Can you hear me now? Good

November 24th was the day I got the freedom to switch my phone service from AT&T Wireless back to Verizon Wireless and this time without changing my number. (I had been a happy Verizon customer in the past and had gone to AT&T for their lower rates.)

Verizon’s mobile phone network in the U.S. has the best coverage. Where their digital network does not reach, their analog network does. Verizon’s customer service is excellent. I’ve always reached a customer service agent within 2 minutes and they have been extremely helpful. AT&T GSM, on the other hand, has poor coverage and unreliable voicemail. Sometimes, my phone has run out of battery waiting for an AT&T Wireless customer service agent. Even when I do reach them, they have rarely been helpful.

When I requested to switch, AT&T would not release my number to Verizon for two days citing “technical problems”. I’m expecting AT&T to relinquish my number this Friday (after 5 days of several calls to both companies). In the meantime, Verizon has been most helpful and I’m able to use my Verizon phone to make outgoing calls.

CDMA technology that Verizon uses is superior to and has many advantages over GSM and TDMA. One of the unmentioned benefits is that if you lose your phone, you can easily switch your number to another phone by calling customer service. There is no SIM card to worry about which is great for travelers and outdoor enthusiasts. If you like to do outdoor things and need mobile phone coverage in remote places, get a Verizon phone with analog roaming support.

(If you are unfamiliar with Verizon’s “Can you hear me now?” advertising campaign, click here.)