Selecting a mobile phone in the US is a daunting task, when you consider the long term contracts involved. And most of the times, we decide to go with whoever gives the best phone for a cheaper price. Frustration gets in when the signal strength sucks at your home or work. I have seen so many people who place their mobiles near the window so that they can receive a call. A phone, is basically a phone first and then a PDA/mini computer. When you cannot receive a call on your phone, the high end mobile in your hand is nothing but a brick.
So, finding out who has the best coverage is/should be the first task at hand when planning for a mobile. If you are constantly moving or need to relocate often, you would need a provider who has the best coverage in the US. There are times when number porting is not possible. Also, the option of switching providers when you relocate might turn out to be costly as you may need to terminate the contract.
GSM service providers AT&T and T-Mobile seems to be mutually exclusive when it comes to the signal coverage. Cingular used to be very good but ever since AT&T took it over, somehow the coverage is not that good. So, before buying a mobile, check out the detailed coverage map of the service provider and that might help you avoid surprises later. These maps are available on the provider's website, but they are sometimes hidden remotely or are lost in all the flashy ads on their homepages.
And for good advise on how a particular handset is, try the following websites.
Given below is a list of all the links for coverage maps from various provides for easy reference. You can provide your exact home/work address and check how good the signal is.
at&t (Cingular) Coverage Maps:
AT&T bought over Cingular and the coverage dropped for some reason. There are more missed calls and 'Network Busy' messages than ever before. The issue is widely recognized and all that at&t has done to satisfy end users is to renew its old ad 'Fewest dropped calls' to say 'More bars in more places'. However, in some places it is much better than T-Mobile though both equally suck with their 2 year binding contract. Checkout how the coverage is in your area using the following link.
T-Mobile:
Given below are the links to check the coverage in your area. 'Say NO' to the prompt that asks you if you are a dealer/representative.