Cell phones

There are a number of Cell Phone services operating in New York City.

Verizon

Premium price, but best coverage by far. Elevators? Underground? 13th Story? No problems.

If you're on a family plan, though, it may be difficult to get a replacement if you lose or break your phone.

Cingular

Average signal. Not as good as Verizon but better than T-Mobile. Crappy customer service though.

T-Mobile

Reasonably priced plans, but signal on the Morningside Heights campus has a few dead spots, crossing in front of Butler for example.

If you're looking for a pay-as-you-go plan, T-Mobile is the best network. It costs $0.10 per minute, and credit lasts an entire year.

Sprint

Poor customer service, spotty signal. In 2005 and 2006, major improvements were made to Sprint infrastructure (including adding new cell towers), changing the Columbia dead-zone to a reliable level of coverage. There are still areas on campus with poor signal quality, especially within buildings. Coverage outside of Columbia's campus is very strong. Columbia offers an 18% discount to students/faculty/alumni for phone purchases as well as a 5% discount on monthly plans.