here's examples for everyone:

My House:

O2 on the N97: 1 bar / No signal of 2G
O2 on the BB 8900: 3-5 bars of 2G / 1-2 Bars of EDGE
O2 on the N900: 4-5 bars of 2G / 2 bars of 3G.

Voda on the N97: 2-3 bars of 2G / No 3G
Voda on the 8900: 4-5 bars of 2G
Voda on the N900: 5-6 bars of 3G

Summary:

N900 reception is as good as my blackberry if not better than the blackberry & SIGNIFICANTLY better than E71/N97/N97mini in my opinion. Also beats signal on my N95.