I had Cingular in NOVA - it was fine for coverage and customer service, although I'd look hard at T-Mobile - I think its plans are better. I like both because you get GSM phones that you can later unlock, but Verizon is huge in VA and MD and it works in the Metro. Personally, I'd stay far away from Sprint.

 

hey Warren - it depends really on your needs.. I travel a decent amount all over the Northeast, and sometimes out to Cali - Verizon has worked in every single place that I've been to, with the exception of a few spots in Vermont. I can't remember the last time I've had a dropped call by them.

Since I travel so much, their 3G (think DSL download speeds) data network is awesome. I've also never had anything but good experiences with their customer service.

Cingular, on the other hand, in Manhattan is less than stellar - the only reason I liked Cingular was for their phones/ability to roam internationally. Since I only travel internationally about 1 week out of the year, I now just rent a phone from Verizon and do it that way. (cingular customer service for the crackberry is horrible + there are always outages for their data network)

If you like to travel overseas a lot, I would look at Tmobile or Cingular - Tmobile usually has great service where they actually HAVE service, but Cingular has a wider network..

If I were u in MD, I would look at either Tmobile if you must get away from Verizon, or end up sticking with Verizon - using your cell/data in the metro is very useful for killing some spare time.

On the train yesterday from DC-NYC, I had a lady with a Cingular phone sitting next to me trying to have a conversation.. she dropped calls about 5 times before she just gave up.

I've learned to give up the fancy phones for something that just works - I need to know that my phone calls will come through reliably.. Ive had Verizon for the past 2 years, and I can't imagine going back to any other provider

Ask people around your area what they like, and you can always try out a provider for either 15-30 days (depending on the provider) without getting locked into a contract.

 

I find their service mediocre at best. However, I have nothing to compare them to. I am often not allowed to make calls. I get voicemails with no indication of a call (once, I got seven messages four days after the first call was placed to me)

They rarely "drop" calls, but I'm not able to place or receive them half of the time anyway. I guess it's a "cover their ass" type of thing.

 

Cingular is great - it is no better or worse than T-Mobile or any other GSM service provider. All the GSM providers use the same technology to transport your phone calls, so data comparing providers on things like 'dropped call rate' is meaningless, as it's not in the service providers control.

What it all boils down to is the proximity of the towers in the areas where you will most use the phone. Get a phone from a service provider, then try it out at home and at work and other places you go a often, and make sure you get good signal in those areas. If you don't, take it back and then try a different service provider. Maybe the second provider will have a tower closer to your house/work etc and you'll get good signal. Signal strength is always responsible for the vast majority of problems including dropped calls, ability to make/receive calls, call quality etc.

Dropped calls is all about being at the limits of range from towers, if you have good signal you'll practically never get a completely random dropped call. I've been using GSM since 1995 and it's a fantastic system, far better than legacy US technologies that companies like Sprint use.

Good Luck!

 

Whether or not Cingular is the best is really subjective. I use Cingular because they are the best in MY AREA. What you should do is ask people in YOUR AREA about what service they're using, and how it is for them.

 

I had Verizon and switched to Cingular. Overall in the Boston area I don't notice much of a difference. Some places where my Verizon phone worked my Cingular phone won't and of course the reverse is also true.

The thing I didn't like about Verizon was their phone selection and the fact that if you travel to Europe or Asia your phone is useless.

 

Have been using Cingular for about 3 years. Never a problem. Customer service has been fine the few times I have used them.