Best cell phone service provider for Hawaii?

[jimnyo]

I've been with Sprint ever since I got my first cell 4 years ago. Everytime my contract is up, I want to change, but I can't decide who has the best reception and plan. I currently have a 350 min/month, unlimited nights from 8pm and weekends with cameraphone/web and mobile to mobile. it costs about $55/mo. i don't need the web, but i'd like to keep the capability to email photos and i don't think sprint lets me separate them and i am loathe to keep wasting the extra $15/mo for the 2 photos i send a month of my baby to whoever. i estimate i probably average about 500 daytime min/month if i were to lose the free mobile to mobile capability. and it seems everybody else i talk to has crummy reception. oh, and my ohana is on the mainland, so i need the free long distance. any opinions?

[Fondoo2]

Re: Best cell phone service provider for hawaii?

well cell phones are funny you have to call every six months and act like you are going to cancel to get the current best deal.

i have a question being a sprint user I endid up in roam alot.I think locals were recomending Verison for the best signal can anyone conferm this?

[adrian]

Re: Best cell phone service provider for hawaii?

IMO, there's no "best" cell phone provider anywhere. Tmobile recently had a service outage, Cingular has bad customer service, Nextel is just too expensive, etc.

If you have other friends with other cell phone providers, then ask them how's the service, and if possible, borrow their phone and take it to the places you frequent daily and test the signal out there.

As usual, I'd refer tmobile, because they have the best price to minute ratio (you get more minutes for your buck) and if you want, then you can get an unlocked phone off of ebay and have as many phones as you want (but you can only use one at a time).

Oh yeah, FYI, Nextel and sprint is one company, so you might want to see if you can switch between them.

[admin]

Re: Best cell phone service provider for hawaii?

See also:

• Who's your cellular phone provider?
• What kind of cell phone/service do you have?
• Local cell phone stores?

[mel]

Re: Best cell phone service provider for hawaii?

IMO, there's no "best" cell phone provider anywhere.

I refuse to own one of these things.

Modern Devices You Do Without

I wonder how many other people here are cellphone free? I think I counted 2 or 3 on the above referenced thread.

[AbsolutChaos]

Re: Best cell phone service provider for hawaii?

I refuse to own one of these things.

I wonder how many other people here are cellphone free? I think I counted 2 or 3 on the above referenced thread.

If it weren't for my job, I wouldn't have one. (I have to be able to respond when I get paged for emergencies, which always seems to happen when I'm not even remotely near a payphone, not to mention that payphones are getting kinda scarce, as mentioned on another thread).

I HATE cell phones, but I have to grudgingly admit that they've come in handy on more than one occasion, mainly to find my friends in a bustling crowd situation when they all arrive at different times. I also feel safer with one when I'm driving at night, in case my car breaks down and I need help.

Due to my low minute useage, I used to have a pay as I go monthly plan with no service contract through Verizon. Then I lost my phone and was faced with buying another one through Verizon in order to maintain that plan. I decided that my current plan wasn't quite enough daytime minutes for me, but it seemed like the "regular" plans had way too many minutes and were too expensive. After comparing all the cell phone (both contract and pay per use) plans offered by Verizon, Sprint, T-mobile, and Cingular, and after listening what people had to say about cell phones and reception on HT, I ended up taking my boyfriend's (and Doc's) suggestion.

I added myself to my boyfriend's Sprint plan so I can share his minutes. I had much better reception through Verizon (my friend actually was getting reception from atop the ridge on the Schofield-Waikane Trail with his Verizon phone, whereas I could not with my Sprint), but I appreciate the unlimited nights and weekends and expanded day time minutes I now have for only $20 a month. I don't have long distance through my local phone provider, so this really helps me keep in touch with my Mainland friends and family who aren't so big on email/chat programs too.

[kimo55]

Re: Best cell phone service provider for Hawaii?

my cell fone has replaced any need for land line. after nitemare with sprint, having nextel at 800 minutes mo. for I thinks it's 50 bux? fab.

the service and phone are great.
and I do NOT use the walkie squakie feature. I dislike that with a passion,. Go anywhere and you see jerks yelling into their squakboxes and sometimes blocking the door walkway or entrance as if their fone call is the most important thing in the world and the earth revolves around their activity.

[Linkmeister]

Re: Best cell phone service provider for Hawaii?

I don't have one. I've thought about it for emergency purposes, but the choices are so great and the contracts so long that I've avoided it. I'm rarely gone from home for more than a couple of hours at a stretch, so I can't see spending $39.95/month. On the other hand, when you need it, you'll really need it, so I'm sure something will happen that will cause me to rethink this at some point.

[Fondoo2]

Re: Best cell phone service provider for Hawaii?

I don't have one. I've thought about it for emergency purposes, but the choices are so great and the contracts so long that I've avoided it. I'm rarely gone from home for more than a couple of hours at a stretch, so I can't see spending $39.95/month. On the other hand, when you need it, you'll really need it, so I'm sure something will happen that will cause me to rethink this at some point.

alot of companies have prepaid plans,buy some minutes and don't pay again till you use em

[AbsolutChaos]

Re: Best cell phone service provider for Hawaii?

alot of companies have prepaid plans,buy some minutes and don't pay again till you use em

Most companies with prepaid plans DO NOT allow you to rollover minutes. If you don't use them that month you lose them and have to buy more.

[jimnyo]

Re: Best cell phone service provider for hawaii?

where are you located? i've never needed to use roaming while i've been anywhere near town (honolulu). maybe the north shore and waianae and the occasional dropped call elsewhere, but otherwise their coverage has been decent.

[Fondoo2]

Re: Best cell phone service provider for Hawaii?

I'm moving to the Puna area and Sprint was very spotty

[Pua'i Mana'o]

Re: Best cell phone service provider for Hawaii?

I'm moving to the Puna area and Sprint was very spotty

The best cellphone coverage in Puna is Cingular. By far.
The best customer service in Hilo will be found in the Tmobile store.
The most favorite cellphone service for braddahs in East Hawai'i is Nextel.
More state workers use Verizon than any other. Unless they live in Puna.

[Fondoo2]

Re: Best cell phone service provider for Hawaii?

thank you Pua'i Mana'o!