Making the choice between the available cellular companies on the market
today, and the services and coverage that they provide, is no simple decision.
There are several hundred FCC licensed wireless service providers available for the
U.S. consumer to choose from. Many of these cellular carriers are high profile,
well publicized companies which you've probably already seen due to the surplus of
cell phone advertisements on television and in other places. On the other hand,
the great majority of cellular providers are small, obscure companies which may
not get a lot of exposure. There are most likely at least several different carriers
available in every major metropolitan area.
Here are the top cellular companies reflected in the number of subscribers that
they maintain: (subscriber figures are approximate as of 2005) |
Cingular/AT&T Wireless - 50 million subscribers
Verizon Wireless - 47 million subscribers
Sprint Nextel - 44 million subscribers
T-Mobile - 20 million subscribers
Alltel- - 9 million subscribers
Cellular One - 32 million combined subscribers
The answer to who the best cellular service companies really are varies from area
to area. Quality of service and coverage area will vary among providers, and
among areas, due to a number of factors which can affect service. Factors such
as terrain, signal strength, obstructions, distance between towers, weather,
and number of users all play a role in the collective service quality of a chosen
provider.
This variation in service quality causes a real challenge when trying to establish
relative rankings and ratings among cellular carriers. Due to this difficulty in
ranking providers, it may be necessary for a consumer to determine their ideal
cell phone company through personal research. A cell phone shopper may want
to uncover the relative degree of customer satisfaction for each company, or
even ask people firsthand about their experience with a specific wireless carrier.
No cellular company offers perfect service and coverage, although they
constantly strive to improve their networks.
Each cellular company available to you will offer a slightly unique choice of
service and coverage plan structure.
Coverage is a major aspect of service that becomes an issue when purchasing
cellular service. Providers usually offer National, Regional, or Local service coverage.
The available service area for each provider can usually be indicated through the use
of a coverage map, which is specific to that provider. Normally, company websites
will offer some sort of tool which permits the user to enter their zip code or calling
area and then find out if that area is covered by the company.
It is probably a good idea to also consider the technical aspects of cell phones
when shopping for service. There are more than one type of cellular technology
in use today, and the top cellular companies often utilize varied technologies
such as CDMA, TDMA, or GSM. Additionally, cell phone hardware is constantly
changing and it could be advantageous for a consumer to be knowledgeable
about the modern features of cellphones during the purchase process.
You are invited to browse the pages of Cellular-Smart to expand your knowledge of
cellphones and service!
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