It’s that time of year, where Verizon is telling me I need to sign another multi-year service contract or kiss my 266-number-and-account good-bye.

Now I’m not entirely averse to taking a cell-phone contract instead of playing the month-to-month route. I mean, it’s not a matter of principle or anything. Verizon’s been very lax—it took them some 15 months to realize I was off-contract, so kudos to them for trying to catch up on the paperwork and get my profile in line with the rest of their customers.

BUT, if I need to look at contracts, I might at well look around. So, what do other Philadlephian experiences suggest about the best wireless carrier? Is Verizon’s shitty customer service compensated by the low price? Is the convenience of the Cingular rollover plan lessened by the fact that you can’t get a signal beyond the Schuylkill? Recommendations, for or against?