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I have both Verizon and Cingular cell phones. I praise Verizon for having any service on the mountain in Meadows of Dan, but it is very unconsistant. Cingular does not have any service in Meadows of Dan or some of the other rural areas of Virginia due to the recent AT&T buyout where suncom in Virginia was converted to Cingular. Cingular is working to increase converage in many areas of Virginia and in my opinion at a more rapid rate that Verizon is putting up towers. As far as anywhere outside of rural virginia areas Cingular get much better service, fewer dropprd calls, and the batteries last eons longer. Both of my phones are Motorola because I have had better luck from Motorola than any other cell phone maker including Nokia, LG, and Sony-Erikson. I have had my Verizon serice CDMA for almost 18 months and I have been with Cingular for almost ten years when they were known as Bellsouth Mobility and operating off of analog towers followed by TDMA and now GSM. Basically what I am trying to say is that Cingular keeps up with the most current technology, overall has better phones with better battery life (even though Verizon has been improving the phones they carry), and increases coverage area quickly. In another 2 years I think it would be a safe bet that Cingular will provide better service in Virginia as it does throughout the rest of the country.

Verizon offers the best coverage for the area. I am using a Motorola tri-mode 270C phone, which is probably the best phone for poor coverage areas ever made. It works better than anything I have used, and I have gone thru six different services. CDMA is the best mode for the area, although you'll need a tri-mode with analog phone to get reasonably dependable service along the Pkwy. from US 52 north to Roanoke. If you are having reception problems, I strongly suggest you get a Motorola 270C phone off Ebay and sign up for Verizon service. There are some areas where there is no service, like at Mabry Mill, but Verison is the best available for the area!