Ames Iowa Coverage

[maximus]

I have some family moving to the Ames area this fall. Does anyone have experience with coverage in Ames and Story county?

[PCSuser]

I have some family moving to the Ames area this fall. Does anyone have experience with coverage in Ames and Story county?

Generally AT&T service is good in Ames. And US Cellular is also good. But give them both a trial run to see which works best for you.

If you care

AT&T = (GSM) - they have rollover and 3G services
US Cellular (CDMA) - they have unlimited incoming calling and great CS

Please if you could give specifics on what your needs are we could further specify.

[maximus]

Please if you could give specifics on what your needs are we could further specify.

This is for my parents. They have pretty basic needs...voice coverage and some sms/mms use. They are hoping to find a place outside of town a little ways so rural coverage out that way is important.

[Andy]

From what I hear from a friend that travels through this area frequently because of family, you may also want to consider Verizon Wireless. Verizon and ALLTEL hold the cellular licenses there so their rural coverage is probably better.

[agentHibby]

From what I hear from a friend that travels through this area frequently because of family, you may also want to consider Verizon Wireless. Verizon and ALLTEL hold the cellular licenses there so their rural coverage is probably better.

Alltel does not have a Cellular license, nor a wireless network in Ames.
In Ames, your choices are Cingular, T-Mobile, Sprint, US Cellular, Verizon.
Cingular and T-Mobile are good if you use most of your minutes in Ames and Des Moines Metro. If you spend way too much time on Iowa Wireless they can terminate contract.
US Cellular, Verizon, and Sprint are CDMA and if you are traveling in rural western Iowa that is usually the better choice.
If you are maily on the freeways and big cities GSM or CDMA is a good choice.

[Andy]

Alltel does not have a Cellular license, nor a wireless network in Ames.
In Ames, your choices are Cingular, T-Mobile, Sprint, US Cellular, Verizon.
Cingular and T-Mobile are good if you use most of your minutes in Ames and Des Moines Metro. If you spend way too much time on Iowa Wireless they can terminate contract.
US Cellular, Verizon, and Sprint are CDMA and if you are traveling in rural western Iowa that is usually the better choice.
If you are maily on the freeways and big cities GSM or CDMA is a good choice.

Oops...I meant to say U.S. Cellular. Thanks for correcting my statement.

[Dogma]

Overall, I'd have to say US Cellular has the best coverage in the Ames area. US Cellular also cover's Iowa fairly well network wide, better than your larger national carriers would (rural). However, any carrier can be the "best" at a specific piece of dirt...depeding upon where towers are located. So if they are interested in having their phone work in their basement, try a couple different carriers.