Why Verizon Beats Everyone Else

Really?

Everyone has an opinion on this, and I acknowledge it can absolutely be different in different parts of the country. But, for me, Verizon is the best at everything they do against the competition. I will address each service individually so you understand the context around why I think Verizon is the superior choice overall, but especially good if you select them as your only supplier.

Wireless

In the NYC area, I have had every major cellular provider at some point, and a good fraction of the top MVNOs in the regional market as well. This means I have had multiple years with AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint, as well as MVNOs like Metro (before they were bought by T-Mobile), I think maybe some Cricket in there, and some Boost, and more recently Red Pocket. Of all of the services I have used in the last 25 years, Verizon has so far been the best choice.

Back in the day, there was the great divide between GSM and CDMA. Globally, GSM networks represent the vast vast majority of cellular networks, but in the US, CDMA represents a huge segment. To the end user, the biggest differences between these were which one worked in dense areas, which one worked in rural areas, and which one let you talk and surf at the same time. GSM networks had the edge as long as there was a reachable tower and the technology behind GSM networks allowed for talking and surfing simultaneously since the late 90s. Then EVDO came out, and Verizon and Sprint (the big CDMA providers) were able to compete with T-Mobile and AT&T (the big GSM providers) from a consumer requirement more easily. Since LTE and now 5G are fairly well-deployed and well-developed, the line is blurring and the only question is who owns the equipment.

Verizon just works in more places. Does it work everywhere? No, of course not. But it works in far more places I go to than T-Mobile did (what I used prior to Verizon). The basement laundry room in my building? Works. The garage? Mostly works. My balcony? Works. Whereas T-Mobile did not work in any of those situations. And sure, having an iPhone 14 Pro maybe impacts that in some way, but an iPhone 12 Pro was hardly anything to scoff at.

The major issue is cost. Verizon is not cheap, although, it can be, and I'll get to that later. A single line runs $50 to $90 a month depending on how much "extra" you want.

Internet

FiOS, I pay $75 for 1 GB. I could pay $125 or something for 2 GB. It's incredible. They even gave me a Wifi 6 router when I signed up, which provides excellent coverage. I get 600 Mbps on most of my devices consistently. Cheaper price around here for internet / speed. Sure you could use RCN's Astound or Spectrum, but you will almost certainly pay more or get less or both.

I had Spectrum for many years before moving to a building that was wired for FiOS. My parents also got FiOS at their home a year or so before I moved. In both cases, just a stellar experience. I reboot the routers once every couple of months, but otherwise, never an issue. Never an outage. Compare this to Spectrum that would take the internet offline for 5-10 minutes almost daily and experience what seemed like one outage per month lasting upwards of an hour.

Television

First, let me say that I do not pay for TV in my home from Verizon. The primary reason is that our lifestyle does not lend itself to channel surfing and DVRs. This will be different for most or many people. We consume network television through Hulu, Peacock, Disney, Paramount+, and Netflix. But my parents and my wife's parents both have Verizon and pay for television. I have not heard any complaints. In general, it is a race to the bottom with an edge to the supplier that has the right mix of channels that you watch. But it's extremely expensive, riddled with fees, slowly increasing almost monthly. I would honestly consider very carefully whether you need to have a television package at all. Most people don't, across age ranges.

Discounts

When you have home and mobile services with Verizon, that's where the real value starts to kick in. I want to share an anecdotal example:

Now, let's fold all of that together: That's $75 saved per month, or $900 a year. Without losing anything. Note that all of that linking and discounting is NOT automatic, you have to call up and make sure you fill out the necessary forms and steps (electronically) to qualify. Also note there are usually 1 time fees in porting which can be absurd ($50 for the watch, $100 for the phone). Ignore the first bill, but be prepared for a significantly elevated bill for one or two billing cycles.