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Unbelievable that Verizon still has such terrible, awful service in Falls Church! Signal disappears entirely several times along the I-66 corridor and on Routes 29 and 50. Calls drop, data disappears. Really pathetic, Verizon!

Outside is perfect as it should be. 3G indoor performance near large windows and airy spaces is good (-70 to -80 dBm), but get more than 10ft inside or in smaller spaces (like apartments) and service quickly drops to -90 to -100 dBm, right at the cusp of dropped calls. LTE is a little worse compared to 3G. Data connections will randomly drop, sometimes lasting as long as 2-3 minutes. Kind of disappointing overall, but compared to what I've been reading here, it appears better than average.

I've been with Verizon since 2004 and was very happy with my reception and the general service until about six months ago. I typically get 2-3 bars at best inside my Arlington home. Even when I'm outdoors in the city, calls often drop. More recently, my text messages are not going through or they go through days after I sent them and multiple times. At this point, I am very frustrated with Verizon and could not comfortably recommend them to anyone.

I switched to Verizon from AT&T because of Verizon's reputation for reliable signal strength. 2 months later I am paying to switch back to AT&T. In the neighborhood around the Washington Navy Yard I get no Verizon signal at all. In many DC and Arlington neighborhoods I get 2 bars and lots of dropped calls. It is the worst cell phone service I have ever experienced.

Bars and 3G cut in and out. Usually 1 bar, sometimes none, often without 3G or 1X. Thus, limited voice and no data at all - for a whopping $145 per month! Had AT&T prepaid without data plan and never had a problem with reception. We bought four days ago, but are probably going to drop the data plan and go back to voice only prepaid at about $25 per month. What is the point of data plan when none of it works, or even worse, cuts out in the middle of a phone call or email.

Signal comes in and out. Usually 1 bar if it's a good day. A few blocks closer to the metro, Fairfax Dr., the signal is very good.

Frequently dropped calls and limited reception inside, poor reception outside. Complained to Verizon about the poor reception and they sent a team to investigate and determined that this is a marginally covered area. Customer rep offered to sell a network extender to me for $49 to extend the service in attempt to resolve the issue. I mean, how does extending poor signals from from outside help with the limited reception i'm getting inside?

Service is much stronger and better then AT&T and Sprint. Data speeds are great too! No dropped calls or anything and I always have service.

Great so I am one of the larger population densities in the US, so I should get great reception right. No horrible reception in my house and I am 1.5 miles from I-66! So for almost 8 months I have battled with Verizon for help, finally after 6 months they gave me a new Verizon phone without losing my Alltel plan that I originally had. New phone has not proved any better. I have to walk 50 ft. from my house for reception. Verizon keeps telling me they are updating and would be done January 2010..nope still bad signal! I am about to get ready to boycot cellphones! Can the manufactors develop phones with better reception instead of just gadgets? Also can the cell providers update there technology? Canada as well as many other countries are ahead of us in technology! Maybe we should get the money Obama asked for to improve the infrastructure!

About 6 months ago I complained that the reception was horrible in Shirlington Village. It has since been fixed. They must've added a new tower nearby. It's been consistently good for a long time now.

I've lived in Pentagon City for 2 years now and have never had a call drop on me inside my apt (2 story) or outside. Can't comment on a data plan because I don't have one

doesn't work in harris teeter or very well in our house on ohio st. frustrating for the "best" wireless network. what is a husband to do without wireless coverage in the grocery store?

We've had great luck with Verizon Wireless. The signal is very good, except for the low area near the Shirlington Library. Being able to use the phone and text / data in the Metro is very handy. Their customer service has been fantastic. Any billing issue I've ever had was corrected with one call (it's been a while - they were due to big account changes). The F St. store in DC is very good. They worked to get me a good phone when I had a couple of lemons.

lots of roaming, sometimes no service at all. conversations cut in and out. extremely frustrating. frequently miss calls which go straight to voicemail.

cell phone coverage spotty to say the least. Drops calls, will not send texts, and will not allow me to call out. have Fios, and it works well. Have taken the phone in to be checked, and it is fine. Verizon states that there are no problems in my area, but it is consistently an issue, especially during the day. I live on the National Airport side of my bldg.

4th floor apt, 1 bar if I go near a window in my apartment. 0 anywhere else. I'm wondering if this is a Verizon issue or a building issue.

7th floor of 901 N. Nelson St. in Arlington. Had 5 dropped calls during one conversation tonight. Sometimes no bars, sometimes a couple. Seems to depend where I am in the apartment.

Verizon Wireless: Lived in two sides of apartment building: High floor facing east = no bars. High floor facing west = 3-5 bars. Is there no cell phone tower east of Nelson St. (towards DC) in Arlington?

constantly dropped calls. every few minutes. impossible to have a conversation on phone.

Verizon even admits they have terrible coverage in North Arlington. They can't get approval from the county to install anymore towers in this whole area. So 6 miles form the White House and no cell phone.

I always get 5 bars of signal strength. Calls are clear and I never have any dropped calls--even while inside a building.

I had trouble getting a consistent signal for both voice and data. While in my apartment, voice calls would often drop. And as far as data was concerned, I would never get an EV-DO connection. The 1rx internet connection would often drop as well. I purchased an external antenna, but it didn't help.

The reception in this area was horrible. I had to go outside to place a call. It was intolerable. I changed to Cingular and the problem is resolved.

I live in a building on the fourth floor on top of the largest elevation for miles. I look down onto Pentagon Row and the Pentagon. I still can't get consistent reception with either Verizon or Cingular. My calls are constantly dropped every night.

Spotty performance. Voice calls drop easily while moving around mid floor apartment in steel and brick building, even with 4 or 5 bars showing. Many incoming calls kick to voicemail, even when calling out is viable. Oddly, broadband wireless card in PC works adequately. I suspect a (voice)bandwidth problem, with thousands of workers in Crystal City (and the Pentagon nearby) and thousands of travellers at National Airport. Maybe they can hang antennas from the black helicopters?

Two blocks west of Route 1 in sight of cell antennas on Holiday Inn, very weak Verizon signal

I have very spotty service in my apartment. Don't know if it's the old building or what? I had Sprint and had the same problem.

3rd floor condo has excellent reception and no dropped calls. I usually average 3-4 bars.

Some parts of the mall I get 5 bars of reception where in other parts I get 0-1 bars of reception. That is unacceptable for a major metropolitan mall.

I typically don't have a problem with Verizon, but going from the Toll Rd.to 66 (or vice versa) I typically get dropped calls and no reception in this area. You would think, with all the Right of Ways around here (Metro, major roads, etc.) they could find a place for a cell tower!

Usually none. Cingular also bad. Sprint and T-Mobile are excellent in this area (Taylor Park, Military Rd, etc.)

Switched from the dead zones of Sprint. Great reception indoors or out.

Cannot get reception downstairs. Get reception when I leave the basement. Also had this problem in Chantilly, VA

No reception on first floor condo. Sometimes can get reception if stand near window, but generally zero reception.

I just moved to River House apartments, and although my phone has worked great just about everywhere else, I cannot make phone calls inside my apartment. I tried calling my roommate when I was locked out, and I had to walk from my hallway all the way outside just to make the call. What a hassle.

1st floor apartment, no reception except right next to a window, and even that is spotty. Great reception everywhere else in the DC area, but nearly useless at home.

Verizon covers the Arlington, VA, DC, MD metro area well. Yes, there are a few spots that drop calls but generally I found if you move a couple feet reception picks up. Works in Metro although not great. Responsive customer service

My reception has been very good. I use my phone for sales so I drive not only all over the Greater Washington region - but also between NYC and NC frequently. There is one dead spot in Washington where 267 is merging into 66 (near West Falls Church metro) - and I believe this is true for all carriers - not just Verizon. I also get little to no reception inside of my home. Once I step outside - no problem. My former residence at Washington Blvd and Route 50 got great reception inside a basement unit.

I hear other people rave about their reception in D.C. with Verizon, but my reception since I arrived here last month has been terrible. In Arlington, VA, right across the river from D.C., my phone has one bar most of the time, often zero (i.e. no signal), and is substantially unusable from many places where you would expect service to be available - on major throughfares, etc. Not sure if it's just this phone model or what, but it's so bad I'm thinking of terminating my contract early, paying the money, and switching carriers.