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Like most services in the telecommunications industry, choosing the best wireless(cell phone) service provider and calling plan can be confusing.  We would like to offer the following tips to help assist you in choosing the best cell phone service provider and calling plan to meet your particular wireless calling needs.

• Equipment:  While it might make some of us feel cool and trendy to have a phone loaded with all of today's bells and whistles, for the average consumer there is no need to spend a lot of money on a cell phone.  Contrary to popular belief, expensive phones are rarely more durable and functional than phones you can get at little to no cost when selecting a wireless service provider.  Some of the most durable phones ever made are given free when signing up for service.  Every handset maker has had bad batches of phones in every price range.
  




• Calling Plans: 







• First, be honest with yourself and your sales person as to how much you are really  going to use your phone.  Because of the high per minute cost of going over your calling plan bucket, trying to save a few dollars per month by picking a plan that doesn't give you enough minutes to use your cell phone as you need to can cost you a lot more in the long run.  In many cases, using only 60 minutes extra in a month can add $20 or more to your bill when the next higher plan is often only another $10/month.  Don't be "penny wise and pound foolish".
  




• The next consideration is whether or not to choose a regional or national calling plan.  Regional calling plans usually give you more minutes while national calling plans allow you to use your cell phone on the road without having to worry about roaming and long distance charges.  The occasional roaming charges while you're at the beach once or twice a year may be worth it to have a bigger bucket of minutes each month in your regular day to day usage.
  




• Another thing consumers need to be aware of is calling plans that having roaming and long distance included only when on their providers network.  AT&T and Sprint PCS are two carriers that have plans like this.  If you are going to have a substantial amount of usage off network, you are better off going with a cell phone plan and service that charge no roaming or long distance when you are using the roaming partners' systems.
  
  
• Coverage:  While searching for the best deal, some consumers forget to take into consideration whether or not they will have the necessary coverage to provide them with the service that they require.  Carriers that provide the most "bang for the buck" usually have less overall coverage than higher priced cell phone service providers.  This is often because they use only digital service.  Make sure you know where you will need the phone to work and use the providers coverage map as a guide to help you in your decision.  Every carrier has dead zones and bad coverage areas, so don't hesitate to take advantage of their trial period, which usually varies between 14 and 30 days depending on the carrier.  Also be aware that some services and features of your cell phone and service plan will not be available in all areas.
  
  
• Features and Services:  Most cell phone service providers include certain features and services.  It's always best to double check to make sure whether or not the ones you need are included or are an additional charge.
  
  
• Voice mail:  Standard with most carriers, although prepaid services like Cricket Communications often charge more for this service.  Remember that when you check voice mail from your cell phone, you are usually using your minutes.  Retrieving voicemail can be done from a landline phone if you need to save minutes.
  
• Caller ID:  Standard with most carriers, but again often an extra charge or not available on prepaid services.
  
• Call Waiting:  Standard with most carriers, but be aware that you are using air time minutes for both the call you answer and the one you have on hold.
  
• 3-way(or Conference) Calling:  Usually a free service that can be added to your plan.  Just be aware that when using this service, you are using air time for every leg of the call.