Which carrier in SW Minnesota - Alltel or Verizon

[tlange]

Have been reading all the different threads about the service in SW Minnesota between Alltel and Verizon. Now since Verizon has purchased Unicel and is starting to make improvements to the network here, is Verizon the better carrier for this area? Alltel is proving to be lacking in their support at their store locations and regional support. The number of people complaining about drop phone calls from the SD / MN border to Hwy 71 is getting hard to believe. When Midwest Wireless was the carrier, service was terrific, now Alltel is falling apart. Has anybody made the switch to Verizon and experience any better service? Verizon's website shows complete coverage in SW Minnesota, but I have found out that Verizon will not provide location of their cell phone towers to the general public. So they are making it quite difficult to make a decision on which one is the better carrier. Thank you for your input.

[Particular]

Originally Posted by tlange

Have been reading all the different threads about the service in SW Minnesota between Alltel and Verizon. Now since Verizon has purchased Unicel and is starting to make improvements to the network here, is Verizon the better carrier for this area? Alltel is proving to be lacking in their support at their store locations and regional support. The number of people complaining about drop phone calls from the SD / MN border to Hwy 71 is getting hard to believe. When Midwest Wireless was the carrier, service was terrific, now Alltel is falling apart. Has anybody made the switch to Verizon and experience any better service? Verizon's website shows complete coverage in SW Minnesota, but I have found out that Verizon will not provide location of their cell phone towers to the general public. So they are making it quite difficult to make a decision on which one is the better carrier. Thank you for your input.

Hello,
I am not that crazy about Alltel or Verizon, but if i have to chose between one of them i would pick Alltel wireless. I would not pick Verzion because i had them for there 2-year contract. And i was always had one damn bar, and also they work off of a CMDT network which does not have SIM technoligy (spelling), and i think (know) SIM cards are a bit more handy then having to get a "new" phone or new number every time you would like to switch GO ALLTEL!!!

[a42887]

Well, Alltel is CDMA and not GSM, so that part did not make sense. However, I would also pick Alltel simply because they have superior coverage in that part of the state from my experiences up there.

[Dogma]

Verizon does not own Unicel as of yet, so the only viable providers with SW MN are Alltel and Unicel. The Verizon/Unicel deal is bogged down by the FCC, and it could take quite a while to resolve. The Alltel aquasition of Midwest Wireless did not go too smoothly, and many customers have made that clear. That being said, most of the problems have been ironed out in regards to that. Your best bet for coverage is still going to be Alltel, as they are using the old Midwest Wireless network/towers.

[JasonWells]

I also live and travel in the areas you are questioning. I also agree that in our areas, the MWW-Alltel deal had some glitches, mostly with phone software. I have used both companies in these areas, and I have experienced the Alltel network to be better for coverage, and now for data! Midwest Wireless made a great network, and Alltel is operating it now. Unicel had plans to add many new cell sites to fill in the gaps, but VZW is likely scrapping that. Also, with Alltel, there are many more benefits and value oriented plans than VZW offers. I wish you a good decision, but strongly recommend Alltel. Good Luck!! Let us know how it works.