I don't understand how VZW roaming works. If I am in Southern California and I hit a spot where VZW doesn't have service, will I roam onto SPCS? Also, if I am driving up the 5 FWY and get into Medford, OR where it is VZW's "extended network", will my call drop or will it continue?
You may roam on a carrier Verizon has a roaming agreement with. This may or may not be Sprint in any given area. Your call should not drop if you pass through an extended network area.
Verizon does have some roaming agreements with Sprint. I think VZW only roams on Sprint in parts of UT and ID and that is about it in the West. US Cellular is about the only provider that VZW will allow you to roam on for normal calls. 911 calls will connect to any network that can connect to. Whether your provider has a roaming agreement with the network or not. When changing from a VZW network to an Extended Network there is a 99% chance you will indeed receive a hard handoff and not a soft handoff. There are many places where you will not receive a soft handoff when go from one VZW network to another adjacent VZW network. hard handoff: loseing your call when changing towers soft handoff: not losing your call when changing towers
So basically in So Cal if I get VZW service I'm okay but if there is an area where VZW doesn't cover but SPCS does I'm still not going to get a signal and get no coverage?
No, as long as Verizon has a roaming agreement, you will have service and will be able to make a call. Verizon has agreements with most CDMA companies in the United States. There are probably only a few areas that you wouldn't be able to use your phone in the US. Anywhere else, you would be roaming onto Sprint, Alltel, or other CDMA companies. Also, there's no charge for roaming with Verizon. And for that matter, most companies don't charge you for roaming. So, you'll definitely be safe with Verizon.
What is your concern? Verizon isn't known for dead spots in SoCal. The chances of a dropped call are so small, it is rarely part of anyone's consideration. There are very few places where Sprint works and Verizon doesn't. Verizon does not roam on Sprint in SoCal, but does roam on other carriers where there is chance Verizon won't work. An example is in Yosemite National Park. Verizon has no service there, so your phone will roam on Golden State Cellular. Of course there are exceptions and that's why every carrier gives you at least 2 weeks to try out their service without penalty.
My concern is that right now I am trying to decide between SPCS and VZW. It seems to me there really is no difference between the two as far as coverage and it's possible that SPCS actually gets more coverage now that they let you roam freely and you can force your phone to roam if there is no signal. So if there is any CDMA coverage, SPCS can get it, but not with VZW. With that new study out about dropped calls it seems to me that SPCS does better than VZW with that as well, the only downfall of SPCS being their customer service.
i like Sprint a lot right now..........they have really good value after T-Mobile.........unlimited texting and unlimited data are some of the things that make Sprint unique from most other carriers........and they are in the process of expanding coverage by turning all the Nextel sites into Sprint sites as well as Nextel sites.......and they are upgrading as many towers as possible to EV-DO Rev A...........this means that data will be even faster........and Sprint doesnt completely cripple their phones with a debilitating UI............i would say go with Sprint but i do like VZW's CS a lot
I would say sprint, No crippled UI Constantly increasing coverage Good roaming agreeements Price is a lot cheaper! * Unlimited texting for 10 bucks vs. Unlimited VZW to VZW and 500 MSGS for10 * Nights and Weekends start at 7PM * Option to have them start at 6PM for $5 more * Better phone selection
well........Sprint does cripple their UI.......they have gotten rid of the manufacturer firmware in favor of a firmware that they have made but they have a different UI for different brands so the UI looks as much like the original UI as possible.........for example.........the Motorola has a different firmware from the Nokias..........because they keep a look that is as close to the original fimware......... Sprint is doing a very good job on expanding coverage and enhancing current coverage with Rev A upgrades.........they do have very cheap plans.......unlimited texting is actually $15.........i get 1000 messages for $10 though.........they do have some pretty good phones now that Moto is giving Sprint more options.............Nights and Weekends start at 7 for the people who have regular plans...........i have SERO and my nights still start at 9
It's a fast-changing world. As of yesterday, Verizon now DOES allow roaming on Sprint in the L.A. market! It makes the choice a little more difficult, but I still do lean (ever so slightly) toward Sprint.
go for Sprint........one of the only things that Verizon has that Sprint doesnt have is a good CS...........and its not like Sprint Cs is bad...........they just arent as cheery and personal and dont really ask how your day is going and stuff like that
