I don't have it in SoCal, but I do have it in NorCal, and it is not as good as the TDMA. A lot of poor reception and dropped calls. I did use my phone when I went to LA recently, and had the exact same experience there. There are areas where its perfect, and works great, but there are just "dead spots" where the damn service wont work. Plus I have a ton of trouble with it in shopping malls and large stores. never had that problem with TDMA.