Sounds like you are on the b-band cellular side in analog mode (you DID admit to having an old phone) ...
Believe it or not, there are actually markets where you can carry a call around and across town. There are also some well-known bad areas, although if the carrier is worth their salt those are cleared up in a year or so (the system optimization/performance engineers can see the stats for dropped calls in the cells/sectors where 'drops' are a problem and recommend improvements like a microcell and budget it for the next year).
No, I did not say I had an old phone. I said this phone is considered an old model overseas. Here, it is the "latest and greatest." I've got a six year old Nokia that does more than this piece of garbage.
Look, the U.S. is way behind in the cell phone market. That is a fact. What is being passed off as new here is outdated compared to what is available overseas.