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Ask Slashdot: Who Has the Best 3G Coverage In California and Nevada?
New submitter derchris writes "We will be on vacation in the U.S. next month for about 3 weeks. We are going to do a road trip between San Francisco, Las Vegas and Los Angeles. To not use roaming for data, and get a heart attack once back home looking at the mobile bill, I was looking at so called 'MiFi' devices, portable 3G Wi-Fi hotspots. As far as I know, more or less all of the U.S. carriers have such devices available. But as I'm not from the U.S., I have no idea what would give me the best 3G coverage in the areas we are travelling. Another question would be whether I can buy one of these devices off eBay, and use it with any SIM card. Let's hope there are users available who could give some advice on this topic."
For a question posted on a worldwide forum this is a very geographically specific question. Shall I also ask Slashdot which carrier has the best coverage outside my front door? This isn't even a question that requires the unique expertise of the /. crowd; just go on the 3, maybe 4 carrier websites and check the relevant maps.
While it's possible to find one device that supports multiple carriers, it generally only supports one carrier well due to frequency differences. If you're looking for a device that'll work with multiple carriers, look for "unlocked". I'm not entirely sure there is a way to unlock the mifi things.
I had AT&T in California and Verizon in both CA and NV, and Verizon was definitely better - almost no issues, where AT&T was terrible. I didn't travel extensively (mainly the bay area and Incline Village), but I would certainly avoid AT&T, and I would actually recommend Verizon,
Dunno, but if you make it to Texas I have a suggestion
"That's the way to do it" - Punch
Without a doubt; Verizon.
Verizon = highest price and crappy treatment in exchange for godly signal
Top result on google for "global ready mifi" is Verizon's MiFi 4510L. It'll use the Verizon network, and supports a SIM card.
As above. AT&T or Verizon will be your best bet.
AT&T and T-Mobile use GSM, so if you have a phone you like you could buy a pre-pay phone and just swap the SIM card into it.
Verizon and Sprint use CDMA, so you'll have to use their phones, but Verizon's coverage is arguably better and they have less dropped calls.
FWIW, I have T-Mobile, but that's because they're the ONLY cell provider in the US that recognizes that they subsidize the phone on contracts, so when you're out of contract, they charge you less per month.
Verizon probably has the best coverage for you... the down side is they are CDMA and not GSM so you will not be able to use sim cards. This really leaves only AT&T or T-Mobile for sim cards either one's coverage I usually find limited to Verzion's coverage sadly.
All of the major carriers have coverage maps that are more or less accurate.
Verizon: www.verizonwireless.com/wireless-coverage-area-map.shtml
AT&T: http://www.wireless.att.com/coverageviewer/#?type=data
Sprint: http://coverage.sprint.com/IMPACT.jsp?
T-Mobile: http://www.t-mobile.com/coverage/pcc.aspx
Other Sites that may be useful:
http://www.cellreception.com/coverage/
http://reviews.cnet.com/cell-phone-coverage-map/
Behold, the power of Google.
I'll probably be in the minority here, but I would say go with Sprint. Sure their data speeds aren't the fastest, but they are a good bit cheaper than Verizon, and their speeds are still plenty useable for web browsing, Pandora, and Netflix. Plus you get the added bonus of free roaming on Verizon's network if you're outside of Sprint's coverage areas. Pretty much anything is better than AT&T.
Your best bet will be to buy an unlocked device at home that supports the appropriate frequency, and then once you arrive in California go to T-Mobile or AT&T store and ask for a plan on a SIM card, telling them you already have a device to put it in. AT&T will probably work out the best simply because any device you buy abroad will work with AT&T's frequencies. TMobile uses a different frequency for 3G which is unique across the world to them, so that might be an issue. Another provider option is to go with a "regional" carrier, like C-Spire et al, that basically resells AT&T's signal for cheap.
Other than that, there may be "prepaid" options available for a MiFi device of which I am unaware, such as through AT&T's "goPhone" plans. But the prepaid options are not advertised much in America, most of what we have is the "two-year contract" variety. You can also just get an unlocked phone that has the Wireless Hotspot feature, then when you get to America buy a "prepaid" plan for it that includes unlimited data, such as AT&T's "goPhone" plan.
I'd go with a pre-paid data/phone vendor.
You can get a Virgin Mobile 3G phone and/or 3G MiFi-type device at many discount store retailers, no contract needed.
It uses the Sprint network. Sprint does not use SIM cards.
There are other pre-paid 3G phones and mifi-type devices available too.
They both have the largest 3g network in the US.
You can check their coverage maps at:
http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/CoverageLocatorController
http://www.wireless.att.com/coverageviewer/#?type=voice
use them only as a reference however as these towers may be set just at their range limits leading to extremely weak signals in between towers.
They use the Sprint network..... no idea if it's the "best" but it's affordable. $50 for unlimited internet, and it works anywhere that a cellphone works. Plus no contract so you can use it 1 month and then done.
I have tried Wifi in my hotel, and it barely works at all (slow and drops connection frequently). I don't recommend that route.
My AC stalker: " I personally agree with your posts most of the time, but that won't keep me from modding you troll"
If by best, you mean adequate, the answer would be nobody. But I guess AT&T would be least worst (at least when I was last there).
My UID is prime. Hah!
I hope you realize just how far apart these cities are and how little there is to be seen in between. I suppose 3G till take the edge off the many hours of drudgery.
At least consider taking 395 for the North-South portion.
You are on vacation. You should escape the ties to your phone. Bring your phone, keep it off except for an Emergency during the day. When you are at the hotel, use the Wi-Fi available.
While I am at the other End of country I found that most plans AT&T Verizon, sprint... Don't really care about you crossing into different states. And normally a Dead Zone for AT&T is a Dead zone for Verizon.
If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
Remember, we have free wifi at almost every coffee shop and McDonalds. Here's a pre-paid 4g hotspot: http://www.amazon.com/T-Mobile-1661-4G-Hotspot/dp/B005MKERVQ/ref=dp_return_1?ie=UTF8&n=2335752011&s=wireless http://www.t-mobile.com/coverage/pcc.aspx
I have a rooted hTC Rezound which I use as a hotspot, using Wireless Tether for Root Users. Alternatively, Clockworkmod has his Tether app for non-root phones, but is limited to USB tethering. If you have an Android phone, either of these are viable options and do not specifically require a tethering plan, though if you don't have unlimited data, tethering will chew through your line's data allowance.
As for coverage, I haven't gone on a road trip to 'Frisco or Vegas since I got my Rezound, but with my hTC Incredible (which I also had the aforementioned tether apps on) I had pretty solid coverage. The only problem areas were in the hills north of LA, and the pass over Spring Mountains to the west of Vegas.
I live in BFE aka, North Central Indiana -- we have a big pocket of no-Verizon-ness, but AT&T is awesome here (at least since the Centennial Wireless acquisition).
If OP is sticking to Interstate travel, any big carrier should do. Once you hit the sticks, check coverage maps (I only get EDGE performance at home, but 4G at work).
Pretty much all the carriers have decent coverage in the metropolitan areas. And pretty much all the carriers have bad to no coverage outside the metropolitan areas.
Buying the device on eBay and then putting in any SIM card you can pretty much forget it since all the major carriers in the US have different and incompatible systems. Sprint & Verizon don't even use SIM cards at all. T-Mobile & AT&T are SIM based but they use different frequencies for their 3G network, 1700MHz for T-Mobile & 850/1900MHz for AT&T (Also notice neither of these are the same as the frequencies used in the rest of the world). In regards to LTE that's an even bigger mess and the coverage is really spotty regardless of what operator you choose so I would just ignore it.
In short it amazes me how bad the cell phone network in the US works compared to most of Europe (I originally come from Sweden where you have interoperability between operators and generally pretty good coverage even in rural areas.
Attention visitors.... Note that 99% of the advertising and marketing budget in the USA is oriented around "free device with minimum two year service contract" business model. Most of the civilian population does not know any other cellphone business model exists... Unless you're planning on your trip taking 2 years, you're best off with a prepay provider.
There are providers that are non-contract aka month-to-month who will helpfully automatically bill your CC every month until you find a way to stop them. I don't think you want the headache of making them "go away" after you return home. The prepay has a much lower risk, once the balance is depleted, they can't go after you if they have no idea who you are and/or no idea how to bill you.
Assume you're dealing with crooks and dishonest wheeler dealers. In the telco biz, often you are.
Also be careful with the power cords in the US. If you try hard enough you can probably curl your fingers underneath a charger and touch energized AC wall outlet contacts. Also our power plugs are not as heavy as the giant hockey puck UK ones (possibly AC power connectors are the only thing you'll find lighter weight in the states) but that doesn't mean you can swing them around in the air like a flail spiked ball and chain without hurting yourself. And for a good laugh ask to see your hosts "hot water heater tank" I am told we're the only country in the world that doesn't use tankless, its a trip, they're these giant closet sized steel tubes.
"Science flies us to the moon. Religion flies us into buildings." - Victor Stenger
Come on, folks. It's a reasonable question. He is going to two large states and is asking about coverage. There is no need to ridicule him for his request. If you can't answer it or are not interested than move on. I doubt SlashDot would have posted it had they thought it wasn't a reasonable request.
http://www.busyweather.com/
I have lived in Vegas and San Francisco. I'm assuming you're going through central CA for your trip. As far as I'm concerned, Verizon (for me) had the best coverage in Vegas and SF. I've had clear reception all the way to Salinas- your mileage may vary beyond that. Those I knew that had AT&T hated it (poor reception).
T-Mobile isn't good in Vegas - I had it for a few years there and the coverage was bad.
Now, if you're driving through the middle of NV, then forget it. Your reception will drop off around Yerington and not return until you hit Indian Springs. You'll have to wait to upload the UFO pics you snap on the way.
Verizon.
I live in L.A. and lived in Cupertino a year and half ago and went to San Francisco a lot. I have both AT&T and Verizon because I'm a mobile developer. I've used both iPhones and Android phones. AT&T SUCKS .. BAD. Verizon is great. I switched my iPhone from AT&T to Verizon when I moved to L.A. for this reason.
I've lived in Northern Nevada for a little over a year, and have been assured multiple times that Las Vegas is in fact, not in Nevada.
For 3 weeks, just learn to look for free WiFi hotspots.
Seriously.
It's 3 weeks. You'll survive if you can't tweet every 5 minutes. If you were talking about 3 months, I could see why it would be worth the trouble and expense to set this up but 3 weeks? No.
If you're set on it, go for pre-paid. You'll have to spend $50-100 on the device, possibly a setup fee of $35-50, and a month's service at $35-80 depending on the carrier. Last time I checked, Millenicom was offering 50 gig plans on Verizon's network (the best, most consistent data network IMHO) for $70 or so. It's far more data than you'll be able to push over Verizon's network for that price on any of Verizon's plans.
Seriously, tho, it's 3 weeks. Every hotel you stay in will have WiFi available for $0-10/night. Many businesses (especially restaurants) offer free WiFi.
No SIM card. That said, as long as you stay near I-15 or in town it's pretty good. Off the freeway and away from towns there's little reception, whatever the maps say.
Best Slashdot Co
Although the question was about 3G coverage, for those of you who made a blanket statement that Verizon doesn't use SIM cards, you forgot about their 4G SIM cards.
Wifi Cafe Finder is a cheap Android app that finds many of these for you without requiring internet access. Works for me even when one phone (Virgin Mobile Samsung Intercept) is in "Airplane Mode" or on a phone with no SIM (LG Optimus T).
Virgin Mobile ZTE Peel is a Mifi-like device with a value proposition that's hard to beat for lower-end users (500 MB for $20 for one month) and the device is like $30 IIRC. Perfect for Waze or Google Maps or e-mail checking or light web. Not good if you watch videos or skype or download podcasts. Sold with iPod touch original gen in mind but actually works as a universal wifi gateway. Plus it's non-contract. Coverage map is Sprint's- they don't do their own.
These devices are sold at Radio Shack and Best Buy in the SF Bay Area- I don't know about other states.
I actually use a 3g hotspot from Verizon in this exact area. I travel Northern California to Nevada and I live in LA.
I have great reception on this entire stretch except for dead land areas in Nevada when you are traveling from LA to Vegas, and a few spotty areas on the I5 freeway between San Francisco and LA...
Verizon's coverage seems to only be better than T-Mobile in really out of the way places. If you are going to primarily be in even moderately populated areas, T-Mobile is just as good as Verizon. Summer of 2010 I took a family road trip between California and Wisconsin. We drove the southern part of the country on the way there, and the northern part of the country on the way back. While my wife drove, I worked with my laptop tethered to a remote desktop at the office. The coverage was great except for the national parks and Wyoming.
Not true. Note that:
* Those prices are not adjusted for inflation
* The trend since 2005 has been down
To a Lisp hacker, XML is S-expressions in drag.
When you're actually on the major highways, there's no difference. In and around towns? Huge, huge difference. At my last workplace there was no signal for T-Mo or AT&T, but 3G on Verizon. When we went to Disney World? Verizon was 1-2 bars of 1xRTT in the parks, AT&T was 4 bars of 3G.
The regional carriers are just that - regional carriers. C-Spire owns their towers and has reciprocity with Verizon. I imagine that Cincy Bell, US Cellular, and the other regionals are similar, although some of those are GSM and some are CDMA carriers. You're thinking of MVNO's, which only resell service.
CA is a mighty big place, and I haven't traveled all that much of it. However I do happen to have phones on ATT's 3G network that can act as hotspots, and USB networking devices for VZW and Sprint. I don't have T-Moble because the coverage map looked like it wasn't really useful. I also have an RV, and have left "major city areas" quite a bit. I don't currently have any 4G networking gear (unless you count all the 3G stuff the ITU reclassified, in which case I have 4G but no LTE).
In my experience there is a lot of coastline that has no service from anyone. There are some inland areas where hills or mountains block signal from everyone. Some places I can get ATT but not VZW. Some places I can get VZW and not ATT. Around the coast it was pretty even. In land VZW seems to have a little bit of an edge, but not a lot. Many places I could get VZW and/or ATT but not Sprint. I can't recall any places I could get Sprint but neither ATT or VZW, but looking at coverage maps there might be such places, I've just never attempted to get signal there. However there is no substitute for actually testing in your location. Everyone has said VZW has the best coverage for years, but for years my house had no VZW service, while it did have spotty ATT service (recently VZW started serving the area, and also around the same time ATT's service picked up a lot as well)
Most places where I could get ATT and VZW 3G the ATT was faster. Sometimes it was even faster if the device showed "fewer bars".
The "reasonable best option" I would see is to get one device on ATT and one on VZW, and ignore the rest. My VZW device came form http://www.millenicom.com/ I don't know if they still sell them or not. They use to have a $50/month plan for 10G. It looked like a no-contract plan, but the way it was set up when you stop paying the monthly fee they want the device back or hit you with a big disconnect fee (and they charge for the device up front), however even so it was still a bit cheaper then other VZW data devices, just not by as much as it first looked. Things may have changed since then, so look around, but make sure you give them a peek. My ATT device is an iPhone (was a 3GS, then a 4, now a 4S...my wife and I take turns getting a new one each year). Another option is the new iPad, they have large up front costs, but a month by month plan (no fee to cancel, no fee to restart). From what I have read on the net only the VZW one currently supports hotspot sharing, ATT still hasn't gotten their ducks in a row there. Depending on what you want to do with the internet you might be just fine only having access on the iPad anyway though.
I have no data for Nevada. Last time I was in Arizona I didn't have a VZW device, but ATT seemed fine pretty much everywhere.
..because THAT product can now get a 4G signal out of a 3G network!
help me i've cloned myself and can't remember which one I am
You can buy anything.
It all depends on your route. With most major highways you'll have excellent coverage with either of the big two (Verizon and AT&T), but once you get off those highways it will vary greatly. AT&T tends to have more areas with service (which is often mediocre) than Verizon outside of major cities. In San Francisco, in particular, AT&T is so over-sold that it's practically useless on most of the peninsula, but you also barely need service there since wifi hotspots are absolutely everywhere. In the other major cities you'll have good service with both. Once you're in those ultra-low-population areas in the central valley, AT&T has the edge on Verizon, with more remote areas with some level of service, but it's usually very mediocre (there have been some strange exceptions to both, though). Once in a city, any carrier (with the aforementioned exception) is pretty good. Sprint will have worse service in areas between cities than Verizon. All prepaid mifi devices I'm aware of are on AT&T, Sprint, or Verizon, with Sprint (Virgin uses the Sprint network, for example).
You need to think about where, when, and how you need internet service. If you are going to be in SF most of the time and don't want to use wifi hotspots, I'd go with Verizon. If you need continual service, don't care if it's slow, and can deal with wifi in SF, I'd go with AT&T. If you don't need internet access outside of cities, I'd probably go with Virgin Mobile (which uses Sprint's network). In the US wifi rarely has a surcharge except at 3-star-plus hotels, unlike most of the rest of the world. Every coffee shop, every McDonalds, every chain motel, every hotel through 2.5 stars, every Apple Store, the majority of malls, most chain casual-dining restaurants, and many other places have free wifi. Outside of the US and Canada, almost all wifi has a surcharge, which may come as a shock to many international visitors.
Also, to those that don't understand this: I've done used mifi devices like this in the UK. A prepaid mifi device with service cost far less than an international data plan with my carrier and gave me more data than I could use in that time. Not having ready use of the internet cripples you more than I think most of your realize.
You could use Roam Mobility which is designed for cheap US pay-as-you go (6 cents per megabyte).
I used to roll down I-5 from the bay area to LA on a near weekly basis and my sprint link worked well except for the pass between Gilroy to Los Banos. There were outages in the middle of I-5 because it's essentially empty space between the distant towns. Once upon a time I took my friend along who had a verizon link, his was much more consistent with only the pacheco pass causing any lack of service.
I live in Las Vegas and have made plenty of trips to Northern Nevada, and Northern and Southern California. While I am personally a T-Mobile subscriber, the people on the road trips that have the best and most consistant signal are the Verizon guys.
There's still a lot of dead space around here so... that's life.
If you have a GSM device, just pickup a prepaid sim card when you get in the US. Either T-mobile Pre-paid or H2O Wireless (uses AT&T's network). Check which 3G frequency your device uses and save the $$$ from buying a new device. I've used both T-Mobile Monthly Pre-paid and H2OWireless and would recommend T-mobile for reliability, but both work well.
While it's only my experience, Sprint's coverage in San Francisco is horrible. When traveling it's not much better. Verizon is the most expensive, but the clear winner of the coverage sweepstakes.
"free wifi cafe spots" is the correct name.
I'm interested in driving from LA to SF by the PCH. Any word on how the coverage is? I'm constrained to a GSM smartphone, so Verizon and Sprint are off the table. I know the coverage won't be good, but which one has the "less-worse" option?
Democracy: Crowdsourcing a country near you
I have traveled all over southern Nevada and California.
Verizon is the only choice.
I make it a habit to go to some strange and out of the way places, Verizon just works, even in large parts of death valley and the Mojave desert.
I even had service out in Rachel Nevada near area 51, while my friends who were with me and have T-mobile had none.
Buy a cheap device from E-bay and activate it on Verizon on the bring your own device plan.
Just make sure the device is a Verizon branded device.
Choose a high feedback seller with a good history with mobile devices.
Also Verizon does not use SIM cards.
I live in between LA and SF and Verizon is the best choice. There is 4G coverage in a number of small town up and down the coast.
That is true for towns in the middle of nowhere, but not ones near major corridors, including most vacation areas. I do agree that if you spend lots of time in the hills or in areas where deer outnumber people you'd do better with the major carriers.
In Disney World I had great coverage with T-Mobile.
The best offering between San Francisco, Las Vegas and Los Angeles would be Sprint. Coverage for the region is excellent and the cost is acceptable with no data cap on their mifi unit. I recently read a review of one that PCMag Recently did and I'd say this is probably your best bet though I have no idea how it would work for you.
Mod me up/Mod me down: I wont frown as I've no crown
(Disclaimer: I live near Dallas, Texas. AT&T's HQ is located here.) I'm going to go against the "geek grain" here at the risk of mod points (like I have any...) and say that AT&T IS actually good in some places but has some weak points. Verizon, believe it or not, isn't perfect and has weak points and does have bad customer service in some regions of the country (away from "geek havens" like California and New York). If you plan on visiting the southern or southwestern U.S., AT&T will tend to be your better bet. In my experience, ATT has given me customer service ABOVE AND BEYOND Verizon and T-Mobile. Second in line is Sprint. This may be due to my location since AT&T's current incarnation used to be Southwestern Bell Corporation (SBC), hence the better coverage/customer service. If you want to go to places like Cali or NY, Verizon or T-Mobile will probably be better in terms of 3G/4G LTE coverage. Although AT&T is slowly improving, it's not as good as Verizon or T-Mo in those locations.
oop- it's called "Free Wifi Cafe Spots".
I'm in a small-to-medium city, depending on how you view these things - metro area 400k. Even being half a mile off the highway can matter quite a bit if there's a large building or a hill in an inconvenient place. I've seen this effect all over. If you stay close to the highway, you're fine. If you start exploring, even around fairly large towns / small cities, you can be in a very developed area and have no service. (There's a little cell service divot three blocks from me that is basically in a very small depression just big enough to cause dropouts. Travel one block in any direction and you'll have service again.)
I also had a lot of data trouble in LA when I was up high - e.g. at Griffith Observatory or the Getty Museum. Both are basically on the ridge line and should have great reception, but didn't.
This should end all coversations about who should you get. Sprint. Its the best service to get because if there is not a signal in your area you have nationwide roaming meaning if you dont have the sprint service in that area or freeway you will most likely get a Verizon connection. You will not get charged for roaming on the everything plan which is the cheapest for what you get....so get sprint.
dear god why is timothy still allowed to post articles this is insane
You should bring aboard one of these (http://nyconvergence.com/2012/03/ny-marketing-firm-uses-homeless-for-sxsw-wifi-beacons.html) homeless people and you'll have 4G internet. You won't need as much internet on the trip, either: with a homeless companion you can sing "spanish ladies" for miles, share stories about the down-low in whichever city they're from, and food, as you find the best dumpster diving joints on the interstate.
Thanks to everyone who replied. There were some very informative comments. As for the whole "Dude, it is vacation, leave the phone home" discussion, there are always two sides. I use my mobile service a lot here in Europe. I like statistics, that is one of the reason I try to tag/login to any places possible using my mobile. Let it be Facebook/Twitter/4square. That is also how I keep all my friends updated. And I don't want to miss that opportunity while we are in the US. From what I got out of all the comments so far is that Verizon is much more preferred than ATT, and that some users around the SF/LV/LA area were also using Virgin Mobile or Sprint devices. I also don't want to spend that much, so I'm looking for the possible cheapest option available. Which looks like will be a prepaid SIM card with a months worth of data, if I get the device from somewhere else. I was also unaware of the different 3G frequencies, which makes it even more complex.
Im not sire what your online needs are and how constant it needs to be but you can always rely upon Starbucks as a ISP. They are predominantly everywhere (Except in Yosemite national forest). alternative While i havent personally researched this you could try to find some place that does rentals. I go to Japan quite often and I end up renting a phone over there because its just easier and hassle-free. I use to rent a SIM card but now the phone w/ sim is cheaper than renting the sim card. I have no idea if such services exist in america for non-american travelers.
There's no Freedom like UFP-dom
Using a European smartphone with T-Mobile Prepaid I have been traveling extensively along the West Coast, mainly Los Angeles, Las Vegas and recently the Bay Area.
In the desert regions all carriers will have coverage gaps somewhere. If you are fine having good coverage in the metropolitan areas and can accept that sometimes outside along the freeway you have some gaps in your coverage, then I can personally recommend T-Mobile. Do not expect much coverage in the desert national parks from any carrier - this depends very much where you go in the parks and what the terrain looks like. At the visitor center or the main sight or near any hotel there might be a tower, if you are hiking or in less busy areas there won't be much coverage.
You can check the coverage maps (that is what it is called and all carriers have one somewhere on their websites).
With T-Mobile you can be on the road - depending on your needs - with $50 (Unlimited 2G data) or $60 (unlimited 3G) plus $10 for the prepaid SIM card at any local T-Mobile shop. No obligations. There are other options - see my link below. Go in, provide a local address and off you go. You can plug this into your European phone, however you will get only 2G speed with most European hardware. That is what I do and for me this works well with Opera Mini for browsing/surfing (compresses the images and is thus faster on 2G) & for tweets, status updates and email. If I need more speed I stop by any Starbucks and go online with Wifi.
If you need more speed for uploading photos while on the road (really?), the idea with a 3G wifi hotspot sounds like a good one. Check out Fry's or Best Buy (online catalogues) or go to newegg(dot)com and order one to be shipped to your first hotel. This way you can an unlocked one (without carrier contract) that you can use the way you want, watch the frequencies though if you want to use it in Europe (when it is 3G on T-Mobile/AT&T frequencies here it might have only 2G speeds in Europe!). Sprint uses different frequencies, so once you have equipment for sprint, you are stuck with that network. Same foes for Verizon.
T-Mobile and AT&T are more flexible and work with European hardware.
The T-Mobile Prepaid prices are listed here: http://prepaid-phones.t-mobile.com/prepaid-plans
Add $10 to buy the SIM card in any T-Mobile store.
Have a fun trip!