What is your preferred service provider??

[WANNABB]

I am located in the Memphis, TN area, and am wanting to upgrade to a Blackberry 8700 series device. I currently have a contract with Cingular which I'll have to break to get a Blackberry (affordably), so I'm considering switching to T-Mobile.

Who prefers which of these 2 carriers and why?

Thanks for the info!

[option94]

Wirelessly posted (Cingular 7130c: BlackBerry7130/4.1.0 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/102)

If you already have an 8700 why are you going to switch to get an 8700?

I find that Cingular has better service in most places, but T-Mobile is cheaper, especially for data. Just do some research and find out how the coreage is for each in your area.

[cellguy]

I've used both and found T-mobile a better company to work with as well as cheaper (IMHO)

[Pizzle]

It's all about coverage in your area. Period. The best customer service in the world won't put a cell tower close to you.

[WANNABB]

I don't have an 8700 yet. I'm looking to get either the 8700g or 8700c.

[NJBlackBerry]

Location, location, location.
Which carrier has the best coverage where you live, where you work, where you commute and where you travel.

Cost is immaterial if the coverage isn't there.

[Texas_Traveler]

I am located in the Memphis, TN area, and am wanting to upgrade to a Blackberry 8700 series device. I currently have a contract with Cingular which I'll have to break to get a Blackberry (affordably), so I'm considering switching to T-Mobile.

Who prefers which of these 2 carriers and why?

Thanks for the info!

I use Cingular... They have better coverage in my area (Texas, especially rural south Texas), but they are more expensive.

You should probably look at the online coverage tools for Cingular and T-Mobile in your area. Below are the links:

Cingular: Cingular Wireless (http://onlinecare.cingular.com/coverageviewer/B2B.html)
T-Mobile: Personal Coverage Check - Coverage Maps for your calling coverage and service coverage areas (http://www.t-mobile.com/coverage/)

[WANNABB]

The 2 would be about the same price for me as I get a discount on Cingular through work. I looked at Cingular's "coverage check" and don't think that's too accurate based on the service I've been receiving around town...

[secrecyguy]

The best coverage is Cingular.

The best prices is T-mobile.

I am currently using T-mobile because of the price.

[MrKyoo]

Cheaper isn’t always better, go for the better service than what’s cheaper.

~MrKyoo

[option94]

Wirelessly posted (Cingular 7130c: BlackBerry7130/4.1.0 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/102)

T-mo is cheaper, but their service usually isn't as good as Cingulars. Cingular spent 21 million on their network over the past 2 years to make it better, so they cost a little more.

[NJBlackBerry]

Hey Option - in the interest of full disclosure, who do you work for?

Just checking...

[option94]

Wirelessly posted (Cingular 7130c: BlackBerry7130/4.1.0 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/102)

Yes, I work for Cingular, so my opinion on this is slightly bias. You'll notice that in my original post to this thread stayed to research who had the best network in the area. I just wanted to shed some light on one of the reasons T-Mobile is cheaper.

[NJBlackBerry]

No, you shared your opinion.
I do believe that Cingular recently lowered their price on BlackBerry Data Plans, didn't they.

Shilling is really bad behavior.

[option94]

Wirelessly posted (Cingular 7130c: BlackBerry7130/4.1.0 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/102)

Yes, they now have a 29.99 BIS only plan. The full BES plan remains 44 dollars.

Shilling?

[NJBlackBerry]

Look it up.

[option94]

Wirelessly posted (Cingular 7130c: BlackBerry7130/4.1.0 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/102)

shill    ( P )  Pronunciation Key  (shl) Slangn.One who poses as a satisfied customer or an enthusiastic gambler to dupe bystanders into participating in a swindle.

[hf1khal]

Well I had both Cingular and T Mobile. They faired well in areas of good to great coverage. Unfortunatly T Mobile failed in certain spots that were important for me (and that is in NYC) which ended up in me giving up trheir BB. Had them side by side to compare for what is best for my needs plus at the time T Mobile was much cheaper even after the Cingular discount. But to my surprize even after choosing to stay pu with Cingular a couple months later they lowered their BIS cost which made it even better for me for just $5 more a month. The one thing one would need to take into account, if you are curently under contract with Cingular and Plan to break it, you need to do the calculation to see if it is worth paying the ETF on top of the cost of the new BB with T mobile.

[Dubdub]

I am located in the Memphis, TN area, and am wanting to upgrade to a Blackberry 8700 series device. I currently have a contract with Cingular which I'll have to break to get a Blackberry (affordably), so I'm considering switching to T-Mobile.

Who prefers which of these 2 carriers and why?

Thanks for the info!

It really shouldn't be what we think. The real answer is who provides the best coverage where you will use the device. And where you use it should be where you live, work, play and travel. Great customer service means nothing if you have no signal when you need it.

Like Pizzle said, "Its all about coverage in your area."

If you are looking for personal opinions, I have Cingular and find the coverage very good where I use the device here in New England. However, I carry a Verizon phone for those times when I am out of Cingular coverage.

[yoda028]

i would honestly say that if you go to a cingular corporate store, and talk to the rep, and just be completly honest with him, you might be able to get whats call an exceptional upgrade, but it depends where your at in your contract, and cingular has a couple of different data price plans. but you might have to get more details from your rep

[harsaphes]

Im in nyc, tmobile, i would have to say the signal isnt great...i cant use my phone in my office, though the person next to me can, and they are on cingular, and the owner of the company swithched to cingular from tmo because he had NO signal in the Hamptons, even though tmo told him it wouildnt be a problem.

[jeproks]

In the DC-Baltimore area, Cingular have better coverage and service than T Mobile.

[option94]

Wirelessly posted (Cingular 7130c: BlackBerry7130/4.1.0 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/102)

The way the early exception upgrade works kinda sucks. You sign a new 2 year contract and pay the one year price. Almost everyone is eligible.

[lmlloyd]

I've been with T-Mobile for many years, and I love them. They have had great signal everywhere I've lived, and fantastic customer service. Before that I was with Cingular (and SBC Wireless before that) and had the most horrible customer experience I have ever had with any company.

[sjsilverman]

I've had T-Mobile since it was Omnipoint...maybe 10 or 11 years? Anyway, I've tried Cingular, Verizon, ATT (before it was Cingular). I've lived in DC, NYC, LA and Miami. I travel globally often for work. I use close to 5000 minutes a month + data + hotspot. T-Mo has been the best FOR ME. Price plans are great. Coverage everywhere I've gone has been fine. Customer Service has always fixed whatever problems arose.

BUT, you have to choose what works for you in your area.

BTW, one of the biggest reasons I never stayed with Cingular after trying them out was that their customer service didn't operate on weekends or at night. I don't know if this is still the case, but it seemed pretty crazy that I was paying those rates and couldn't get a CSR when I needed one, which was inevitably at 8 AM in some foreign country or over the weekend, and I was having a problem of some sort.

[p1nk50ck]

It's all about coverage in your area. Period. The best customer service in the world won't put a cell tower close to you.

(y)

i agree 100%

as far as nationwide coverage goes, cingular does have the largest cellular network. Verizon is at a very close second, followed by Sprint/Nextel, and T-mobile is last.

however, it doesn't mean that T-mobile is the worst in your area. it just means that they just have a spottier coverage on a nationwide-level. T-mobile may actually have better coverage in some areas than all other carriers, even though they work on a GSM network like Cingular.

t-mobile definitely has the cheapest data plan, and probably a cheaper voice plan than most carriers as well. i've also heard that t-mobile is the most convenient international plan that you can purchase if travelling to europe. our company offers a very hefty discount for verizon for the phones, the plans and their data package. i stick to cingular, as it gives me the best coverage at home and at the office. i have other colleagues that have t-mobile over the discounted office verizon plan, because they travel frequently.

just my .02 cents

[allenranger2]

It's all about coverage in your area. Period. The best customer service in the world won't put a cell tower close to you.

That's true...except T-Mobile, which in my opinion really does have the best customer care (I've tried many providers), actually did put up a tower near my friend's school because we kept asking. They said they sent researchers over to that area (Waltham, MA), and they decided to do it.

[takeshi]

Who prefers which of these 2 carriers and why?

Cingular.

Coverage in my area (definitely not price or customer service) which is pretty irrelevant to you as I don't live in Memphis.

[hailer]

I've had T-Mobile since it was Omnipoint...maybe 10 or 11 years? Anyway, I've tried Cingular, Verizon, ATT (before it was Cingular). I've lived in DC, NYC, LA and Miami. I travel globally often for work. I use close to 5000 minutes a month + data + hotspot. T-Mo has been the best FOR ME. Price plans are great. Coverage everywhere I've gone has been fine. Customer Service has always fixed whatever problems arose.

BUT, you have to choose what works for you in your area.

BTW, one of the biggest reasons I never stayed with Cingular after trying them out was that their customer service didn't operate on weekends or at night. I don't know if this is still the case, but it seemed pretty crazy that I was paying those rates and couldn't get a CSR when I needed one, which was inevitably at 8 AM in some foreign country or over the weekend, and I was having a problem of some sort.


Correction, AT&T Wireless merged with Cingular. AT&T is still a company just their wireless division was bought up by Cingular. Cingular use to be PacBell I think.

Anyway I use Cingular because of coverage in my area.

I've tried Sprint, TMo, and Cingular and have had the best coverage with Cingular both on the west and east coast. Notice I said coverage, Cingular still does need to improve in other areas.

[NJBlackBerry]

And AT&T, which now controls Cingular, is going to change the name BACK to AT&T Wireless. Wonder what happens to the orange SIM cards (OK - I don't really care, it's a rhetorical question).

[jeevessnsv]

I have to vote for T-Mobile. They were rated highly in Consumer Reports' most recent evaluation, and I'm currently getting basic phone + unlimited data from TM at about half the price Cingular wanted. I was a prepaid customer with Cingular a couple of years ago, and had some lousy experiences with customer service, including money disappearing from my account due to nasty fine print. The coverage with TM may not be as great as Cingular, can't speak for that, but it's still good. I also hear that T-M is playing extra-nice right now because they're trying to catch up with Cingular & co in terms of subscribers, so that could be another thing.

[mpeng168]

my wife is on sprint pcs with her sammy a900 (wanna razr) because the reception -- err -- there is reception at our place. I'm on Cingular b/c it's our company provider - but there's no gsm signal at my place - otherwise i think i'd be on sprint pcs too...

[earth]

I'm with rogers so I'd have to say Bell.

[MI_Jester]

Umm... is my T-mobile the only one that will roam on to Cingular voice? Sure, I don't get data, but I get data pushed as soon as I'm back on T-mobile.

I've used T-mobile, Cingular, Sprint, Nextel, and Verizion. If I could afford it, I would have the new Verizion 8700 series when it comes out. Unfortunately, it is cost prohibitive for the BB plan. I went with T-mobile.

Jester

[A3SC]

Wirelessly posted (Cingular 7130c: BlackBerry7130/4.1.0 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/102)

Yes, I work for Cingular, so my opinion on this is slightly bias. You'll notice that in my original post to this thread stayed to research who had the best network in the area. I just wanted to shed some light on one of the reasons T-Mobile is cheaper.

Because service is more expensive...doesn't make it better... I can prove that point with the thermometers I use to stick in my sons (y). The war is on Cingular! :0P

[flash24]

T-Mobile for me.. but verizon have great coverage in my area

[bjm007]

It only matters what works in the places you go...

For me it's Cingular in Honolulu 8-)

[MHiggy]

I was with Cingular and was able to upgrade my phone to a BlackBerry 7130c and got the 2 year contract price without breaking my contract. I live in Memphis but spend alot of my time in Oxford, MS. The service is great. I have had no problems with it.

[pspiegel]

verizon.. i have recently been reminded why i pay the extra amount per month.. their customer service is AMAZING at least in my recent experiences...

[jgb@etree]

verizon.. i have recently been reminded why i pay the extra amount per month.. their customer service is AMAZING at least in my recent experiences...

Meh.. Their customer service is OK, their data technical support isn't that great but the network is what has kept me with Verizon for the past several years. Anywhere that I have travelled in the USA, it has been clear to me that VZW was the right choice. I've got coverage EVERYWHERE, and even though Cust Svc isn't that great, at least they are there 24/7.

[takeshi]

You really have to determine what factors are most important and what you're willing to compromise on as no carrier is perfect.

For me, coverage trumps all. No amount of service plan pricing reductions nor will top notch customer service resolve whatever coverage issues I'm experiencing now. I don't like Cingular's pricing or customer service but I need my phone to work and Cingular provides coverage where I need it while TMO was not able to do so. If this changes, I'll jump ship. Additionally, I personally prefer GSM carriers as I like to be able to switch my devices without carrier intervention (the less I have to deal with customer service the better). I won't use Verizon -- not only because they're not GSM -- as they're infamous for crippling their devices. YMMV. Make a comparison chart if it helps. And don't rely on coverage maps. Too many factors affect real world coverage that the maps can't take into account.