BLUEGRASS CELLULAR
Bluegrass is operated by a combination of 5 rural Kentucky telephone co-ops. They have a large selection of CDMA phones including Smart phones. They have very good coverage across their own network and offer generous plans. Their cheapest plans do not include Mobile to Mobile calls, but their Local unlimited plan includes an additional bucket of 100 monthly National minutes. As a cooperative, they have better than average customer service. They warn customers, "Digital features many not be available in all areas."

BRAZOS CELLULAR
Brazos Cellular has been sold to AT&T. Darn.

BREAKAWAY WIRELESS
Serving the center of Utah, Breakaway is part of the local telephone cooperative, so we expect Customer Service to be a notch above average. They offer a large number of plans that offer Unlimited voice service on their own network in Sanpete County coupled with different levels of Roaming and Long Distance minutes. They have a good number of CDMA phones including data phones. They offer both contract and non-contract terms but do not allow outgoing international calls.

CAPROCK CELLULAR
Centered on the town of Spur, Texas, Caprock offers digital service and good coverage. They are the local phone coop, so we expect customer service to be better than average. They show Local, Regional and National coverage maps, but only offer a "National" plan. Prices are reasonable but with those plans, 50% of your calls must be made on the Caprock network. If you exceed 50% while roaming your per minute charge is then .20 per minute. There is no extra charge for voice mail, but you must ask to have it activated. Any plan charges incur a $5 charge.

CAROLINA WEST WIRELESS
Good Local coverage. They offer National plans that are priced about average, with Local and National Unlimited plans with roaming add-ons available. They have a good selection of phones including Smart phones.

CC COMMUNICATIONS
CC serves western Nevada. They have good coverage with plans that cover the whole state without roaming charges. They offer Unlimited Local plans that include a few roaming minutes. Their National plans are expensive, however, their Unlimited National plans are reasonable. The CC Communications wireless network is owned by Commnet Wireless, however sales and support are still provided by CC Communications. You still deal with local people and you can still "bundle" your cellular service with CC's other extensive communications services. Commnet is making improvements to the CC network. Pros: Good coverage, reasonable Unlimited plans, Unlimited National plans are available. Cons: Expensive National plans, $4.95 fee to change plans or features, no Off-Peak or Mobile to Mobile features.
CC Communications Coverage Map

CELLCOM
They offer Local plans with reasonable rates with Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan as your Home area. Their National plans are generous and include a $100 Unlimited plan. They also support broadband services and offer a long list of sophisticated CDMA phones.

CELLULAR ONE OF EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS
Cellular One offers generous plans for their two-state home area ("Illiana"). They have Unlimited plans for both their local area and nationwide, with plans comparable to AT&T. They have a Calling Circle-type plan that allows 20 numbers on any network. Their Unlimited Nights & Weekends start at 7pm and incoming Text Messages are free. They have a few holes in their roaming coverage in the west. A GSM carrier.

CELLULAR ONE OF EAST TEXAS
Cellular One of East Texas has plans that are little more generous than average. They offer a 3-state Regional plan as well as several levels of National and Local Unlimited plans. they have a large selection of phones and support Telular service. They have added new cell sites and local stores. They offer very reasonable international calling rates for a cellular carrier, including calls to Mexico.

CELLULAR ONE (NORTHEAST ARIZONA)
Cellular One has the best, or only coverage among the Native American properties along the northeast Arizona and northwest New Mexico border. They have added PCS service, new sites across the 4-Corners area, an 850 MHz GSM overlay, and are adding more cell sites. They have special low-cost wireless programs. They also support fixed wireless service for homes away from wirelines. They offer Regional and National plans, and, while their plans are not expensive, they start at a relatively high price, especially their National plans. They offer an Unlimited National plan. They have several levels of My Circle-type calling features. They have a good selection of phone models including smart phones. Their prepaid plans are either too expensive or too complicated. Pros: Excellent coverage, big selection of plans including Regional and National plans, locally-owned, good customer service, life-line plans, a large number of phones available. Cons: Some areas are still analog which means users with digital phones can only access parts of the network (there are no GSM + analog phones), their National plans start at high price levels, their prepaid plans are expensive.

CELLULAR ONE OF NORTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA
This Cellular One serves two counties and has plans that start as cheap at $19. They have Local, "Tri-State" (PA, NY, NJ), and National plans and they are reasonably priced. All plans, except the cheapest, include all features. They have good coverage and good roaming agreements.

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.

CELLULAR ONE OF TEXOMA
A small GSM carrier in the Texas/Oklahoma border area, formerly Amerilink Wireless. They have a wide variety of Local and National plans and many options within those plans, including Unlimited Local minutes. Their coverage area is small but they allow roaming on other GSM networks. Their Off-Peak and Mobile to Mobile minutes are good only on their own network, voice mail is extra on most plans and there aren't many phones to choose from.

CELLULAR 29 PLUS
Cellular 29 is now known as Chat Mobility.

CELLULAR SOUTH
Cellular South has expanded into northern Alabama and Georgia. They have a variety of plans, including several levels of Unlimited calling. You can select the level of calling areas or features that you need including Nationwide Unlimited minutes. Users report good coverage and like the selection of plans. They offer a good selection of phones and good customer service.

CENTENNIAL WIRELESS
Centennial in this area has been purchased by AT&T.

CHARITON VALLEY WIRELESS
Chariton serves the north central part of Missouri. They offer Local, Regional, National, Unlimited and Lifeline plans. Most plans are reasonable, but some are overpriced. Since they are a local telephone cooperative we expect customer service to be better than average. They have a good selection of handsets including Smart phones.

CHAT MOBILITY
Offering service in extreme southwest Iowa, Chat Mobility offers generous plans with everything included like long distance, roaming, free incoming calls, nights & weekends and mobile to mobile. They have a small number of CDMA phones including Smart phones and air cards. Coverage is average. They have Unlimited plans which are priced a little high. They have cheaper local Unlimited calling plans but you need to qualify for "Lifeline" service (based on support programs) to get them, and they are more expensive that typical Lifeline programs.

CINCINNATI BELL WIRELESS
Cincinnati Bell has a nice wireless company associated with the local wireline carrier that has good coverage across their southwest Ohio/northwest Kentucky/southeast Indiana area. They have generous plans with national roaming on AT&T, and an Unlimited plan. AT&T has their own coverage in the area so you'll need to choose one over the other based on features and price. Cincinnati Bell offers bundle pricing, including a "price for life" offer which guarantees no price increases.

CLEAR WIRELESS
Clear, also known as Clearwire, is primarily a Wireless Internet Service Provider using "WiMAX" technology in the 2.5 GHz band. Clear provides a faster broadband service than those provided by cellular carriers. Clear calls its service "4G", but their actual speeds vary considerably based on the newness of their network and the development of the technology. Clear's service is also being offered by other communications companies like Comcast, Time-Warner, Google, Sprint and others, often under their own brand name. Clear is available in limited areas and you can use it for your mobile data needs as long as you are within their coverage, and that may also include your home data usage. There is no service available away from your home area, unlike broadband provided by cellular carriers who can offer service over much of the country. They don't currently support typical cellular data devices, instead, they provide home modems, Voice over IP, USB modems for mobile devices, or a WiMAX-ready laptop. Clear can offer a competitive price to most cellular services, including a "$50 For Life" promotion, which can mean long-term savings if you can accept their limitations. For now, Clear has aggressive expansion plans.

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.

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...yet. Their parent company, Atlantic Tele-Network recently agreed to purchase the divested Alltel assets from Verizon Wireless, nearly doubling the size of their network. Their current business 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 carrier that allows 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. They say, "we can enhance the subscriber experience by providing coverage in unexpected areas, at a cost well below what would be possible for a single retail carrier." In most cases, you'll have no idea you're using a Commnet site, but that may change soon.
Commnet Coverage Maps

CORR WIRELESS
Corr has been acquired by Cellular South.

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
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.
Get Online Discounts from Cricket

CUSTER TELEPHONE CELLULAR
Custer Cellular is part of the Custer Telephone Cooperative in southeast Idaho. They have an interesting combination of plans that include Unlimited use of their own network and various levels of roaming across the state and the nation. Their plan prices are higher than average. Their own coverage is good and they have a relationship with neighboring cooperatives which may extend the "local" coverage capabilities. They offer a good selection of CDMA phones but don't seem to offer any data plans beyond Text Messaging. Many services that we expect to be included, like voice mail, are charged extra.

DTC WIRELESS
Located east of Nashville, DTC has good coverage and is operated by locals as part of the local telephone cooperative. They have average-priced plans including National, Senior, Prepaid and Unlimited plans. They have a good selection of GSM phones including Smart phones, and they support Fixed Wireless service for your home phone.

EINSTEIN WIRELESS
This small carrier offers Unlimited calling from their own Wisconsin network. Coverage is good along the major highways of the state and fair in urban areas. Their various plans offer different levels of features, some with calling over the entire state of Wisconsin, but no Nationwide roaming. Their phone selection is small and they don't seem to offer any data services.

EPIC PCS:
Epic PCS serves the SW corner of Kansas and part of the Oklahoma panhandle. They are a GSM carrier using PCS frequencies so you should expect coverage along the main roads but not some of the areas between them. They offer several reasonably-priced Unlimited plans and very competitive National plans. They have a good selection of phones including smart phones, and a very simple "senior" phone with an amplified earpiece, but no special senior plans. They are related to EpicTouch that offers internet and other advanced communication services and is related to the local wireline, the Independent Telephone Company. We expect customer service to be above average.

ETEX WIRELESS
Etex is located in the east Texas area around Gilmer. They offer digital service and reasonable National and Regional plans. As part of a local telephone co-op, service is better than average. They have a good selection of phones including smart phones and air cards with reasonable messaging and broadband plans.

FARMERS MUTUAL TELEPHONE COMPANY
Wireless from FMTC serves small towns on the Idaho/Oregon border including Fruitland, ID. Their Local plans include a few rural areas in WY, CO and UT, including a Local Unlimited plan. They only offer a few plans, but they are reasonable and include most features and start as low as $20/month. They have a good selection of phones including smart phones.
FMTC "Extended" Local Coverage Map

FIVE STAR WIRELESS
Five Star has been acquired by West Central Wireless.

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.

ILLINOIS VALLEY CELLULAR
Illinois Valley serves a small area outside of Chicago with reasonable plans, including Unlimited and National plans, but charge extra for voice mail and Text. They have different levels of Unlimited service as cheap at $18 per month. If you qualify for their Lifeline plans it can be even cheaper.

INDIGO WIRELESS (Nebraska)
Indigo covers parts of the panhandle of the state. They only offer Unlimited minutes for $19.95. Based on their limitations, we wonder if this carrier has more than a handful of local-only customers. The phone numbers given on Indigo's web site are for their corporate office in Pennsylvania. To get Nebraska information you need to call one of the Nebraska stores or their regional office at (308) 637-6000. Pros: Plan is cheap, coverage serves mostly the main roads, National service is available but is questionable based on TDMA technology. Cons: Phone selection is small, old and outdated; roaming is expensive, Long Distance charges are extra, service uses TDMA technology which has been discontinued across most of the country.
Indigo Wireless Coverage Map

INDIGO WIRELESS (Pennsylvania)
Serving 5 counties in northern Pennsylvania, Indigo has very reasonable plans. For $30 you can get Unlimited calls within their local service area, and 450 minutes to be used roaming anywhere in the U.S. on other GSM networks. No reports on coverage, but if it's adequate, this is a very good deal. They have a nice selection of phones.

INLAND CELLULAR
A small company serving southeast Washington and north central Idaho. They have reasonable plans including both Local and National Unlimited plans. Their plans include off-peak calling and free incoming minutes, but Mobile to Mobile minutes are on-network only. They offer packages with data included and a Calling Circle add-on to 5 numbers on any network. Pros: They have good coverage, their plans include several price levels with regional and National coverage. They offer a good number of phones including smart phones and air cards. Cons: Additonal Family Plan members are pricey.

I WIRELESS
This is Iowa's affiliate of T-mobile. Plans are similar to T-Mobile's and promotions include lots of minutes. They also have a Calling Circle-type plan that includes 5 numbers on any network. They have a reasonable National Unlimited plan. Most native coverage is in the eastern half of the state with some expansion into the northwestern part of the state, and Des Moines is served mostly by T-Mobile. iWireless also serves parts of extreme northwestern Illinois and southwestern Wisconsin, which would work for people who find themselves often crossing the Mississippi River.

LAMAR COUNTY CELLULAR
Located in Paris, TX. Lamar has Local, Regional and National plans. Their prices are a little high and only include a certain number of long distance and roaming minutes. They do offer a $10 "Emergency" plan and an Unlimited "Teen" plan for calls within Lamar County.

LEACO WIRELESS
This carrier covers southeast New Mexico. They offer Local and Regional plans including Unlimited Local plans. National plans are a little expensive. They have plans as low as $16 and "Lifeline" service starting at $5 per month. Our information is a bit dated and their web site does not provide many details beyond price plans. Leaco is a local phone cooperative so we expect customer service to be above average. They offer a large number of phones including smart phones. PROS: Good coverage outside of town, several phones from which to choose. CONS: Some over-capacity problems in town, voice mail is extra.

LONG LINES WIRELESS
A small GSM carrier in Iowa. Plans start at $30 and they offer "unlimited" plans with various amounts of nationwide roaming minutes included.

LYRIX WIRELESS
Lyrix is now known as Chat Mobility.

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.
Get Discounts on Metro PCS

MID RIVERS CELLULAR
Mid Rivers covers the east central part of Montana. They only offer a few phones, most of which are pricey, but do include some smart phones. They are part of a local telephone co-op, so they are pretty friendly and easy to deal with, and they offer bundle discounts for various services including wireless, landline, internet and cable TV. Their calling plans are a little overpriced, but they offer some roaming minutes, presumably National. They offer Lifeline plans. There are extra charges for each different feature like Caller ID, Voice Mail, and Long Distance.

MID-TEX CELLULAR
Good coverage and they offer plans that allow you to choose the features you want including Unlimited Local calling and All-Texas plans. Plans start as low as $15 per month with lots of "a la carte" selections to customize your plan. They only offer Nokia and Motorola GSM phones, including a couple smart phone, to their own customers, and also support CDMA roamers. Their National plans are little expensive but you can save by adding only the number of roaming minutes you need. Their fees are pretty high like $40 for Activation and $20 for plan and account changes.

MOBI PCS
Hawaii's own 'home-grown' carrier. They offer various levels of Unlimited service with prices starting at $37. They use the more "fragile" PCS frequencies and coverage is limited to the more populated areas on most of the main islands. Mainland roaming is available as an add-on item. High speed access is only available on Oahu, Maui and the Big Island. They offer a relatively large number of phones.

MOHAVE WIRELESS
Covering northwest Arizona, Mohave (also known as Citizen's Mohave) is small but real people answer the phone on the first or second ring. They have upgraded to CDMA digital at all of their sites, so most digital features are available. Mohave is 40% owned by Verizon. Mohave's Prepaid plans are surprisingly expensive. Pros: Very personal service, they offer reasonable Local and National plans, a local "unlimited" plan, and digital features. Cons: They don't offer very many phone models, there are some coverage holes, but they have added a few new urban sites, their Mobile-to-Mobile minutes are limited to Mohave County.
Mohave Wireless Coverage Map.

MOSAIC MOBILE
Mosaic is part of Mosaic Telecom, formerly the Chibardun Telephone Cooperative, a communications provider in rural northwest Wisconsin. They have a well-developed all-3G GSM network. Their plans are reasonable but charges for extra features could add up. Their cellular network is new and there are some growing pains, but as a cooperative should have good customer service.

NEX-TECH WIRELESS
Based in Hays, Kansas, Nex-Tech is aiming for CDMA coverage in every western Kansas town "with more than 300 people." They are a partnership of several local telephone co-ops so we would expect customer service to be above average. Coverage is surprising robust for a PCS system. They may have coverage where other carriers have none. Their plans are about average with plans that include roaming on the Sprint network or total Nationwide roaming. Mobile to Mobile and Off-peak coverage is limited to the NextTech and Sprint networks. Also, Alltel numbers in KS are also included as Mobile to Mobile for now. They have a Calling Circle plan that allows Unlimited calls to 5 to 20 numbers on any network and offer several promotions. They have several retail locations. While they offer local coverage along I-70 in Colorado, they are not soliciting Colorado customers.

NEMONT CELLULAR
The Nemont Telephone Cooperative has absorbed and renamed Sagebrush Cellular in the northeast Montana area. They have good coverage across their area, and have National, Local and Unlimited plans. Most plans are reasonably priced. They have added new CDMA digital sites, and may still have some analog sites. As part of the local telephone cooperative you should expect better than average customer service. They don't have a large selection of phones.

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

NNTC WIRELESS
A small PCS carrier, part of the Nucla-Naturita Telephone Company in western Colorado. "Home" coverage is available on a few other rural systems in CO, UT, OR, ID and WY. Roaming coverage provides service elsewhere, their primary roaming partners are Sprint and Alltel. They have Local, Unlimited, National and Business plans. Most features like Voice Mail, Long Distance and Caller ID, are extra. Their plans are overpriced. Their web site comes and goes.
Click Here for NNTC's Extended Local Coverage Map.

NORTHWEST MISSOURI CELLULAR
Northwest Missouri Cellular has an extensive network in their home area and offers reasonably-priced Local and National plans. They have 2 inexpensive versions of Unlimited-minutes plans based on the number of counties you can call from. They offer Fixed Wireless and Lifeline plans. They have several phones to choose including air cards and a "bag" phone.

NTELOS WIRELESS
A local carrier serving Virginia and West Virginia with good coverage and a large selection of phones including Smart phones. They have a large number of plans with generous National plans and Unlimited plans that include unlimited voice and various levels of roaming minutes.

PACE CELLULAR
Pace is the wireless division of the Kaplan Telephone Company of south Louisiana. They offer both Local and National Plans. The Local plans offer lots of minutes for the money but only in a small area, mostly the Vermilion Parish. Some of their National plans are reasonable, others can be expensive. They have several small, annoying fees for features like Caller ID and for calling land line phones. They offer many models of GSM phones, Smart Phones and air cards, and offer lots of data features.

PEOPLE'S WIRELESS
This small carrier, based in Quitman, Texas, has reasonable plans and they include free long distance and national roaming. Most of their plans include Unlimited Local calling with different amounts of National minutes. They have "Economy" plans starting as low at $10. They offer a fairly good selection of current phones. They are part of the Peoples Telephone Cooperative, so we expect customer service to be better than average.

PINE BELT WIRELESS
Pine Belt has good coverage in the west central counties of Alabama. They offer Local, Regional, National and Unlimited plans which are all overpriced for the areas included. They have a very small selection of phones, however they offer the Motorola "bag phone" which has higher power. They are part of the Pine Belt Telephone Company, but we haven't heard of any bundled discounts by adding their other services.

PINE CELLULAR
Pine serves the southeast Oklahoma and Paris, Texas areas. They have a large selection of plans including Local, Regional, 6-state, National, Unlimited, Prepaid and Lifeline. Their Local plans are reasonable but their Regional and National plans are expensive. They don;t offer many phone models, but support most digital features.

PIONEER WIRELESS
Pioneer has good coverage, especially in northwest Oklahoma, with some service across the border into southern Kansas, and their entire network is 3G. Their Local plans include the states of Oklahoma and Kansas. They have a large selection of phones, including Blackberry, but not from many manufacturers. They have a large selection of plans, including Unlimited, and they are fairly generous. Plans over $48 allow your minutes to carry over to the next month. Their Local plans are a bit expensive but are good if you don't leave the 2-state area. Prices on their National plans are about average. Nights & Weekends and Mobile to Mobile are available, but at an extra charge with lower-priced plans, and are not unlimited. Pioneer is an "affiliate" of Sprint so crossing into and out of Sprint areas is relatively seamless. They are part of the local communications cooperative, so we expect better than average customer service.
Pioneer Wireless Coverage

PLATEAU WIRELESS
This cellular carrier covers much of eastern New Mexico and west central Texas. They offer both analog and digital service, and a wide range of plans. They still support TDMA, analog and GSM, but their best rate plans all require a GSM phone. While their coverage seems to be good, we hear complaints. They are adding some new cell sites which should improve that situation. There are a few towns where Plateau is the only cellular service available. Their Local plans are reasonable but their Regional and National plans are fairly expensive. Some plans start as low as $20/month although not all features are included with the cheaper plans.

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.

PTCI CELLULAR
The wireless services of the Panhandle Telephone Cooperative have good coverage in the Oklahoma panhandle. Their plans are overpriced, and outside of their 4-state primary service area roaming is somewhat limited. Their Unlimited Mobile to Mobile and Nights and Weekends minutes are limited to their own Oklahoma network. They offer a good selection of phone models. As part of the local telecommunications cooperative they have better than average customer service, and bundled discounts.

REVOL WIRELESS
Revol offers Unlimited minutes with several features. Plans start at $25 with additional features available at higher price levels, which can get expensive. They provide their own coverage across several cities around the Great Lakes and include some other small carriers in markets as "Home" coverage, which is all Unlimited. "Extended" coverage can be added for service in a few additional large cities, but, with the exception of Philadelphia, does not include markets on the east coast. Their coverage is sometimes spotty away from main roads and larger neighborhoods but they are still expanding. They have an average selection of phones, but no smart phones. They will activate phones that did not originate from their network.

SAGEBRUSH CELLULAR
Sagebrush has been absorbed into the Nemont Telephone Cooperative.

SILVER STAR WIRELESS
This is a small system set up by the local wireline telephone company south of the Jackson Hole, WY area. This is a mountainous and sparsely-populated area. They have a good selection of CDMA phones. They offer a wide range of plans that include their own coverage area and several other Intermountain areas, a multi-state region that includes the mountain states, California, and an eighth state of your choosing, or a National plan. They have a reasonable selection of phones including several Blackberry models. They have some attractive promotions. Pros: They may have the best coverage in their small area where other providers have dead spots, they offer most of the latest digital features, they have a large selection of plans, they should have good customer service, 'bundling' should be available. Cons: Their service area is tiny and at PCS frequencies they may have quite a few 'holes', some of their plans are overpriced.

SMART PCS
Smart PCS closed their doors in December, 2009. No other information is available.

SNAKE RIVER PCS
Snake River PCS is composed of 2 completely different networks. In Oregon, the network is supported by the Eagle Telephone Company of Richland, OR. In Idaho, the network is part of the Cambridge Telephone Company (CTC). Eagle Telephone customers get access to Eagle's Snake River Oregon network, but will be roaming anywhere else, even on the Snake River/CTC network of Idaho. Fortunately, some roaming minutes are included in most of Eagle's plans. In Idaho, you will be using the Idaho Snake River sites of CTC, which includes a completely different set of "Snake River" sites in Oregon than those that belong to Eagle. And as if that wasn't confusing enough, CTC offers wireless service in areas around Boise where they have land lines, but only as a re-seller of Verizon Wireless. Plans are very different between Eagle and CTC, with CTC's being quite expensive. Both offer several types of cellular phones. Both companies' agents are friendly and answer the phone in person right away, but the confusion makes this a difficult choice. We are told they may rename the CTC network to "CTC Wireless", which will hopefully end the confusion.

SOUTH CENTRAL COMMUNICATIONS
South Central has a small PCS wireless network designed to cover Southwest Utah along the I-15 corridor and surrounding towns. Their plans include more minutes than average, and their "Regional" plans include a certain number of roaming minutes, first incoming minute free and 6-second billing, but we don't know what their "region" is unless it's their own network. They have a local "Unlimited" plan, with no features included. There are 4 levels of voice mail. Pros: As a local telephone cooperative, we would imagine customer service is above average, they have reasonably-priced plan starting at $30 and offer "Telular" service, Regional and National plans. Cons: Long distance charges may apply while roaming, you need to re-program your phone to avoid accidental roaming, phone selection is good but limited.
Click Here for SCC's Extended Local Coverage Map

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. 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

SPROCKET WIRELESS
Sprocket is a small carrier serving the east central part of Oklahoma just south of Tulsa. They offer 4 flavors of Unlimited minutes plans which do not include Long Distance, but you can choose which features you want included. Basic plans start at $30 and coverage is adequate. They offer "Lifeline" plans.

STRATA NETWORKS
The wireless division of the Uintah Basin Telephone Association, now known as Strata Networks, covers northeastern Utah around Vernal and surrounding areas of Wyoming and Colorado. They offer additional Local coverage in an "Extended" area. Their own cellular system has good coverage and offers free Long Distance. They have many plans including a $20 "Security" plan, National plans with no roaming charges, and Local and National "Unlimited" plans. Some plans are very generous with some helpful add-ons. They offer a good selection of phones including smart phones and air cards. They have a promotion to pay your Early Termination Fee if you leave your current wireless provider while still under contract.
Strata Network's Wireless Coverage Map
Strata Network's Extended Local Wireless Coverage Map.

SYMMETRY PCS
A small carrier in the Quincy and Macomb area of Illinois. They have some very cheap plans and Unlimited Local calling. Their Unlimited plans allow you to add different amounts of National roaming or Long Distance calling minutes. The have a relatively large selection of phones.

SYRINGA WIRELESS
This small carrier is a combination of local PCS carriers and co-op telephone companies in SE Idaho and western WY. They offer Local, Regional and National plans, but they are a bit overpriced when any extra-minute features are added. They have a $20 plan as well as Unlimited plans. Coverage is good through their home area. They are very local so customer service is above average. The company is named after the Idaho state flower.

THUMB CELLULAR
Thumb has good coverage and plans that start as cheap as $20. They offer Local, Michigan Statewide, and National plans, but they don't offer many minutes for the money compared to larger carriers. They have a Local Unlimited plan with various levels of roaming minutes available as an add-on. Mobile to Mobile minutes apply only in the local Thumb service area.

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
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.
Get Online Deals on TracFone

UBET WIRELESS
UBET Wireless and the UBTA-UBET Telephone Cooperative have changed their name to Strata Networks.

UNICEL
Most of Unicel has been purchased by Verizon Wireless who then sold or traded some areas to AT&T. Some markets have yet to be taken over by AT&T but the final transaction will take place by the end of 2010. Customers being switched to AT&T should be able to continue to use their existing handset and will get improved national coverage. Get details about the initial transaction to find out what areas are affected. Unicel areas not yet transferred to AT&T, mostly in Kansas and Minnesota, will continue to be operated as before with several competitive Local and National plans. Pros: Good coverage, Local and National plans available, reasonable plan prices. Cons: Off-Peak minutes are capped at 500 to 1,000 minutes and Mobile to Mobile is included only with Family plans, there is some uncertainty as to what AT&T will do concerning Unicel plans when they eventually take over the remaining Unicel network.
Check Out AT&T Phones.

UNION WIRELESS
Serving Wyoming and adjacent areas of Northwest Colorado and northeast Utah, Union has very good coverage in most areas. In some they are the only game in town. They are adding new cell sites at a rapid rate. They use GSM technology and are one of the few companies offering "Telular" service, a wireless service connected to home wiring. They offer reasonable plans starting at $30 with Unlimited Text and Internet as reasonably-priced add-ons. Unlimited plans are available as well as a Calling Circle plan allowing free calls to up to 10 numbers on any network. Bundles are available. They have more roaming agreements covering a bigger footprint than any one of the large wireless carriers, with international roaming agreements with providers in many foreign countries.
Pros: It is a small company with generally good coverage and better than average customer service, they are the only carrier available in some areas of Wyoming, they offer most digital features in their monthly plans, many of which are quite generous. Cons: While their western WY and northwestern Colorado coverage is very good, coverage in the eastern half of Wyoming is limited to in-town and along interstate highways, although they are adding new sites in these areas.
Get Updated Info on Union Wireless on our Blog

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.
Get Discounts on US Cellular phones

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

VIA WIRELESS
Via Wireless is part of the Wilkes Telephone Company of northern Georgia. It looks like they reluctantly offer wireless service, and it is over priced. You need to fill out a form and an agent will contact you.

VIAERO WIRELESS
Viaero is a GSM carrier that uses 800 MHz Cellular channels in eastern Colorado, and 1900 MHz PCS channels in Nebraska and Kansas. Colorado coverage is excellent, the other parts of the network are very good along most roads and in towns, but slightly weaker in some spots in between. You can request to have them build a tower near you if you can come up with enough neighbors' signatures. They offer very reasonable on-network "Unlimited" plans, including one intended for fixed location (home) use. They have discounts for people on various support programs. They're a good substitute for a wireline in most areas. They have a large number of reasonable plans including several Unlimited and 'calling-circle' plans. They now offer to pay the Early Termination Fee if you leave another carrier before your contract with them is completed. Pros: They offer lots of price points in their plans, including Local and National plans, good to excellent coverage, good customer service, many local stores. Cons: The network outside Colorado is a little more "fragile", but it beats the competition, and you can ask them to add a tower!

WEST CENTRAL WIRELESS
Based in San Angelo and the Hill Country of Texas, West Central Wireless has good coverage and offers a large selection of plans, with reasonably-priced Local, National and Senior plans, and also supports Lifeline plans. Mobile to Mobile and Off-Peak minutes are limited to their home area which has expanded. They have a good selection of phones including several smart phones and air cards.

WESTLINK:
Westlink serves the southwest corner of Kansas. They are a GSM carrier using PCS frequencies so you should expect coverage along the main roads but not all the areas between them. They offer a few nice phones including smart phones, and their plans are very reasonable. They offer Local, National and Unlimited plans and support Lifeline service. As part of local wireline co-operatives their customer service is above average.

WUE WIRELESS
WUE Inc. owns the "B" channel license for cellular service in and around Lincoln County, Nevada. All service there is operated by Verizon Wireless. You can get all the features and plans of Verizon, but if you want a local phone number, you'll have to drive over to the Pioche, NV WUE office and sign up. They don't have a web site, but you can call them at (775)962-5161. All sites but one offer CDMA digital service, and they plan to maintain analog service for the foreseeable future, including the analog-only site near Area 51. Make sure your phone is "tri-mode" (digital & analog) if you plan travel in this area.
WUE Inc. Coverage Map

XIT WIRELESS
They serve the extreme NW corner of Texas. They have GSM service with Local, Regional and National plans. Coverage is excellent. Since they are the local telephone co-op, we expect customer service to be above average. Prices are reasonable and start as low as $30 for a "Local" plan. They only require a 6 month contract, not 2 years. While their "National" plans are generous, coverage does not include as many roaming partners as larger carriers, however, major highways and cities are covered. Nights & Weekends and Mobile to Mobile minutes are available on their own network only.

Find a cellular store near you.

What

Where