Researching cell phone service providers is a lot like attending an insurance seminar or a mandatory staff meeting. You can pay attention for about five minutes before your eyes start to glaze over as the details and minutiae pile up like dead flies on a windowsill. Before you begin to explore the options available in your area, it helps to have a solid general overview of the basic types of mobile service plans that other consumers typically choose. Having a good understanding of the mobile carrier landscape will help you to make a more informed decision down the road.
The Major Carriers
For unlimited voice and text, high-speed downloads, and superior coverage and data, the major carriers like Verizon,AT&T, and Sprint are the way to go. They offer the best possible mobile experience, but they come with a catch. These mobile behemoths boast massive, labyrinthine bureaucracies and customer service systems that leave much to be desired. Major carriers are more likely to provide lackluster customer service because they assume that you're not aware of any alternatives.
Budget Wireless Resellers
An increasingly popular way to get cell phone service without breaking the bank is to use a regional reseller carrier. Companies like Cricket Wireless, Republic Wireless, and MetroPCS offer an alternative to the mobile heavyweights. Typically, these companies run their services on top of the wireless infrastructures of the bigger providers. They typically offer no-frills plans, stripping out extras to deliver basic unlimited service at a lower cost. The download speeds are often slower, but if that's not a huge sticking point then regional providers should do the trick just fine.
The WiFi Phone Option
For the extreme bargain hunter, there's always the option of using wireless Internet service to make calls. Thanks to VoIP applications like Skype and Ekiga, making calls over the Internet is actually quite reliable and painless. In order to do this, you'll need to buy an iPod Touch 4G, Samsung Galaxy Player, or any other WiFi music player that runs a mobile operating system. Then, just visit either the iTunes App Store or the Android Market and download the free Skype client. Now you can make calls anywhere for free as long as you're within range of a WiFi hotspot. You can even use Gmail's built-in Talk plugin to make free VoIP calls to any cell phone or land line in the continental United States and Canada.
In Conclusion
There's a broad spectrum of available options when it comes to getting decent mobile phone service regardless of where you live. You can save yourself a lot of money by being a smart shopper and learning how to track down the best deals. Hopefully, the information above will give you a good idea of how to begin. In any event, getting a good deal from a cell phone service provider isn't impossible if you play your cards right.
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