My company is changing wireless providers and is giving me an option for a smartphone and wireless card from either AT&T or Sprint. I use Verizon for my personal devices and neither of these carriers has thrilled me over the past 5 years when I had a company-provided Blackberry. However, Sprint's data offering really seemed to have a lot of dead spots which has me leaning towards AT&T. I spend 70% of my time inside the Beltway, 20% in Virginia from Culpeper to Front Royal and the balance anywhere from Baltimore to Richmond.

SMART CHOICE = AT&T

WITH SPRINT :
-DROPPED CALLS ARE "NORMAL".
-SPRINT WILL ROUTINELY OVERCHARGE YOU.
-TO MAKE MATTERS WORSE, SPRINT'S CUSTOMER SERVICE IS PISS-POOR.

I do not know enough about Sprint to render an opinion.

That said, I have been with AT&T for approx. 6 years now and I am repeatedly surprised by just how horrible their tower-to-tower carrier consistency is. I get dropped calls all across the region - from the beltway to 66 to my home out in the Loudoun area. I do a lot of drive, park, wait, look for signal, repeat when trying to kick off work-related tests from my phone...I know it's a minimal amount of data being exchanged (like a paltry few KB) but the AT&T data service really has a lot of trouble just acquiring enough bars/signal integrity to even let me make a remote/VPN connection and do anything.

The only thing that surprises me with AT&T's data service is its e-mail speed. I'm not sure if it's just the small size of e-mail data, or my smartphone's method of coding the e-mails, or what, but I'm always able to send/receive e-mail without a problem.

Confirming my personal experience, but it looks like most people in this region are going with AT&T and I am going to follow along. We have been using Verizon and I was hoping to be able to simply set up the e-mail sync to my HTC Incredible, but they will not allow personal devices to access corporate e-mail and other services.

The differences between carriers is amazing. I had clients in NYC with a former employer and took Amtrak 2-3 times per month. The company-provided Sprint 3G card rarely had more than 2 bars and lost signal entirely during 50% of the trip. On the other hand, my VZW 3G card had at least 3 bars everywhere except the tunnel in Baltimore and in Penn Station. About the only place with consistent Sprint service was in Chicago (corporate HQ) and the metro NY area.

AT&T. Sprint blows. You will hear people complain about AT&T, but their service is excellent around the DC Metro area.

Here is something I just found on yahoo in regards to cell phones

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_technews/20110209/ts_yblog_technews/upgrade-your-life-reasons-to-hold-off-on-the-verizon-iphone

I don't have experience with Sprint, but I have a lot of dead areas and dropped calls with AT&T, mostly FFX county outside the beltway, Reston to the Ft Belvoir area

AT&T is best for coverage, since GSM is offered in far more areas around the world. The car phone that we have is AT&T, and it's a quad-band GSM that will work anywhere in the world.

Sprint is best for data, not only since CDMA is built as a data friendly network from the ground-up, but the plans are also a major factor as well. Sprint used to also have the clearest voice factor when we first got it many years ago, but I don't know how true that is now.

Btw, I haven't had any issues with Sprint customer service ever since they dumped the Nextel folks. They are currently in the process of completely throwing Nextel away altogether. Dropped calls? I've never noticed them. As for the 3G card for the laptop? It's worked like a charm, even on the bottom level of a hurricane proof building in Florida, behind at least four feet of concrete. It works in more places than my phone will at times (Data doesn't require the same signal strength which a clear call does).

If you're more concerned with travel and global versatility, then try AT&T, but if you're more into smartphones, and heavy data usage, try Sprint.

==================================================================================================
"And if any women or children get their legs torn off, or faces caved in, well, it's tough shit for them." -2LT. Bert Stiles, 505th, 339th (On Berlin Bombardier Mission, 1944).

I have Sprint, calls almost never get dropped. I work for AT&T, but would not dream of using their crap.

AT&T is not all that bad of a service, I use their services.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 02/10/2011 06:49PM by just me.

Seeker Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Confirming my personal experience, but it looks
> like most people in this region are going with
> AT&T and I am going to follow along. We have been
> using Verizon and I was hoping to be able to
> simply set up the e-mail sync to my HTC
> Incredible, but they will not allow personal
> devices to access corporate e-mail and other
> services.
>
> The differences between carriers is amazing. I
> had clients in NYC with a former employer and took
> Amtrak 2-3 times per month. The company-provided
> Sprint 3G card rarely had more than 2 bars and
> lost signal entirely during 50% of the trip. On
> the other hand, my VZW 3G card had at least 3 bars
> everywhere except the tunnel in Baltimore and in
> Penn Station. About the only place with
> consistent Sprint service was in Chicago
> (corporate HQ) and the metro NY area.

Check out the touchdown app for android. It synchs with my outlooks calendar and email perfectly. It costs 20 bucks for full version but well worth it. I use it on my droid x with verizon.

I have had Sprint for the last 6 years and have no problem. My son has AT&T and when we travel we find places that he has problems and I the same. I really think all are the same, so go for best price.

Seeker Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Confirming my personal experience, but it looks
> like most people in this region are going with
> AT&T and I am going to follow along. We have been
> using Verizon and I was hoping to be able to
> simply set up the e-mail sync to my HTC
> Incredible, but they will not allow personal
> devices to access corporate e-mail and other
> services.
>
> The differences between carriers is amazing. I
> had clients in NYC with a former employer and took
> Amtrak 2-3 times per month. The company-provided
> Sprint 3G card rarely had more than 2 bars and
> lost signal entirely during 50% of the trip. On
> the other hand, my VZW 3G card had at least 3 bars
> everywhere except the tunnel in Baltimore and in
> Penn Station. About the only place with
> consistent Sprint service was in Chicago
> (corporate HQ) and the metro NY area.


By the way ..... Chicago is not Sprint Corporate HQ.

ProVallone Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I have Sprint, calls almost never get dropped. I
> work for AT&T, but would not dream of using their
> crap.


I can say the same thing. I don't think I've had a dropped call in 2 years with Sprint.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/10/2011 10:56PM by trogdor!.

ANdroid Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> Check out the touchdown app for android. It synchs
> with my outlooks calendar and email perfectly. It
> costs 20 bucks for full version but well worth it.
> I use it on my droid x with verizon.


I used Touchdown on my Eris and it is a great app. Unfortunately, my new company does not allow external devices to access network services, so I will not be able to use my Incredible in place of the Blackberry.

BigK Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Seeker Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Confirming my personal experience, but it looks
> > like most people in this region are going with
> > AT&T and I am going to follow along. We have
> been
> > using Verizon and I was hoping to be able to
> > simply set up the e-mail sync to my HTC
> > Incredible, but they will not allow personal
> > devices to access corporate e-mail and other
> > services.
> >
> > The differences between carriers is amazing. I
> > had clients in NYC with a former employer and
> took
> > Amtrak 2-3 times per month. The
> company-provided
> > Sprint 3G card rarely had more than 2 bars and
> > lost signal entirely during 50% of the trip.
> On
> > the other hand, my VZW 3G card had at least 3
> bars
> > everywhere except the tunnel in Baltimore and
> in
> > Penn Station. About the only place with
> > consistent Sprint service was in Chicago
> > (corporate HQ) and the metro NY area.
>
>
> By the way ..... Chicago is not Sprint Corporate
> HQ.

My company was based in Chicago, not Sprint (which I believe is still in either Kansas or Missouri).

Seeker Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> BigK Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Seeker Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > Confirming my personal experience, but it
> looks
> > > like most people in this region are going
> with
> > > AT&T and I am going to follow along. We have
> > been
> > > using Verizon and I was hoping to be able to
> > > simply set up the e-mail sync to my HTC
> > > Incredible, but they will not allow personal
> > > devices to access corporate e-mail and other
> > > services.
> > >
> > > The differences between carriers is amazing.
> I
> > > had clients in NYC with a former employer and
> > took
> > > Amtrak 2-3 times per month. The
> > company-provided
> > > Sprint 3G card rarely had more than 2 bars
> and
> > > lost signal entirely during 50% of the trip.
> > On
> > > the other hand, my VZW 3G card had at least 3
> > bars
> > > everywhere except the tunnel in Baltimore and
> > in
> > > Penn Station. About the only place with
> > > consistent Sprint service was in Chicago
> > > (corporate HQ) and the metro NY area.
> >
> >
> > By the way ..... Chicago is not Sprint
> Corporate
> > HQ.
>
> My company was based in Chicago, not Sprint (which
> I believe is still in either Kansas or Missouri).


Yeah, they moved their HQ back to Overland Park, KS (Kansas City). However, Reston still has two campuses, with certain corporate/executive departments HQ'd here.

==================================================================================================
"And if any women or children get their legs torn off, or faces caved in, well, it's tough shit for them." -2LT. Bert Stiles, 505th, 339th (On Berlin Bombardier Mission, 1944).

Subscribers leaving T-Mobile

http://www.wtop.com/?nid=256&sid=2285327

AT&T

I have AT&T and I love it. My only problem with it is in certain areas texts won't send. At all.