CHOOSING A CARRIER

There are several points to consider when choosing a carrier.

Coverage

The best place to start is to find out which carriers have the best coverage, or reception, in your area.  Most major carriers are national, but the quality of service can vary regionally.

Check a carrier’s coverage by visiting its website or checking at our GSM Worldwide Frequency Chart.  There you can type in your zipcode for a coverage map of your area. Word of mouth is also a great way to find out which carriers offer the most reliable reception in your area.

Friends and Family

Many major carriers offer plans with unlimited minutes between their customers.  As such, it is ideal to use the same carrier as the people you will call the most often.

CDMA vs. GSM Networks

The two primary network technologies in the US are the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) and Code Division Multiple Access(CDMA). Sprint™  and Verizon™  are on the CDMA network, while T-Mobile™  and  AT&T™ use GSM.

GSM phones use SIM cards and CDMA phones do not.  SIM cards allow users to easily change phones by simply switching the card from one phone to another.

GSM is also more common internationally.  It is the standard in Europe and also operates in Canada, Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and much of Asia and the Middle East.  If you have a phone that is capable of being used internationally, you can use a different SIM card to operate your phone on another country’s network while traveling abroad.

CDMA does have some international presence, including networks in Canada, Mexico, New Zealand, China, Taiwan, South Korea and parts of the Caribbean and Latin America.

Whether you use CDMA or GSM, if you do take your phone outside the borders of the US, be sure to set up and international plan first (with your carrier or with an in-country carrier using a different SIM card or phone). International roaming fees are extremely high.

CDMA utilizes EVDO technology, which boasts faster data transfer rates.  However, GSM’s EDGE technology is certainly competitive and both technologies continue to evolve.

Learn more about GSM vs. CDMA

Services Offered

In addition to standard phone plans, there are other wireless services that you can add to your plan.  The most common services-text messaging, e-mail and Web browsing, also known as data services-are offered by all the major carriers, though their rates will vary.

More specialized services like television streaming, music downloads and GPS navigation vary more significantly from one carrier to another.

When comparing the cost of plans between carriers, be sure to factor in any services that you would be using in addition to the standard minutes plan.

Phones Offered

Most carriers sell mobile phones.  Alternatively, you can buy a phone from a retailer or in some cases even use an existing phone when you switch carriers.  (If you plan to use an existing phone after your switch, be sure to talk to your new carrier first as this is not always possible.)  Some phone features may not work if the phone was not purchased directly from the carrier.  As a result, buying phones directly from your carrier is the most simple.

Some mobile phone models are supported by multiple carriers, but most are exclusive to one particular carrier.

Major carriers often offer one or more “free phone” which you can get at no cost when signing up for a new contract.