@Joseph: Better infrastructre in the US at least. Also, doesn't verizon have to switch something to GSM when 4G rolls around?

Optimus-Prime

@Hectorvex: Say bye-bye to bluetooth connectivity :(. Verizon will lock down your phone

(I have Verizon)

Jon B.

@jimbut: First post? Why... why... you're my Hero!

Anyways, that's good to see that Alltel is #1 in the Southeast, where I live. Because that justifies my decision to stay with Alltel for the past 8 years. But I guess I'll be switching to Verizon soon, which doesn't bother me much since they have cooler phones.

Hectorvex

So since Alltel was bought by Verizon you could say they actually were #1 or tied for #1 in all regions. Oh and yes ATT sucks donkey balls.

MacBandit

@thechansen: Yea I see it too ... they have the same mouth.

Earthslide

@jimbut: You bear striking similarities to AT&T. And I don't buy into the JD Power hype.

thechansen

Interesting to see that the CDMA networks seem to have better infrastructure.

Joseph

oh and did i mention...

FIRST POST!

jimbut

glad to see att wasn't even on the list. they are terrible.

jimbut

I used to be a Sprint customer. Not bad service at all, but the CDMA phone selection is just sad. I wonder if people that don't really mind craptastic phone selection have a higher threshold for crap service. A good study would be to do a comparisson of customer satisfaction between owners of the same phones (of the models that have both CDMA and GSM options) on the different service networks. I'd imagine that the group with the basic, free-with-contract Nokia that rarely sends a text and has no interest in taking a picture with their phone would show no difference between the carriers. The general mobile experience for different technology users could be different enough that it could reflect on their carrier.

Brookespeed

Hey, wheres the T-Mo love guys?

Tacos

Used to have Verizon, switched to AT&T because of gimped bluetooth and I wanted rollover minutes.

AT&T in the Columbus, OH area is perfect. I always have full bars, and 3G connection is hella fast. Was in Chicagoland on business a couple of weeks ago, couldn't get a signal to save my life.

kwicherbichin

I like Verizon. I have always been pleased by their service.
I'd get my water and power from them if I could.

nospamsam

Verizon still prevails.

imTheKing

@Optimus-Prime: No, Verizon will not have to switch to GSM. They are using a GSM tech for there 4g connection but calls and txt's will still go over their massive CDMA structure

From-My-Cube

@Optimus-Prime: Yeah I think you're right. I think they are going with WiMAX with the GSM networks.

Joseph

@jimbut: I'm pretty sure that only works if you, you know, say it in the first post. Even then it's lame as fuck. Enjoy bantown.

PollockRoc

@Jon B.: Well, then I'll just have to use my super-powers to unlock it.

Hectorvex

@jimbut: I'm glad people like you keep doing that, because sometimes I'm tempted out of some weird suicidal tendency.

@Brookespeed: I have to agree. After seeing nothing but Katanas and crappy smartphones, I couldn't imagine being stuck with them.

Kaiser-Machead on the Edge

When i first got a cell back in 2001, i went with verizon. but in 2004 i switched to att (cingular at the time) because i couldn't get a signal with verizon IN MY HOUSE...it was a serious pain.

so i switched and haven't looked back since. I live in Boston and my att service is great around the city.

TheShepherd

I like Verizon, had them for 8 years or so now. However, still charging 5$ for 250 txt messages, 10$ for 500 msgs per phone, is a tad expensive.

Virgin Mobile has a 10$ unlimited txt plan....

Y2KGTP

@jimbut: Enjoy your ban!

I really don't understand the AT&T hate. I've been a Cingular customer for almost 10 years and have been very very happy with their service.

The_Atomic_Pod

I have Verizon and I've been happier than when I had T-Mobile (mostly due to dead spots, poor tower locations, and my home having aluminum siding). But, Verizon cripples most phone features (that are not crippled on other carriers of the same phone/manufacturer). Heck, even a free EnV2 had to be bitpim'd so I could put my old ringtones on it, add my contacts...all without another nickel to the company of das Reich colors (Red, Black and white logo)

And rantly, JD Powers is nothing more than extortionist for advertising. If you don't pay for their, ahem, "results", you can't use their award (thus marketing). And since their entire business model is to build some achievement of someone's product...

SigmundTheSeaMonster

This is something that really is affected by where you are. I had Verizon for years & loved them. Recommended them to a friend who lives in Gladwyn, PA, and she reported nothing but dropped calls and awful audio quality. Then, I moved closer to a tower and couldn't find a signal in the house if my life depended on it. I had one (signal) at my desk if I held my phone just right, but if I turned my head, I lost it. Switched to ATT (eek) and have had no trouble since. Go figger. Oh, and amen to the JD Powers rant. Plus most of their surveys don't make a bit of sense. (Like this one not including data.)

stubear

Apparently nobody interviewed has ever tried to upgrade/switch phones. I have come across many many people that loose soo much when a verizon "tech" swaps them to the new phone. Phone list? Nah, you'll get it back when everyone calls you again. Pictures??? Feh, should've used a mem card. Address book? Its a phone, not a PDA, you goon. Verizon phone techs must be outsourced from Geek Squad.

Darascon

Well, just like that survey shows, it really comes down to where you live. Alltel is near perfect here in podunk Canton, Ohio but that is Alltel's specialty, rural areas. That's why Verizon is trying to buy them. I have no problem with my service, support or hardware for that matter it's just that they don't have that big of a selection. My friend worked for them (and now works for Verizon) and he said that Alltel's business philosophy was to be a close number 2.

maven2k

Meh, it's only JD Power. Verizon does have better infrastructure, but it's down to personal opinion whether to get Verizon or not, CDMA or GSM. AT&T does suck; however, it's all down to personal opinion.

I stayed with AT&T because of where I live and travel. Mainly I stay around major cities so AT&T got my vote. For some odd reason people on CDMA networks have a harder time getting signal indoors than GSM phones.

quadrain61

I can't stand Verizon. They deliberately cripple their phones, and have to modify everything to have their stupid red themes, logos, etc. At least with AT&T, I have all the features that my phone is supposed to have, and I can change the damn theme color.

ViperBorg

i have had verizon since 2001, and they have never been any hassle for me. their coverage in my section of the country has always been superior to any others, especially when roaming around in the sticks. being one that mostly just makes phone calls, their crippling of phones means little to me. if i could get all my data services from them, i would. instead i have comcrap, and i wont pay for another data plan to use on a tiny phone screen.

godwhacker

VZW's over-the-air Backup Assistant is free if you set up online account management and then all I did to copy my contacts from my Moto E815 to my Env was install Backup Assistant and wait a few minutes for it to sync. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

There's no schadenfreude like reading iPhone owners wail about how bad AT&Tingular sucks. However, it still bewilders me how Charlottesville VA is like a dead zone for Verizon service. I mean, we're talking a major college town, but my normally rock-solid Env goes on roam anytime I'm in the vicinity. C'ville is the Berkeley of the South though so some busybody on the City Council probably won't allow evil corporate VZW to operate there.

Jeb_Hoge

@Tacos:
My sister's family has Verizon, and when my brother-in-law got her a Blackberry for her birthday, they had to buy data service in order for it to be able to make a call.
I have T-Mobile and use my sim card in an unlocked smartphone of a type that's not listed on their website, and they're fine with that. My card is associated with nation-wide no roaming voice service, and when I was in SE Alaska a while back, they told me to let them know if any charges showed up from the phone accidentally connecting through a Canadian tower and they'd happily credit me a refund.

JBanister

Well this was kind of a lame 'article'. I was hoping for a listing of alternatives to Verizon. I'm in the NorthEast and have used Verizon since they were Bell Atlantic. While I'll admit to some flings with AT&T and Cingular, I always came running back to Verizon as their reception up here beats everyone else. Unfortunately, their customer service, pricing plans, crippled phone functionality and a dozen other things about them sucks ass.

I'm willing to sacrifice call quality to get away from them now. Anyone in the NorthEast (NYC area) have a recommendation for a non-Verizon provider?

Toshie

@Jon B.: That's what custom roms are for. If I was running the stock OS on my XV6800 it would cost me an extra $25 a month (min) to have the functionality I now enjoy.

RobotVampire

You know, Verizon does have the best service, I've tried them all in a few regions, VZW definetley has THE MOST STABLE connections. Call quality though? GSM networks seem to have that crown IMO. If only AT&T could get a hold on their dropped call problems, they would steam roll over VZW...but this has been there biggest problem for years and I don't see them even attempting to remedy it? Heck they even tried an ad campaign touting they didn't have dropped calls - huh? What are they nutts?

Come on AT&T, figure out your dropped calls issue so we can have a real and reliable alternative and thus a choice over VZW...Please!

sdgmcdon

With the anniversary of 9/11 coming up, it reminds me of how back in 2001 Verizon's service that morning was so robust that I contacted family members without a hitch. (I had jettisoned AT&T after experiencing several years of poor wireless performance in New York City.) However, the attack revealed how badly coordinated communications were between NYPD and NYFD, so the City announced shortly thereafter that it would commandeer the wireless telephone network during future emergencies. So, after years of wasted tax dollars, Big Brother decided it will take away a privately funded network when the citizens (who pay for it) will need it most!

The Standard Deviant

@The_Atomic_Pod: I can't say I've used Verizon, but in my experience any of the last 3 permutations of AT&T Wireless have had better voice QoS and customer support than Sprint.

@Kaiser-Machead on the Edge: @jimbut: Let his loss be your gain.

dingus

35th!!!!one!!nine!!!

The Standard Deviant

i had great VZW coverage when i lived in northern california. they had the best coverage when i lived in DC (and in NYC/boston). have the best here in hawaii too. my roommage switched to AT&T to get the iphone 3g and he actually hates the service. no 3g on the big island either, but at&t and apple never mentioned that. hence, he had it on 3g the whole time while he was visiting and he couldn't get any calls.

kimchi43

I live in the Detroit area, and my VZW coverage sucks big-time (in my specific area). I can't even make a call from my house because it can't connect to the network. Same thing for everyone with Verizon here. However, everyone I know who has AT&T say they rarely have weak signal on their phone, which is why I was considering AT&T. Reading the comments here, however, it seems to be a common consensus that they're pretty bad. I guess I'll stick with "the network" for now.

legr8est1234

as much as I hate verizon phones and their proprietary OSes, the coverage is much better than ATT or sprint. I want to move to ATT since my contract is out, but I might just buy another verizon phone and just get one that's easily hacked to do stuff (like my current Moto e816). We'll see...

knyghtryda

cdma is the way to go

bx718

im so done with at&t i have been lured in to the hype of this apple garbage. i had excellent service with my 3g razor 2 now i switch to an iphone 3g and i get no service im done. at&t cant even give me a straight answer when i call customer service. im either switching to verizon or sprint. i have played with my friends sprint diamond thats he has been testing and its awsome. its either the sprintdiamond or the veriziondare, all i know is cdma is the way to go for now.

bx718

verizon always ranks highest in signal strength, but just ask me how their customer service used to treat my family? sprint has been a major improvement in terms of customer service.

that, and the BB 8830 looks better in black than it does in silver.

rimplestultskin

I like Verizon. I have always been pleased by their service.
I'd get my water and power from them if I could.

Yeah, but if they did provide your water and power, you would have to pay extra for the hot water and you would only get half the AC cycle unless you upgraded your plan.

Just say no to Verizon! Crap phones, crap speed. Pay extra for everything unless you unlock your phone. No thanks. Oh, and if you break or loose your phone, no easy convenience of swapping out a SIM.

AT&T is pretty decent here in Seattle and the all in one data plan is just that, all in one. No extra fees for text. No limits, etc. They try to lock down the GPS and tethering on my Blackjack, but those were easy to undo...

The_Bronze

Ha ha ha - > At&t! Less awards in more places!

akacrash

I've been with T-Mobile since they bought voice stream.. or was it the other way around... ANYHOO I've pondered switching to another service, but T-Mo has always given me excellent service. The Signal isn't always the best, but I've driven from Minnesota to L.A. several times, never lost data or voice connection.. except maybe driving through mountain tunnels in Colorado :D but I'll give them that slack.

I WANT ANDROID!!! Or another handy Handheld.... I'm on my 2nd MDA P.O.S. and I've been holding out on a 3G replacement for over a year now!!!!

Truth Bringer :D