originally Posted by musicforme

Anyhow, my wife and I both have iPhones on AT&T and the coverage is HORRIBLE here. Neither one of us can have a conversation lasting more than five minutes before it drops. I spoke to AT&T about it and the only thing they could say is they plan on adding more antennas in the future.

This is exactly what happened to us when we moved 5 miles east of our previous location in Chandler. We had to give up our beloved iPhones and switch to Verizon where service has been flawless.

[purplepalace]

I've been working on a project where we are trying to map out cell phone coverage for the carriers. There is a lot of good data in the phx east valley. Hopefully, it can help you decide which carrier has the best coverage for where you will be using it.

Let me know if you want a certain area mapped out and we can make it happen.

Blips Alpha

[Sensimilla]

I had a iPhone with ATT for a week, and I hated it, the phone was alright, but the internet was slow, and the call quality was poor.

I switched back to Verizon and got the Env Touch, I get signal all over phoenix, even when camping out in the woods, I have used Verizon for years.

[azriverfan.]

I don't think it matters any more. This isn't 10 years ago in which you had to shop for phones according to best coverage. In the past, I thought Sprint was the best because I had Verizon and I used to get dropped calls all the time. Now, you will get great coverage with any of the big three: ATT, Sprint and Verizon. If you are living in a rural area, it be wise to ask that question but otherwise pick the plan that is most affordable to you and offers the phone you are most content with.