General

Verizon uses a mix of 850 MHz ("cellular") and 1900 MHz ("PCS") throughout their national network. Depends on where you are. Some states are reportedly almost all 1900 MHz, some are mostly 850 MHz. All Verizon phones for years on end have been 850 Mhz and 1900 MHz compatible. Supposedly most of the Rev A is using the 1900 MHz area of Verizon's spectrum holdings, but again that varies by region. I don't know of a definitive source that accurately lists the total areas covered by each frequency.

Still, the point is, company "A" can build a crappy network using only 850 MHz frequency while company "B" can build a superior network using only 1900 MHz frequency. It's the overall NETWORK DESIGN that matters more than the frequency chosen.

To say blithely that 850 MHz is always better for building penetration totally ignores all of the real-world factors that go into building a competent wireless network. 850 MHz SHOULD be better than 1900 MHz but IS NOT AUTOMATICALLY BETTER. That was, and still is, the point.