Recommendation for family moving to Bristol, TN ?

[AL904a]

A friend of mine asked me for a recommendation for a wireless carrier for him when he moves to Bristol, TN. They currently use Sprint, but are out of contract and willing to change.

They are primarily concerned with voice coverage around the tri-cities area and the surrounding countryside.

What should I suggest to them?

TIA !

[cryogenic]

Originally Posted by AL904a A friend of mine asked me for a recommendation for a wireless carrier for him when he moves to Bristol, TN. They currently use Sprint, but are out of contract and willing to change. They are primarily concerned with voice coverage around the tri-cities area and the surrounding countryside. What should I suggest to them? TIA !

Verizon or Alltel... in that order. Verizon's coverage in the area is second to none, period. Sprint has improved a bit but their indoor coverage leaves a LOT to be desired. I've yet to hear anyone complain about Verizon in the area. Best bet would be to ditch Sprint for that area, mostly because it's an affiliate area that's not been all that well built-out.

[guy2]

I have used Sprint in Bristol Tn/Va and have had no problems and i have ahd good in building coverage even in super walmart etc.I would stick with Sprint.My second pick in the tri cities would be Suncom

[Outerlimit]

i visit my aunt and uncle in Bristol... i had great reception there with verizon.... my aunt and uncle use suncom.

[Andy]

I don't think a lot of people would suggest Suncom...I'd stay away from that company if at all possible.

[cryogenic]

I think everyone's fine in Bristol proper... however, Sprint leaves a lot to be desired in Johnson City and they're not so great in the rural area around Kingsport either. Verizon's coverage is a LOT better than Sprint's in that area... plus if they decide to get a Bristol number they're going to have to sign a new 2yr agreement with Sprint anyway. Keep in mind that is an affiliate area (Horizon PCS) and so doesn't offer quite the same plans as corporate markets. Verizon by FAR has better coverage in the Tri Cities area on the whole. TnDan can vouch for that one.

[ComicalMoodyDan]

I live in the Tri-Cities and have Verizon. Verizon definately has the best coverage in this area and Alltel falls at a not too distant second. Verizon seems to have much better audio quality though than Alltel in this area. I recommend Verizon over Alltel in both the audio quality and coverage in this area. Sprint has good outdoor and road coverage but they have iffy indoor coverage and rural coverage in the area. SunCom is awful in Bristol so tell your friend to avoid them.

[nightrain5]

I'd say for them to wait until they get to Bristol to see if Sprint will work out ok for them.

I had Sprint before in Kingsport and it was pretty good unless you went to the rural areas.

I've got a good friend in Bristol that still has Sprint and he's satisfied with them.

No need to get back into a contract with a different provider unless they really want to or another provider has a really good deal.

I'm now living in Pulaski, VA. I guess I should update my profile!

[AL904a]

Many thanks for the input!

I'll pass the info along to them.

[Outerlimit]

I have a question... Are Verizon and Alltel 'partners' or something. I'm just wondering because back home, when I was in Culpeper, VA it was Alltels network instead of Verizons. It displayes Extended Network on my phone and if I tired to use any of Verizons numbers (#MIN, #DATA, etc...) I got an Alltel error. So I was wondering if it is a nationwide parternership, and Verizon Wireless customers can use Alltel anywhere, and vice versa.

[cryogenic]

Originally Posted by Outerlimit I have a question... Are Verizon and Alltel 'partners' or something. I'm just wondering because back home, when I was in Culpeper, VA it was Alltels network instead of Verizons. It displayes Extended Network on my phone and if I tired to use any of Verizons numbers (#MIN, #DATA, etc...) I got an Alltel error. So I was wondering if it is a nationwide parternership, and Verizon Wireless customers can use Alltel anywhere, and vice versa.

You would be correct... either company's customers can roam on the other company's network free of charge.

[Outerlimit]

so wouldnt that mean that they basically have the same coverage...? I mean if ones network can't reach a customer, then they can use the other...

[cryogenic]

Originally Posted by Outerlimit so wouldnt that mean that they basically have the same coverage...? I mean if ones network can't reach a customer, then they can use the other...

To an extent, yes... However, ideally you want to remain on your home carrier's network to guarantee availability of all features. Take into account that all of Verizon's # features don't work when roaming on Alltel or any other cdma carrier, nor do any data features. Text messaging and voicemail notification should work, however. Therefore, despite the fact that customers of one carrier can easily roam on the other you should still take into account a given carrier's native coverage in your area.

[Outerlimit]

alright, makes sense, thanks.

[Andy]

Originally Posted by cryogenic free of charge.

At least to the customer

[ComicalMoodyDan]

Originally Posted by Outerlimit so wouldnt that mean that they basically have the same coverage...? I mean if ones network can't reach a customer, then they can use the other...

Verizon and Alltel's coverage is very similar in my area. However I have seen a couple of places where Alltel doesn't work and Verizon is fine. Remember that a wireless company doesn't switch over to roaming on anothers until it completely loses signal on its on network. This sometimes can leave you with a signal on your carriers network that is unusable but since the signal isn't completely gone you won't switch over to another network.

My grandmother has Alltel and I can think of a couple of places where her Alltel phone still has a signal but it's so weak she can't use it. My Verizon phone works perfectly fine though since it has a stronger signal in those spots. Verizon in this area still has a slight edge over Alltel.

[Outerlimit]

Originally Posted by TNDan21 Verizon and Alltel's coverage is very similar in my area. However I have seen a couple of places where Alltel doesn't work and Verizon is fine. Remember that a wireless company doesn't switch over to roaming on anothers until it completely loses signal on its on network. This sometimes can leave you with a signal on your carriers network that is unusable but since the signal isn't completely gone you won't switch over to another network. My grandmother has Alltel and I can think of a couple of places where her Alltel phone still has a signal but it's so weak she can't use it. My Verizon phone works perfectly fine though since it has a stronger signal in those spots. Verizon in this area still has a slight edge over Alltel.

I figured that would happen in locations. And it makes since that they wont let you roam until there is completly no home signal, that way they can save money.
At my house though, my phone constantly switches between the 2.