Probably depends on the area you're in, but in Florida, if you work with either ag customers, contractors or truck drivers, Nextel is the only way to go. Pricey, but worth every cent.
In Port St. Lucie, where I live now, and where construction is the leading industry, all you hear on job sites is the "chirp" of the 2-way Direct Connect. In Okeechobee, where I'm building and where agriculture is king, you can't go to a restaurant, super market or the Christmas parade without hearing so many "chirps" that you're constantly looking at your own phone. And, at last year's County Fair, so many people were "chirping" each other that the service was overwhelmed for a while.
For a businessman like yourself, get the unlimited incoming call feature. This lets your customers call you and talk as long as you both like, 24/7, for a basic monthly fee. I have the National Free Incoming 400 plan, which gives me unlimited Direct Connect, unlimited free incoming calls, free long distance, free roaming anywhere that Nextel has service, and 400 minutes of outgoing calls, for $60/month plus taxes.
Major disadvantage - Nextel is proprietary digital service, only. No roaming agreements with other providers, and no roaming into analog services. If Nextel doesn't cover the area, you have no phone. I spent a week in Hiawassee, Georgia this past summer with no service, and there is no service at my West Jefferson, NC, cabin. It's particularly bad in mountainous areas because digital doesn't bounce around like analog, and it would take a heap of towers to provide service. Also, in some rural states, there isn't much service outside of the cities and more than a few miles from the Interstates.
But in Florida, and many other areas, coverage is like a blanket. Many other digital services face the same coverage problem, but augment it with analog roaming -- which can be expensive.
