Mountain Wireless-Maryland/Washington DC Cellular Reviews

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Cellular Reviews for Maryland & Washington DC
Mountain Wireless presents an opinionated review of wireless and cellular phone services in Maryland and Washington DC. 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.

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 situation will improve somewhat 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. Most areas 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.

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. 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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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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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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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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