which wireless carrier has the best national plan and coverage? i found cingular

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Pyramix

Senior member
Jan 11, 2001
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so far, the one that i like is from cingular: cingular nation preferred network, $50/mo. includes 700 anytime minutes + 3000 night and weekend minutes

i want to be able to call from anywhere to anywhere in this country (without incurring additional roaming charges or any other charges). i am still doing my research on cell phones, but it seems some carriers don't have coverage in all areas -- which means, i wouldn't be able to call "anywhere" (although that's what the cingular rep that i just talked to told me). anyone know who has the best coverage? sprint? how is cingular's coverage? does any carrier cover the entire US?

i want my cell phone to replace my regular telephone, so i want a good number of anytime minutes. 400+ for sure, preferrably around 600.

i saw some plans that only have weekend minutes, in stead of night and weekend minutes. that's an automatic no-go.

also, i don't wanna pay more than 50 bucks a month.

what kind of nationwide plans do you all have?

UPDATE
I found the map of the cingular nation preferred network. it sucks. there is no coverage is more than 60% of the US. so, that's a no-go too. shoot, and i thought i had found a good plan....
 
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DoOLiE11

Platinum Member
Dec 4, 2000
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u should try looking into verizon.

i have them for the northern virginia area and its pretty good.

great service just about everywhere that sprint didnt cover.
 
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Pyramix

Senior member
Jan 11, 2001
671
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aah, verizon's got complete coverage....

verizon national single rate 400 -- $55 for 400 minutes
kinda expensive though
and it seems, it's a total of 400 minutes (not 400 minutes + 3000 night and weekend minutes or anything)
can anybody who has verizon single rate plan confirm that?
 
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ObiDon

Diamond Member
May 8, 2000
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UPDATE
I found the map of the cingular nation preferred network. it sucks. there is no coverage is more than 60% of the US. so, that's a no-go too. shoot, and i thought i had found a good plan....
Click to expand...
Are they missing entire states or just those middle-of-nowhere spots? I was considering them but I'm probably going local anyway.
 
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mchammer187

Diamond Member
Nov 26, 2000
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do you plan on roaming to places where there is no coverage?

usually if cingular does not offer coverage it will roam to another network (AT&T for TDMA, Voicestream for GSM)

also it does not matter if the place you are calling to has coverage only where you are
 
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Pyramix

Senior member
Jan 11, 2001
671
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i can't figure out what areas sprint covers under their various plans. their stupid map doesn't have a color key: map

obidon, cingular's coverage

thanks for the information, mchammer. so, from what i understand, i can actually call anywhere in the US using the cingular network, so long as i am in an area where cingular provides coverage. i will definitely be roaming out of cingular's network, but the other networks might not be as bad then....
 
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Pyramix

Senior member
Jan 11, 2001
671
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aah, just realized that the cingular network i linked to is actually a rate area, not a coverage area. but if i am going to have to pay roaming when calling from outside that area, that still sucks...
 
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xchangx

Golden Member
Mar 23, 2000
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where are you getting the 700 anytime minutes for $50? I don't even see that on their web site.
 
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Pyramix

Senior member
Jan 11, 2001
671
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here

for, NYC metro area, they have 700 anytime minutes (with rollover -- unused anytime minutes rollover into next month) for $40.
 
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BaliBabyDoc

Lifer
Jan 20, 2001
10,737
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I just purchased two Verizon plans (plus phones). Each plan was $35 for 300 anytime minutes plus $5 for 1000 anytime Vz to Vz minutes and free nights and weekends. Free activation and discounted phones (web-purchase only). I've been through BellSouth PCS (which merged with SBC to become Cingular), AT&T, and Sprint. So far Verizon has provided the best nationwide coverage (Tri-mode).
 
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dakata24

Diamond Member
Aug 7, 2000
6,366
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just signed up with at&t wireless. coverage isnt too bad in the bay area. $35 for 500 anytime minutes, 250 mobile to mobile, unlimited nights/weekends, and free nokia 3360 phone.. downside, 2 year contract..
 
BoberFett

BoberFett

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
37,562
9
81
Verizon

When I went to Sturgis a couple weeks ago I didn't have a signal anywhere outside of Minneapolis. :| My buddy with a Verizon phone had service everywhere.
 
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mchammer187

Diamond Member
Nov 26, 2000
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Originally posted by: Pyramix
here

for, NYC metro area, they have 700 anytime minutes (with rollover -- unused anytime minutes rollover into next month) for $40.
Click to expand...

for local plans you have to pay to roam and you have to pay for long distance outside of your home calling area
 
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Pyramix

Senior member
Jan 11, 2001
671
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mchammer, i didn't realize that it was a local plan.....it said nation preferred, so i thought that was their national plan (there is actually another tab called "metro" on that link that has the local plans)

if these nation preferred plans are indeed local, where can i find their nationwide plans? anybody got links?
 
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Pyramix

Senior member
Jan 11, 2001
671
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btw, what is the 3G network upgrade for verizon? and how does it differ from the current 2G network?
 
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McPhreak

Diamond Member
Jul 28, 2000
3,808
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Originally posted by: Pyramix
aah, verizon's got complete coverage....

verizon national single rate 400 -- $55 for 400 minutes
kinda expensive though
and it seems, it's a total of 400 minutes (not 400 minutes + 3000 night and weekend minutes or anything)
can anybody who has verizon single rate plan confirm that?
Click to expand...

No. I had Verizon's national single rate 400 and had 3000 weekend minutes that came with it (no nights). I have since switched to America's Choice or whatever they call it as the 3000 minutes include nights as well and for only $40. You can make calls at just about any populated area in the US and not incur roaming charges. Since I travel back and forth between SF and NYC, I love this plan.

 
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Pyramix

Senior member
Jan 11, 2001
671
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yeah, you are right, the america's choice plan is not bad -- a good compromise b/w price and coverage. however, it seems the prices have changed recently or something. the 400-minute plan is $45 + $5 for unlimited night and weekend minutes. i'll still keep looking to see if i can find anything better.

does anybody know how mobile-to-mobile minutes work? can they be used anytime? you can still call another mobile phone even if you don't have mobile-to-mobile minutes, right? and then you will just lose mins. from either night and weekend or your daytime ones, right? just wanna make sure. personally, i don't care about mobile-to-mobile minutes. as if the different plans are not already complicated enough, that they now want me to keep track of how many mobile-to-mobile minutes i have used....
 
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Thegonagle

Diamond Member
Jun 8, 2000
9,773
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If you sign up for Verizon's national single rate plan right now, you won't get any night or weekend minutes.

I like the America's choice plan. You do get a few thousand night and weekend minutes. It's fairly common knowledge that when you sign up for AC, you get all Verizon areas, all Alltel areas, and all Sprint PCS areas, all free of roaming charges, so you're likely to be covered in any populated area, and on most of the busiest state and interstate highways.

Verizon's AC network is a bit funky, because of all the acquisitions and network sharing (Sprint PCS is relatively seamless in operation wherever you are that you have a signal because of their "pure," one frequency, one company philosophy), but you can usually make that call from wherever. Verizon?s in-town coverage is generally excellent. Verizon also has a worthwhile customer service department, unlike Sprint PCS, so if you do have trouble, they?ll try to get you all taken care of.
 
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Pyramix

Senior member
Jan 11, 2001
671
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if verizon's network includes sprint, does sprint's network include verizon? i am just wondering because i rejected sprint on the basis that their coverage was not very good. if they are the same, then maybe i should look at some of sprint's offerings as well....


as it stands right now, i am thinking of getting the AC400 plan with the Samsung SCH-T300...
 
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Dragnov

Diamond Member
Apr 24, 2001
6,878
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Originally posted by: Pyramix
if verizon's network includes sprint, does sprint's network include verizon? i am just wondering because i rejected sprint on the basis that their coverage was not very good. if they are the same, then maybe i should look at some of sprint's offerings as well....


as it stands right now, i am thinking of getting the AC400 plan with the Samsung SCH-T300...
Click to expand...

Verizon uses Sprints as well as numerous other companies networks, hence they have pretty good coverage. Leech off of everyone!
 
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