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Question

Best phone for weak signal area

Aug 27, 2015 8:52AM PDT

I live in a very rural area. The cell phone signal is usually just one bar on my current phone. I have a Samsung 528. It is over 5years old. I am looking to purchase a new phone that doesn't keep loosing signal out here. Can you help me?

Discussion is locked

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Answer
There are so many prior posts on this.
Aug 27, 2015 8:59AM PDT

It's rarely the phone. It's the carrier, their towers and your location.

Try other carriers. Here, Sprint is the worst, ATT and Tmobile are great. But move 50 miles and that will change.

If you only get one bar around the outside of the home, those signal boosters will not help. Try other carriers.

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Straight talk
Aug 27, 2015 11:15AM PDT

I have straight talk which claims to use all towers, regardless of carrier. So I figured that I was safe with that carrier. Any suggestions?

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Borrow other phones on other carriers.
Aug 27, 2015 11:47AM PDT
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Straight talk is a part of TMobile
Aug 27, 2015 2:53PM PDT

I am in Michigan. Straight talk is supposed to part of TMobile but claims to use all towers regardless of carrier. This is a prepaid plan through Walmart.

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That's why I gave you a link.
Aug 27, 2015 3:01PM PDT

I've seen both CDMA and GSM from Straight Talk. Those CDMA models do not use TMobile.

Anyhow, hope you can see why this advice about borrowing was given. Unless it's just a bum phone, the phone never fixes this.

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Could you provide a zip code and...
Aug 28, 2015 8:00AM PDT

...nearest major intersection? This way we could quickly check the online coverage maps.