having difficulty choosing between carriers..

[jojo37]

which one should i choose.. i live in pittsburgh, pa

i am planning on getting a 4G phone but dont know which of the following carriers i should choose.

tmobile
boost mobile
virgin mobile

i just want unlimited talk, text, mms, data and on a 4G phone/network.

the only 4G boost mobile phone available on their website is the htc evo design
the only 4G virgin mobile phone available on their website is the htc evo v

boost mobile has shrinking payments. can knock down monthly payments to $35. data cap is 2.5GB. but their phones i think maybe shaddy

virgin mobile has their $55/month unlimited plan data cap is 2.5GB.

tmobile is reputable and i dont know if i want to go with their monthly 4G plan for $60. only get 2GB of full speed 4G connection after that it goes to 2G for the remainder of the month.

any help would be appreciated. thanks.

 

[MinDev]

I wouldn't recommend Boost or Virgin. I've had spotty coverage almost everywhere I've lived in the North and South (but Houston, TX)... I liked Boost for the wide-range of phones, but Sprint should really do better. If it works in your area - great, but watch where you travel to.

 

[jojo37]

so are you saying i sshould go with tmobile?

 

[Speed Daemon]

IIRC, Boost and Virgin are both resellers of other cellular carriers' networks. That isn't necessarily bad, as long as the resellers' agreements keep on being a good deal. That's a big "if"!

I'd go with T-Mobile. I'd also check the T-Mobile coverage map closely to make sure it has strong coverage where I need it first.

 

[Adauth]

None of the above?

 

[Rxpert83]

T mobile out of the ones op listed.

But the important thing is how the networks are on your areaw

 

[Granite1]

Sprint isn't that bad in the Burgh, I don't know anyone on TMobile. And I'd steer clear of the others, heard bad things about those carriers. Pretty much negative customer service and support. But you mileage may vary.

If you want 4G in Pittsburgh, Tmobil may be your best bet. We have Sprint WiMAX, but unless you live on Pitt campus or near it, good luck getting a solid lock. We'll be getting 4GLTE probably early next year, haven't checked the update map in quite a while.

Good luck, let us know who you choose and what phone you get.

 

[jojo37]

I chose to go with tmobile with their $60/month no contract 4G plan. I got the Samsung Galaxy Exhibit 4G phone.

As far as the speeds are concerned, I ran a speed test at the tmobile store which was located on the ground floor of a mall and it came back with 3mbps download and 1.5mbps upload. at home i got 3.8mbps download and 1.8mbps upload. I will have to see if the speed fluctuates greatly at different locations. I am traveling to Houston, TX next month so will see if reception and call quality are ok down there.

so far, everything seems ok.

thank you all for your inputs.