Verizon vs AT&T

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Dec 13, 2002
Messages
2,528
Location
North Carolina
OK, here is the deal. Ever since hurricane Mathew our Verizon coverage has sucked. Calls getting dropped where they never got dropped before and it is getting to the point that it seems to be getting worse not better. Was looking at getting AT&T.

We have iPhones and love them, not going to change to a different manufacture.

So is anyone else having coverage issues in there area and if you have AT&T how do you like it?

One advantage to getting AT&T is that we have DirecTv and if we switch we can get unlimited data where now we only have 6gigs between three phones. I'm a cheap [censored] and don't want to pay the extra for unlimited data on Verizon. Not to mention this year our business had been down and it is going to be a tight year on finances.

Thanks.
 
I recently switched from ATT to Verizon after being with ATT forever. I also had TV and internet bundled with them. This was necessary because we moved to an area where ATT had lousy coverage. The best thing to do is check the coverage in your area using the OpenSignal app. I found it to be accurate for my area and I used it to make the decision to switch.
 
alternative: Cricket Wireless: They use AT&Ts network and are actually owned by them.
If I'm not mistaken, you get some discount for 3 lines
their price include taxes, which others may not.

I think there are other small operators using AT&Ts network also... list click here

for the rest: I am right now on AT&T, and have used the network in NC just passing by, just for couple calls and data(maps/route for driving) about 3 months ago.... not much of a user.....
 
Personally, I think AT&T sucks, but in your case there seems to be benefit to using them (unlimited data--if you need unlimited). What about T-Mobile? We just did an RFP and found that they were the most cost effective and worked very well in all of the areas that we tested which was most of the US.

In side by side tests with Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T, T-Mobile was the fastest every time. (I am not affiliated with any mobility company). We moved from AT&T to Verizon 18 months ago and will now add T-Mobile as a secondary carrier. We will move all if the heavy users to T-Mobile who gives us unlimited for $25 per month (before taxes) versus $55 per month with Verizon.

We tested in:

Houston, TX
Beaumont, TX
Lake Charles, LA
Lafayette, LA
Houma, LA
Metairie, LA
Atlanta, GA
Miami, FL
Raleigh, NC
Arlington, VA
Philadelphia, PA
Harrisburg, PA
Boston, MA
Portland, ME
Las Vegas, NV
Albuquerque, NM
Dallas and FW, TX
El Paso, TX
Raton, NM
Colorado Springs, CO
Denver, CO
San Diego, CA
Oakland, CA
Cheyenne, WY
 
Originally Posted By: 2015_PSD
Personally, I think AT&T sucks, but in your case there seems to be benefit to using them (unlimited data--if you need unlimited). What about T-Mobile? We just did an RFP and found that they were the most cost effective and worked very well in all of the areas that we tested which was most of the US.

In side by side tests with Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T, T-Mobile was the fastest every time. (I am not affiliated with any mobility company). We moved from AT&T to Verizon 18 months ago and will now add T-Mobile as a secondary carrier. We will move all if the heavy users to T-Mobile who gives us unlimited for $25 per month (before taxes) versus $55 per month with Verizon.

We tested in:

Houston, TX
Beaumont, TX
Lake Charles, LA
Lafayette, LA
Houma, LA
Metairie, LA
Atlanta, GA
Miami, FL
Raleigh, NC
Arlington, VA
Philadelphia, PA
Harrisburg, PA
Boston, MA
Portland, ME
Las Vegas, NV
Albuquerque, NM
Dallas and FW, TX
El Paso, TX
Raton, NM
Colorado Springs, CO
Denver, CO
San Diego, CA
Oakland, CA
Cheyenne, WY




I am amazed at the effectiveness of T Mobile latest marketing gimmick. Its a GRAND SLAM as far as marketing goes, good god, well good for them and bad for you if T Mobile sells you service based on your post. Ive seen it before and its their latest campaign!
The majority of people so gullible to marketing aimed at the ignorant, yet this is how companies grow and T Mobile is growing. Dont get me wrong I am rooting for T Mobile, more competition the better.

Here is the deal though, T Mobile has the largest newest, fastest LTE Network!!!
Yeah and Ok >>> ??? SO ???
Like hello, its easy to have the largest, fastest and newest LTE network when you have much less cell towers and cover less of the country then the big boys do!

1. So yes, if you are in an area of good T Mobile coverage and never go out of the area, its a good deal, but if you travel around to other areas there is a 100% chance you are going to have better coverage with Verizon or ATT because T Mobile does not cover as much of the country. (but growing)

2. WHO CARES IF YOU HAVE THE HIGHEST MEASURED SPEED?
My god, here we go, as Americans, not understanding just because something is faster doesnt mean you will ever, ever, ever notice a difference! More so on a cell phone!. My god, we are splitting HAIRS over speeds, so what do you choose, a phone that will work in almost any place in the country like ATT or Verizon or a phone like T Mobile that promises a faster network that you will never notice yet find yourself stuck without service in places around the USA.
 
Originally Posted By: pandus13
alternative: Cricket Wireless: They use AT&Ts network and are actually owned by them.
If I'm not mistaken, you get some discount for 3 lines
their price include taxes, which others may not.
...


^^^EXACTLY^^^ I really mean that but let me rephrase Cricket Wireless IS ATT. So of course you get the same nationwide coverage as ATT.

1 line $40, 2 lines $70, 3 lines $90, 4 lines $100, 5 lines no extra change, still $100.
These are ACTUAL monthly payment with autopay. never added surcharges, taxes and no other [censored] like overage. Unlimited everything.
Being it is growing on popularity just like T Mobile, Cricket is adding a bunch of UNneeded stuff to their website and can pay more if you want but there is no reason what so ever to do so.
I think we have seen the bottom as far as pricing going any lower, these companies are going to be looking to get rates higher, they are so low.
My god, my wife, daughter and I, in this day and age, have 3 unlimited everything/data.talk.text phones on ATT and PAY an actual bill of $90 a month and if we want we could add another 4th line for $10 more and if want want, we can then get another 5th line for free!
You all will be kidding yourself if you think pricing like this will last forever.

and you know what? If you dont like it, you can cancel? How stupid simple is that? No contract!
Only foolish Americans get themselves caught up in TWO year contracts. Simply because they cant afford the phone they have without a loan from the phone company..
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: alarmguy
Originally Posted By: pandus13
alternative: Cricket Wireless: They use AT&Ts network and are actually owned by them.
If I'm not mistaken, you get some discount for 3 lines
their price include taxes, which others may not.
...


^^^EXACTLY^^^ I really mean that but let me rephrase Cricket Wireless IS ATT. So of course you get the same nationwide coverage as ATT.

1 line $40, 2 lines $70, 3 lines $90, 4 lines $100, 5 lines no extra change, still $100.
These are ACTUAL monthly payment with autopay. never added surcharges, taxes and no other [censored] like overage. Unlimited everything.
Being it is growing on popularity just like T Mobile, Cricket is adding a bunch of UNneeded stuff to their website and can pay more if you want but there is no reason what so ever to do so.
I think we have seen the bottom as far as pricing going any lower, these companies are going to be looking to get rates higher, they are so low.
My god, my wife, daughter and I, in this day and age, have 3 unlimited everything/data.talk.text phones on ATT and PAY an actual bill of $90 a month and if we want we could add another 4th line for $10 more and if want want, we can then get another 5th line for free!
You all will be kidding yourself if you think pricing like this will last forever.


Rat407/OP,
just one small nuance: the mobile hotspot capability on Cricket Wireless is additional 10/month...

is your location/regular travel around the big cities? more rural?

P.S. I'm in the same boat as you. I have AT&T and want to change both my phones and my plans/carrier
right now t-mobile and cricket are a tie for me....
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: alarmguy
I am amazed at the effectiveness of T Mobile latest marketing gimmick. Its a GRAND SLAM as far as marketing goes, good god, well good for them and bad for you if T Mobile sells you service based on your post. Ive seen it before and its their latest campaign! The majority of people so gullible to marketing aimed at the ignorant, yet this is how companies grow and T Mobile is growing. Dont get me wrong I am rooting for T Mobile, more competition the better. Here is the deal though, T Mobile has the largest newest, fastest LTE Network!!! Yeah and Ok >>> ??? SO ??? Like hello, its easy to have the largest, fastest and newest LTE network when you have much less cell towers and cover less of the country then the big boys do!

1. So yes, if you are in an area of good T Mobile coverage and never go out of the area, its a good deal, but if you travel around to other areas there is a 100% chance you are going to have better coverage with Verizon or ATT because T Mobile does not cover as much of the country. (but growing)

2. WHO CARES IF YOU HAVE THE HIGHEST MEASURED SPEED? My god, here we go, as Americans, not understanding just because something is faster doesnt mean you will ever, ever, ever notice a difference! More so on a cell phone!. My god, we are splitting HAIRS over speeds, so what do you choose, a phone that will work in almost any place in the country like ATT or Verizon or a phone like T Mobile that promises a faster network that you will never notice yet find yourself stuck without service in places around the USA.
I sent my original post from my mobile phone and grew tired of typing on it. We (and I mean we as in my company) tested in many more places than what I listed (about 85 cities including Internationally). I personally tested in 12 cities and T-Mobile was the fastest by at least 10MBS against Verizon and (from my POV that is not splitting hairs). I understand what you are saying about fastest means nothing if you do not have connectivity, but at the same time, the footprints for all of the major carriers is nearly identical and NONE of them have 100% coverage.

Four years ago, we did an RFP with all 4 majors (AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon). We kicked Sprint and T-Mobile to the curb immediately due to poor speeds (Sprint using WiMax) and no coverage (T-Mobile). Fast forward to today and it is a different playing field whereas AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile are very close in coverage (there will always be pockets where various carriers do not work), but far apart in pricing and data offerings. The problem with both AT&T and Verizon (from the commercial side) is they are still stuck on 2GB, 4GB, 6GB, 8GB, etc. data plans and even with pooling, it can be expensive if you have heavy users that overrun the pool. There is also the International piece that we have to consider where T-Mobile includes Canada and Mexico for calling and data whereas AT&T and Verizon have special plans. T-Mobile offers unlimited domestic data for at least 50% less of the cost of AT&T and Verizon. Yes, of course, you have to vet the solution with T-Mobile to make sure it works for you, but that is why for us (for now) they are the secondary carrier and not the primary. Time will tell if they can knock Verizon out of the saddle in our world. I am just sharing my current experience with T-Mobile and of course YMMV--but they are a option for some.
 
I've never had AT&T but I used to do a lot of traveling with someone who did. All over the US, pretty much he only had signal if we were in a town. Never had anything while on the road.

Another friend of mine switched from a local carrier (that used Verizon towers) to AT&T and kept it a week before switching to Verizon.

It all depends on your area and how much coverage you need/want. I've been with Verizon for about 8 months and have no complaints. I only have 2 gigs of data with rollover between the wife and I and have never used it all. I don't see the point in a mobile phone if I only have signal in places there is WI-FI.
 
Last edited:
Which Cricket plan gets you unlimited data on four phones for $100? Looking on their website I can't find it.
Originally Posted By: alarmguy
^^^EXACTLY^^^ I really mean that but let me rephrase Cricket Wireless IS ATT. So of course you get the same nationwide coverage as ATT.

1 line $40, 2 lines $70, 3 lines $90, 4 lines $100, 5 lines no extra change, still $100.
These are ACTUAL monthly payment with autopay. never added surcharges, taxes and no other [censored] like overage. Unlimited everything.
Being it is growing on popularity just like T Mobile, Cricket is adding a bunch of UNneeded stuff to their website and can pay more if you want but there is no reason what so ever to do so.
I think we have seen the bottom as far as pricing going any lower, these companies are going to be looking to get rates higher, they are so low.
My god, my wife, daughter and I, in this day and age, have 3 unlimited everything/data.talk.text phones on ATT and PAY an actual bill of $90 a month and if we want we could add another 4th line for $10 more and if want want, we can then get another 5th line for free!
You all will be kidding yourself if you think pricing like this will last forever.

and you know what? If you dont like it, you can cancel? How stupid simple is that? No contract!
Only foolish Americans get themselves caught up in TWO year contracts. Simply because they cant afford the phone they have without a loan from the phone company..
 
After Verizon tried to rip us a new one, we switched to ATT where they riped us a new one.
One thing I have noticed is the speed isn't as fast. We switched to get Plenti points, but you must have paperless billing or autopay which we don't want because the bill acts as a reminder rather than another email we don't read. No auto pay because we can't double check fees. Also the unlimited data is available if you have DirectTV, but costs more than our 16GB plan. We were told it was included for the same price.
 
Ton's of great information!

Thanks everyone. I'm going to do a bunch of research. Have a few friends that have had AT&T iPhones now for a few years. Going to ask them how the coverage is. They travel like we do so it would be a good comparison. What sucks is we live 3 miles off I-40 and the when we travel out past it to another small city we are not but 4 miles or so away from I-40 and calls get spotty and they never used to.

That is what has got us [censored] off. Seems the service has gone down. Not sure if hurricane Mathew played any part in it but odd that it started happening after the storm and has been that way since.

Being with DirecTV we get a $25 credit on that bill a month if we go with AT&T.

Again, thanks for all the help.
 
For What It Is Worth , several people in our company have IPhones on AT&T .

I myself have an Android phone .
 
Originally Posted By: 2015_PSD
Personally, I think AT&T sucks, but in your case there seems to be benefit to using them (unlimited data--if you need unlimited). What about T-Mobile? We just did an RFP and found that they were the most cost effective and worked very well in all of the areas that we tested which was most of the US.

In side by side tests with Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T, T-Mobile was the fastest every time. (I am not affiliated with any mobility company). We moved from AT&T to Verizon 18 months ago and will now add T-Mobile as a secondary carrier. We will move all if the heavy users to T-Mobile who gives us unlimited for $25 per month (before taxes) versus $55 per month with Verizon.

We tested in:

Houston, TX
Beaumont, TX
Lake Charles, LA
Lafayette, LA
Houma, LA
Metairie, LA
Atlanta, GA
Miami, FL
Raleigh, NC
Arlington, VA
Philadelphia, PA
Harrisburg, PA
Boston, MA
Portland, ME
Las Vegas, NV
Albuquerque, NM
Dallas and FW, TX
El Paso, TX
Raton, NM
Colorado Springs, CO
Denver, CO
San Diego, CA
Oakland, CA
Cheyenne, WY


How did you test in the DFW area? In my house, TMO signal is 0.
I am on the East Dallas side of DFW.
You should come to the area where I live and improve the signal?
The funny thing is if you go 5 ft to a different area, the signal is good.
So I hope whoever your customer is not living/working in this area when you move to TMO.

Anyway to OP, I heard that Verizon's IPhone works with ATT, so you don't have to buy new phones.
 
Last edited:
You need to figure out if ATT has good coverage where you plan to use the phone the most.

All this talk of we tested these phones in all these places means nothing if it doesn't work where you are.

I use ATT because their coverage is better than Verizon on the lake I frequent, and the same at home. I've had no issues with coverage except for a chunk of Wisconsin, but I haven't been there for a few years.

T-Mobile was fine in town as of a few years ago, but awful where I fished, and Sprint is a joke at best. Buddy brags about how cheap his service is on Sprint, but his phone was unusable for a 1/3rd of a recent trip while att plugged along the entire time...
 
I had Verizon for a number of years and really liked the service coverage. We live in the middle of no where but AT&T has expanded a little few years back and my friend had good service at our place so we switched.

I honestly can't complain really, they signal can be a little spotty some times in the middle of no where but for the most part I've been happy with them down here.
 
We Currently have 3 iPhones and one Andriod in the household. One iPhone (5s) is ATT&T Straighttalk. The other 3 phones are Verizon. We don't notice the difference in service between the AT&T and Verizon with our usage. Verizon was king in my area for a long time in terms of available service. The gap is narrowing. I would have no qualms going either way. Like alarmguy has said, any provider is going to have areas of no service.
 
Use whatever service is best in your area. For travelling get a burner GSM Tracfone that roams between ATT and T-mobile. Most Prepaids except Tracfone do not roam.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top