Posted on Feb 12, 2016
What cell phone carrier do you use (CONUS and OCONUS)?
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I'm shopping around for a new cell phone plan and would really like to hear what your coverage is like and if you're satisfied with what you're getting. I remember when AT&T came out with one of the first unlimited data plans and was the only original partner with iPhone. I know this market has shifted tremendously and I'm curious to know who you pick as a carrier now. Are you satisfied?
Cell Phones
Information Technology
AT&T
Verizon
Posted 10 y ago
Responses: 19
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Tracfone, pay as i go/as i need. I haven't spent a cent on my phone since Jul 2015 when i bought 1000 texts for $10. I'm still at 510 texts. Everything rolls over, no "use it or lose it". Also if you have a smart phone and add minutes, the minutes and texts are tripled.
I really don't use it much. Just have it in case i need it.
I really don't use it much. Just have it in case i need it.
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Capt Brandon Charters
I have been with T-Mobile since 2000, switched from Verizon. For the most part Ive have been happy with the service. There are areas that I find no service or no LTE. I will admit Verizon has some of the best coverage but I hate their customer service (bad experience). T-Mobile has always been great in that regard. They also have no contracts and it is GSM which is what I prefer. I have four phones all with unlimited calls and text and two of the phones have 3 gbs of data the other two are 1 gb. Actually its unlimited but they throttle it down after the 3 & 1. It runs me about $155 with taxes included. I also have been looking into that Defense mobile to see if it is a benefit worth switching to.
I have been with T-Mobile since 2000, switched from Verizon. For the most part Ive have been happy with the service. There are areas that I find no service or no LTE. I will admit Verizon has some of the best coverage but I hate their customer service (bad experience). T-Mobile has always been great in that regard. They also have no contracts and it is GSM which is what I prefer. I have four phones all with unlimited calls and text and two of the phones have 3 gbs of data the other two are 1 gb. Actually its unlimited but they throttle it down after the 3 & 1. It runs me about $155 with taxes included. I also have been looking into that Defense mobile to see if it is a benefit worth switching to.
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LTC Chris Norton
Non contract is where it's at. We take a lot of lessons learned from Straight Talk.
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I'm using t-mobile, it good but sometime signal is drop, expecially if you at a parkinf garage.
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Used to work for Sprint as a Senior Network Operations Specialist and as a Contracted Network Analyst. Still do some Private Contract Physical Security for them. I've done some Store Security for Verizon but my Carrier is Verizon.
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I have AT&T and received a notice they are pushing unlimited talk & data rates up again. Never had an issue with their coverage when I was stationed in Mississippi, New Mexico, or California. Also never had issues while TDY all over the CONUS and Hawaii. Looking forward to hearing what everyone else has and also wondering what kind of DoD and veteran discounts are out there.
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LTC Chris Norton
I can answer the discounts piece: The big four all give a (typically 15%) discount on the monthly plan charge. They all have a "line" fee of $20-25 per month. So let's say you have three lines and a $60 plan; you'll get the discount on the plan (-$9), but pay $60-$75 for the privilege of using their network.
Go with a prepaid that uses the network you're happy with. Again, I hope that's us, but a few others have already been mentioned that will do just fine, as will the carrier prepaid versions.
Go with a prepaid that uses the network you're happy with. Again, I hope that's us, but a few others have already been mentioned that will do just fine, as will the carrier prepaid versions.
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LTC Chris Norton
Other thought: You statistically are not likely to need an unlimited plan.
Do an assessment of your actual data usage and plan for that. Many unlimited users are frankly paying for something they don't need. Typical US Smartphone cellular data use is sill under 3GB/month per line.
https://www.strategyanalytics.com/strategy-analytics/news/strategy-analytics-press-releases/strategy-analytics-press-release/2015/08/31/smartphone-data-traffic-explodes-in-us-witness-over-300-growth-in-2-years#.Vr4lxXQrKRc
Do an assessment of your actual data usage and plan for that. Many unlimited users are frankly paying for something they don't need. Typical US Smartphone cellular data use is sill under 3GB/month per line.
https://www.strategyanalytics.com/strategy-analytics/news/strategy-analytics-press-releases/strategy-analytics-press-release/2015/08/31/smartphone-data-traffic-explodes-in-us-witness-over-300-growth-in-2-years#.Vr4lxXQrKRc
Smartphone Data Traffic Explodes in US, Witness over 300% Growth in 2 Years.
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MSgt (Join to see)
Personally I prefer a GSM network such as AT&T or T-Mobile. Verizon and Sprint are CDMA. Which is great for the U.S. but not so good once you leave the country.
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*sniff *sniff - Something smells phishing. Seriously, though, I've heard great things about Verizon, Sprint, and AT&T.
http://lifehacker.com/5939237/whats-the-best-wireless-carrier
http://lifehacker.com/5939237/whats-the-best-wireless-carrier
What's the Best Wireless Carrier?
Dear Lifehacker, My wireless contract just expired. Now that I'm free to use any mobile carrier, I'm wondering: Which is really the best for me? I need reliable service, of course, but I also want to get the best value and features. Please help me decide.
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LTC Chris Norton
SFC (Join to see) - depends on where you're at. I was actually using the Sprint/Defense Mobile variant for just over a year up here in NY/NJ, and had no issues at all, until I'd end up at Aberdeen. I actually found call quality/call drops far better with them than I did AT&T.
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LTC Chris Norton
PO3 Dale S. - Like Straight Talk, we learn a lot of good lessons from TracFone. Same premise- multicarrier MVNO.
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