What Cellphone Companies Provide Service in Hawaii?
By Thomas Lynn
While Hawaii may be separated from the Continental United States, it still shares the same technologies, luxuries and accommodations as most states on the mainland. Multiple cellphone companies provide service to the Hawaiian islands and issue no extra fees or roaming charges for using your cell on the islands. National carriers like Sprint, AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon all provide Hawaii's inhabitants and visitors with cell service and reception.
AT&T
AT&T, formerly Cingular Wireless, provides cellphone service to Hawaii and offers at least partial cell reception on all of the state's main islands. AT&T offers 3G -- the high-speed, broadband wireless data service -- to Hawaii, Honolulu, Kauai and Maui. Plans for AT&T service in Hawaii start around $39 and will provide Hawaiians with voice and data services, as of June 2011. Service is also available for AT&T's pay-as-you-go phone service, GoPhone.
Sprint
Sprint, the owner of former service provider Nextel, offers cellphone and data service in Hawaii. Sprint offers standard voice and data service, while also providing 3G and 4G coverage in the state's more metropolitan areas, like Honolulu and Lanai City. Individual cell service from Sprint costs around $29 for starters, as of June 2011. Since acquiring Nextel, Sprint has provided a push-to-talk feature on certain models of phones. This push-to-talk service is available in metropolitan areas where 3G and 4G data services are also available.
T-Mobile
T-Mobile, formerly VoiceStream Wireless, offers both voice and data service in Hawaii. T-Mobile has offered cell service in Hawaii since 2001. You can get 3G and 4G service in metropolitan areas, with 4G service limited to the Honolulu metro area. Service plans from T-Mobile -- which you can purchase from one of T-Mobile's 60 Hawaii-based retail locations -- start around $39, as of June 2011.
Verizon
Verizon Wireless is the largest cellphone provider in the U.S. and offers service to over 104 million people. Verizon Wireless offers voice, data and 3G service to the Hawaiian islands as well as 4G LTE service to the Honolulu metro area. Verizon's 3G broadband products and services, which include its proprietary VZ Navigator and V Cast services, are offered on all of the main islands. Individual cell service plans from Verizon start around $39 in Honolulu as of June 2011.
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Writer Bio
Thomas Lynn is a writer in New York. His work has appeared in various Web and print publications. He studied English in the New York University system. Lynn has been writing professionally since 2009, covering politics and emerging technologies.