Regional carriers

These carriers serve a regional audience with home networks that cover a specific portion of the country. Roaming coverage is available outside of the home network.

U.S. Cellular
Based in Chicago, U.S. Cellular is a regional CDMA carrier serving 26 states in the Midwest, the Southeast, and the Northwest. Service is nationwide, but native coverage is only in the carrier's home area. In other places, you'll be roaming on Verizon's network, so it's not ideal for frequent travelers. The handset selection includes unique LG phones and BlackBerry devices. What's more, U.S. Cellular is one of few carriers to offer Kyocera handsets. Added features include e-mail and messaging, 3G, push-to-talk services, GPS navigation, and various entertainment options.

Click here for U.S. Cellular's coverage map.

Things you should know about U.S. Cellular:

• This carrier offers an unlimited calling plan.
• As a CDMA carrier, international coverage is limited.
• Most plans include free incoming calls from any phone number at any time.
• Offers both regional (aka "Wide Area") and national plans. Roaming outside the carrier's native coverage network may cost extra, but you can buy prepaid roaming minutes at a discount.
• This carrier offers prepaid plans.
• Carries mostly LG, Motorola, and Samsung handsets and offers BlackBerry smartphones.
• For an extra fee, you can get free mobile-to-mobile minutes with other U.S. Cellular subscribers.
• Like Verizon Wireless, U.S. Cellular uses BREW instead of Java for gaming and other applications.

What do CNET users think of U.S. Cellular? Opinions ranged from "best in the Midwest" to "Zero percent customer satisfaction." To leave your own opinion, and for more information, see our U.S. Cellular carrier page.

MetroPCS
Serving 6 million customers in select markets in Georgia, Florida, Texas, Michigan, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Nevada, and California, Dallas-based MetroPCS is a CDMA carrier that offers unlimited minutes as a feature of all its calling plans. Also, it doesn't require a contract from any customer, and it doesn't place restrictions on the time of day you call. Yet there is a trade-off, as many basic services like voice mail and caller ID can cost extra. Like other regional carriers, MetroPCS coverage roams onto other carrier networks outside its home area. Its handset roster tends toward no-frills models, but it does offer smartphone and touch-screen handsets. Available features include e-mail, messaging, wireless Internet, 3G, push-to-talk, and a mobile mapping service from MapQuest.

Click here for MetroPCS's coverage map.

Things you should know:

• As a CDMA carrier, international coverage is limited.
• Most plans include free long distance and unlimited text messaging.
• There is no activation fee, and the first month of service is free for all customers.
• Carries mostly Motorola, Nokia, Samsung, and Kyocera phones.
• Because MetroPCS does not require contracts and does not offer service rebates, its phones are more expensive than with other carriers.
• Roaming outside the carrier's native coverage area may cost extra, but you can buy prepaid roaming minutes at a discount with the TravelTalk program.
• Not all plans include free voice mail, call waiting, or caller ID. Also, other services like three-way calling and call forwarding, and directory assistance are extra depending on the plan.
• The MetroWeb service offers unlimited wireless Web access for a flat monthly fee.

What do CNET users think of MetroPCS? Fans says it offers an "excellent service and experience," while a critic cautioned staying away since it's "one headache after another." To leave your own opinion, and for more information, see our MetroPCS carrier page.

Cricket Communications
A subsidiary of Leap Wireless International founded in 1999, Cricket serves 3.8 million customers in select communities in 25 states. Like MetroPCS, Cricket caters to casual or budget-minded users. It does not require a contact, nor does it require a credit check for new customers. All of Cricket's monthly calling plans offer unlimited anytime minutes, however, other basic features such as voice mail, caller ID, and call waiting are not always included. Though you'll be using another carrier's network when roaming, Cricket signed a 10-year roaming agreement with MetroPCS in 2008. Also, its "Premium Extended Coverage" provides almost nationwide coverage thanks to agreements with 14 wireless carriers.

Click here for Cricket's coverage map.

Things you should know:

• As a CDMA carrier international coverage is limited.
• Cricket offers only monthly plans.
• Unlike most carriers, all of Cricket's plans offer unlimited anytime minutes. Rather, plans differ on which services they include.
• Basic features such as voice mail, call waiting, and caller ID can cost extra.
• Additional services at an extra fee include unlimited texting, unlimited directory assistance, and unlimited mobile Web for games and application downloads.
• It carries mostly Motorola, Samsung, and Kyocera handsets. It does not offer smartphones but some of its handsets have alphabetic keyboards, Bluetooth, or multimedia features such as music players and megapixel cameras.
• Most plans include free long distance, but roaming outside the carrier's native coverage area will cost extra. Also, you'll be using another carrier's network when roaming.
• Cricket offers 3G, but does not offer push-to-talk.

What do CNET users think of Cricket? Some said that they "can't find better deals anywhere," but naysayers claim that it is "absolutely horrible." To leave your own opinion, and for more information, see our Cricket Communications carrier page.

	U.S. Cellular	MetroPCS	Cricket Communications
Technology	CDMA	CDMA	CDMA
3G network	EV-DO	Yes	AWS
Data plans	Yes	No	Yes
Streaming video network	No	No	No
Music download service	Yes	No	No
Mobile TV service	No	No	No
Push-to-talk	Yes	Yes	No

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