Coverage: Verizon Wireless promotes itself as the most reliable network with their annoying commercials "can you hear me now" and especially their commercial that has violated our copyright and trademark "dead zones". Verizon Wireless might have slightly better connectivity indoors and call quality but it will cost you a 30% premium which may or may not be justified. Like other carriers, California, Colorado, Nevada and the mountain states have a lot of dead zones. There are several other small pockets throughout the nation, where extended service (translate this to service you pay extra for) is available, but there are also lots of places where you won't be able to make a call. Click on our map on the right for more detail. If you travel by car quite often check the coverage areas carefully before you sign on with Verizon. Verizon works on the CDMA network for 3G and is rolling out a 4G LTE network. Before purchasing a 4G phone beware of the short battery life. Most of Verizon phones can't be used in Europe. If you use your phone indoors Verizon offers a network extender 3G femtocell that will help you extend coverage in a dead zone.
Plans: With plans ranging from pre-paid, family plans, individual and business plans, they also offer several to meet your calling needs. They do offer a free basic phone with most plans, but if you want anything that uses data, web or video, you have to pay for it yourself. Many of the plans charge roaming rates when you call outside your service area. The good news is that you can make a call from out of state, but the bad news is you will pay a different rate for that call than you will from calls made in your coverage area. Plans available: Compare Verizon shared data plans.
- Its Friends & Family option offers unlimited calling to a select group of numbers, even landlines.
- Claims to have the largest 3G & 4G Coverage network nationwide.
- Verizon claims it has the most reliable network nationwide, and the network quality has been rated highly in consumer and analyst studies.
- As a CDMA carrier, Verizon's international coverage is limited to a handful of countries but it offers dual-mode CDMA/GSM handsets.
- Small discount if you have Verizon FIOS as your TV, Home Phone and Internet provide and bundle your cell phone as their Quad play.
- We recommended you monitor your text messaging usage closely and get on an unlimited plan so you don't get charged the outrageous .25 cents per message if you go over.
- Launching LTE has their 4G platform.
- 3G femtocell network extender available for a monthly fee.
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