That's not the only stupid thing this guy has said. He also wonders why people should expect to have cell phone connectivity INSIDE their houses.

Now I know why mobile phone service is so bad in the US: mobile operators here hire guys like him! In Amsterdam I have had no problems yakking on my mobile phone no matter where I am in my house; I have attic to basement coverage.

I have made and received mobile phone calls in 17th century buildings with thick stone walls in the Netherlands, Spain, France and Germany. I have also had mobile phone conversations in the underground metro in Amsterdam, although in the Paris metro I have been less successful -- I think it depends where you are in the metro system. I have seen people in the Paris metro talking on their phones, though. I have also had fairly good mobile phone reception (with some crackling) in the train tunnel on the way to Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam. For the record, I have used KPN Mobile's service as well as Orange's.

In the US I use my T-Mobile prepaid account; I simply pop the SIM card into my Nokia cell phone (one of the latest models). In our San Francisco apartment, I have to stand near the window to get a signal! This apartment is located in the Castro district, but it has thin walls.

I cannot get a connection on the beaches between Santa Cruz and Capitola. This is not a remote area - it's fairly close to Silicon Valley.

By contrast, there is good mobile phone coverage on the coast of Cabo de Gata-Nijar in Spain, fairly remote and far away from any large city.

A number of people say that the US is very large and it's hard to put mobile phone connections everywhere - yes that's true. But the operators can't even get a signal into a house in the center of SF or on the beach only 45 minutes away from the heart of the American tech industry, an area inhabited by thousands of people? This is absurd.