Originally Posted by drbond
Cingular is the best service to use in the US, it has the most comprehensive service and good rates. It also has Global Roaming that you can subscribe to and get good rates internationally.
Verizon is the second best with good nationwide coverage but large areas that they do not have roaming agreements or you are surcharged
Consumer Reports in general (and my wife, most vehemently, in particular) would reverse your order of US providers. She travels a great deal and finally got rid of AT&T/Cingular in disgust because in most places in the US she could get only crap signals. She'd be in a conference room during a break when everyone was chattering away on their cells - except her. She'd be the one walking up and down the halls looking for a signal.
She changed over to Verizon and is totally happy.
As always in such matters, YMMV wildly. I once googled up the phrase "X sucks" substituting the various carriers for X and there's plenty of internet venom to go around for everyone.