The 3g network: voice, data and video
Enter the new world of voice, data and video on
demand. The 3g network is the third generation
wireless cell phone network and is faster than old
analog and 2g networks. 3G networks can transfer
data at speeds of up to 3 Mbps (approximately 15
seconds to download a song) while the 2G network
can transfer data up to 144Kbps (approximately 8
minutes to download a song). 3G networks are
ideal for smartphone / cell phone data transfer,
large downloads, on-demand video and surfing the
internet from your phone. The major networks now
using 3g are T-Mobile, Sprint, Verizon Wireless
and AT&T. T-Mobile and AT&T both use the GSM
standard (Global System for Mobile
Communications Standard) while Verizon Wireless
and Sprint use the CDMA standard technology.
GSM is currently the most popular form of cellular
technology in the world with an estimated 80% of
cell phones worldwide now using this technology.
Since both GSM and CDMA are 2g wireless
technologies that use digital radio signals, the
major networks have begun to make the transition
to 3g by expanding their nationwide 3g network
coverage to meet the growing demand for business
data, large downloads, multimedia apps, email
and fast web browsing from 3g smartphones.
pmbbay.com, Selecting the Best US Wireless
Cell Phone Carrier
Which cell phone carrier should you choose?
Today's cell phones are nearly as reliable as
land line phones and offer consumers added
convenience and services not available via the
land line phone company. Does cell phone service
have any issues? Sometimes.. Cell phone
customers can experience calls that simply don't go
through, no cell phone signal and cell phone
network outages. With that said, the benefits and
added convenience of cell phones outweighs any
minor issues with cell handsets or a carrier's
network. Simply put, for some, cell phones have
become a life necessity in this age of information
and connection. So how will your wireless cell
phone carrier stack up and will you receive quick
resolutions should you need assistance? To get
service or not to get service in a timely manner can
depend on the carrier you've selected. Have you
ever called a phone company or any utility
company's customer service line and the wait time
to speak to a person was over a half hour? Does it
matter to you and is that fair to bill paying
customers? Not fair at all, but, yes, this still does
happen! Today's wireless customers expect higher
levels of service and will switch carriers when they
find that they can not get assistance when they
need it. It makes sense to find out which wireless
carriers provide service in your area and which
handsets are compatible with the wireless carrier
you have interest in. More importantly, which
wireless cell phone carrier provides the best
coverage, rate plan and customer service. As a
consumer, it's your right to choose which carrier to
sign up with. So how do you find out what your
choices are in terms of Cell Phone Carriers? For
starters, you can check in your local Yellow Pages,
your local operator services or the FCC.
All wireless carriers are not created equal. Some
carriers provide extensive nationwide coverage on
2g and 3g networks and have very few dropped
calls with exceptional call clarity. While others
provide limited local and 3g coverage, lower rates
and very little customer service on lower quality
networks.
Start off by asking friends, family and current
customers of the carrier you have interest in what
their experience has been. You can learn a lot by
getting the facts from friends and family thus
eliminating a lot of the questions you might have.
Consider your calling needs, call quality, carrier
coverage, rate plans, handset support, contractual
obligations and hidden service fees. Cell phone
carriers offer many rate plans based on your calling
needs. Your rate plan will indicate how many
minutes you¡¯ll receive for your monthly charge and if
you go over your fixed number of monthly minutes
your carrier will also include the overage fees in
your rate plan. Fees for other services such as text
messaging, web surfing, data usage are also
included in your cell phone carriers rate plan. Many
carriers offer package options that include
significant discounts with bonus minutes, unlimited
calling times, web search, unlimited texting and
family plan savings to attract customers. To get
these additional savings, the cell phone carrier will
ask that you sign up with a contractual agreement
to use their service for at least a year or more. Take
a moment to carefully compare plans before
signing on to a lengthy contract. Will you call mostly
in state, nationally or international? Does the carrier
have a special rate plan where you call the most?
For example, if most of your calling is in state, is
there a lower rate plan available. Some wireless
cell phone carriers offer local metro area or
regional calling plans with lower monthly fees for
consumers who don't travel outside of the city or
state. If you select a local or regional plan and travel
outside of the coverage area, you can still make
calls, however, roaming or calling outside of your
coverage area can get quite expensive as calls can
be more than double the normal charge. If you find
yourself traveling a lot and calling outside of the
wireless carriers local calling area, you may want to
consider upgrading to a National Calling Plan.
National calling plans generally let you travel or call
anywhere within the US while utilizing your Peak
minutes without having to worry about roaming
charges as long as you stay on the carrier's
network or partner networks. Many carriers allow
you to choose a fixed number of day time minutes
and have options for unlimited night time minutes
available on national calling plans. T-Mobile,
Verizon Alltel, Sprint Nextel and AT&T are the
major wireless cell phone carriers offering National
Calling Plans in the US. When selecting a wireless
cell phone carrier, look for wireless cell phone
carriers that let you try out the service for one month
without any contractual obligations to continue if you
are not satisfied during the trial period. This is a win
win situation as you get to "test drive" the cell
phone carrier's service prior to making a long term
comittment.
BEST WIRELESS CUSTOMER SERVICE:
Cell Phone Carriers now leading in Overall
Customer Satisfaction
So which carriers have the fewest customer
complaints and are now leading the pack in terms
of overall customer service? According to a recent
national Consumer Reports Survey published in
2008, more customers complained about high cell
phone carrier bills / fees and mandatory cell phone
contract extensions. The report found that
customers who made changes to their service
were required to extend their contracts as a part of
the overall deal and some carriers
have not always been upfront with customers about
contract extensions. So who is leading in customer
satisfaction right now? The report states that
Verizon Wireless scored the best in customer
satisfaction while T-Mobile matched customer
satisfaction rates of Verizon Wireless in most of the
markets nationwide. The report concluded that
T-Mobile offered US cell phone customers the "best
value" in cell phone service by offering more value
added services for the money spent per plan.
More 5 star buying guides=>
Enter the new world of voice, data and video on
demand. The 3g network is the third generation
wireless cell phone network and is faster than old
analog and 2g networks. 3G networks can transfer
data at speeds of up to 3 Mbps (approximately 15
seconds to download a song) while the 2G network
can transfer data up to 144Kbps (approximately 8
minutes to download a song). 3G networks are
ideal for smartphone / cell phone data transfer,
large downloads, on-demand video and surfing the
internet from your phone. The major networks now
using 3g are T-Mobile, Sprint, Verizon Wireless
and AT&T. T-Mobile and AT&T both use the GSM
standard (Global System for Mobile
Communications Standard) while Verizon Wireless
and Sprint use the CDMA standard technology.
GSM is currently the most popular form of cellular
technology in the world with an estimated 80% of
cell phones worldwide now using this technology.
Since both GSM and CDMA are 2g wireless
technologies that use digital radio signals, the
major networks have begun to make the transition
to 3g by expanding their nationwide 3g network
coverage to meet the growing demand for business
data, large downloads, multimedia apps, email
and fast web browsing from 3g smartphones.
pmbbay.com, Selecting the Best US Wireless
Cell Phone Carrier
Which cell phone carrier should you choose?
Today's cell phones are nearly as reliable as
land line phones and offer consumers added
convenience and services not available via the
land line phone company. Does cell phone service
have any issues? Sometimes.. Cell phone
customers can experience calls that simply don't go
through, no cell phone signal and cell phone
network outages. With that said, the benefits and
added convenience of cell phones outweighs any
minor issues with cell handsets or a carrier's
network. Simply put, for some, cell phones have
become a life necessity in this age of information
and connection. So how will your wireless cell
phone carrier stack up and will you receive quick
resolutions should you need assistance? To get
service or not to get service in a timely manner can
depend on the carrier you've selected. Have you
ever called a phone company or any utility
company's customer service line and the wait time
to speak to a person was over a half hour? Does it
matter to you and is that fair to bill paying
customers? Not fair at all, but, yes, this still does
happen! Today's wireless customers expect higher
levels of service and will switch carriers when they
find that they can not get assistance when they
need it. It makes sense to find out which wireless
carriers provide service in your area and which
handsets are compatible with the wireless carrier
you have interest in. More importantly, which
wireless cell phone carrier provides the best
coverage, rate plan and customer service. As a
consumer, it's your right to choose which carrier to
sign up with. So how do you find out what your
choices are in terms of Cell Phone Carriers? For
starters, you can check in your local Yellow Pages,
your local operator services or the FCC.
All wireless carriers are not created equal. Some
carriers provide extensive nationwide coverage on
2g and 3g networks and have very few dropped
calls with exceptional call clarity. While others
provide limited local and 3g coverage, lower rates
and very little customer service on lower quality
networks.
Start off by asking friends, family and current
customers of the carrier you have interest in what
their experience has been. You can learn a lot by
getting the facts from friends and family thus
eliminating a lot of the questions you might have.
Consider your calling needs, call quality, carrier
coverage, rate plans, handset support, contractual
obligations and hidden service fees. Cell phone
carriers offer many rate plans based on your calling
needs. Your rate plan will indicate how many
minutes you¡¯ll receive for your monthly charge and if
you go over your fixed number of monthly minutes
your carrier will also include the overage fees in
your rate plan. Fees for other services such as text
messaging, web surfing, data usage are also
included in your cell phone carriers rate plan. Many
carriers offer package options that include
significant discounts with bonus minutes, unlimited
calling times, web search, unlimited texting and
family plan savings to attract customers. To get
these additional savings, the cell phone carrier will
ask that you sign up with a contractual agreement
to use their service for at least a year or more. Take
a moment to carefully compare plans before
signing on to a lengthy contract. Will you call mostly
in state, nationally or international? Does the carrier
have a special rate plan where you call the most?
For example, if most of your calling is in state, is
there a lower rate plan available. Some wireless
cell phone carriers offer local metro area or
regional calling plans with lower monthly fees for
consumers who don't travel outside of the city or
state. If you select a local or regional plan and travel
outside of the coverage area, you can still make
calls, however, roaming or calling outside of your
coverage area can get quite expensive as calls can
be more than double the normal charge. If you find
yourself traveling a lot and calling outside of the
wireless carriers local calling area, you may want to
consider upgrading to a National Calling Plan.
National calling plans generally let you travel or call
anywhere within the US while utilizing your Peak
minutes without having to worry about roaming
charges as long as you stay on the carrier's
network or partner networks. Many carriers allow
you to choose a fixed number of day time minutes
and have options for unlimited night time minutes
available on national calling plans. T-Mobile,
Verizon Alltel, Sprint Nextel and AT&T are the
major wireless cell phone carriers offering National
Calling Plans in the US. When selecting a wireless
cell phone carrier, look for wireless cell phone
carriers that let you try out the service for one month
without any contractual obligations to continue if you
are not satisfied during the trial period. This is a win
win situation as you get to "test drive" the cell
phone carrier's service prior to making a long term
comittment.
BEST WIRELESS CUSTOMER SERVICE:
Cell Phone Carriers now leading in Overall
Customer Satisfaction
So which carriers have the fewest customer
complaints and are now leading the pack in terms
of overall customer service? According to a recent
national Consumer Reports Survey published in
2008, more customers complained about high cell
phone carrier bills / fees and mandatory cell phone
contract extensions. The report found that
customers who made changes to their service
were required to extend their contracts as a part of
the overall deal and some carriers
have not always been upfront with customers about
contract extensions. So who is leading in customer
satisfaction right now? The report states that
Verizon Wireless scored the best in customer
satisfaction while T-Mobile matched customer
satisfaction rates of Verizon Wireless in most of the
markets nationwide. The report concluded that
T-Mobile offered US cell phone customers the "best
value" in cell phone service by offering more value
added services for the money spent per plan.
More 5 star buying guides=>
Read the top guide
on New 3G Cell
Phones /
Smartphones &
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LOOKING
FOR!
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Phones /
Smartphones &
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YOU'RE
LOOKING
FOR!
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Site is updated
hourly.
Visit us daily to
get the best deals!
