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COMMNET WIRELESS
Commnet has been building cell sites in locations that have been overlooked by other carriers. You can't sign up for service with them. Their sole existence relies on roaming by other carriers' customers. Some carriers include Commnet in their Roaming Lists, others allow roaming if their phones access Commnet's sites, and some forbid roaming on them. So if the closest, or only, cell site near you is owned by Commnet, you need to find out if you can sign up with a different carrier, making sure their service will allow roaming on that Commnet site. They are also known by other names, and their sites offer a different combination of CDMA and GSM technology. Commnet has been searching out areas with little or no coverage and is credited for adding new coverage there. In most cases, you'll have no idea you're using a Commnet site.
Commnet Coverage Maps

METRO PCS
A 'flat rate' carrier in a handful of cities including Los Angeles. 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. Pros: Talk as much as you want, and feature all the digital features. Cons: You must pre-pay, and unlimited coverage is limited just to in-town. Voice mail and LD are extra in some plans, roaming is available at extra cost but is free in other Metro PCS markets, 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.
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NEXTEL
Nextel is a part Sprint and in some offerings, 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 a business or a family. 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. There are rumors 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, they are still improving coverage, good digital features. Cons: Some markets have poor audio, they also have coverage limits and very limited roaming, most of their phones are big and lack variety, Sprint has not treated Nextel customers as well as those using the Sprint network.

SOUTHERNLINC
An iDEN carrier similar to Nextel with reasonable plans. They have adequate coverage across several Southeast US states. They have a walkie-talkie feature. They have an Unlimited plan but it's expensive. A "Nationwide" plan is available, but coverage is very limited...mostly major cities and highways.

SPRINT
Sprint has a national, feature-rich digital network. Their coverage is a little "fragile", but where it's good, it's very good. You can roam over more territory than any other single carrier. Sprint has a good selection of phones. Their plans include roaming over most of the country, and work about 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 PCS merged with Nextel which has created some beneficial network configurations, including sharing of cell sites. Sprint roaming often prefers the Alltel network which, where available, gives Sprint customers excellent data throughput. Many 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%. Pros: Sprint gives you good value for your money, but is not necessarily the cheapest. Sprint covers every urban area in the U.S., maintains local service stores, very good roaming capabilities, their digital and data network work very well, good selection of phones. Sprint has excellent roaming agreements, while some other carriers are restricting theirs. 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 many 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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VERIZON WIRELESS
Verizon's claim to fame is superior coverage, however that is not necessarily the case in this and other states bordering the Gulf of Mexico. Except for Houston, virtually all of Verizon's own coverage is supplied at PCS frequencies. This is not a bad thing, they have optimized their network very well, but they don't have the advantage of the superior 850 MHz frequencies they use in other areas. In the few places where they don't have their own coverage, they have roaming agreements with other carriers, normally the carriers 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 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. Pros: Verizon has reasonably-priced plans, "Unlimited" calling plans available, extensive coverage, wide-ranging National plans, excellent customer service, all-digital service, and 'customer-friendly' policies. 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 oddities, 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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