All wireless carriers may look equal, but there is a difference. In fact, I have made plenty of mistakes over the years in choosing the best carrier and plan. So, let me share with you some of what I have learned so you can get the best wireless service and plan for you.
Carriers use colorful maps with dots or colors in their marketing to try and prove they are worthy of your business. That sounds good, but that often creates more confusion. Trust me, it takes more than that to find the best service for you.
Finding the right carrier for you, your family or your company is key. While this isn’t an easy task, the truth of the matter is all services are not the same. So, trust me, it’s worth the effort.
First let me say congratulations to both Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile US, who earlier this year said one of their goals for 2022 was to reach 300 million users with their 5G signal. The good news is both have both announced they reached this goal. AT&T is also following in their footsteps.
However, that does not mean all these carriers are doing strong business. That being said, to remain competitive they all need to keep up with each other with 5G signal, and that they are doing.
Choosing best wireless carrier boils down to customer experience
Choosing the right carrier for you is still key. That means you need to find the best one for you.
After all the talk, advertising, public relations and chatter, it all depends on the customer experience. Many times, customers choose a carrier because of advertising or these colorful maps, only to find that their own personal reality doesn’t match up with the hype.
Many times, customers choose a wireless carrier because the map has a dot where they live or work. However, that dot does not always mean there really is service there.
Let me explain. I am sure you have noticed the same thing I have. You often get either strong or weak, even no service with voice or data when you are in areas which the carrier says is covered.
However, depending on where you are making a call from, there can be a big difference. Sometimes, there is a difference when you are inside a home or building compared to outside. Or stronger on one side of the house or building than the other.
Wireless smartphone signal strength meter is deceiving
The smartphone screen shows a general indicator of signal strength, but this is deceiving. Is it showing voice strength or data strength? There is no way for the user to know.
In addition, it does not tell whether that cell site is maxed out with users or has room for you.
Often, I have found that one carrier has the strongest signal strength according to the map, but in reality, another carrier is the real winner.
These are some of the items we need to understand in order to win.
Wireless data network is often blocked with too many users
Another problem is the data network is often overused, so when too many users try at one time, many are blocked. There is no way to tell whether you will be blocked or not until you try.
Typically, direct customers of wireless carriers get preferential treatment. They get first dibs on wireless data availability.
Next, comes the MVNO resellers like Xfinity Mobile, Spectrum Mobile, Optimum, Cricket, TracFone and countless others.
And depending on the contract the MVNO has with the wireless carrier, some can have a higher priority access level than others.
That means quite often, MVNO users are blocked at busy times during the day or when there is a crowd or event.
True, direct wireless customers with Verizon, T-Mobile or AT&T do pay more than reseller users, but one of the benefits for the extra cost is they get higher access availability.
Using a map to determine wireless coverage is not always accurate
The problem with using a map to determine coverage area is confusing to users and it is not always accurate. It has to do with the way the cellphone network is set up. A cell site has strongest signal near the tower with no obstructions.
However, the further we get away from the cell tower, or the more obstructions we have at any particular place, the weaker the wireless signal strength becomes.
This is expected when you are in the middle of nowhere, but when you are in the middle of a city? Yet, that’s exactly what happens.
Often times signal strength inside a busy city is worse than in the great outdoors where there is nothing to block the signal.
Bursting the bubble wireless service maps try to create
Over time, I have tested and used many different wireless carriers and resellers and have compared them all. I have learned many important lessons that most users do not know.
What I have learned bursts the bubble of the service claims carriers make both in their advertising and on their coverage maps.
These claims are all great in general terms, but very different for each individual user.
Example, in my home, we are near a mountain which has towers from all wireless service providers. So, you would think signal strength should be the same for all, right?
Yet, the signal strength is different between all networks. Strange, but true.
You see, every wireless cell site is not designed or engineered the same. They are all different, programmed with different levels of service and availabilty depending on the usage in the area.
Too often, one has no connectivity, while others have full strength signal.
In fact, there are different signal strengths in different places in the home or on the property around the home.
Choose best wireless network by testing service where you spend time
There are many different reasons, but one thing is clear, you should never decide to do business with a company just because they have the most dots on a map.
Rather, you should test the network and make sure you have signal where you spend time. That means where you live, work, shop and play. That’s the only way to choose the best carrier for your needs.
This is where you must spend time verifying the provider will meet your needs.
And pay attention to the signal strength indicator. If you have three or four bars of signal, you should be fine. If you have zero, one or two bars, don’t count on getting service you can depend on because often it just won’t be there.
Choosing best wireless carrier for business ,Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T
When it comes to choosing the best wireless carrier for your business, it gets even more complicated.
Since you are juggling many smartphones and devices between all the workers, and each has its own set of needs, it is difficult if not impossible to choose the best carrier based on service.
Plus, if your people are always out and about, they need the best quality everywhere they go.
So, if you are lucky, and if all your workers are in one area, it is easier. If they are spread out, it is more difficult.
If that’s the case, you might just as well resort to relying on the maps showing best general coverage. While that is not perfect, that may be the best way to determine the best carrier for your business needs.
Bottom line, all wireless networks including Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile US and AT&T Mobility all offer similar coverage across the country. However, similar is not identical. There are real strengths and weaknesses between competitors that don’t show up on a map.
So, as they say in Mission Impossible, your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to find the best carrier offering the best coverage where you spend most of your time. Period. It takes some time and work, but it is worth the effort, trust me on this.
