While there’s no doubt that cell phones are useful, figuring out the best service provider and plan can be a nightmare.
Mobile network operators offer different phones and services, so figuring out which will best suit your needs can be a hassle, especially since most carriers want you to sign a one or two-year contract, which often eliminates the ability to test out the service.
There are too many factors to look for, the major ones are :
Coverage & Quality
The quality of an operator’s coverage is the most important factor you should consider as you compare cell phone plans. The communications standard (CDMA is rare, GSM is international) that’s used is also a major key to consider.
Keep this in mind that GSM phones won’t work on CDMA networks, and vice-versa, if you plan on buying an unlocked phone and carting it around from carrier to carrier,.
Pricing & Fees
Paying $80 a month for Verizon service gets you a subsidized phone, while paying $40 at a competing company gets you equivalent service, yet you have to pay the phone’s full price.
Plan Features
With plans varying so widely between mobile network providers, it can be a hassle for you to compare between them.
Today, most companies offer unlimited talk and text by default, with varying data allocations at different rates. The confusion comes when you try to compare contract plans with no-contract plans.
Device choice
We all want to own the latest phones, but it’s important to know that different carriers have different device choices.
Help & Support
We all seek low prices, but we need to pay attention to the quality of customer support they come with.
[postad2]
Top 10
| Carrier | Coverage | Pricing | Plans | Devices | Support | Score |
| 1# Verizon Wireless | 10.00 | 6.25 | 5.00 | 9.50 | 8.00 | 8.00 |
| 2# T-Mobile | 6.25 | 8.00 | 9.25 | 8.50 | 8.75 | 7.85 |
| 3# Sprint | 6.50 | 8.00 | 10.00 | 9.75 | 5.50 | 7.75 |
| 4# AT&T | 9.25 | 5.75 | 5.50 | 10.00 | 7.00 | 7.60 |
| 5# Cricket Wireless | 9.25 | 10.00 | 2.75 | 2.00 | 8.00 | 7.20 |
| 6# U.S. Cellular | 4.25 | 6.50 | 7.00 | 9.00 | 9.25 | 6.70 |
| 7# Ting | 6.00 | 8.50 | 3.25 | 4.50 | 10.00 | 6.60 |
| 8# Consumer Cellular | 9.25 | 7.00 | 2.75 | 2.00 | 8.25 | 6.48 |
| 9# Boost Mobile | 6.50 | 9.50 | 2.25 | 3.50 | 6.75 | 6.20 |
| 10# MetroPCS | 6.25 | 9.50 | 4.00 | 0.50 | 7.00 | 5.98 |
