<p>I'm transferring to UVa from out of state and use Metro PCS. Living in South Florida, a major metropolitan area, I have the advantage of using Metro's no contract policy and somewhat consistent 4G LTE service.</p>
<p>When I attended transfer orientation on Grounds this week, however, I had almost no signal, and I certainly wasn't able to use 4G to keep my apps running, including a pretty nifty UVa bus schedule one. My <em>~</em>smartphone's<em>~</em> battery life is also impossibly short, and by noon, it was kaput.</p>
<p>Any students know what phone service I should use? I've read that Sprint and nTelos the local company seem to be good. Any no-contract carriers out there anyone is satisfied with?</p>
<p>I don’t know about no contract carriers, but Verizon is consistently seen as the best carrier for on and around Grounds. Sprint and AT&T aren’t as good, but are still do-able.</p>
<p>I was told that AT&T installed some sort of booster (their word, not mine) over by the Alderman Road residence halls, so that should improve service inside the cinder block buildings. </p>
<p>I’ve had AT&T for almost a decade and haven’t had any trouble with service on Central Grounds. There is a spot of no coverage in Scott Stadium, though. There’s a reason for it and I can’t remember it. It’s kind of nice to put the phone away and enjoy the game or concert, though. :)</p>
<p>AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, and NTelos (headquartered nearby) are pretty common here.</p>
<p>“There is a spot of no coverage in Scott Stadium”
Ah now I understand the dead zone. We have TMobile and either it doesn’t work well or DS ignores my messages. I haven’t been able to figure out which.</p>
<p>^ Total black hole. It’s only really a pain when you’re trying to send a text to meet someone at halftime or after the game. We learned to make arrangements before we go in. On the rare occasion a text/call goes through the chances of hearing it or noticing the buzz during the game are minimal.</p>
<p>Verizon is also installing boosters in the dorms. Service is pretty poor for all carriers in certain places, like all of my students tell me their phones are always searching for a student (in Curry school). I have Verizon and I have noticed that it also has poor signal in that building, but it always had great signal everywhere else. I heard that nTelos will buy out your current contract as well…? You’re going to be at UVA for 4 years, why does it matter if you have a contract or not?</p>
Or when the jumbotron is displaying a hash tag for tweets and the social media nut in me wants to use it. :)</p>
<p>I just did a little reading and found this:
[Communication</a> Services: Cellular Telephone Service Information for Students](<a href=“ITSWeb Home - UVA ITS”>ITSWeb Home - UVA ITS)</p>
<p>Given that I am a transfer student, I actually am allotted four semesters to graduate. Not that it matters, anyway, since most contracts last two years. I like no-contract plans because of, well, its no-strings-attached policy. I get unlimited data usage and if I decide to stop paying, the carrier will simply cut my service without any cancellation fees. It can be convenient for students who go through phones quickly or are on a budget. Not to mention, the monthly bills are cheaper that, say, an individual plan with a Sprint smartphone with unlimited data — that goes for $110/month. Currently with Metro, I pay $60.</p>
<p>Thanks for the suggestions, everyone. I also mentioned that my phone’s battery is the worst. It lasts five hours without touching it, keeping all wireless networks off, the brightness level dimmed, having a task manager and/or battery saver app installed, etc. Anyone recommend a smartphone with a decent battery, or any speculation as to when the iPhone 5 will be hitting the shelves?</p>
<p>My iphone 4 battery is better when I put it in airplane mode if I still need the alarm or something. At UVA you can also carry around a charger usb and plug it in your laptop whenever possible. I thought this was stupid when I had to first start doing it with the iphone but now I am used to it. Good luck!</p>
<p>Check out Straighttalk.com for pre-paid service–$45/mo. for “unlimited” talk, text, data. They sell basic android phones like ZTE Merit that ST operates on AT&T network, or Galaxy Proclaim on Verizon network. Straight Talk also sells phones that operate on Sprint. Too, you can bring your own AT&T or T-mobile GSM phone (including Android or iPhone) and buy a Straight Talk sim for $15 that will get you on the Straight Talk system.</p>