mj -- Those sound like capacity issues on the voice side. The apparent emphasis on data services doesn't bode well for any improvements in voice call quality. That may actually be an opportunity for smaller mobile operators -- focus on delivering superior voice service, and leave the data battle to the big guys. Economics and current business thinking make this a long shot, though.

Verizon and to a somewhat lesser extent AT&T have very high ratings for service reliability and coverage reach.

I don't know about Verizon's netowrk in general, but in the area where I live the network quality has been getting worse. I am seeing an increase in text messages delayed 30-40 minutes, voice mails sometimes not showing up for a day. Also inceased occurance of tower to tower handoff problems. Twice last week I was on the phone with someone in a car (I was inside) and the call dropped on the handoff. They got a call dropped indication. For some reason my phone started ringing and I got a message saying the number I dialed was no longer in service.  Both times it happened at the same place on the same road. Other issues at other handoff points.

I don't know what Verizon is doing, but in my area the network is having real problems.

Literally I just switched carriers yesterday, well actually I switched a month ago but kept Verizon active till I was sure I was happy.  I went with an MVNO and cut my Verizon bill in half, canceled Verizon yesterday.

Yuor videos would look a lot better if the window weren't behind you shining on the camera and hiding you in the shadow.  You should rearrange the room a bit for videos so you are in the light and the camera isn't overwhelmed with back light.

Now back to our usual carrier bashing. :-)

I guess it was widely reported incorrectly that Verizon is forcing existing customers to upgrade, but it is clearly the preferred path. I called four different stores, asking about upgrading, all of which first mentioned the Shared plans. When I said I wanted to stay on a tier, they said the $30 2GB plan was still an option, otherwise I'd have to do a tiered plan. I had to know to ask for a higher, individual tier, before they mentioned they were still on the table. Very confusing, but normal marketing practice when you're promoting something new, I suppose.

There were probably an equal number of people from AT&T that wanted an iPhone and found Verizon as a haven because they were "new customers."

Making it expensive to switch is how you keep customers and pay for those $699 devices everyone wants for $99. Keeping customers happy is another matter, but having a nationwide network helps a lot.

I was a VZ wireless customer for over 20 years.   I wanted to finally jump on the iPhone bandwagon last year and called VZ asking if I could switch phones and upgrade my plan.   Sure.. for the full price of an iPhone.   I explained that I could go to ATT and get an iPhone for $199.   Did they want to lose a long time customer ?   They didn't care.   I went to ATT.  

So the prospect of "losing customers" (to borrow from the headline for this post) because of changes to pricing structures is kind of nebulous. Customers tend to put up with an awful lot (including higher prices) before switching suppliers because of convenience. Verizon and to a somewhat lesser extent AT&T have very high ratings for service reliability and coverage reach. That helps to justify a higher price.

I think it depends on what their situation is. If they're upgrading from a feature phone and aren't locked into a contract currently, they'd probably explore their options as soon as they heard the price. Even if they already had a smartphone, they might explore other carriers. If it's someone who already is paying data and would face an ETF, then it'd have to be a really high price difference, I'm sure.

What do you think the tipping point is for a significant number of users (let's say, 5-10% of the customer base) to switch SPs? Is it a 10% price difference? 20%?