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ALLIED WIRELESS ALLTEL ALL WEST WIRELESS AMERILINK APPALACHIAN WIRELESS AT&T
BLANCA TELEPHONE WIRELESS |
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.
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