It’s tough for me to say anything negative about my Verizon Wireless (VZ: chart, web, Y!) service.

It’s always available and it’s been years since I’ve had a dropped call.  It even worked in the Caribbean when I was there on business early last year; so there is something to be said for “the network”.

The only complaint I have is the cost of the service itself in relation to the features provided.  For $59.99 per month (plus the $20 in taxes and fees) I get 550 minutes between my wife and I.  As I’ve mentioned before, we don’t even come close to using those minutes.

I suppose you could say I’m eager to see how these down economic times will shape not just technology, but pricing in the very near future.

I’d love to have something like a Blackberry, and Verizon would practically give me a device for free.  But the $70+ service is really driving me away, and that doesn’t include the additional money for the traditional cell phone service for my wife.

In a fairly recent issue of BusinessWeek, the big three in wireless service here in the United States are seeing competition accelerate as buyers of pricey services and phones have tightened their belts.

The article mentioned that the battle is heating up in wireless data service, and the desire to grow the market while bringing down prices.  AT&T (VZ: chart, web, Y!) for instance has an 8.6% share in wireless data, compared to 16.4% for Sprint (S: chart, web, Y!) and Verizon’s 10.9%.

Verizon tends to be a bit hamstrung by 45% stakeholder Vodafone (VOD: chart, web, Y!)  (popular in Europe) and Sprint has been facing a recurring challenge in attracting and retaining customers.  Service has been spotty, customer support lacking, and product lines have been thin.

AT&T on the other hand holds a 100% stake in wireless and has its fingers in a lot of different telecom markets (a la AT&T UVerse).  They’ve got a decent amount of cash and low capital requirements to maintain their infrastructure.

The Apple (AAPL: chart, web, Y!)  iPhone has almost reached cult status, and I have to admit, I’m not much of an Apple guy, but I love the idea of an iPhone (again, besides the service price) and own a iPod.

I’m going to continue watching how the AT&T vs. Verizon vs. Sprint battle plays out, but I think if prices start coming down and consumer spending starts going up, it may be worth buying some shares of AT&T.

Investing, Stock Thoughts, Technology AT&T, sprint, telecom, Verizon