Sprint has great coverage. But it seems Sanyo phones do work better then others. I had a 15 day trial and I returned the phone they gave me and got a Sanyo brand and it works great. Brands do have alot to say with the server.

Nextel reception at my house in this area pretty good. But, go into Marshall proper and it is non-existent. Plus, many dead spots all over the place around here and no coverage up north at Baldwin or many places up there. And, very expensive. Definitely switching. Actually have had good coverage with Tracfone pre-paid. But, want to have another phone on a regular plan. Going to go with Alltel after much research.

We've had T-Mobile for about six years, and reception was never good, but lately it is getting even worse. I called to complain and they said I needed a new phone. (My Samsung E105 is only 1 year old.) My contract had expired, so they sent me a Nokia 6103 and with it another two year contract! Well, reception is no better with the Nokia. Everyone I call, whether long distance or two blocks away says I sound like I am in barrel, fade in and out, and usually the call drops two or three times in most conversations. (I can be indoors or in my yard and it makes no difference in reception-- (can't get more than two bars and usually it fluctuates between 2 or 1 and nothing.) Since I had 14 days to cancel out of the deal, I sent the Nokia back today and will probably go with Alltel. I have heard from other cell users, (and comments here on this site seem to confirm) that Alltel is the only provider that can be depended on for decent reception in this area. The customer service people at T-Mobile are okay, but the reception in my area is wretched, and that is putting it mildly. We got a cell mainly for long distance, but what good is it if we can't even make a call from our home?? If I drive down to Old 27, I can sometimes get three bars, but it is a little inconvenient to drive to the Family Altar Church Parking lot to make a call to my sister in Grand Rapids, or our son in Calif. The only good thing about T-Mobile, besides fairly decent customer service, is that their rates are lower than any other provider. We have two lines and 500 min plus unlimited nights and wkends for $49.95. All other provider are at least $20 more for comparable. Alltel is the most expensive for two phones, but I guess you get what you pay for.

T-Mobile reception has gotten progressively worse, especially at my house which is only about one mile from Interstate 69 (where it should be good). Regardless - back yard, front yead, in the garage; I am totally dissatisfied with the service I get. Away from the house, a block or so, all seems to work quite well but one can expect drops as he / she moves toward Battle Creek and / or north of Marshall. A neighbor has alltell. Upon borrowing his phone - an old Nokia - I can get five bars anywhere in the house, even in the basement. So far, my reasearch would favor the Alltell Service and I intend to switch soon.

I switched to Alltel from Verizon based on comments left on this website. It was a major improvement. I live in a very old house with thick walls and a stone basement. Even in the basement away from any windows I still get five bars. Alltel will steer you toward the Razer or another high model phone to guarantee better reception but you don't need it. Even the cheap models work very well with this carrier in the Marshall area. I drove all around town with my new phone and the coverage never dropped below the five bars.

No reception at all in the house. The phone rarely rings when a call is coming in. I get one bar in my back yard but the call drops if I move to my front yard. Verizon claims it has a tower 2 miles away from my house. However, I'm on a hill and still get awful reception.

Up until late last fall the phone always connected to the "Extended Network" and service was consistently very good. However since late last fall the phone nearly always connects to the "Verizon Network" tower. While connected to the Verizon tower, service is basically non-existant. Getting one bar signal inside or out is the exception!! If you can complete a call the signal seldom lasts more than 20 seconds before the connection to the tower is lost. When I want to make a call I or pick up messages left because my phone is "Out of Service" I wait until the phone connects to the "Extended Network" and the service is very reliable. However, the phone only connects to the "Extended Network" tower late at night and sometimes early and late on the weekend. Otherwise "Verizon Network" Run don't walk as fast as you can from Verizon service is this area!!!111

Previously had Verizon (LG V4500 phone) that was essentially worthless from inside my home and only marginal outdoors. Tried Sprint PCS, which was better, but still not great; call quality was inconsistent. Nextel works OK but I needed better coverage than what they provide, esp. in northern Michigan. What a difference Alltel makes! Call quality is excellent, and I can even access Web functions and downloads, which was not possible with Verizon. I get two or three bars everywhere in the house, including the basement. Also get good reception at work in SW Lansing, and my building is notorious for blocking cell reception. Pricing isn't quite as aggressive as some others, but if you can't use the phone it's not a good deal anyway. Thus far I'm very pleased with Alltel and it has exceeded my expectations in terms of reception and call quality.

I'm in the middle of Marshall and I get 1 bar in my house, two if I step outside. Around town is pretty good, but if I go to my in-law's on m-drive North I don't have any signal at all, even though m-drive is only about 5 minutes North of I94...

A few dead spots on I-69 between Marshall and Charlotte, but normally works OK. Reception inside my home is spotty at best, ranges from "No Service" to 2 or 3 bars depending on time of day, weather, which ear you're using, and possibly the Chinese zodiac. Seems to work fine sitting in the car in my garage, but not in front of a window inside the house. A friend's Nextel seems to work much better. Voice mail service is AWFUL--sometimes don't get them for several days after they're left.