Reception is usually displayed on the phone as okay, but network in the area is highly unreliable. Calls constantly drop, bars drop unexpectedly, network is overloaded, and sometimes you can go for hours at a time where the network just won't accept or pass your calls at all. Generally, Cingular service in this area has been very, very poor. I originally signed up for AT&T Wireless in order to get away from Cingular because the phone didn't work most of the time, which worked okay... until Cingular bought AT&T Wireless.