The research for this comparison was extensive: Data was gathered from handset owners, retail stores, merchants, online reviews, each companies website and calls to the customer service department of each wireless carrier. Due to the extreme number of options, limitations, and services of each of these wireless carriers we've used a similar calling plan for the comparisons. Because costs vary by location, it is very important to consider your location in your considerations. For this wireless comparison the zip code 45202 was our basis which is Cincinnati, Ohio. The plan we chose is a voice, non-data, personal calling plan with 1350 minutes (T-Mobile's closest plan actually had 1500 minutes).

These network wireless carriers all have some basic similarity such as: prepaid, family/group plans, 2-year contracts, no digital roaming charges, unlimited nights and weekends, and more. There are however some very clear and important differences. First the network capabilities, if you are local, plan to keep to bigger U.S. cities, and not leave the country then Verizon's CDMA network will not affect you much. Verizon does offer travelers a solution by purchasing a Verizon Global Phone and a Verizon all digital calling plan. You would then have to switch the phone to GSM mode where you will be billed a flat per-minute rate. There are some small areas abroad that use CDMA, however, in those areas international roaming rates will still apply. Both AT&T and T-Mobile use GSM networks that allow their phones to easily interface with the GSM standard in place in other parts of the world. While the phones from AT&T and T-Mobile do operate outside the U.S. and offer more compatability with foreign networks, extra fees will apply unless you select a calling plan that includes international roaming and access.

These wireless carriers also have different data network capabilites, however since we've selected a calling plan where data transfer is not included we will not cover that information. Independent research shows that in all regions of the U.S. Verizon and T-Mobile tie for customer satisfaction with the carriers customer service departments and overall performance of the phones themselves. In terms of coverage it is immeadiately clear that Verizon and AT&T have the greatest coverage in the U.S. you will need to check the coverage in your area by entering your zip code at the carrier's website. It must be noted that having a large coverage area has little to do with call quality. In terms of dropped calls the consumers in most major cites go for Verizon, followed by T-Mobile and finally AT&T. This is an area of variance because dropped calls stem from many things, mostly network overload, so in an area where there is a great amount of cell-traffic and and not enough towers, bandwith and repeaters to handle the load, any call can be dropped on any network.

Your considerations in purchasing a cell phone should always start with your choice of wireless carrier. The very beginning however should be your needs. Do you only need prepay for emergency purposes? Will you be emailing from Brussels? Need a group rate or family plan? In short start with your needs, and then pick a wireless carrier and plan that suits your lifestyle.