First, you must determine whether the service in which you are interested covers the area you will be making a majority of your calls to and from. Be aware that analog services cover a larger area than digital services. Secondly, you must determine how much you will be charged for these calls. The location where you make your call from is important in the billing process. Each service provider designates a different local service area.
Some plans consider one borough a local area, while other plans include the entire East Coast.
Depending on what you need, it may be worthwhile to choose a plan that covers a larger or smaller area. When you are outside of your local service area, you are roaming. All plans charge separate roaming rates when you make a call from outside of the local area. Some plans have a flat rate for roaming and long distance calls, but all service providers charge a fee for making a call outside of the local service area. Long distance calls with cellular phones are calls you make to an area other than your local service area.