How reliable is the mobile service

I have a full strong 5G signal right now but a few minutes ago I was parked in a canyon in a shadow and only had one bar 4G so I had to move up here to the top of a hill where my signal is stronger. In cities I usually get a great signal. Out in the middle of nowhere It depends on how near I am to a cell tower. I rarely have no signal at all and if that happens I just move somewhere else.

how much are you paying for it?

When I was younger and dumber a few years ago I got locked into a Verizon contract that is extortionate so I am paying more than I need to be paying. $124 a month. July 2024 I will be free of this contract then I'm going to find a more economical plan like T-Mobile or Mint or something.

But ultimately my goal is Starlink, which has an upfront cost of a few thousand dollars and then every month probably the same as I'm paying right now. The benefit of starlink in this nomadic lifestyle is wherever you go, even if you're in the middle of nowhere, as long as you have open sky above you, you get a strong signal.

And a strong signal is invaluable because often Vans and schoolies and RVs have meetups out on BLM land in the middle of nowhere and there is no signal, and I go crazy without the internet because I just want to be on Reddit/Lemmy all the time.

And also of course in survival situations when you're out alone and get stuck in the snow in the middle of nowhere, you're going to want to have a strong signal.