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Some of this site applies only to the New York City Area. Coverage, capacity, rates, phone prices, etc. vary by region.
Most of the technical information applies to all markets

Southern California Edition of this Web Site

New York City Edition of this Web Site

 Table of Contents

Cellular News Stories

Click for Complete List of News Stories

Purpose
The purpose of this site is to help current and potential cellular customers choose a cellular carrier and equipment.

This site provides objective information about the rates, local coverage, and roaming capabilities of the six major cellular providers in the San Francisco Bay area. This site also has information and advice on phone selection, high speed data, international roaming, and prepaid service. While I have tried to make this site as objective as possible, it does contain many valuable and informed opinions.

I created this site to help people make informed choices when buying cellular service. My background is as an electrical engineer with a background in communications (and as a cellular user back to the early days of AMPS analog cellular). I receive no compensation for this site and I pay for the web hosting out of my own pocket. I created it as a public service, deciding that it was more efficient than answering individual Usenet requests for information.

Please e-mail me with questions, suggestions, complaints, etc. I try to answer every legitimate question and I have made numerous additions and modifications to the site based on feedback. If you disagree with something on this site please inform me and try to provide some reference, citation, proof, etc. I do make mistakes, but I don't respond well to claims of inaccuracies when the person can't provide the least bit of evidence to back up their claim.

Introduction
Too many people rush into signing up for cellular service without first doing any research on anything except how many minutes they get for a certain amount of money. This is a mistake. Cellular carriers are notorious for misleading marketing and advertising. This web site will help you make a well-informed decision on the choice of a cellular carrier, equipment, and rate plan.

Best Carrier for the San Francisco Bay Area
Cutting to the chase, for those who have no time or interest to peruse this site, here is the best carrier for the San Francisco Bay Area:

Verizon Wireless has the best nationwide coverage, the best nationwide roaming plans, AMPS analog service for rural areas that have no digital service on any carrier, has the best local coverage, and provides high speed data services. Verizon is also a little more expensive than the other carriers. There is very little international roaming available on Verizon since most of Europe and Asia are not CDMA, but the GSM carriers provide international roaming at the expense of local and national coverage.

AT&T Wireless's TDMA service,  which used to be tied with Verizon for local coverage, has been deteriorating in the Bay Area. I have received a number or e-mails from people complaining that their once-excellent TDMA coverage has gotten much worse. It is postulated that AT&T is converting many of their 800 Mhz TDMA cells to 800 Mhz GSM, as part of their GSM conversion. This makes sense since eventually they will turn off the TDMA network and redeploy the 800 Mhz bandwidth to GSM. This will improve GSM service immensely, but unfortunately during the conversion process, TDMA coverage will get worse and worse.

Verizon and Nextel are the only carrier that have local landline phone numbers to access your voicemail (though Verizon does not publicize them, see http://www.bridog.net/cellular/voicemail.txt). In some areas Sprint has this service as well, but it does not work in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Local Number Portability (LNP)
Wireless carriers must allow you to keep your existing phone number when you change to a different carrier. Some carriers are charging hefty monthly fees claiming that the money is being used to implement LNP. Some are not charging anything extra. There may also be fees to transfer your number.

Beware that when you try to move your number to a new carrier, you may discover that your existing carrier has somehow extended your contract without your consent. I know that Sprint and AT&T Wireless have been doing this, I don't know about the other carriers. You can switch carriers without paying the termination fee, but your old carrier will try to bill you for it, and you'll have to deal with this dispute. They will have to prove that you authorized a contract extension. You may have to eventually fight with a collection agency, and later with the credit reporting agencies.

Click for LNP Section

Carrier Selection and Elimination
In some ways, selecting a cellular carrier, equipment, and rate plan, is more complicated than buying an automobile. At least with a vehicle, the performance does not vary a lot based on your geographic location. In other ways, it is quite simple to select a carrier if you know the pros and cons of each one.

Prior to even checking rates and coverage you can usually eliminate several carriers from consideration based on their technology and capabilities (see table below, green is good, red is bad, yellow is in the middle).

This section examines in detail, at the following topics which will help you make an informed decision on the selection of a carrier:

Technology (CDMA versus GSM) DOES Matter
CDMA provides overwhelming advantages over GSM in the U.S., hence, the carriers that have adopted CDMA have an overwhelming advantage over those that have adopted GSM.

800 Mhz is Best
800 Mhz carriers have a tremendous advantage over the newer, 1900 Mhz only carriers.

CDMA is Best, Especially in Densely Populated Urban Areas
The table comparing network congestion is compelling.

All things being Equal, the Best Carrier in Terms of Coverage is Verizon (CDMA)
Verizon is the clear winner for coverage

All Things are Not Equal ≠
While the 1900 Mhz carriers are inferior in terms of coverage, technology and/or capabilities they each have some attraction.

AMPS is Ubiquitous; Don't Choose a Carrier that Doesn't Include AMPS Capability!
No weasel words here, don't go with a carrier that doesn't provide at least the capability to use the old 800 Mhz AMPS network.

Table of Phones With and Without AMPS Capability
Helps you avoid the mistake of buying a handset without AMPS capability

Carrier Evaluations (based on technology & spectrum)
Points out each carriers advantages and disadvantages in a color coded table.

Long Term Outlook
GSM will improve as 850 Mhz GSM is deployed

Cingular GAIT in California, There's a way to get it but it may not be not advisable

Bay Area Consumers' Checkbook Cell Phone Services Article

Best Phone for Adventurers

Click for Carrier Selection and Elimination Section

February 2004 Consumer Reports Article on Mobile Phones

The February 2004 issue of Consumer Reports has an article about mobile phones. To read this article you can go to the library. Consumer Reports does not make their content available on-line except to subscribers, for a fee.

Gist of the Article
Verizon took the top spot in every city. In 11 of the 12 cities it was by a wide margin (at least 5 points better than the 2nd rated carrier). The margins in New York and San Francisco were very high (9 points better than the 2nd rated carrier). Only in Chicago was the margin pretty small (2 points). According to Consumer Reports, AT&T is now the worst rated carrier in Los Angeles and New York, and remains a distant second in San Francisco (what hath GSM wrought?!). Verizon took the top spot (either tied or alone) in every sub-category for Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco.

The article includes a sidebar “Trouble in the GSM network,” advises consumers to be sure to get at least dual band GSM phones, and talks about the Sony-Ericsson T62u ("erratic').

Analysis
Why did the ratings change so much over the past year?

1. The AT&T conversion from 800 Mhz TDMA to 1900 Mhz GSM has worsened their networks considerably; no secret to AT&T subscribers, even those still on TDMA. Eventually the trend will reverse as 800 Mhz GSM becomes more widely deployed.

2. Cingular is still struggling with network problems in California; the fact that Cingular is now second to last, and is rated higher than AT&T in Southern California, is not cause for celebration! Cingular remains in last place in Northern California.

3. Verizon is on a roll. They are taking full advantage of the superiority of both 800 Mhz and of their CDMA technology. Verizon is perceived to be one of the most expensive carriers because their lowest cost plans are more expensive than the lowest price plans of their competitors. However they are least expensive of the six national carriers if you look at ARPU, though this may simply mean that the other carriers have a lot more high-value subscribers.

4. 800 Mhz matters. The decline of AT&T can be attributed in large part to their TDMA to GSM overlay. This overlay moved massive numbers of subscribers from their once-great TDMA 800 Mhz network, to their mediocre 1900 Mhz GSM network. Now they are converting 800 Mhz spectrum from TDMA to GSM, worsening their TDMA network.

5. Cingular's relatively poor ratings in their formerly TDMA areas can also be attributed to the TDMA 800 Mhz to 1900 Mhz GSM conversion, though this is no excuse in California where they have always been 1900 Mhz GSM.

6. If there is any bright spot, it's that as 800 Mhz GSM is deployed, and as 800 Mhz/1900 Mhz handsets become more widely sold, the Cingular and AT&T GSM networks will improve in the areas where they have 800 Mhz spectrum. Long term, AT&T has the best chance of creating a quality GSM network in New York City and California.

7. Sprint is in a hopeless situation. Their best hope is to be acquired by someone or to exit the wireless business and sell their spectrum. 

800 Mhz "Cellular" Versus 1900 Mhz "PCS"

It's common knowledge among engineering types about the trade-offs of going to higher frequency transmission, but there has been so much advertising by Sprint PCS about how PCS is "the clear alternative to cellular," that some laymen simply can't believe that PCS (1900 Mhz) is really worse than cellular (800 Mhz). It's indoor coverage that suffers the most with PCS because the outdoor coverage issues can be largely eliminated by simply installing a lot more cells. 

Click for 800 Mhz "Cellular" versus 1900 Mhz "PCS" Section 

GSM in the U.S.

This section examines the state of GSM in the U.S. Topics Include

• GSM Carriers in the U.S.

• GSM Coverage Varies by Region; In some regions it's great, in some it's fair, in some it's non-existent.

• How Did AT&T Wireless Come to Choose GSM?

• GSM's Challenges in the U.S.

• The Future of GSM in the World

Click for GSM in the U.S. Section

Voice Quality--CDMA versus GSM

This article examines the issue of voice quality on CDMA and GSM systems. Each side claims to have better voice quality but the voice quality issue is more affected by network quality than which system is technically capable of providing the best quality. 

 Click for Voice Quality Section

Technology Comparison Table

This section compares the current cellular technologies in terms of voice quality, coverage (urban, suburban, & rural), in-building penetration, data services, handset selection, battery life, and system capacity) 

Click for Technology Comparison Table

Checklist for Researching Cellular Service Providers

This section details the things you should check for in the carrier selection process. Topics include:

• Equipment

• Cellular Technology

• Coverage Area

• Quality of Coverage

• Capabilities (Data, messaging, etc.)

• Contracts

• Rates

• Nights, Weekends, Holidays, Mobile to Mobile

• Roaming

Click for Checklist Section

Overview of Cellular Standards
Few people are interested in the technology behind their cellular phone. It matters because two older systems with very good coverage being phased out (AMPS and TDMA) and a new system is being phased in (GSM). CDMA is here to stay. iDEN has a questionable future. Your choice of carrier has implications for coverage, data capability, and for how long you can use your equipment before replacement.

Click for Cellular Standards Section

Fraudulent or Misleading Advertising, Marketing, & Sales

Click for Fraudulent or Misleading Advertising & Marketing Section

Carrier Ratings & Selection Tables
Choose a carrier based on your specific needs. Use the tables below as a guide. No carrier is the best in every category. Do not go solely by rates; coverage matters very much. You will regret selecting a carrier based mainly on price.

Check coverage at your home and workplace, but also look at coverage and roaming for out of the area places that you visit (and along the route, if you drive there). Consider the ability to make a call at all in some areas, even if you have to pay extra to do so.

Carriers try to lock you into a two year contract by sweetening the deal if you commit to two years versus one year; this is even more reason why you should carefully evaluate the pros and cons of each carrier before making a commitment. Take full advantage of the money-back guarantees that all the carriers offer for the first 14 or 15 days of service.

Click for San Francisco Bay Area Carrier Ratings and Selection Section

Rates

Topics in this section include:

• Industry-Wide Effort to Increase ARPU (Average Revenue Per User)

• Peak versus Off-Peak Hours

• Mobile to Mobile Minutes

• Example rate comparisons

• E-mail Pre-Sales Support

• Family Plans

• Retention Plans 

• Special Discount Rates

• Emergency Only on Deactivated Handset

• Prepaid

• Return Policy and Trial Period

Click for Rates Section

Local Coverage
The issue of coverage seems to ignite peoples passions. The worst thing that happens is that someone on a carrier with good coverage gets enticed by low rates to switch to a carrier that happens to have poor coverage. Coverage is not the only issue to consider when choosing a carrier, but IMVAIO (in my valued and informed opinion) it is the most important issue for the individual subscriber. I don't really care if the voice quality of a call degrades because of network congestion when the alternative is a dropped call or not being able to make a call at all. Some people may intentionally chose a provider with poorer coverage because the carrier has lower rates, offers worldwide roaming, or has a better selection of phones. But a lot of people don't realize how much of a difference there is in coverage between the different carriers, and go strictly by rates and./or equipment, which is a big mistake. Bottom line is that there are HUGE differences in coverage among cellular carriers, and independent studies have confirmed this fact.