Top California cellular phones providers compared

You want to buy a new cellular phone or think about switching your cell phone provider? This article compares the top four providers.

 

A cellular phone is now a basic necessity. If we walk out of our office or home and feel that our hands are empty, we instantly know that we have forgotten our cell phone. A cell phone now is much more than just a “phone”. Even the telephone inventor Alexander Graham Bell would not have imagined how indispensable his invention would become in the future age.

And if you are in a state like California, then you better have the best phone model, service and the plan. After all, you are in one of the most fashionable and prosperous states of the United States of America. Before you make a decision on buying a particular cellular phone service and plan, it’s good to do some research to find out what is the best service available in the market which meets your needs in the most optimum way. Consumer information Guides are a good resource to start from and the Federal Citizen Information Center offers A consumer guide to choosing cellular service.

This article lists down the top California cellular phones providers and does some comparison between them.

I. Cingular Wireless

Cingular is a huge telecom service provider of not only the state of California but also the whole of the United States. The company attained giant proportion by acquiring AT&T Wireless in 2004. It has been operating its cellular services on various platforms. However, throughout these years, GSM (Global System for Mobile communication) has emerged as the popular and most reliable mobile technology. The company still supports older technologies like TDMA.

If you are planning to buy a cellular phone for your business purpose, then Cingular Wireless will most likely be your preferred choice. The company is one of the most preferred wireless telephony providers by the Californian corporate world.

If you are looking for a phone for personal use or family and prefer rollover of unused talking time, then again Cingular Wireless will most likely be your preferred service provider. However, the company fares poorly on parameters like ‘fewest dropped calls’. You can buy a Cingular Wireless post paid plan or a Go phone at stores like Radio Shack in California.

II. Sprint Nextel

Sprint Nextel is the third largest cellular mobile service provider in the USA. The company was formed with a string of acquisitions and mergers.

It sells its wireless services under the brand name “Sprint PCS”. Sprint PCS operates a 3G network using a version of the CDMA wireless standard. A major advantage of Sprint PCS mobile phones, compared to competitors like Verizon, is their Java interface. The interface enables users to download free software like a mobile phone browser, games, email clients and various mobile applications. Moreover, unlike Verizon, Sprint’s data services (radio, satellite music, etc.) are not dependent on EVDO technology. Hence you can use these services even if you are in an area where EVDO is not available. Sprint also offers WiFi services at major public places like big airports.

III. Verizon

Verizon is the second largest cellular phone service provider in the US. It operates on a different technology (invented by Qualcomm) as compared to its competitors like Sprint.

Unlike a Sprint phone, Verizon mobile phones don’t carry any free games. But like the other service providers, Verizon too has been involved in various controversies. It has been accused of crippling the inherent features of cell phones and thereby arm twisting the customers to use its “Get it Now” mobile content service. Similarly, it has been accused with charges of promoting a particular model purely for commercial gains.

IV. T-Mobile

T-Mobile is the largest multinational telephone company in the US. It’s owned by Deutsche Telekom of Germany. On its own, T-Mobile has a small network. However, it has tied up with service providers like Verizon and hence covers most of the areas in US. T Mobile phones don’t get automatic international roaming. The company does a credit check before giving the feature of roaming outside the country. Prepaid customers, surprisingly, cannot get the feature of international roaming even though meeting all criteria. An interesting newly launched unique plan from T-Mobile is ‘myFavs’. By this you can make any number of calls to any 5 numbers irrespective of which carrier and technology the 5 phones are.

You should not select your cellular service provider based on the company alone. Look at the plans from each company and then decide your mobile phone provider in California. The Consumer Action Website offers more tips for choosing the right cell phone provider for you.


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