Coverage comments are submitted voluntarily by visitors around the Mc Lean, VA area.
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I don't know what everyone is talking about for this area. I have been with AT&T for a long time and never have problems with service. This is now my 4th phone through AT&T over the years and have not had any problems with service that aren't ordinary problems.
If you like the iphone and I love it then you have to put up with ATT. The reception is just plain awful north of tollroad outside beltway (odd as you would think that would be a target rich client base but I guess antenna's are fought hard). It is virtually impossible to have a conversation longer than 3 minutes (if at all) in this area. Had frequent problems in Tysons? and Tollroad near Wolftrap. The ONLY solution I have come up with: Keep the iphone for all the great non-phone features but buy a cheap Verizon phone for phone calls. I keep Verizon phone connected to bluetooth to the cars I drive. If you have to you can forward the calls from your Apple to Verizon number.
4 Bars out of 5 when I'm in my driveway. As soon as I enter my house its 2 - 1 or none Weak service area with lots of gaps in it. As soon as you get to i495 full service.
Cingular sucks in this area even though the tower is right down the road. Friends with Verizon can get about 2 bars sometimes. Sprint gets about 1-2 bars depending where. Cingular is just terrible at reception and customer service.
In the house, its pretty bad. I can make and receive calls ok, but calls will drop frequently, depending on the length of call. I have to drive over a mile in one direction to get more than 2 bars. So much for having an advantage living in one the richer areas of one of the richest county in america.
I have used Nextel, T-Mobile, and Verizon Wireless over the past five years. Verizon Wireless has provided by far the best coverage in the DC area. Nextel gave me the worst coverage, decent in the city but spotty in the suburbs and terrible the further away from the city I got, and T-Mobile was slightly better than Nextel. Verizon Wireless seems to work everywhere.