Cell Phone Service

I have had a lot of trouble with my phone's service inside most bulidings, and even outside sometimes, and was wondering what kind of service you've had with Bell and your current cell phone? If you get service almost anywhere you go, what kind of phone do you have?

I'm looking to purchase a new phone, and have had my eyes set on the Samsung u740, but I'm worried about ending up with another crappy phone that's hard to use even when I'm outside.

I am also an avid texter, so that has always played a role in my phone selection. Unfortunatly, I haven't had the best of luck with cell phones. Any recommendations?

Thanks for any advice you can offer!

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I've used the U740 for a while and it's a pretty good unit. You usually can't ever go wrong with a Motorola, so you can go for one of those as well if you like. However, if as you said, you text a lot, the U740 sounds like the best unit for your needs.

Doesn't matter what phone you get, Bells service coverage sucks... large.

Had it for 3 years no improvements made in my area. Loads of complaints but nothing done.

Even Bell employees in my town hate their cell service.

Maybe the recent government deregulation announcement will make them wake up. Probably not.

Ummmmm, Mobility has never been regulated in Canada ? And what town are you talking about ? This sure sounds more like a disgruntled customer trying to bash Bell at any possible oppertunity.

Very nice, I more or less expected comments from people that make money from Bell subscriptions. Obviously you will defend Bell since you are making money from them.

The fact is Rogers has the most extensive network infrastructure in Ontario and if you are in the industry you would know this. They have spent big money on their network and it shows.

Your comment regarding the regulation is while technically correct the fact remains the big 3 have a monopoly. Once again you would know this if you are in the industry. You know that I am talking about the "spectrum auction".

My point is Bell has had many years to improve their system but has elected to spend the money paying for the 2 beavers advertising campaign. They have major problems in coverage but instead spend money like this.

Originally Posted by Abom

Ummmmm, Mobility has never been regulated in Canada ? And what town are you talking about ? This sure sounds more like a disgruntled customer trying to bash Bell at any possible oppertunity.

I live within the City of Ottawa, so it's not like I'm in a small town that doesn't have any towers. And I am not trying to bash Bell. At the time I had signed up with Bell, they were offering one of the best plans around and I was quite happy with their services. It wasn't until I tried making phone calls inside a lot of buildings I frequent, that I had established that the reception sucked. I had gone back and talked to them about it, and the suggested to try a differnt phone. Upon buying a new phone, I quickly realized that I had the same problem. That's why I was wondering what phones people were using and how their service was.

I've had the U740 for about two weeks now. I like it. It was a little difficult to get used to smaller keys at first, but it does make for a good texting experience. I got this phone because I am an avid texter as well. I find the battery is a little weak, but that may be also because I have been playing around with it frequently.

I cannot give a whole lot of advice in terms of Bell's network, since I am with Aliant (even though it is owned by Bell)

I'm not saying that coverage of Bell vs Rogers in Ottawa in some specific areas might be different. Your initial statements claim that Bell's coverage sucks in general, not just in your specific area. Bell actually has a pretty well built network nationwide, so yes, maybe in your area it's not so good, but overall, it's a decent network.

hmmph, I live near Vancouver, its away from any huge towers but its a major industrial and commercial sector and my phone gets $#!T reception no matter where i am, so much so that i sent my phone in to get fixed because i couldn't believe that the reception coverage would be such crap. 4 months and many phonecalls and emails later Bell finaly admits "We lost your phone" ..... nice....

so i got a new Sanyo 7050, its ugly and has a pull out antenna on the damn thing, reception STILL sucks, i still drop calls in the middle of town.

I have been with bell for 3 years now and im pretty much stuck with them for another 3 years unless i feel like shelling out a $400 cancel fee ($100 for other networks btw)

Bell's coverage is pathetic.... i hope they do something about it.

It's most likely not the phone. Cell towers cannot penetrate cement walls so that is why it is unlikely you can use it in a basement or large buildings. There is a large cluster of Bell towers downtown Toronto and most other big cities to deal with this but it still depends on the area you are in.

As for rural areas Bell has coverage where Rogers doesn't and vice versa but again, the topography of the land will interfere with a signal also.

The only way to ensure you get a signal would be to buy an old .6 watt phone like the bag phones or the big Motorola brick phones. Those of course are analog phones, so no texting. Bell will be doing away with the analog towers though in the near future and I believe Rogers already has.

Hope this helps.

You can read my post Problems with Bell Mobility and I can tell you that their signal sucks (I now that's not what I am supposed to say) in my area of St. Catharines, ON and that's not just in my house but in my outside area I get 1 bar if I am lucky. Rogers or Fido give 4-5 bars in my basement. I know this to be true because I had Rogers and my friend has Fido. I feel your pain and I would honestly suggest not going with Bell as I have found them to be arrogant and unmoveable when you sign a contract with them.