<p>Does anyone have any suggestions about cell phone providers in Ithaca? I currently have T-Mobile but it's terrible and drives my whole family crazy, lol. My dad wants to switch over to Verizon...is this a good idea for a future Cornell student, or does another cell phone plan have better reception?</p>
<p>Verizon has the best reception…AT&T is tolerable…</p>
<p>T-Mobile works on central campus and downtown ithaca (but not inside buildings)</p>
<p>Verizon is gold. It worked everywhere on campus…AT&T was a (sort of) close 2nd. T-Mobile and Sprint can be unreliable.</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice! 
Looks like Verizon is the way to go.</p>
<p>We have ATT but my freshman D claims that Verizon is hands-down the best according to everybody!–We’re planning to switch carriers…</p>
<p>We had ATT/Cingular forever - still love them for their overseas coverage - but switched to Verizon when D started at Cornell because they were the only carrier to get service in the Freshman dorms on north campus. Unless you want to be standing outside at 2:00 am in February making those calls . . .</p>
<p>Verizon does not work outsdie of US - nothing, no data.</p>
<p>AT&T with 3G is pretty good, especially with an iPhone. Fring (Skype, AIM) over wifi on iPhone is pretty nice.</p>
<p>Yeah, I get good coverage all over central and west with my iphone and ATT, but I never go on north, so not sure how it is over there.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone!! I’m pretty sure we’ll be switching to Verizon…won’t be making any overseas calls.</p>
<p>What about Mexico or caribbeans for spring break</p>
<p>Does verizon work in canada?
Do you suggest verizon for students who are in and out of canada fequently?</p>
<p>or overseas for study abroad</p>
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<p>is it cheaper to make a phone call to/from a hotel? </p>
<p>chances are that someone would have an international phone anyway…</p>
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<p>I took a trip to Canada and my phone worked fine…I just got nailed with roaming charges.</p>
<p>It works in Canada. Verizon has a nice plan that includes Canada for voice. Oversea with ATT is 1.20 per min, but if your phone has wifi and data, you could access Internet and skype for free, whereas Verizon is nothing.</p>
<p>verizon does work abroad if you get a world phone (blackberry 8830 or storm, and a few others). you have to pay extra though.</p>
<p>if you are thinking about going abroad, or need a phone for travel at all… stick to ATT. i had a verizon phone on their world roaming plan a few times traveling, and while i didnt get charged a lot for data usage, the calling is super expensive. Att has the best phones, their service has improved greatly in the past 4 years, and i havent heard any problems with their service in ithaca recently. </p>
<p>if you do decide to get verizon, i highly suggest getting a phone with “world” capabilities… generally on blackberries, this allows you to pay a little extra for data when you travel and you can at least make calls at a reduced roaming rate (like 1.25/min so still expensive).</p>
<p>since att is gsm, if you decide to travel abroad you can call att and get the phone “unlocked”. this allows you to use a sim card from a carrier abroad, so you wont have to purchase a new phone and can do calling at a seven to 14 cents per min vs over 1-3$.
att has best phones, almost equal service, and is easiest to use abroad. i am on verizon, and i am going to switch to att soon. just got a bill for a few hundred dollars from verizon for using my “world” phone in botswana on a cornell sponsored trip.</p>
<p>verizon also doesnt allow wifi on their phones (att does). so if you use data, you cant get it for free when traveling on verizon.</p>
<p>this just out. </p>
<p>[Cornell</a> Chronicle: AT&T antennas will improve cellular coverage](<a href=“http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/April09/ATTantenna.ws.html]Cornell”>New AT&T cellular antennas will improve coverage as Cornell opens campus to all carriers | Cornell Chronicle)</p>
<p>I was reading today in the cornell paper that AT&T was putting new antennas up the same way Verizon has now.</p>
<p>I was using my AT&T service on north campus for the last two days and I never had trouble getting service, neither did my parents and they both have AT&T also.</p>
<p>Wow this makes me so happy. I’ve been waiting for the past year and a half to get an iPhone and get out of my T-Mobile contract. I got so worried reading this thread at first that I would have to switch to Verizon which I used to have and hated. Yay for the new cell phone antennas towers and iPhones!</p>