<p>I don't have a cellphone (shh, stop laughing at me) but will be getting one sometime before I head off to Cornell. I had a few questions and was wondering if anyone knew anything about this.</p>
<p>I have heard that Verizon and AT&T have the best reception on campus. AT&T has been reported to have bad reception in North dorms (freshmen), but apparently they are building new antennae for those?</p>
<p>By virtue of having an @cornell.edu email address, I can get a 20% discount on plans from either Verizon or AT&T.</p>
<p>People at home seem to like AT&T better (something to take into consideration if I want to call friends at home and take advantage of the same-provider free calls), but I have heard that many people at Cornell use Verizon, plus I like a few perks Verizon has (5 numbers you can call without using minutes, unlimited texts to/from other Verizon users; AT&T has no such thing)</p>
<p>Anyone have any experiences with these providers? Is it true that most people use Verizon? How is coverage (from either provider) around campus, especially in freshman dorms?</p>
<p>I'd appreciate any advice on the issue.</p>
<p>Cornell offers a modest discount for AT&T plans, but Verizon seems to have some nice perks</p>
<p>What cell phone provider do you have? Do you get good reception around campus?
Apparently I can get some discounts if I sign up with AT&T cause they have some deal with Cornell, but I've heard they have bad reception in the North dorms?
I've heard most people over there have Verizon. Not that I expect you to know the cell phone providers of all your friends, but do you know offhand if this is true?</p>
<p>When I visited last week, I remarked that cell phone reception was really good, and everyone asked me if I had Verizon. (I did.) Apparently Verizon is the widely accepted provider there, but I might have also heard talk of a potential new AT&T tower being built. I did meet people who had other providers, and they manage, I guess.</p>
<p>I too am a freshman and is also wondering what cellphone to get. Talks of new antennas coming up for AT&T is an optimistic outlook but some students say that that talk has been going on for a while with very little being done… so.</p>
<p>I was thinking of getting an unlocked phone from Korea or Japan and use it with AT&T since I’ll be commuting back and forth Canada often and don’t want to roam it. But if reception is bad at North campus… it wouldn’t be such a great idea then. hmm</p>
<p>We had considered Verizon for S, now a Cornell junior, but since Verizon’s service is spotty at home, and he was already on our AT&T family plan (additional cost: $10/mo), it didn’t make sense to change. According to S, AT&T service was ok in his freshman dorm at Dickson, and was fine on campus and also on West and in Collegetown. However, when he was living in Balch last summer while attending summer school (yes, they do assign guys to live in Balch for the summer), AT&T service was basically non-existent. Perhaps this was due to the location of his room, or the materials used to construct Balch years ago, but I would caution any frosh(women) that as of last year, AT&T does not work well in Balch.</p>
<p>i currently have At&T and I applied to balch lol, uh oh. Just wondering can all cornell students get the 20% off for verizon. My at&T plan will end in december (family plan) but i might need to switch to verizon before then, and i was just wondering how i could get the 20% off for verizon. thanks</p>
<p>oh wow, i just found it. If you put in your cornell e-mail on the verizon website it says that you get a 20% off employee discount lol. Sweet deal.</p>
<p>We never considered Verizon because it does not have international service. It doesn’t work for data or voice. Whereas with AT&T email and text continue to work overseas even if you don’t want to use voice. This may not be a concern for most people, but you never know when you may go oversea for vacation or study abroad when you are in college. AT&T 3G service works pretty well on campus.</p>
<p>Verizon does have international service, but I don’t think it’s for all phones. I have been able to text and call my parents on their Verizon phones in Europe, though.</p>
<p>If you don’t sign up for international (3.99) they charge you a higher rate, but as long as you have an international capable phone than it should work abroad. If you have a wireless phone, like iPhone or BB, you could get your data (not text) free whenever you have access to wireless. IM, Skype, email…would all be free. When we travel, I use Apple AirPort to set up wireless in our hotel rooms. All four of us could tap into one internet connection using iPhone. </p>
<p>I am not familiar with Verizon. The only reference point I have is my daughter’s friend with us in Europe. His Verizon BB phone couldn’t send/receive anything. It was only a few months ago.</p>
<p>I have used a world capable blackberry Verizon in europe and in africa over the last four years and it will definitely not suffice if you are abroad. If you sign up for the international data plan (60/month) you are already paying double for data. Then they let you make calls/receive texts but you are charged an arranged roaming fee of close to 1- 2/min depending on where you are. </p>
<p>This is fine if you are only going somewhree for a week and then all of the data costs are pro-rated, but if you are abroad for a few months you are better off going att, and getting your phone unlocked. That way you can use the cell you already have and purchase a sim card abroad on a pay as you go status. Most verizon people end up buying a pay as you go phone abroad with a different sim.</p>
<p>umm…i only got a 5% discount for at&t? lol and my family is still under contract for one more year with T-Mobile so I would have to get my own line which kind of seems expensive for me…
Students at Cornell now how is the at&t reception now?
Verizon seems cheaper plan wise…ha ha</p>
<p>i recommend the better deal first because i hear the reception difference from verizon and at and t isnt much of a difference, like if its 20 dollars cheaper per month on one companies plan, go with that, if its a few dollars, then worry about which one has better reception. but i hear it depends on the room sand buildings which one works better…my guess would be that verizon is slightly better on average in the entire campus…also check out the company websites that show you the coverage maps theyre pretty damn accurate</p>
<p>lastly, just fyi, i got virginmobile after a 2 years on verizon because i spend 8$/month in calls, next to nothing but verizon charge me 40$/mnth on any kind of plan really, and sure virgin mobile has a lot less reception but if you look at the map and see you dont go to the places out of reception, and i save 30$/month its worth it in my opinion…although if your prefrosh north campus definitely has no/the worst reception for virgin …in the end it really doesnt matter</p>