I get tired reading all this "news" about how cell phone coverage is terrible. It's terrible! We know. We all have cell phones. We all have terrible coverage.

AT&T in my experience in Seattle is much, much better than T-Mobile. But I'm sure in other cities AT&T is going to be worse. I haven't had any particular complaints in the traveling I've done since switching to AT&T a couple years ago.

Well, no kidding. That's the whole point of the article now, isn't it? But as an iPhone user, I have no choice but to suffer with AT&T's service, even though it's mediocre compared to Verizon, thanks to their exclusive arrangement with Apple.

Folks-- the 3G can ONLY work on ATT, so there is NO point going on about it. Apple is highly unlikely to make phones for CDMA!
In Orange County, CA, the reception difficulties occur going through the hills to Laguna and in odd but consistent spots in the area. And, these are identical trouble spots for 2.5 as well as 3G. I had a Razr before on ATT and the trouble spots were the same for that phone too. My colleagues with Verizon seem to have similar spotty reception but on comparing notes, we find that they have different drop-out locations.
Overall, the reception with clear, ungarbled voice reception, through Santa Ana, Irvine and Newport Beach to Laguna I would estimate is just shy of 95% reliable. I have been on the phone for hours traveling through these areas (hands free of course).
Not perfect but not hideous. One has to assume that ATT is pursuing better coverage all over the country, because the fallout for Apple and ATT will not be good as more iPhones penetrate the market.

Meanwhile, the other carriers' reception issues will likely not be covered by the media types who love to bash Apple and ATT.
Verizon- T-Mobile -- take a big sigh!

When i am in locations, i use my brothers phone, when we go other places in the same 50 mile area, he uses mine.

guess what i have ATT he has Version. No news here. It is the cell towers stupid aught to be the mantra of the day.

I've been with AT&T since they were AT&T Wireless, then Cingular, then AT&T again. I've had no problems with cell phone coverage at home, at work, or during my out-of-town travel, and I don't have complaints with calls with my iPhone (1st gen). I have had no problems with AT&T customer service either, though this experience has been to add or remove service from my cellular package -- I have not called customer service for problems with coverage.

In contrast, my wife is with Verizon Wireless through her work. Coverage for her is poor our local area. Plus, she complains about poor Verizon customer service -- though she's an engineer and may have higher standards for service than regular consumers.

"...a singularly better experience with Verizon Wireless than it is with AT&T."

Pun intended?

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Eric

There are three kinds of men. The ones that learn by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence. - Will Rogers

Here is what I do not understand. If the AT&T service is so poor that we are now getting hourly reports on how bad it is why hasn't this been reported before.

Doing a Google News search on iPhone 3G reception I found over 2,000 stories this month alone. Doing a Google search on AT&T reception prior to the 3G iPhones release I found 6 stories.

Either the iPhone has poor reception, or everybody has decided to find every conceivable problem with Apple, or people have much higher expectations with the iPhone. Perhaps they do not understand that 3G has nothing to do with call reception, or they think that somehow they are magically going to get 5 bars from an iPhone when AT&T service coverage map shows no matter what phone they have 3 bars is about all they are going to get. 3G or not poor service coverage is poor service coverage.

I for one have been quite happy, compared to my previous cell phone service provider in both data and call service. However, I know from having lived in another part of the country that if I ever moved that service might change. Whenever I hear people say I only get X bars with my iPhone. My first question is always did you get more with your old phone? The answer is usually, well come to think about it no. No phone is going to make any carriers network better. No matter who makes the phone, how much it cost, or what the end users expectations are.