I've lived in Chicago for a couple years now and have had the iPhone 3G since it came out on AT&T. It's pretty much a given that AT&T has a terrible reputation for dropped calls and I can attest to that. I tend to use mine more for data though anyway. In either case, can someone who lives in the area give me some advice on which carrier (Sprint and T-Mobile included) seems to work best here? I've had both Verizon and Sprint in the past but in completely different parts of the country so I'm not sure how they compare here.
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Question for anyone living in or near Chicago...
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The original 3G, which a friend still has, is not very good at two things: holding a call and the volume of the ring/voice. I have the 3gs pretty much since it came out and have had exactly one dropped call. I live in the "boonies" about 60 miles SW of Chicago. Sprint, at least in this area and as of several years ago when I had their service, required me to stand on my porch and face south to get decent reception.
Mileage of course varies, but holy cow, how can reception be bad in Chicago proper?
Mileage of course varies, but holy cow, how can reception be bad in Chicago proper?
I'm in Chicago (properly in the city, Ravenswood area where our Mayor lives and I spotted our ex-governor who is jail bound but that's a whole other story) and here are my thoughts.
AT&T is so bad I was very happy to pay the termination fee to get out. I jail broke my 3GS and went T Mobile with edge.
Voice service was great on T-Mobile but data slow on Edge. I imagine 3G data Is better but who knows if iPhone 5 will support it.
Now I use Verizon and it's great. No dropped calls, and I get reception everywhere. Only a few occasional low reception areas, but almost never am I SOL like with AT&T.
AT&T is so bad I was very happy to pay the termination fee to get out. I jail broke my 3GS and went T Mobile with edge.
Voice service was great on T-Mobile but data slow on Edge. I imagine 3G data Is better but who knows if iPhone 5 will support it.
Now I use Verizon and it's great. No dropped calls, and I get reception everywhere. Only a few occasional low reception areas, but almost never am I SOL like with AT&T.
I used to work downtown Chicago(by Soldier Field) and having my AT&T iPhone was a nightmare. I commuted by driving and it got to the point where I wouldn't even call or pick up my phone until I hit the highway(90 West). It would drop calls left and right.
Now up until recently the suburb I live in which is about 20 miles west of Chicago was never a problem with dropped calls. I got a new job out of the city and figured my days of experiencing dropped calls were over. I was wrong. It's not nearly as bad as downtown Chicago, but I'm getting 2-4 dropped calls a week on average and I don't use the phone that much.
I'm considering paying the early termination fee and jumping over to Verizon depending on what the new iPhone will be like. If the new phone is a let down, I'll wait it out another year until my contract ends. Either way, it's just a matter of time until I leave AT&T.
Now up until recently the suburb I live in which is about 20 miles west of Chicago was never a problem with dropped calls. I got a new job out of the city and figured my days of experiencing dropped calls were over. I was wrong. It's not nearly as bad as downtown Chicago, but I'm getting 2-4 dropped calls a week on average and I don't use the phone that much.
I'm considering paying the early termination fee and jumping over to Verizon depending on what the new iPhone will be like. If the new phone is a let down, I'll wait it out another year until my contract ends. Either way, it's just a matter of time until I leave AT&T.
I live in Bucktown and work in the loop when I'm not traveling. Prior to getting an iphone 4, I had an unlocked 2g iphone on t-mobile. I've also had a few blackberry devices on t-mobile (pearl, curve, bold2). At home, I have no problems with AT&T. In the loop, it is terrible. Dropped calls are a regular occurrence in my office. There are some random dead zones (Diversey from the river to Sheffield is awful). T-Mobile had decent coverage, but the signal strength was pretty weak inside buildings.
AT&T has wider coverage, but the quality of that coverage isn't as good IMO.
AT&T has wider coverage, but the quality of that coverage isn't as good IMO.
I also paid the ETF to get off AT&T and their terrible network. I jumped back to Sprint and have no problems. Hopefully the rumor is true and Iphone gets some Sprint love because this Evo isnt working well anymore. You cant beat the value and coverage from Sprint or T-Mobile here in Chicago ( had both) but Verizon is the big dawg. Their service is wonderful but way to pricey, go with Sprint you make your wallet happy 
I have an ATT iPhone and have had very spotty coverage. It's not horrible -- just inconveniently spotty. My contract runs out next month and I'm planning on going back to my Sony Ericcson for a while as I wait a while for the new technologies (4G? LTE?) to start rolling out next year.
The upside of Chicago is the prevalence of WiFi in a lot of places.
The upside of Chicago is the prevalence of WiFi in a lot of places.