Few things are more complicated than choosing a cell phone service provider! With four national carriers offering cell phone service - Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile USA Inc., Cingular Wireless and Sprint Nextel Corp - plus regional providers, choosing the right cell phone service provider can be daunting task.

Which cell phone service provider is right for you? Which types of cell phone services do you want or need?

To help you navigate through the sea of cell phone service provider choices, here's a list of questions to ask when picking acell phone service- and some answers:

cell phone service

Which cell phone serviceprovider has the best coverage in my area?

This is the most important question. In general, Verizon Wireless leads in customer satisfaction (of which coverage is a large factor). While the national cell phone service providers offer a larger nationwide footprint, a regional cell phone service provider may be your best bet. To get a true picture ask friends in your area about their experience and then try it yourself. All major cell phone carriers offer a trial period without locking you into a contract.

Which cell phone service provider offers the cheapest minutes?

T-Mobile is the cheapest national cell phone service provider and generally they have the most creative service plans. But don’t discount your regional players. They often will guard home turf offering unlimited anytime local minutes. Small cell phone service providers like MetroPCS and Cricket offer rather robust cell phone service plans. For example MetroPCS offers unlimited local calling plans starting at $30 a month. But there are caveats so be sure to do a complete apples to apples comparison before committing.

Can I get cell phone service just for emergencies?

It really depends on what the emergency is. All working cell phones, whether they are activated with a cell phone service provider or not, can dial 911. However, you don’t want to call 911 if you have a flat tire you might want to look into prepaid cellular phones. All cell phone service providers offer prepaid cellular phones. Buy prepaying for minutes up front, you are freed from lengthy contracts and monthly fees. Be sure you use prepaid cellular phones only occasionally, the minutes usually come at a premium, and they expire if you don’t use them in a specific period of time.

What is the best cell phone service option for my kids?

Your best bet is to add them to your plan. Most carriers are now offering family plans that even allow you to share minutes. Check with your existing cell phone service provider to see what they offer. Virgin Mobile USA LLC and Sprint Nextel’s Boost Mobile, have designed prepaid cellular phones plans aimed at teenagers. So you can limit how much they talk by only buying them a certain amount of airtime. On the other hand, the per-minute charges will likely be much higher than those in a traditional plan.

What’s the best cell phone for checking my email?

Research In Motion Inc.’s BlackBerry line or Palm Inc.’s Treo are both great cell phones. They both feature a full keyboards for composing messages and can be connected to your work email. It’s best to check with your cell phone service providers to see what works best with their network.

What’s the best cell phone service plan for sending photos, video clips and text messages, and surfing the Web?

All the cellular carriers offer phones equipped with cameras, Web access and messaging capabilities. Verizon Wireless’s data network is the fastest so far, but the other carriers are all planning upgrades that will improve speed. Watch out for the price: Bills for sending messages or going online can add up fast.

How do I get my contacts into my new phone without having to enter them by hand?

Many cell phone service providers will transfer your contacts for you when you purchase a new phone or change to their service.

These are just a few things to look out for. There are many, many more. For a more complete resource on buying cell phone service please visit www.MyRatePlan.com .

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