Mountain Wireless-California Cellular Reviews

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California Cellular Reviews
General California Observations: This is too large and varied a state to declare a top cellular carrier but there are some indicators of what to expect. Several years ago, the best network in southern California and the Bay area belonged to PacTel which eventually became Cingular. That network was sold to T-Mobile and Cingular moved all operations over to the old AT&T Wireless network. This gave T-Mobile one of the best networks in the state serving the heavily-populated areas. Verizon has maintained good coverage that rises above the others when travelling outside of these areas. Sprint invested heavily to become the leader in coastal California and comes close to that goal. The new AT&T got started later in the game, but has been aggressive in adding coverage and features. Metro PCS has done surprisingly well for a newcomer, but has a long way to go to catch up outside of the Los Angeles core. You can just price-shop in urban areas of California as long as you get a usable signal when you get home.

AIRPEAK
This is a small carrier in the extreme southeastern corner of California and southwest corner of Arizona and also serves parts around Mexicali in Mexico. They primarily function as a 2-way radio service that's also combined with cellular, similar to Nextel. Airpeak survives by super-serving their business clients, so you need to talk to one of the representatives and 'negotiate' a plan. At last report plans were pricey for such limited coverage, and roaming was very limited.

ALLTEL
Virtually all of the remaining Alltel network in the state is to be purchased by AT&T. Parts of the Alltel network in other areas have been sold to Verizon Wireless, AT&T and ATN, the parent company of Commnet Wireless. There will be a transition period into 2011 during which Alltel customers will be notified of the changes to their account and service. Current plans will be maintained, you can continue to use your Alltel phone as usual, and the changeover will be relatively painless. Eventually, you will be offered a new AT&T phone and, most likely, be assigned a new AT&T plan. With a new phone you will be using the AT&T GSM network, some of which will be using different cell sites, which may affect coverage. While there is some uncertainty in a transition like this, previous changes to AT&T have gone smoothly. There is no harm in signing up as a new Alltel customer today, the changeover process will continue to at least the end of 2010 and your service may not change until 2011. Most of your coverage will be similar to what Alltel is today, and you will eventually be able to use AT&T's entire network and features, including the iPhone. Just don't fall in love with a new Alltel CDMA phone...AT&T will need to eventually replace it. They may not have an exact GSM replacement, but they do have a large number of choices. Until then, you can use your Alltel phone across most of the country and get excellent coverage and reliable data service. Alltel phones currently prefer the Verizon network when roaming. After the transition, your roaming coverage may change noticeably. Alltel still offers some attractive plans that will be available at least through the transition. Expect some of this to change under AT&T. Currently, new Alltel customers are required to only sign a 1-year contract. Alltel currently supports low-cost "Lifeline" plans.

Pros: Good coverage, very good prices, a variety of plans, good customer service, good broadband services including while roaming.
Cons: The uncertainty of the transition to AT&T is a little unsettling and it involves eventually switching to a new GSM phone. Coverage may change and you may be required to change plans. Overall, service will improve for most customers, but can worsen for some.
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AT&T Review

AT&T
AT&T is what was once Cingular, which was part of SBC, which took over AT&T Wireless and took AT&T's name. They have a large GSM network, but in the west, have a lot less developed spectrum than in the rest of the country. That is about to change with AT&T's acquisition of Alltel Wireless in 74 markets being divested by Verizon Wireless. Currently in the west, they have weak coverage away from urban areas and interstate highways. They claim that their Alltel purchases will all be converted to 3G GSM within a year of closing. Parts of the Alltel network already provide GSM coverage. However, improvements realized from the Alltel acquisition may not show in better coverage until 2011. Currently with GSM, AT&T will roam more readily internationally, but there are areas in the US with no GSM coverage. AT&T's takeover of several cellular networks has improved their service in some areas already, including Alaska. AT&T offers a good selection of GSM phones including the Apple iPhone. Parts of what was the old AT&T Wireless network in the interior west is still not among the best. They still suffer from some coverage 'holes', but they are updating some of these areas. Most improvements will be made in the "new" markets. In several markets where AT&T operates at 1900 MHz only, we have been disappointed. However, not all AT&T 1900 MHz-only markets are equal. AT&T offers a variety of plans including Unlimited minutes and services, and 'calling circle' plans. They have extensive data coverage. One of their greatest assets is also their worst problem: the overwhelming success of the Apple iPhone that uses the AT&T network exclusively. It has overloaded their system resulting in dropped calls, interrupted data and slower service.

Pros: AT&T has a large network and covers much of the nation, usage is transparent whether on- or off-network, good digital and data services, good national plans, "Rollover" for those who can use it, "Unlimited" calling plans available, a good selection of phones. Improvements in coverage have been substantial in some areas, lacking in others. Excellent international roaming capabilities. Additions of Alltel, Unicel and Centennial network purchases will give AT&T substantial rural coverage improvements.
Cons: AT&T plans aren't as generous as some, customers can only access GSM networks which are not as universally available as CDMA, customer service varies from above to below average, some markets have a large number of dropped calls caused by large data users.
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CELLULAR ONE-SAN LUIS OBISPO
A very good carrier with good coverage. Good customer service because you are dealing with a local company. They offer a Local Unlimited Minute plan for $40. They also offer plans that start as low as $20 a month. At these price levels, their service is very competitive. However, to compare apples to apples, they do not have a 450 minute plan like the National carriers, so if you need more than 300 minutes you'll need to subscribe to Cellular One's more expensive 600-minute plan. They don't offer very many phones. Prices for Family plans make a little more sense.

CLEARTALK
Cleartalk serves small communities in several states. If you live there, you'll be doing business with locals. They offer some of the features of an all-digital system, but no data. They have Unlimited plans starting around $30 with add-ons like Calling features and Long Distance available. Some customers have roaming service available on Sprint, but most plans are for regional service only. No National plans. Their phone selection is rather small and dated.

COX WIRELESS
This is the new wireless service being offered by Cox Communications. They are testing their service and are scheduled to make service available to the public in Hampton Roads, VA, Omaha, NE and Orange County, CA by Spring. They claim they are going to offer wireless with fewer 'penalties' than the other carriers, and will "bundle" their cellular service with other Cox Communications products. Following the Cox Wireless link gets you to their sales pitch, a free movie offer, and links to share with them what you want in a wireless service. Telling them what you want may or may not affect how they operate their new service, but it will affect how it is marketed. They will be using completely new wireless spectrum which will limit the types of phones available.

Cricket Wireless Pros & Cons

CRICKET
Cricket offers Unlimited wireless usage for one price, but coverage may be a little spotty. For the price, it may work well for you, or your family. They have a variety of plans. With unlimited usage, the circuits may become overloaded. Plans with nationwide roaming are available but those minutes may not be unlimited. Cricket is the largest "Unlimited' carrier and is adding many new markets, and your minutes can be Unlimited in each of those markets. You can use Cricket to replace a home wireline. In some markets, coverage is being expanded. Plans start as low as $30 ($25 in some markets) with Family plans starting at $95 for 3 lines. They have reciprocal roaming agreements with other small carriers which provide free Unlimited roaming in those "extended" markets. Cricket also offers reasonable Unlimited Broadband access and supplies a simple USB modem that plugs in to your laptop.
Pros: Talk as much as you want, no contract, most data & digital serves are included, good Broadband service. Cons: You must pre-pay, "unlimited" coverage is limited to just within your home areas although some plans include other "extended" markets, off-network roaming is available at an extra charge, some dropped calls when circuits are busy.
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GOLDEN STATE CELLULAR
Golden State's service area is within the counties in and around Yosemite National Park. Their plans are all "National" plans and are priced about average. They sometimes offer reasonably-priced promotional plans. At last report, their Unlimited plans were still priced well above the national carriers. Their Mobile to Mobile calls now apply nationally. They have very good coverage within most of their service area which includes Yosemite Park. They have a moderate selection of phone models including several Smart phones. They offer high-speed broadband, and fixed wireless service for locations out of reach of land lines.
Golden State's Coverage Map.

Metro PCS Pros & Cons

METRO PCS
A 'flat rate' carrier in several cities, including New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dallas, Boston, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Detroit, Miami, Tampa, Las Vegas and more. They offer unlimited-minutes wireless coverage for one price including text messaging, but their coverage area is limited. For the price, it may work well for you, or your family. Plans start at $30 per month and Family plans as low as $100 for 4 handsets. Metro PCS allows "unlocked" CDMA phones from other sources to be activated on their network. They have a reciprocal roaming agreement with some other small carriers which allows Unlimited service in those markets.
Pros: Talk as much as you want, and they have all the digital features. Roaming is available, some of it unlimited. Cons: You must pre-pay, and Unlimited coverage is limited just to specific markets. Roaming is available at extra cost, but is free in "Extended Home" markets, off-network roaming must be activated and deactivated each time you travel, they are still growing so there are still some areas with poor or no coverage. Many features are not included in the cheapest plans.
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NEXTEL
Nextel is a of part Sprint and in some offers, Sprint hides Nextel's features. The combo has allowed the two networks to start sharing cell sites to improve coverage. Nextel's spectrum is made up from a bunch of 2-way radio channels, and they suffer from marginal audio in some markets. Their coverage is more robust in certain areas than others. They cover urban areas and some interstates, but there is little roaming elsewhere in the state. They have an efficient '2-way' radio feature which is handy for businesses and families who want to contact each other as quickly as possible. Some of their plans aren't very competitive, but they do offer free incoming calls. They use 850 MHz so they have a strong signal in most areas. Sprint has announced they are not improving or expanding the Nextel network. Boost Mobile uses the Nextel network and it a good option for Unlimited Voice and Text. Rumors come up from time to time that Sprint wants to sell off the Nextel network, which may or may not include Nextel customers.
Pros: The Direct Connect is a handy 'walkie-talkie' service, robust coverage within their service area. Cons: Some markets have poor audio, they also have coverage limits and very limited roaming, most of their phones are big and lack variety, Nextel does not have fast broadband features, neither the network nor the coverage are being upgraded. Sprint has not treated Nextel customers as well as those using the Sprint network.
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SPRINT
Sprint has a national, feature-rich digital network. Their coverage is a little "fragile", but where it's good, it's very good. Sprint has a good selection of phones. Their plans include the ability to roam in many systems when away from their own coverage, as well as any National plan. They offer an inexpensive "basic" plan for only $30 per month. They also offer a few Unlimited plans with lots of features included. Sprint has added service by taking over parts of some carriers' networks, and "sharing" spectrum with others. Sprint merged with Nextel which has created some beneficial network configurations, including sharing of cell sites. Sprint phones normally prefer the network which, where available, gives Sprint customers the best data throughput. Some Sprint phones have the ability to force the phone to "Roam Only", helping you use the strongest network, however there is a limit to how much roaming you can do, generally 50%. Also, newer phones lack that feature. Sprint does not offer their own branded prepaid service but owns Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile prepaid. Pros: Sprint gives you good value for your money, but is not necessarily the cheapest. Sprint covers every urban area in the US, maintains local stores, good roaming capabilities, their digital and data features work very well, they have a good selection of phones. Sprint has good roaming agreements. Cons: You might find a weak area right where you want coverage, some of their plans are not very competitive, customer service is a notch below average.
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T-MOBILE
T-Mobile works very well within their service area. While they have a slight disadvantage with their higher PCS frequency, they make up for it with strategically-located sites. T-Mobile doesn't serve many rural areas, but provides coverage along most interstates. They offer roaming in rural areas, and the network is still growing, although often they're just 'filling in'. They offer some handy features like "My-Favs" which includes Unlimited calling to your choice of five numbers, regardless of network, "Kid Connect" which helps you limit the amount of charges your kids can rack up, and an Unlimited "Hot Spot" plan using your home wi-fi connection. They have plans that include unlimited voice and messaging.
Pros: Generous included-minute plans, National and Regional plans, "Unlimited" calling plan available, good urban coverage, good choice of phones, good pre-paid plans, good roaming capabilities, including internationally. Good customer service. Cons: Some weak spots, limited data bandwidth, high international roaming charges.
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TRACFONE
Tracfone isn't an actual cellular carrier but is a major supplier of cellular phones and service. They are the largest prepaid wireless company and arrange for their phones to use whichever wireless carrier is available in a given geographic area. As a result, Tracfone actually has more included roaming coverage available than perhaps any other single company. They offer price points that start as low as $8.33 a month and offer all the advantages of prepaid services. They offer several promotions with bonus minutes, and offer plans with 365-day expiration. Their service is mostly limited to Voice and Text but does support data use of their web-capable phones. While their plans are Prepaid, they offer the option of having the fees deducted from your account automatically, eliminating the need to renew on an exact expiration date. TracFone offers Free international calls to 60 countries by calling a special number, and with their International Neighbors features, can provide a local number in Mexico or Canada for incoming calls from those countries at Local rates for both callers. Tracfone offers additional plan options through NET10, and Unlimited plans with STRAIGHT TALK. Pros: Coverage and Local service, available virtually everywhere in the US, good price plans, no roaming or long distance charges, Local numbers in all markets, included Long Distance calling to 60 countries. Cons: You must use their own branded phones, no smart phones, coverage is determined by the phone model (CDMA or GSM) which may limit your roaming coverage.
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US CELLULAR
US Cellular is a good company that offers good coverage, good plans and lots of features, and a good selection of CDMA phones. Unlimited incoming calls are available on most plans. In some plans, Nights & Weekends begin at 7pm, others start at 9pm. They offer a large selection of phones including Smart phones. They have fairly good roaming capabilities. They have a $20/100 minute "Piece of Mind Plan." In Chicago they use 1900 MHz frequencies which has more dead spots. They have a number of customer-friendly features like usage notifications and free battery swaps.
Pros: Their price plans are competitive, and they offer National and Regional plans, "Unlimited" calling plan available, good customer service, National plans appear to be all-inclusive and roaming has good coverage, mostly with Verizon Wireless. Cons: Mobile to Mobile minutes are extra on lower-tier plans, Unlimited Nights & Weekends have confusing start times.
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VERIZON WIRELESS
Verizon is the largest cellular carrier in the US. They have taken over a large portion of the Alltel network and are now dominant in rural America. Cellular service in a few of Alltel's local markets are being sold to other companies, but no Verizon coverage will be lost. Their claim to fame is superior coverage, especially in the west. They use PCS frequencies only in a few areas, but they have constructed those networks well. In the few places where they don't have their own coverage, they have roaming agreements with other carriers, normally ones with superior coverage. Therefore, their "National" plans, which include almost all of the country, are about as close to "wall-to-wall" as you can get. Their reasonably-priced plans have no roaming or long distance charges, and they also throw in Unlimited Night and Weekend minutes as well as Unlimited calls among Verizon Wireless users both on and off their own network (there are a few exceptions). They offer fairly competitive prices, and often have promotions. They also offer plans that include Unlimited Voice and other features at various fixed price levels. Data service is excellent with various price plans. Verizon forces their phone manufacturers to offer a "standardized" user interface, limiting menu and font variations. This could mean the screen appearance may not be to your liking or the fonts may be too small. Smart and data-type phones require a per-Mb plan. They have the largest area of 3G coverage in the US.

Pros: Verizon has reasonably-priced plans, "Unlimited" calling plans available, extensive coverage, wide-ranging National plans, excellent customer service and 'customer-friendly' policies. With such a large coverage area of their own little roaming is necessary, but their roaming partners normally have superior coverage. Cons: Some Verizon plans are a little more expensive, Customer Service closes at 11pm, but technical assistance is available 24/7, there are some billing transition concerns as they take over other carriers, they don't offer as many "cute" phones, they 'cripple' some User Interface functions like larger fonts: make sure you can read their submenus before buying. Some of their data services are not available while roaming.
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