Things You'll Need:
- Computer with an Internet connection
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Step 1
The first question you should ask yourself is where you plan to use your cell phone. Oddly enough, most people want their cell phones to work at home as well as other areas.
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Step 2
Go to each carrier’s website and click on their coverage maps to determine if they offer phone service in the areas you need coverage. It won’t take much time since there are only a handful of carriers. The major carriers are AT&T, T-Mobile and Suncom--GSM carriers; Sprint, Verizon and Alltel--CDMA carriers. GSM phones will work in the United States as well as internationally while CDMA phones work only in the United States.
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Step 3
Next determine which model you want. Phone models are specific to each carrier so you need to know if the carrier in question offers coverage in your target areas. For example, a Verizon phone will not work on the AT&T network and vice versa.
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Step 4
Consider which features you really need and which are extras that are nice to have, but not useful. The number of features will determine the price of the phone over and above the monthly cost of your service. In addition, the use of Internet access, text messaging and email may cost extra over your basic plan. Most carriers offer a flat rate data plan, which will usually cost you less than a per unit charge depending on the number of times you access the Internet, send a text message or email. A higher resolution camera such as a 2-mega pixel will cost more than a phone with a VGA camera (one third of a mega pixel or 333,333 pixels). An MP3-equipped phone will cost more than one without, and a Bluetooth-equipped phone will be extra.
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Step 5
Go to the carrier’s store and confirm that they offer coverage in your target areas. Sometimes the carrier adds more coverage or loses some due to environmental changes and fails to update their website in a timely fashion.
