att vs verizon

just a heads up ...

I am out of trucking now, but still need cellular data and my needs are changing, especially since I lost my Millinicom option. What I found is that at Verizon, if you shop as an EXISTING customer trying to add a new device/line (such as tablet or hotspot), Verizon will show data plan rates to attach to said device that are considerably HIGHER then the rates/plans they offer "NEW" customers (not signed in). And this was buying devices outright, no contract.

I haven't looked at ATT yet to see if they are playing those same games. But the point is, I don't know what all this talk is about Verizon "doubling" data availability to existing customers. I'm not seeing it, not been offered it, and shopping for new plans/lines it's not being made available either.

But I did end up adding an ATT tablet and 5 gigs data because the device was what I needed for my ground station platform (aerial photography), the monthly cost-per-gig was much cheaper then adding to my existing Verizon account, plus I now have ATT and Verizon data to cover more bases in fringe remote areas I frequent and can not be without cellular data.

 

That was what, ten years ago? They've grown a bit since then.

AT&T and Verizon have comparable national coverage. If you're out in the middle of nowhere, it's a coin toss if one will have data coverage and the other doesn't. I have AT&T, and can't remember the last time I didn't have voice coverage. As for data, some places had EDGE data (like dialup speed); a few had no data at all. (Those were usually areas where AT&T had an agreement with T-Mobile for voice coverage.) I've been told that Verizon is similar.

One issue with Verizon is that they are switching from CDMA to LTE. That means that they are busy replacing their old equipment with new, and scrapping the old stuff. As AT&T upgrades areas to LTE, they can at least move their old 3G equipment to those more remote sites.