Columbia, SC coverage

[jstickle]

My daughter will be attending USC this fall and I am looking for help determining which carrier(s) to consider for coverage. We live in Ohio and have ATT, Cingular, Verizon, T-Mobile here and it would be nice to choose a carrier she could use both places (and enroute) without roaming charges. Anyone have any suggestions as to service and costs?

[COtech]

You might enjoy looking at Roamer1's southeast wireless page.

COtech

[dianam]

Originally Posted by jstickle

My daughter will be attending USC this fall and I am looking for help determining which carrier(s) to consider for coverage.

You need more help in determing the right college... (Ahh, good ol' Clemson Rivalry)

Anway, ATT is not a good choice. Cola uses SunCom in that area, and I dont know if the ATT is accessible. Cingular will work, dunno if the coverage is that great. T-Mobile doesn't seem to be a good option down in SC, esp. if she decides to travel out of the city, maybe go to the beaches?
I recommend Verizon, I use it, and it works fine in Cola.

You guys don't have Sprint up there? However, Sprint is $$.
Alltel seems to work well in Cola, too.

[WirelessBeachBum]

Go with Verizon you will not be sorry. They have great coverage in Columbia, and very good customer support. Some of their best retail stores are in Columbia.

[jstickle]

Originally Posted by dianam

You need more help in determing the right college... (Ahh, good ol' Clemson Rivalry)


You guys don't have Sprint up there? However, Sprint is $$.
Alltel seems to work well in Cola, too.

Yes we have Sprint. I forgot about them. As far as the choice of colleges goes, she was admitted to Clemson too, but USC wanted her more (translation $$$$$$).

[ComicalMoodyDan]

I'd also recommend Verizon Wireless. They have coverage in both areas and they should be quite good in both.

[nightrain5]

Originally Posted by jstickle

Yes we have Sprint. I forgot about them. As far as the choice of colleges goes, she was admitted to Clemson too, but USC wanted her more (translation $$$$$$).

Sprint works in Columbia too. Whether Verizon is better in the Columbia area, I wouldn't know. I do know that my Sprint phone worked everywhere I went when I was in Columbia.

[ComicalMoodyDan]

From what I have heard Sprint PCS is ok in Columbia but that market is ran by a affliate I believe. I really don't like affliates. They don't have some add ons that corp Sprint PCS has and sometimes the prices can be a bit higher. Affliates are sometimes known to have more poor coverage too then corp markets. I'd avoid Sprint PCS if I was you.

[dianam]

Originally Posted by jstickle

Yes we have Sprint. I forgot about them. As far as the choice of colleges goes, she was admitted to Clemson too, but USC wanted her more (translation $$$$$$).

Just curious, what is her intended major?

USC is, by far, a much college for lliberal arts, and supposedly law/criminal justice.
But for nursing/engineering/agriculture, clemson is the smart choice.

Oh, and I think your best bet would be to go with Verizon. Suncom works well in Cola because it's a large city and their presence is seen, however, if she is travelling elsewhere (even to OH) she will have trouble with reception if she strays from the interstate or the 10 coverage states. Alltel, from talking to my sister, sucked which is why she went to SunCom. For 39.99 you can get 400 anytime minutes (national plan) and be on the In-network, which I think she'll utilize because Verizon is popular down here.

[dianam]

To check out other verizon rates...go to their website and use the area code 29201, I know thats downtown Cola which should include the campus area, at least where she would call "home" (if she lives in dorms)

[ComicalMoodyDan]

Well AT&T doesn't have coverage in Columbia and SunCom doesn't have coverage in Ohio. Yes you can roam with both companies for free. It really would be preferable to have a carrier that has coverage in both places. T-Mobile also doesn't have coverage in SC. You would be roaming on Cingular with T-Mobile for free in that area however mobile to mobile minutes would not apply if you have those and you may be subject to data roaming fees if you use that.

Your only good choice is Verizon or Cingular. Both have good coverage in Columbia, SC. If Cingular has good coverage in Ohio you might want to seriously consider them also.

[vger]

I would highly recommend Verizon. Cingular as a second choice. I wouldn't recommend anything else, all other providers have their share of coverage, quality, or capacity problems. I live in Downtown Columbia next to campus and I have Verizon and Cingular (one work, one personal).