Cell Phone Plan Review

Navigating cell phone carriers and service plans

We've split our coverage of cell phone plans into two reports. This report compares traditional cell phone plans, which usually require a two-year contract. You may also want to consider a pay-as-you-go prepaid wireless plan. Once considered a last resort for people with bad credit, prepaid wireless plans have evolved into a good option for anybody, experts say, even if you want a smartphone. See our separate report on prepaid cell phone plans for more information.

It's not easy to compare cell phone plans and service. You can't, for example, test the same cell phone in the same location using Verizon and AT&T. That's because there are two different network technologies at work. A mobile phone made to work on Verizon's CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) network will not operate on AT&T's GSM (Global System for Mobile) network. Even if you could use the same phone to test multiple wireless plans, you'd only have results for one particular location, and as you probably know, you could walk 500 feet away, try the test again and get different results. PC World and Gizmodo.com do manage to conduct well-designed tests of 3G speeds, and PC World, Computerworld and Laptop Magazine also conduct 4G tests. These sources test the biggest U.S. wireless networks -- AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless -- from major U.S. cities to find out which networks are the fastest and most reliable. Smaller iPhone-centric showdowns at Wired, Engadget.com and Macworld debate whether AT&T or Verizon Wireless works better with the iPhone.

The most effective way to judge cell phone service is still through massive owner surveys -- with thousands of customers weighing in, it's easy to see which wireless carriers really offer the best coverage, the fewest dropped calls and the most helpful customer service. Three of our top sources do just that. ConsumerReports.org surveys more than 58,000 of its subscribers for its latest wireless ratings, and J.D. Power and Associates polls about 26,000 cell phone customers nationwide. Both break down their ratings by city or region, so you can see which wireless carrier scores the best where you live. PCMag.com's survey is smaller but still robust, with feedback from more than 7,200 wireless customers. We scoured all of these sources, and more, to recommend the best cell phone plans for this report.

This year's big loser? AT&T (*Est. $40 per month and up). It finishes dead last in PCMag.com's reader survey, last for customer care at J.D. Power and Associates, and is judged "poor" by other sources in just about every way -- calls and data connections, value and customer service.

The carrier recently announced that it plans to acquire competitor T-Mobile, which will certainly change the cell phone plan landscape, but the deal, if approved, will take a least 12 months to complete. For more information about this proposed merger, see our blog post on Productopia, which explains how it may affect customers.

AT&T does boast fast 3G data speeds -- when you can get a signal, Wired's Brian X. Chen found when he was comparing the AT&T and Verizon iPhones in February 2011. "The AT&T iPhone sometimes could not complete tests because it did not have a connection, whereas the Verizon iPhone successfully completed every test," Chen writes.

And when testers switch to 4G, Verizon Wireless (*Est. $40 per month and up) is clearly the fastest. Customers throughout the United States add that Verizon is available in the most spots and drops the fewest calls. Verizon Wireless easily wins our Best Reviewed badge, along with regional carrier U.S. Cellular (Est. $30 per month and up).