The Phone Companies People Actually Love
Amid falling costs and frustration with the Big Four, virtual networks are making a comeback.
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Robert Arnold, 68, worked for AT&T for 35 years, testing phone lines and cables for its TV service. While he worked there, he used his employer’s cell plan. After retiring, he didn’t want to pay AT&T’s rates—or Verizon’s, for that matter, or T-Mobile’s or Sprint’s. Paying $35 a month for one line with no data or texting was too expensive, he says. He’s still using AT&T’s network, but he’s not giving the company a cent.
Instead, he pays $38 monthly for two lines’ worth of phone, text, and data from Consumer Cellular, a much smaller operator that rents capacity from AT&T’s network. “I’m getting exactly the same service for less money,” says Arnold, except the customer service is better.