Congratulations, AT&T iPhone users. Your long national nightmare is nearly over. But a few quick notes for people who are considering being in the first wave of switchers to AT&T:

1. Sure, the early reviews are out from many reputable sources, and Verizon phone service is knocking AT&T into a cocked hat. But the proof won’t be in the pudding until the droves switch; if enough people zoom off of AT&T and onto Verizon all at once, then you may see the network problems migrate along with you.

Especially worth noting: nationwide sales numbers won’t mean diddly. You’ll want to know how many people are switching on the same towers you’re using, which means municipal sales numbers. Which you’re not likely to get for a while.

So you might not want to be in the first wave of switchers—or you might want to take Verizon up on the 14-day switching window that’s mandated by law. It’ll take a few months to see how this shakes out, and whether Verizon service is better than AT&T’s after everyone moves over.

2. Both carriers are getting personal hotspot services. Verizon will offer an unlimited data plan, but only for internal data to the phone; hotspot data is capped at 2 gigs. Meanwhile, AT&T is now offering an additional 2 gigs for hotspot subscribers, which is intertwingled with the data you’re getting in the 2 gigs you’re paying for the data package.

Which is better? Depends. Me, I hate any kind of data caps, which is why I’m on Clear 4G. The only way to know which works better for you is to have some idea of how much data you’re using in-phone, and how much you’re using over the phone tether. Good luck finding that out if you’re not an übergeek.

3. Major downside of Verizon: phone calls kill data connections. Workaround: port your number to Google Voice, and you’ll be able to control when calls go to your phone, so you can’t be knocked offline by a phone call.

Yes, I said knocked offline by a phone call. Man, it’s 1987 all over again. Mom, can I have a dedicated phone line for my modem?