Coverage comments are submitted voluntarily by visitors around the Columbia, MD area.
Comments are sorted by date. However, users can sort by Carrier, City, Zip Code, Reception Rating,
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Reception varies from passable to none, but frequently phone doesn't even ring, then a voice mail comes in. Of course, sometimes voicemails come in days after they were sent, but that is another Sprint problem. Can't wait to ditch them.
I usually have good reception while outdoors but on occasion I have trouble getting a good signal while indoors. At my house (which is between Ceder ln. / rt 32 / Great Star rd. ) I have great reception except when I go into the basement; there I have 1 bar if I'm lucky. If they had a better lineup of phones, I would renew my contract with them. Unfortunately they have a horrible selection and they're all overpriced. Is it too much to ask for a nice PDA / Smartphone that isn't a blackberry?
I run a home business and have NO reception. I have to drive out to Hickory Ridge Village to get ONE bar and the calls get dropped. I called Cingular and they tell me I'm in a HIGH RECEPTION AREA (by the way, they area is "Washington DC" so that tells you how accurate they are). Their maps and database show high reception... I've always got good customer service from Cingular, so I've been persistent. They said they'll be sending "updates" to my cell phone, set up a "network quality case" and a "technical case" to investigate why MY PHONE is not working. They said I have a tower 3 miles away and should be getting excellent reception. EXTREMELY frustrated because my OUT OF BUSINESS without my cell. I'll be trying Verizon or Nextel even if they don't let me out of the contract. But I have faith that they'll do the right thing. Lost in Columbia...
Cingular is so far the wost service I have experienced since Spring. I am moving with T-Mobile because I have had a lot of good review about them and I am rolling with them today.
I've been using Nextel for the past few months in multiple locations, but mainly in the Columbia / Clarksville / Ellicott City area. I've noticed that Nextel has you covered completly outside. You will always get full coverage outside... the problem is indoor coverage. In older buildings (mainly building that do not have shielded insulation), the signal stays very strong. In newer buildings (with shielded insulation), good look getting a strong signal. You will want to keep your phone on a belt clip so it will ring... and when you answer, go to a window with the Antenna up. Overall, I am satisfied with Nextel because unlike some providers, you can always get a signal outside in the MD area.
When traveling around the Columbia / Ellicott City / Clarksville area, I found that Virgin Mobile (Sprint) coverage is terrible. I'm not talking, 1 bar, I'm talking nothing. In village centers, at schools, there is signal, but nowhere in between. Sprint generally gets good service (because you have a tri-band phone and can roam to Verizon's network). Virgin Mobile only uses Sprint's digital network and does not get great signal in my area. In terms of the Eliots Oak Rd. issue, this seems to be a problem with all carriers. A dead spot. I currently use Nextel, and I get 0-2 bars. My friends use different carriers. AT&T gets 0-1, Cingular gets 1, Verizon gets 1, T-Mobile gets 0-1. Annoying living here and getting a phone call. Virgin Mobile (Sprint) is by far the worst though.
