T-Mobile
Outside reception is OK at best cutting out occasionally and also dropping calls, once inside reception drops off completely an dropped calles are immenint.
Was this review helpful to you?AT&T Wireless (GSM)
Signal strength varies very fast between 0 and 4 bars (with the phone completely stationary and nothing moving) in all parts of the house. In the innermost parts of the house usually 0 - 1 bar.
Was this review helpful to you?Verizon
Poor reception in my home, calls drop in less than 15 seconds. Verizon service will also drop calls at random in Tucson, even with 5 bars of signal indicated on the phone.
Was this review helpful to you?Alltel
Pretty good coverage all over the city. Occasional dropped calls. Phone's acting up, though. It doesn't seem to know how to charge itself. It's a couple years old.
Was this review helpful to you?AT&T Wireless (GSM)
I use quite a bit of voice and data via Bluetooth, my mobile phone is my only phone- no landline, so cellular performance is very important to me. I use a Palm T3 now, and have been set up with a Mac iBook G4 with Bluetooth and an SE T68i. At 1st and Prince, I can hear perfectly, but my transmissions are frequently crapola for the folks I'm talking to- it's a real problem, and has prompted me to look for a better phone and migrate to Cingular! SE T68i (my old main phone) is known for RF issues, though, so consider that- especially if you've got a decent Nokia or a SE T616. I've also used a Palm T/W and a Motorola V551 from this location, and it's definately a weak area for ATT GSM / Cingular coverage... My research and usage suggests that currently (Jan '05) Cingular is still using T-Mobile towers in my area and not ATT GSM towers (not confirmed yet as of 15 Jan05, but appears to be so). This SHOULD get better very soon. I respect T-Mobile, but ATT has definately built a better GSM network in the West and now Cingular owns it. GPRS Data is kick-butt from my location, by the way- I've NEVER had GPRS problems anywhere in the Tucson market area with ATT GSM, and at 1st and Prince and South to the UofA area GPRS coverage is awesome regardless of signal bars. I can't comment on EDGE (EGPRS) performance yet because I'm only now trying out EDGE enabled phones with my move to Cingular. I have had ATT GSM service from 1st / Prince since 7/2003, and their performance hasn't changed substantially from then until now regardless of equipment. I've recently (in Jan 2005) migrated to Cingular... coverage at 1st and Prince is slightly better when using a Motorola V551, but only a tad better that ATT with SE T68i. Again, I must point out that the T68i is known for crappy RF. NOTE: Cingular says that you NEED a new 64K SIM and compatible phone (which only they sell) to access their network. I was told by both Cingular and ATT that in order to migrate from ATT GSM I MUST switch to a new Cingular phone and accept a new contract, etc. I believe this to be crap, but your experience may vary. After migrating, I put my new 64K Cingular SIM into my old-ass ATT SE T68i (it is unlocked by the way) AND I put my original ATT SIM in my new Cingular Motorola V551 and had no problems either way... I don't have specific info on this, but Cingular's claim that older ATT GSM phones WILL NOT work on their network or with new 64K SIMs appears to be marketing bull... Be careful if you're inclined to use an older unlocked or ATT branded GSM phone, but also know that it's not as "impossible" as you'll be told. Recommendation: Choose the best GSM phone you can that suits your needs, whether it's your current phone, a new phone or something from eBay. Be careful and cautious if the phone you want to use isn't directly from Cingular though. Cingular GSM in my short experience is pretty good but stick with AT&T GSM if you've already got it for at least another few months. Cingular is good in Tucson but be aware that you're PROBABLY going to be using T-Mobile towers at least for a a short while until the engineers can retool and absorb the ATT towers. I'm not a phone enginner, so I can't rustle up decent phone statistics for you. I AM a HAM Radio op though and I use the heck out of my phone in this area, so radio propegation and basic stuff does make sense to me.
Was this review helpful to you?AT&T Wireless (GSM)
I've been with AT&T since they first offered nationwide service. I've carried the same calling plan for years - no one offers anything comparable now for price / minutes, so I've held on. But in the last couple of years AT&T service / reception has deteriorated so badly that I'm looking to switch, plus current Siemens phone is the worst I've ever had. I can't even get reception at the AT&T store near Tucson Mall, and constant dropped calls or poor reception at home. Problem is I can't keep same plan/phone# (according to AT&T) if I switch to anything other than an AT&T phone, but try to find one now.
Was this review helpful to you?Sprint
I get no reception inside or outside my home. Service for the next few square miles is very splotchy, I can't place or recieve calls while driving until I reach Swan and Sunrise, or Skyline and Campbell on the other side. Once in town the signal is fine. I was told that my home was in their coverage area when I signed up. Customer service has been very poor, and have offered no solution.
Was this review helpful to you?AT&T
Cingular service is not a good wireless provider even though they claim they have a "All Over Network" in thier marketing. They say they merged but still require to buy new Cingular phones if you choose to migrate over, which is crap. You can't even buy ATT wireless phones or parts at the local The New Cingular Store anymore. They have bad customer service and sell crap phones like the Motorola V220. Take my advice and go the Verizon route. Better phones without the confusing merger crap to deal with.
Was this review helpful to you?AT&T Wireless (TDMA)
I have to go out side our home to make a call. We travel (I do temporary work) and have had trouble in Union City, CA and Longmont, CO. Seattle is better. The nation wide plan is the only reason we keep ATT.
Was this review helpful to you?Sprint
I don't have many complaints about Sprint reception around Tucson. It can get spotty in the foothills (e.g. on Sunrise past Swan), but in town I can always get reception, even inside buildings.
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