Does "more bars in more places" refer to drinking establishments?

Towards the end of last week, my wife and I drove to Atlanta so that I could present the findings of a research project to the executive team of a KG client. The presentation appears to have been well accepted because no one threw fruit The client was even kind enough to take me to lunch at a local restaurant. It was interesting to experience what the "more bars in more places" (AT&T Wireless) wireless provider's network was like on the road.

While we were still in Florida,  the claims by the provider appeared to be true only when we where near a town or city of any size. The 3G network disappeared between cities. The 2G network also went bye-bye on the long stretches of farm and ranch land between the smallest cities. On more than on occasion we had no telephone service at all along the way. So much for counting on a wireless phone as a tool for on-the-road emergencies.

What was surprising was that the service got even worse as we crossed over the Georgia border. The best that provider could do was offer 2G service in towns and no service between towns until Macon, GA, could be seen out of our windows. At that point, the 3G indicator showed up on my Smartphone. It disappeared once we were back out on the open highway.

This provider had spotty coverage even within Atlanta, GA. Although in the middle of a major business area, 3G service could only be found part of the time.

Does your wireless supplier live up to their marketing hype?  If so, what do you do about it?