Leaving Suncom in Charleston SC, Looking for new Provider

verizon or alltel. verizon's coverage is especially good on the islands. alltel too. sprint will be cheaper on the data, but they're light on towers around here.

 

I can't speak for Charleston as I have never been there but generally speaking Cingular has a very good network in the Carolinas so you should check them out also. I'd look into Cingular, Verizon, and Sprint PCS for your area.

 

I completely agree with SCTelephoneMan. I have a few relatives down that way and get down there about once a year but it has been a number of months since the last time I was there. But people always seem to rave most about Alltel and Verizon. I would think Cingular or T-Mobile would be a little better than SunCom though so anything would definitely be a step up, but focusing in on the Alltel v. Verizon comparison in your situation...

Since you're looking at a Treo, I would caution against Verizon for data though because you're limited to 5 GB of data/month, or they will cancel you and you're stuck with a Verizon phone and no service. Alltel actually gives unlimited data, will save you $$ over Verizon, and has some nice data plans. Here's the link to their plans: http://www.alltel.com/personal/wireless/plans/plans_family.html (You still have to click on the 'Smart Choice Packs' Tab.) All Alltel Smartphone plans come with unlimited texting, nights at 7, and My Circle except the cheapest 500 min option. But with the 2nd 500 min option, you probably won't need more anytime minutes than that with My Circle, depending on your calling habits.

 

ALLTEL definitely is the better value and, coverge wise, ALLTEL should be the top or very close to it.

 

Verizon does have and enforce a 5 GB monthly limit on data but that limit would be very hard to hit by just using a Treo. I can't picture anybody using that much data from a Treo alone.

 

I'd have to really look at alltel also!

 

alltel is especially good in rural areas. they're also for sale, so its likely if you do a new 2-year agreement, the company will be in other hands and you could find yourself a Sprint, Verizon or US Cellular customer before the deal is up

 

There are threads that go on as to whether it's actually likely or not. I'm of the opinion that it's not likely although I could be wrong. Even with a buyout, if it's a private equity there would be essentially nothing changed. But I don't really see the possibility that it may happen as a reason not to go with them. There will be no de-construction of towers. The price of the plan cannot be changed nor could the features such as My Circle. Charleston is already EVDO for high-speed data. Any review process would probably take at least a year with no significant changes. I actually just added a line last month with a 2 yr contract and wouldn't hesitate to do it again. If something unexpected does happen, I'll re-evaluate my wireless options once my contract is up in 2 yrs.

 

Or you could be an AT&T customer. :browani:

 

i live in charleston and have good coverage with cingular, the NEW AT&T. kiawah has full coverage as well. my sister has alltel and my mother has suncom through her office. cingular has been the best of the three in terms of call quality, signal, and holding calls. alltel has that my circle thing, though, if that sounds good to you.

 

Well maybe, but it will never be bought by US Cellular. Alltel is about 5 times larger then US Cellular. I'm still baffled how that rumor got started USCC market cap=4.02b, Alltel market cap=24.79b....Maybe alltel buying uscc, or a merger though.

yevabeast, I think your best bet would be to go to Alltel. The Carolina's is one of the best areas for Alltel.....

 

All of these are very highly dependent on the model of phone used. Even on the same network I usually recommend a Moto or Nokia because some of the older phones just don't match up on call quality, signal, or holding calls. LGs and Samsung are starting to catch up and have very good high-end units but be sure to especially avoid Audiovoxes, Kyoceras, and some of the older LGs and Samsungs. There's a lot of comments on the boards from people that have stepped up from those models to a better unit that have noticed a real difference.

I didn't say much about Cingular in the area in my last post but most of the reviews I hear about Cingular in Charleston are mixed. Some people love it, some hate it. It probably has to do with what phone they're using and the fact they're PCS in the area which drops off more indoors. My uncle tried them a couple years ago but couldn't get a signal inside where he worked. But I would agree that they seem much happier than people that use SunCom or Sprint. If there's some overwhelming reason why you wanted to go with Cingular, it should work better than what you have with SunCom and may suit your needs. For data, it's an Edge market for Cingular which gives speed around 70 kbps. Alltel still, at least to me, seems like the much better value comparing these two. Cingular plans also give many fewer minutes than Alltel plans when comparing family plans for the price and most Alltel plans offer free texting one way or another and My Circle can be milked for thousands of minutes monthly on a family plan, at least in my case. Alltel is also EVDO for data with speeds around 400-700 kbps in that area.

 

my experience with Cingular in Charleston was terrible with a nokia and a sony erriccson. lots of dropped calls, ymmv

 

I have had to work in and around Charleston several times in the last two years and have had good service with at&t.

 

I have had great service throughout the Carolinas. I live in Charlotte and go to Charleston, Isle of Palms, Folly Beach twice a year for a week. I travel all around the Carolinas for work. Some pretty remote places too. Alltel has been awesome for the past 5 years for me. Everyone I know who has Alltel raves about them...except blsemp

 

I have not complained lately. Sadly I do not have an Alltel phone for business anymore. :nopity:

Have a great day

 

If you work for BellSouth why did they give you an Alltel phone for business?

Or does your username not mean what I figured it meant? (BellSouth Employee)

 

At the time cell phones were authorized Cingular didn't go out into the rural areas as far as we needed. The coverage has really improved over the past several years.:highclap: :highclap: We are well pleased now. I have had a personal Cingular family account for a long time.

 

Ah I see. Makes a lot more sense now.

Thanks for the clarification for my nosy-ness