On Mon, 10 Jul 2006 12:27:55 -0700, SMS <scharf.steven@geemail.com>
wrote in <44b2aa3d$0$96238$742ec2ed@news.sonic.net>:

>Nick Danger wrote:
>
>> Based on what I've seen (and heard) so far, I honestly have to say that
>> Cingular is winning. Could it be that Verizon's better coverage is all a
>> myth, perpetuated by a well-orchestrated advertising campaign?
>
>In suburban and urban areas the coverage should be about the same. Even
>though you need more GSM towers than CDMA towers to cover a given area,
>in suburban and urban areas there will be more than the minimum in order
>to have sufficient capacity.

GSM and CDMA actually have comparable coverage areas.

>I have both Cingular GSM (on an MVNO) and Verizon, in the San Francisco
>Bay Area. If I'm in a major city in the area, the Cingular coverage is
>just fine. However when I get out into some of the suburbs to visit
>friends and relatives, it's often the case that Cingular's coverage is
>aporadic. I always find it amusing, that about 2 km from Cingular's
>western regional HQ in Pleasanton, at my nephew's house, there is no
>Cingular coverage, and it's not a condo, and not up in the hills.

Cingular coverage is actually better than any other carrier in that
general area.

>The other issue with Verizon, is that if you get a tri-mode phone, then
>nationwide you have about an order of magnitude more coverage than you
>get with an all-digital phone from Cingular. Now this coverage is often
>out in the boonies, and may not matter much to you, but in my area, I
>can drive about ten minutes from my house up into the surrounding
>greenbelt, and have no GSM coverage, spotty CDMA coverage, but excellent
>analog coverage. When I drive to Lake Tahoe, via the road past one the
>largest ski resorts, there is only analog coverage for much of the way
>through the mountains. I suppose that if you have Cingular (or a Verizon
>dual band phone), any you're worried about the lack of coverage, then
>you can plan your routes such that you don't travel through the
>no-coverage areas.

Or simply keep a dirt cheap D-AMPS phone (and lighter adapter) in the
car, which can call 911 even if unactivated. [yawn]

--
Best regards, SEE THE FAQ FOR CINGULAR WIRELESS AT
John Navas <http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Cingular_Wireless_FAQ>