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Connecticut,
Massachusetts & Rhode Island Cellular Reviews
Mountain Wireless presents an opinionated review of wireless
and cellular phone services in Connecticut,
Massachusetts and Rhode Island. This is information
gained from personal experience, user interviews,
press releases, advertising material, newsgroups
and wireless web sites.For Ratings of these carriers, Click Here.
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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 changing with
AT&T's acquisition of Alltel Wireless
in 76 markets in the western US. They claim
that their Alltel purchases will all be converted
to 3G GSM by July, 2011. Parts of the Alltel
network already provide GSM coverage. Other
areas will be converted on a market-by-market
basis. With GSM technology, 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
and increasing data capacity instead of adding
cell sites in older areas. In several markets
where AT&T operates at 1900 MHz only, we have been disappointed, but 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 mostly uses the AT&T
network. It has overloaded their system resulting
in dropped calls, interrupted data and slower
service.
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AT&T Review
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,
and AT&T will now supply the unlock code
for all phones, except the iPhone, after
3 to 10 months. Additions of Alltel, Unicel
and Centennial network purchases 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 in
the US as CDMA, customer service varies from
above to below average, some markets have
a large number of dropped calls caused by
large data users.
Get Web-Only Discounts on Wireless from AT&T.
Metro PCS Pros & Cons
METROPCS
MetroPCS is a 'flat rate' carrier available
in most major cities. 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 $35
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 roaming agreements with other small
carriers which allows Unlimited service in
those markets. They have some useful options
like fixed-rate calling to Mexico and a Group
Ring for families.
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. Other 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, Roaming is not available outside the US. They are still growing so there are still
some areas with poor or no coverage. Many
features are not included in the cheapest
plans.
Get Discounts on Metro PCS
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.
Get Online Discounts on Nextel Phones
POCKET COMMUNICATIONS
A local PCS carrier in south Texas, Massachusetts
and Connecticut. They offer Unlimited calls
on their own network starting at only $25
per month, with additional digital features
and free Long Distance as options. Roaming
is available over most of the country although
some large areas are unavailable. Some of
their plans includes free Text Messaging
to Mexico. Pocket has entered into a "joint
agreement" with Cricket Wireless in
the south Texas area which will mean either
plans will look more like Cricket's, or the
eventual disappearance of the Pocket brand
in Texas.
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.
Get Online Discounts on Sprint Phones
More Sprint Pros & Cons
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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.
Get Online Discounts from T-Mobile
TracFone Pros & Cons
TRACFONE
Tracfone isn't an actual cellular carrier
but is a major supplier of wireless phones
and service. They are the largest prepaid
cellular 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 below $9 a month and offer all the
advantages of prepaid services. They also
feature monthly plans and offer promotions
with bonus minutes, and plans with 365-day
expiration. Their service is mostly limited
to Voice and Text but does support data use
of their web-capable phones. They offer the
option of having the charges deducted from
your credit card or charge account automatically,
eliminating the need to renew on an exact
expiration date. TracFone offers Free international
calls to about 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.
Pros: Coverage and Local service, available
virtually everywhere in the US, good price
plans with no roaming or long distance charges,
Local numbers in all markets, included Long
Distance calling to 60 countries. Cons: They
have a small selection of phones, no smart phones, coverage is determined by the phone model
(CDMA or GSM) which may limit your roaming
coverage, no roaming outside the US.
Get Online Deals on TracFone
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.
Get Online Exclusive Discounts from Verizon Wireless
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