I've had Sprint for about 13 months and had not had any dropped calls. Calls go through right away when I make a call, instead of saying "dialing" and never goes through, no issues with my billing. Everyone can hear me good (that's probably the phone). Recently they did have issues with their towers and I wasn't getting all my text messages right away, it was taking a long time. That was annoying but the issue has been fixed, that was just recently... .overall, pretty good. *For the people with IPhones, I have quiet a few friends / family members with that phone also and not sure why they all have the same issues: dropped calls, calls don't go through, bad reception. They said the problem is going away and service is getting better for them though... .hopefully.

We've had Sprint for over a year and we have been for the most part pleased. Good coverage in the Loop and River North--and only a few dropped calls during that year. Much better than my horrible experience with AT&T.

No reception at all in my office with windows. Sometimes I can make a call if I stand next to the window. Reception at home in River North is almost as bad. And between River North and the Loop, on my walk to and from work, calls frequently do not come through or are dropped. 3G is spotty, evidenced by frequent skipping on Pandora. As a note, I had a Palm Pre on Sprint before switching to the iPhone4. I have had more reception issues in 10 days with the iPhone than I had in 15 months with the Pre. Yes, the Sprint Palm Pre dropped or missed calls a few times per year. But the iPhone misses or drops calls a few times a day. No joke.

AT&T - Your coverage is unacceptably poor. 1 or 0 bars is frequent inside my office, and even outdoors the reception is spotty, from River North to the Loop. The red GSM message pops up frequently, and is delayed in locating service. Multiple attempts and "Call Failed" messages can occur before any connection happens. Time for immediate changes or your should expect to lose many more customers. Your coverage agents always run a "test" and report that service is "excellent in my area." WRONG.

DO NOT SWITCH TO T-MOBILE LIKE I DID! Six months ago, I switched to T-Mobile after having problems with AT&T Wireless' network (after the introduction of the most recent iPhone). Beyond my experience in Chicago and surrounding suburbs, I travel for a living and routinely spend time in major cities (including New York, San Francisco and Atlanta). I typically get three to five bars of service in most areas. However, the signal indicator is meaningless as I have had HUNDREDS of dropped calls in a six month period. Also, I routinely have problems sending text messages, receiving voicemail notifications, and browsing the Internet. Furthermore, I frequently experience problems making outbound calls (I receive "call failed" messages). This even occurred one day when I was trying to place a 911 call on Lake Shore Dr.with five bars (it took over five minutes and half a dozen attempts before I could place a 911 call). After going through three BlackBerry 9700s and two SIM cards, I decided to pay the $200 early termination fee and cancel my contract. While I thought AT&T was bad, they are far better than T-Mobile. I would recommend AT&T, Verizon or Sprint over T-Mobile for anyone who needs a reliable wireless network.

Has the AT&T coverage in this area got worse? Nowadays, I can only make and receive calls from one room in the house. And then snuggled up to a window. Not to mention how many calls are dropped or never received. Is AT&T immune to all the complaints from Chicago? Why do we keep on paying large sums for their terrible service? I guess because we are locking into their ridiculously long contracts. Having spent considerable time in Europe this year and seeing how efficient and cheap service is there, and without long term contracts, I am even more appalled. Let's all boycott AT&T!

Worse service ever! I hate t mobile! This phone and service hasn't worked right for an entire year

In my apartment I get anywhere between 3 to 5 bars, but it is spotty and I have had calls dropped from time to time just walking around in my one bedroom. Downtown reception is even worse. Sometimes you have 5 bars, take a few steps and it's down to 2 or 3. I have noticed many people able to talk down in the subway area and have a strong signal on other carriers... not with AT&T. I will give them a call on Monday to see if they can do anything special for me. I don't really want to renew another 2 years, get a smart phone, and have crappy service especially when paying for mobile internet, but if they cut me a deal it may help ease the pain.

I just switched to AT&T Iphone 4G from T Mobile and there is no signal (it means I cannot make and receive calls) from AT&T. Their call center standard reply was "our records show that we have excellent signal strength in your area". I ported my number back to T Mobile.

I can't believe I'm downtown and don't get reception in large areas

I go to school at Loyola and AT&T is useless in this area. My friends using T-Mobile and Sprint can all make / receive calls. I'm stuck with a phone that can't make a call -- AT&T's reception is the worst.

I'm using US Cellular for 3 years so far and never a had problem with both connection and service. I highly recommend US Cellular for those who is looking for a good reception as a the number one thing. I was travelling around the States and I didn't have problems with the service. As for T-Mobile (my husband has it), it isn't as good as US Cellular. But the reception also depends on the kind of phone you have. My friends has noticed more problems with I-phones and better with regular or flip phones.

Good reception in my condo and around the loop.

hands down, the best service I have ever had. been with US Cellular for 4 years and dropped calls are rare if not non-existent. I have the nationwide calling plan so roaming is free: no matter where I go I have no LESS than 3 bars. there is no comparison to T-Mobile and Verizon (my previous carriers), call quality is better and customer service is superb. i'm so excited we're getting new (& better!) phones in november. i say take US Cell up on their offer, try 'em for 30 days - you'll be happy like me!

Excellent! coverage, the only major issue has been the phone quality (i.e. HTC, Nokia, Samsung) and the the service. T-Mobile has worked just fine.

I can get reception outside, but in my house there is only place I can stand to make or receive calls. It has gotten much worse than it was 9 months ago when I first moved here from Ashland and Montrose. I had AT&T for 9 years but am looking for a new service now.

I can't get any reception within my apartment. Can't even really send out texts. Making a phone call, even outside is next to impossible. I have to use Skype to make any sort of phone call from home

Travel anywhere throughout Chicago, from the Loop to Wrigley Field to the West. AT&T coverage is HORRIBLE. Dropped calls all the time, signal never above 3 - generally at 1. I rarely come close to my minute plan because making calls is just plain useless! I know some complain and say it's the iPhone; however, when I travel to other cities I get 5 bars consistent on the phone and NO calls. Chicago, like NYC and San Fran, is a trouble market for AT&T. I don't understand why AT&T can't get it right. I know the city must be tough, but it CAN be done. My friends have Verizon and Sprint with no trouble. I hear Sprint is awesome. T-Mobile seems to cover the city well. Look at it's ratings in this forum!

I have used US Cellular for 3 years and am completely satisfied with the service and reception. I never drop calls. I used to lose calls all the time in my apartment when I had Verizon. If I took one step, the call dropped. Now, with US Cellular, I NEVER lose a call. I can walk anywhere in my building and even ride the elevator all the way down to the first floor and never lose a call. I am very happy with the service. I am so happy that I canceled my land line and my mobile phone is the only phone that I have. If you want a reliable service provider, then I highly recommend US Cellular. Save yourself the cash and drop the land line. The only drawback is that they don't stock a great variety of new phones, but I'm willing to overlook that for the quality of the service.

My company offered for me to switch to their plan last month and I thought well why not it is one less bill I have to manage.. I had Sprint for 15 years and switched to AT&T now I can't call out when I am inside, I have to be walking down the street in order to make a call. I did however have a strong signal for a day and my phone would make a call from anywhere.. This phone is really stressing me out.. Now I only communicate with clients, friends and family via email and text.