Want to dump VZW in So. NH

[Maui19]

I have been growing increasingly disenchanted with VZW, and I think they've finally pushed my out the door. (VZW's insistance on driving everything through that stupid GIN site is the last straw.) I would like to know who you would recommend as a carrier in my area.

I live in So. NH. My local orbit takes me east to the NH seacoast and south into central MA. I also go north into ski country and NW toward Vermont from time to time (not a deal breaker--even VZW is spotty up there).

I also travel quite a bit to FL, AZ and the west coast, so that is a factor. Cost isn't really a factor, but access to advanced phone technology (bluetooth, etc) is.

What do you recommend?

Thanks!

[EdwardP]

Verizon's Boston-area system encompasses all of eastern and central Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and the Seacoast area of New Hampshire (most of, if not all of Rockingham County).

Outside of this area, the phone should be able to roam without difficulty. I have Verizon's Pay As You Go (PAYG) prepay plan and the current coverage map shows almost complete (universal) coverage in both NH and VT either on the native Verizon network (including outside of Rockingham County) or roaming. The postpay coverage map shows the same coverage.

What is this GIN site you refer to? Also, I am not sure if Verizon has any bluetooth-enabled phones.

GSM coverage is rather spotty in Vermont at this time, but Verizon is the king of coverage, especially in New England. You should have decent coverage in Florida as well as on the west coast, but there are gaps in coverage in northwestern Arizona.

[Andy]

Most providers have coverage gaps in northeastern AZ(with VZW-AC people have actually reported using Alltel for free, even in the Grand Canyon Area).
GIN-Get It Now. Verizon's way of getting ringtones, games ,etc. You cannot get them from any other sources other than Get It Now, unless you have a data cable.

[waywith]

Well, you don't have a lot of choice in the areas you mentioned. I think you will find that GSM coverage (Cingular) doesn't fill your bill.

Personally, I would go with US Cellular if you are in their territory (Southern NH except for Rockingham and Strafford Counties). True, outside of northern New England you will be roaming on Verizon or Sprint, but you at least won't have Verizon as your own carrier. I can't answer your question on the data side, you might want to call US Cellular's Customer Service at 888-944-9400 and see if they can answer your question.

-way

[Andy]

Your USCC Idea is not bad, other than that their nationwide plans are expensive, and that's what the OP will need if he travels to FL, AZ, and the West Coast. Also, don't Night and Weekend minutes and M2M only apply while on the USCC network? I might be wrong, so someone else who knows more...
The good thing is that USCC will roam on VZW(preffered roaming partner) and Sprint.

[jones]

Originally Posted by Maui19

I have been growing increasingly disenchanted with VZW, and I think they've finally pushed my out the door. (VZW's insistance on driving everything through that stupid GIN site is the last straw.) I would like to know who you would recommend as a carrier in my area.

I live in So. NH. My local orbit takes me east to the NH seacoast and south into central MA. I also go north into ski country and NW toward Vermont from time to time (not a deal breaker--even VZW is spotty up there).

I also travel quite a bit to FL, AZ and the west coast, so that is a factor. Cost isn't really a factor, but access to advanced phone technology (bluetooth, etc) is.

What do you recommend?

Thanks!

If you don't get any signal in your House with VZW
or in Places you go to:
You will not GET Any signal from any CDMA carrier.

[Maui19]

I get plenty of signal with VZW. In fact, they do offer the best signal in my area. But their selection of phones is poor, and they are driven to wring every last dime they can out of customers, which is not the way to build customer loyalty.

[Cingular GSM User]

Originally Posted by Maui19

I get plenty of signal with VZW. In fact, they do offer the best signal in my area. But their selection of phones is poor, and they are driven to wring every last dime they can out of customers, which is not the way to build customer loyalty.

I would go with Unicel (Rural Communications Company - RCC) GSM or US Cellular CDMA.

[cyberian]

Why is no one recommending Cingular here? I'm thinking of switching to them - are they that bad? I'm in SW suburbs of Boston - between 128 and 495 belt.

[jones]

Originally Posted by cyberian

Why is no one recommending Cingular here? I'm thinking of switching to them - are they that bad? I'm in SW suburbs of Boston - between 128 and 495 belt.

They're not Bad,
some posters makes them look Bad.

[agentHibby]

Adding the ammount of cell sites this year alone for Cingular makes them look good in building a better network.

[waywith]

Why is no one recommending Cingular?

For one thing, until the merger with AT&T Wireless, they offered native service in only ONE county in New Hampshire -- Rockingham. Even with the AT&T spectrum, they have very skimpy coverage in the state.

-way

[EdwardP]

Originally Posted by Maui19

I get plenty of signal with VZW. In fact, they do offer the best signal in my area. But their selection of phones is poor, and they are driven to wring every last dime they can out of customers, which is not the way to build customer loyalty.

A colleague who is with Verizon, told me that Verizon is very selective when it comes to their phone selection. It appears that they will not offer just "any" CDMA phone. When I noticed their Nokia line consisted of only one phone at the time (the 3589i), I could tell he was correct.

[EdwardP]

I have regional coverage maps for both PAYG (prepay) and AC.

Since you were not specific as to the area in central Massachusetts, on the AC map, areas immediately to the northeast, east, and northwest of the Quabbin Reservoir, are a roaming area according to the Southern New England coverage map. Areas to the west and south of the Quabbin are native Verizon. There are also two small "no coverage" areas NW and NNW of the Quabbin.