Network Coverage:  

There has been a long standing battle about whether Verizon Wireless or Sprint has the largest broadband network in the U.S. When all is said and done, Sprint appears to win that battle but by an amount that is insignificant to all but the providers’ accountants. Without question, Verizon Wireless is available to most people most of the time. When the Alltel network is added to the mix, VZW is likely to come out on top, but not yet.

Regardless of how much of the country is covered by any wireless service, what ultimately matters is that the areas you’re likely to be have network access. You can check coverage details, right down to a specific address with Verizon Wireless’ Coverage Locator.

Verizon Wireless offers GlobalAccess for international broadband data transfer but its coverage is far less than that of rival AT&T. That’s largely because VZW uses a CDMA/EVDO network which, despite being superior in many ways, is largely a North American phenomenon. The plan allows for 5GB per month of usage in the United States and Canada. The same $0.25/MB overage fee applies as to the domestic plan. It also includes a 100MB allowance in other select countries. The overage fee for those other locations is $.05/KB, i.e. $51.20/MB. Check the provider’s GlobalAccess page for service availability elsewhere.

Data Network Reliability:  

We’ve all seen the advertisements touting Verizon Wireless as “America’s Most Reliable Network” and we’ve not found any information to dispute the claim. Though is not actually the mild-mannered “ can you hear me now” guy, Verizon Wireless really does employ about 90 test teams that drive a million miles a year across the county’s highways and byways testing their network…and that of the competitors. Competitors haven’t disputed the claim and J.D. Powers ranks Verizon Wireless tops in customer satisfaction for wireless data services.

Help/Support:  

Just as network reliability is a strong point for Verizon Wireless, so is customer service. T-Mobile has been the perennial winner in J.D. Powers and Associates customer satisfaction surveys but VZW comes in a very close second. Just how close? Their overall score was more than 99.2 percent of T-Mobile’s winning numbers. It’s also interesting to note that Alltel, which has been acquired by Verizon Wireless, was third by the narrowest of margins. The merger could be an opportunity for some valuable synergy.

Competition in the Mobile Broadband arena is very tight. To be the winner you’ve got to rank best or nearly best in all rated categories and Verizon Wireless mobile broadband does just that. For consumers, the best news of all may be that the closeness of the competition makes everybody work harder to come out on top.