Looking at leaving AT&T for Sprint or VZW

[Kirby Baker]

I'm truly getting sick of no 3G in my area (centennial acquisition area, SW Michigan) and I get horrible service with my Nokia N95-3 (US 3G version). Was in Ann Arbor on Saturday, couldnt make/receive calls for a while, couldnt get on internet at all despite having 3G signal. Forced Edge to just make calls, still no internet. One reason I originally went with AT&T (Cingular) was that it was GSM and I could have a world phone and take it anywhere with me. Havent travelled outside the USA in years, so thats a worthless option for me, and in hindsight was a dumb reason to choose Cingular.

Was also in NYC over Labor Day weekend, and again had horrible 3G service, and when I do get 3G service in Chicago, its slow as hell. So that pretty much killed any thought of getting the new iPhone.

So I have been doing lots of research into Sprint and Verizon. Both at CDMA, and I have a CDMA tower about 1.5 miles from my house, and according to Sprint's site, I am in their broadband coverage area. I have read lots of comments elsewhere about how VZW will 'dumb' down an identical phone that Sprint carries. True? Does VZW have any benefits over Sprint (not in terms of pricing, but functionality)?

I want a touch screen phone, so I've been eyeballing the Pre a lot, played with one in the store. But also want to see whats up with the new HTC Hero. Of course then that gets into the whole webOS vs. Android discussion, and I've never used Android. Any suggestions?

It seems like Sprint has the best plan pricing out there now, with that Any Mobile, Any Time feature. I would like to test signal strength in my house, and not sure if its best to buy a pay-as-you-go phone for whichever service (Virgin Mobile for sprint as they dont roam off sprints network, but who for VZW?) or just try and choose the carrier I want and sign up and use the 30 day grace period? Also, recommended to wait on number porting from my existing AT&T until I am satisfied?

I know, lots of questions there, but I appreciate any input!

 

[tinydoughboy]

Sprint does have great data plans. I surely can give them that. However they don't really work in alot of placess either. Where I am at Alltel(now VZW) has the best coverage. I currently use VZW and a BB Storm, I have zero issues with my service/coverage. I get service everywhere I go and then some. Haven't ever had a problem with 3G either it's been great!...

Hope this helps a bit. Good Luck Shopping it's always fun!.

P.S. I would go ahead and utilize your 30 day guarantee with the phone you want. Because some phones work better than others in your house. ie. the prepay phones may work but when you go with a data phone it may not.

 

[navychop]

The Sprint network is small, and their roaming coverage, esp for data, may not be all that great. If you're not traveling any, you might be happy with Sprint in your location.

But just remember, Sprint recently ended the year with fewer customers than they started with. They've done this at least twice. And they're the only cell company to have ever done so. Reports of losing fewer customers than expected (2008 link) are viewed as good news, when net customer losses are generally viewed as disastrous with other companies. "Sprint has been losing customers for several years, owing to its own strategic mistakes as well as fierce competition...." from a 2009 link.

And from another 2009 link: "Sprint Nextel Corp., the nation's third-largest wireless carrier, said Thursday it continued to lose customers and money in the fourth quarter and wrote down the remaining value of Sprint's 2005 purchase of Nextel Communications Inc."

It would appear that their best future may be to be acquired, as has been predicted for some time now. But what value to they offer? A small and declining number of dissatisfied customers and a small, CDMA network? And a smaller iDEN network? May be of some value to Verizon, but I doubt it.

There are many posts about billing issues with Sprint. You might want to look into if these problems are ongoing.

Just be cautious. Things don't seem to be going well for Sprint, and that may be bad for customers as well. There must be a reason they are losing customers.

P.S. - AT&T is rapidly expanding their 3G coverage, but since there is no way to find out if they're expanding it in your area, it's of little consolation.

 

[mike123abc]

There is talk of a Sprint/Tmobile merger.

Each carrier does better in different areas. Find one that does a good job where you need it, and when you travel you will just have to put up with unknown service quality.

 

[TheForce]

Yes, unknown is the word for it. When I went to Grand Cayman 2 years ago, I was told that onle T-Mobile or AT&T would work there. However, much to everyone's surprise, neither AT&T nor T-Mobile worked! Guess what? All my service worked although it was expensive since I was roaming with Verizon. Also, if you are planning a trip to a country that only has GSM support, Verizon will ship you a phone loaner for that country.

I don't know how true this is but the sales guy at Sprint claimed that Sprint can use Verizon towers and now has a reciprocal agreement. You have to switch the phone to "roaming" ( not sure what he meant by that) and then the coverage will be same as Verizon footprint. PLUS, he said Sprint will not charge roaming when you do that. You should ask for confirmation on that of Sprint because if it is true, then you can take advantage of lower rates at Sprint.

Dumbing down PDA phones at Verizon... It's true, plus that hold up on technology release for 6-9 months behind Sprint. But the downside is, Sprint's first releases are often loaded with bugs and problems, while the delayed release at Verizon is generally bug free. Take your pick!

 

[TheForce]

There is talk of a Sprint/Tmobile merger.

Each carrier does better in different areas. Find one that does a good job where you need it, and when you travel you will just have to put up with unknown service quality.

That talk is curious since it makes very little sense. T-Mobile is owned by a German company, Deutsche Telekom and is strictly GSM. Sprint / Nextel are CDMA. Howver, the business arrangement is in violation of FCC regs and change may have to take place where DT would have to divest all but 20% of their stock in T-Mobile USA.

 

[SatinKzo]

I personally would take sprint up on the 30 day trial and see what kind of service you get. I know approximately what location and you are near the guranteed signal strength area, but just enough outside it to be in the varied strength category.

This all being said I have a a Pre and a TP that I can use for referense in our area. The Pre does seem to be a bit better on radio strength, but then I changed the radio rom on my sprint TP to the recent Verizon rom and signal strength is apparently better using the ##Debug# screens on the TP to check signals.

In my travels in SW michigan, I've never lost coverage that I know of in any of the follwing areas:
Kalamazoo, Three Rivers, Constantine, Niles, Bangor, South Haven, Allegan/Hopkins.

Data coverage, yeah, I've dropped to 1x from time to time, but even in areas that say "roaming" on the sprint map, I still seem to get mostly EVDO rev a speeds. Never once has sprint ever contacted me about any roaming nor have I ever seen a charge for anything.

As for your other questions:
I have a TP, wife has a Pre. I think the Pre is cool, but I still love the customizable nature of my winmo phone.
Co-worker has a Android phone, it's pretty nice, he likes it quite a bit, but for me, there are just some apps that he can't seem to find on the android that I have on my winmo phone. It'll come along, but for me, it's not ready for "me" yet.

 

[Ira Lacher]

Had Sprint for several years, Verizon briefly. (Switched to AT&T last year for iPhone.) Here's my 2 cents:

Had no problems with Sprint coverage. I didn't appreciate their selection of phones and their customer service, which consistently ranks at or near the bottom of Consumer Reports' ratings. They seemed to be most restrictive when it came to upgrading or repairing equipment, and their CSRs seemed to be the least inclined to rely on anything more than "company policy." Sprint doesn't seem to get it that when your product is just like everyone else's, the way to distinguish yourself is by offering better customer service.

If you want a Blackberry, I would heartily recommend Verizon, even though their rates seem to be higher than most companies'. However, their high-speed network, like AT&T's, is in larger population centers only. So web access will be lacking if you are in a smaller community. Their customer service seemed fine, however, and their choice of phones beats Sprint's, IMHO. Of course they don't have the iPhone!

T-Mobile always has offered lower rates than everyone else's, but their coverage is the spottiest as well. If you travel in the U.S. anywhere outside a decent-size metro, you may lose data service, lose coverage altogether or possibly be hit with roaming charges. It's been awhile since I was with T-M, however, so they may have improved their sharing agreements. (Of course, based on the technology, they have to share with AT&T, the only other GSM U.S. provider. So if you don't like AT&T coverage, it probably won't get any better with T-M.) T-M does seem to be innovative, lately, however; they were the first to get the Android OS-based phones, though results on those are a mixed bag.

Frankly, I have been impressed with the way AT&T seems to be committed to upgrading its network; I think they realize that the iPhone is their bread and butter and if they cannot deliver on iPhone serviceability, they will lose big-time. Unfortunately, they will prioritize their upgrade strategy based on population center, so Des Moines -- which was upgraded to 3G just last December! -- can expect to see another upgrade in say, 2013. But that's not AT&T's fault; any company will do that.

 

[grydlok]

Sprint does have great data plans. I surely can give them that. However they don't really work in alot of placess either. Where I am at Alltel(now VZW) has the best coverage. I currently use VZW and a BB Storm, I have zero issues with my service/coverage. I get service everywhere I go and then some. Haven't ever had a problem with 3G either it's been great!...

Hope this helps a bit. Good Luck Shopping it's always fun!.

P.S. I would go ahead and utilize your 30 day guarantee with the phone you want. Because some phones work better than others in your house. ie. the prepay phones may work but when you go with a data phone it may not.

What? I'm sorry, but I was down Jacksonville working for a few months and verzon sucked terrible there. No matter where I went, Richland, Kinston, Warsaw, Trenton. I was in and out of Onslow and Jones county and unless I was right on 17 my LG would roam 1xrt. My Sprint phone was tiny bit better and I do mean tiny because of the roaming agreements. US Cellular was king down there. All my co-workers couldn't wait to get out of jar-head central, our phones didn't work great and 17 sucked.

 

[grydlok]

The Sprint network is small, and their roaming coverage, esp for data, may not be all that great. If you're not traveling any, you might be happy with Sprint in your location.

But just remember, Sprint recently ended the year with fewer customers than they started with. They've done this at least twice. And they're the only cell company to have ever done so. Reports of losing fewer customers than expected (2008 link) are viewed as good news, when net customer losses are generally viewed as disastrous with other companies. "Sprint has been losing customers for several years, owing to its own strategic mistakes as well as fierce competition...." from a 2009 link.

And from another 2009 link: "Sprint Nextel Corp., the nation's third-largest wireless carrier, said Thursday it continued to lose customers and money in the fourth quarter and wrote down the remaining value of Sprint's 2005 purchase of Nextel Communications Inc."

It would appear that their best future may be to be acquired, as has been predicted for some time now. But what value to they offer? A small and declining number of dissatisfied customers and a small, CDMA network? And a smaller iDEN network? May be of some value to Verizon, but I doubt it.

There are many posts about billing issues with Sprint. You might want to look into if these problems are ongoing.

Just be cautious. Things don't seem to be going well for Sprint, and that may be bad for customers as well. There must be a reason they are losing customers.

P.S. - AT&T is rapidly expanding their 3G coverage, but since there is no way to find out if they're expanding it in your area, it's of little consolation.

The subs sprint is dropping is from the iden side, which is the business side

 

[digiblur]

I've been with Sprint since 2001 and haven't had any issues with billing that they couldn't fix over the phone or by online chat. I'm a pretty straightforward customer though, nothing crazy, nothing to screw up. Most of the billing issues I've heard are all the folks who have like 10 different addon's from retentions trying to save them when they were not leaving in the first place.

Coverage... they are not as wide spread as AT&T in my area but as you found "bars" on your phone doesn't mean anything if you can't use them. Same thing in this area. The few places Sprint does not have coverage where I go, I've had no issues roaming on the other CDMA guys in the area. Data worked fine too. I don't get excellent coverage in my house but they did send me a free Airave that hooks up to my broadband that basically makes a 3000 sqft cell coverage area for Sprint phones. Works great and saves a ton on battery life since your "tower" is right there in the house, the phone doesn't have to crank up the radio power to talk to the tower every so often. I do bitch and moan about some of their coverage in this area but no cell phone provider is perfect in my area.

 

[Kirby Baker]

Thanks for all the informative posts! I just finished reading the 12 page HTC Touch Pro thread here, and I gotta say, it really made me miss my old WinMo phone (Q-tek S200). I really like the customizations that can be done with WinMo, so I might just end up getting a TP! I also like the fact that the TP is no larger than my Nokia N95. Its a few mm taller, a few mm narrower, and a little thinner.

But before I decide on the TP I need to check out how customizable the Pre is, but I am guessing its not as customizable, and doesnt have the 3rd party app support than WinMo has, not to mention the TP has external storage and the Pre doesnt. Watched some review videos of the HTC Hero, and am less than impressed, basically writing it off.

 

[digiblur]

There's always the Touch Pro 2

I don't like the Pre for that matter right there... I like to toy with new software all the time, and there's plenty of that in the Windows Mobile world.

 

[Kirby Baker]

TP2 is bigger though, almost half an inch taller. While its other features are nice, I really dont want anything bigger (taller) than what I have now, which is why the Pre was interesting. Plus the TP2 takes a few more coin to get!

 

[SatinKzo]

Having used the pre, yes it's not overly customizable, but for my wife, it's perfect. For me, I'd be frustrated quickly. Performance wise, the pre works great, wife honestly can't complain about a single thing with it.

 

[digiblur]

Having used the pre, yes it's not overly customizable, but for my wife, it's perfect. For me, I'd be frustrated quickly. Performance wise, the pre works great, wife honestly can't complain about a single thing with it.

Exactly my thoughts... if you want a phone you don't tinker with and just turn it on and use, the get the Pre. But if you want to roll up your sleeves and really customize it, the Touch Pro is great for that....tons of different ways to use the phone.

My next play project for my Touch Pro... already a ROM with it cooked in and the work done for you too...

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XeWkEqJHMg]YouTube - Get Sense UI on Windows Mobile[/ame]

 

[grydlok]

Exactly my thoughts... if you want a phone you don't tinker with and just turn it on and use, the get the Pre. But if you want to roll up your sleeves and really customize it, the Touch Pro is great for that....tons of different ways to use the phone.

My next play project for my Touch Pro... already a ROM with it cooked in and the work done for you too...

YouTube - Get Sense UI on Windows Mobile

Now it looks like a Hero

 

[Kirby Baker]

Having used the pre, yes it's not overly customizable, but for my wife, it's perfect. For me, I'd be frustrated quickly. Performance wise, the pre works great, wife honestly can't complain about a single thing with it.

I like to tinker and change the appearance of my phone, and frankly miss that on my N95. Since I cant do that on the Pre, that steers me even more to the TP.

 

[Kirby Baker]

Exactly my thoughts... if you want a phone you don't tinker with and just turn it on and use, the get the Pre. But if you want to roll up your sleeves and really customize it, the Touch Pro is great for that....tons of different ways to use the phone.

My next play project for my Touch Pro... already a ROM with it cooked in and the work done for you too...

YouTube - Get Sense UI on Windows Mobile

That will be cool to have the SenseUI on the TP! I wonder how it will handle it, as the video I saw of the Hero was sorta slow moving between screens, bad enough that it ruled the phone out for me. The video you posted it seems to work 100% better, but isnt that the Touch Pro2 in the video? Wonder how much difference there is in performance in the two phones (TP vs. TP2).

 

[krauser1]

Here is my two cents, for what it is worth. I have the following:

Verizon personal phone, Verizon work air card, and Sprint blackberry for work.

I will have to agree with the general replies to this post. Verizon's coverage is a heck of alot better than Sprints. I can witness that hands on because I have both. I used to travel ALOT for work and many times my Sprint blackberry would either be roaming or no coverage. (For what it is worth, it rarely had no coverage.) Only problem with the Sprint blackberry roaming - depending on what tower it was using, it may or may not have data coverage. So there were times when I would not get emails until I got back on the Sprint network. I have NEVER not had coverage on my Verizon phone.

Sprint's data network runs well. Here in Atlanta they now have 4G, but heresay says that it isn't noticeable, yet. My Verizon aircard works great. I use it on the go all the time and generally always have 3G. There have been a few times where I have not had 3G, but the "national access" isn't bad, especially in rural areas where nobody else even has cell coverage.

So, as an individual who has had both Verizon and Sprint for over 3 years, I would highly recommend Verizon over Sprint, any day. Hope this helps.