August 10th, 2009 | 
Author: Is cellular service in the US really all about the network? In some cases, the answer is yes, it does. Any reliable on-line quote for service should come with detailed information on the vendors’ coverage area. Besides that, I’ll take a rather high-level look at cellular providers starting with a bit of history.
Anyone remember the days of telephone company deregulation of the 80’s? When this first occurred, I for one was not ready to switch my long distance carrier. After all, it WAS about the network. I wasn’t about to leave a tried and true, big name provider for a company just starting out.
Fast forward to today. I’ve dumped my big name provider and went with a much smaller company. Why? Because the networks are far more advanced then they once were. Competition among carriers is fierce. I cannot tell any difference in quality between the big name and the company I chose. The cost, however, is much less than what I was paying.
The point?
The ‘networks’ are much more reliable and have to be in order for a company to stay competitive.
What does this have to do with cellular service? Well, it’s the same thing. Most of my family and friends have cellular service. Between them, there are a number of different providers represented. When I ask any of them what they think of their service? Quality of calls, signal strength, picture taking, ring-tones, etc. they are all happy with the service they have. Apparently each of the different networks is just as good as the other.
Posted in