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I get good reception outside and generally all over Chicago. I can talk in the underground train stations but not when on a running train unless it is above ground. I get below average reception in my 1st floor apartment(3 flat). There are certain pockets where I can talk and others where I know I will loose the call. This happens even though I am constantly updating my phone (*228) to make sure the software et all is up to date. The other thing about Verizon is that it is EXPENSIVE and I'm not sure it's worth it. I pay $122 for two lines with no data and 250 text msg-1400 min, 9pm nights, and weekends. Seems like Sprint has better deals but maybe worse service? And T-Mobile is another consideration... .

tmobile is very convenient, especially the pricing. I think I only had dropped calls in the taste of chicago, because of too many people. anyways their service is great for my area. I always get 4 to 5 bars.

Great reception with my T-Mobile provider. Overall, never had any major problem with reception in most parts of Chicago. As much as I would love to get an iPhone, I'm afraid of switching over to AT&T.

Good Reception..maybe 3-4 dropped calls in past 2yrs

No issues in my unit but I am also on the 3rd floor. Full bars on 3G.

I've been with Verizon going on 7 years now and have not had a problem with reception due to the carrier. More times, it's been the phone manufacturer and the chipset for the given phone; I've been thru 6 now and the Motorola and Samsung phones have proven to be very reliable and hold high signals compared to others I've owned, especially LG models.

My office building in down town is not so good but works. Sometime people say I can't here you. But in my condo at 14th and Michigan reception is good. I'm on the 13th floor and the building is concrete. I don't get good DTV reception though.

In my condo (second floor in a neighborhood 2-flats) I get decent coverage. I sometimes get a little garble, and sometimes dropped calls, however.

Great reception around here near the junction. When I lived at LSD / Irving, I did not have any reception. Reception gets very poor in downtown buildings and NO reception near O'Hare and NW suburbs. At office in Itasca, it is hopeless.

Alltel doesn't offer local numbers in Chicago yet, but I kept them because their plan features are very competetive and I've been a happy customer for more than 5 years. Punching in *228 yields a "Welcome to Verizon Wireless" greeting, indicating that I'm using Verizon towers. Because I have a national plan, however, I never get any roaming charges. My phone is a tri-mode and gets reception pretty much anywhere you would expect it. For example, I have perfect reception in my high rise building and in Northwestern Memorial Hospital, but will drop calls in the elevators of either building. I lose calls in the El and in some of the bigger malls / department stores (the Nordstrom downtown and Target in Lincoln park come to mind). I hope that Alltel eventually gets rights to local numbers here because I've been very happy with them. For people that have been unhappy with Verizon service, I would recommend taking a look at your phone. Make sure it receives at least two digital frequencies---but three are even better (e.g. two digital / 1 analog mode)!