re: "The perception is that at&t and Verizon have better coverage."

>>> That's not just a perception, it is real-world fact. Sprint's total coverage (incl Sprint's own CDMA, plus all their roaming partners) is still significantly less than VZ's or ATT's total coverage.

No, people are leaving Nextel for VZ and ATT because they have first-hand knowledge that Sprint is a distant third to VZ and ATT in terms of overall cellular capability (coverage, performance, service, satisfaction, etc).

Sprint wins with their plans, but VZ and ATT win in terms of overall capability (coverage, performance, phone selection). VZ and ATT customers may indeed pay more on average than Sprint customers, but that's because VZ & ATT customers get significantly more.