Using data while roaming on Three - Desire General

Not really a Desire specific question, but I'm on the cusp of switching from T-Mobile to Three because of the former's incredibly poor 3G coverage. I've got a Three PAYG sim and have been trying it in various areas over the last few days and have noticed that it sometimes roams to another network.
My searching suggests it does this when there's no 3G reception as Three don't have any 2G hardware of their own, which is fine, but I can't seem to find any answers as to whether it's safe to continue using data while roaming?
Will I be charged if I continue to use the data connection or is that all covered under Three's roaming agreements and will just come out of data allowance as normal?

I don't believe you will be charged for data roaming onto Orange.
That being said, 3 and T-Mobile are in the process of merging their 3G networks (note, *only* 3G) and Orange and T-Mobile are in the process of merging companies. Therefore, whichever way you go, you'll likely find you coverage is the same in the long term.
Regards,
Dave

3 UK
You don't get charged extra for data while roaming within the UK on 3. We have used several 3 sims for 18 months in Hero, HD and a Desire. I've also been using a T-Mo one in the Desire for the past 3 weeks and T-Mo is much better signal coverage than 3 on both 2 and 3 G.
Often on 3 downloads and updates over data just fail. Calls drop out a lot compared with T-Mo. I ended up setting the phone to use 2G only with the 3 sim just to stop calls dropping every time I got near to a 3G mast (as it tries to switch between 2 and 3 G). Also the battery life is much better with the T-Mo sim, presumably due to it not spending so much time and resource trying to find the native 3 signals.
I'm moving to T-Mo for all our phones, usefully they seem to have the best deals at the moment as well!

Thanks for the replies.
I do know that T-Mob and Orange are merging, and right now I'm on a very attractive £5/month deal that was one of their "don't leave us" deals. The thing is when I called to get my PAC code (and was offered the deal) my main reason for leaving was their crappy 3G. The woman on the other end assured me that on the 1st of April the networks would be merged and it would be as simple as the engineers flipping a switch. Being in the tech industry myself I was very sceptical at this claim but the £5/month offer was too good to pass up and I made sure there was no contract term.
Needless to say, the 1st of April came and went and the network didn't improve so I'm off. I'm only going to PAYG so I can return the moment they do finally sort their sh*t out. It won't be for £5/month but I can live with that.
Edit: No sooner than I post the above, this comes along: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/05/11/orange_tmobile_combined/
The first benefit customers will notice will come later this year when they will be able to roam on each other's networks at no extra cost.
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Of course "later this year" could well mean December. So do I hang on for this or jump ship and return later? Decisions, decisions.

Resurrecting the thread because I thought people might be interested...
I do a lot of Geocaching, which is why a good 3G network is important to me; so on Saturday I took my Desire with a PAYG Three SIM and my Touch HD with a T-Mobile SIM and went caching.
We went to two places where I knew the T-Mobile signal was patchy, and in both places I continued to get 3G on Three. The signal was weak, but it was enough to quickly load caches, whereas T-Mobile struggled along on 2G barely pulling any data at all. The final place we went to had full signal for both networks.
Of course that really doesn't make any sense considering Three and T-Mobile's 3G mast sharing agreement, but there it was. With the evidence in hand I've got my PAC code and am switching full-time to Three. I may return when they finally merge networks with Orange, but we'll see.

Related

How can I get internet speed 7.2Mb?

Is there any rom or program can make the internet speed on HTC DIMOND 7.2mb instead of 3.6mb?
Thanks very much.
you need a service provider that will provide 7.2mbps in your area (not many provide that atm in UK, but i know orange are expanding it up to 7.2 over the next year) either vodaphone uk or t-mobile uk do it, google it as it depends on your areas coverage.
JanDaMan said:
you need a service provider that will provide 7.2mbps in your area (not many provide that atm in UK, but i know orange are expanding it up to 7.2 over the next year) either vodaphone uk or t-mobile uk do it, google it as it depends on your areas coverage.
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Click to collapse
vodafone is already 7.2mbps and three are gonna do it before christmas if they cant they are definattely gonna do it on the first quarter of 2009
Unfortunately, saying that the diamond(or any device using the 3G network) is capable of 7.2mbps is not really correct. Sure, the device itself is very much capable of receiving data at these speeds but the latency in the network itself will never provide that speed, unless perhaps you're sitting three feet from a transmitter...
Basically, even though you're paying for "7.2mbps" you'll never see those speeds in real life...
Oh, and I don't really think that this question belongs in the "Diamond ROM development" section.
7.2 long long way away dude. i have tried vodafone 7.2 from many different locations and using a 7.2 mbps modem the best i have achived is maybe 3mbps but not a solid speed, avrage speed is about 1-2mbps, so 7.2bmps true speed will be achived when, the networks advertise 48Mbps lol.
anyway you dont need that speed on the phone, 1mb is enough mos of the times,
unless you want to stream HD media..
Guys...7.2 is obviously a "dream" for me...considering I'm still with the "E" = Edge under my local ISP DIGI MALAYSIA! Argh!!
and sometimes i can't get 90% of the EDGE speed too
Can i just add to this... MOST servers do not upload more than 1mb/sec.. so how do you expect to download @7.2mb... Not possible, until servers start to upload at those speed you are not going to be able to download @7.2......do you believe mobiles would be fast than a fixed line... Yrs from that happening I'm afraid...!
fyew-jit-tiv said:
Can i just add to this... MOST servers do not upload more than 1mb/sec.. so how do you expect to download @7.2mb... Not possible, until servers start to upload at those speed you are not going to be able to download @7.2......do you believe mobiles would be fast than a fixed line... Yrs from that happening I'm afraid...!
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mine is comparable with my broadband actually. obviously the rendering on my firefox is faster but the phone is not that far behind on less demanding web pages
I here provide the Tips & free software site http://www.vclcomponents.com/s/0__/need_for_speed_undercover_htc_diamond for increase the Internet speed of the HTC..Then check the speed of the Internet using the site http://www.ip-details.com/internet-speed-test/ in the Mobile Browser.
The only way you'll ever get 7.2mps is by sitting on the mast, at 3am with no one trying to use a mobile in the surrounding 25 mile radius.
Oh, and 3 are not going to have 7.2 before christmas. We've had them in at work today and they're having to talk nicely with T-Mobile so they can improve their network coverage. They have 3.6mps, quote 2.8mps as an average but they want to get away from "HSDPA" as they know it'll never work properly on their network.
... They did however quote by 2010, they should have 14.4mbps
... Now thats a pipe dream...
Alasio said:
The only way you'll ever get 7.2mps is by sitting on the mast, at 3am with no one trying to use a mobile in the surrounding 25 mile radius.
Oh, and 3 are not going to have 7.2 before christmas. We've had them in at work today and they're having to talk nicely with T-Mobile so they can improve their network coverage. They have 3.6mps, quote 2.8mps as an average but they want to get away from "HSDPA" as they know it'll never work properly on their network.
... They did however quote by 2010, they should have 14.4mbps
... Now thats a pipe dream...
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hi,
In Denmark, they already started with the 16 Mbit on 3 network, but as we all know, it is not practical. it is just teoritical.
lomo2002 said:
hi,
In Denmark, they already started with the 16 Mbit on 3 network, but as we all know, it is not practical. it is just teoritical.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You guys on the continent get the best... Higher speed home bband connections, the UK average being <8mps, there's more money pumped into the development of the mobile networks including city-wide WiFi and we just get screwed.
3 claimed today in their presentation to have 14.4mps under testing inside certain cells in the UK, but didn't seemingly know where. That coupled with the Virgin Media testing of their 200mps connection, well... Will wait to see...
The only "decent" connection in the UK (personal experience) is T-Mobile as their parent company have pumped the most money into cell development but still its completely lacking. Look at the current Orange & T-Mobile merger that's on / off... 3 in the UK have so little 3G coverage they have had to make a deal with T-Mobile so they can use their backbone and masts for transmitting their signal, else they're never going to get anywhere with signal coverage.
But either way, the lack of cells in the UK coupled with a poor backbone simply means that speeds are too unstable in the UK to ever get the full 7.2mps stable.
Actually the all the tier one UK networks (Vodafone, O2, Orange, T-Mobile) support 7.2 in various locations around the country - the issue we will always have is contention.
The certainly won't admit it but only the first 6 or 7 connections to a mast have any chance of reaching 7.2 - after that it drops off dramatically. When you get up to 30 then your down to GPRS speeds. As someone pointed out, the only way to reach anywhere close to the potential 7.2 is to sit under a mast a 3AM and hope that no one else in the vicinity is online too.
T-Mobile, Orange and 3 will always win out when it comes to contention as they run on an 1800 MHZ network as they came late to the game in the UK. 1800 has a shorter range and therefore T-Mobile put up many more masts to compensate - 3 for every one mast that Vodafone put up on the older 900MHZ network. The Vodafone network will punch out much further from the mast which works better in more isolated areas but in urban or densely populated areas, T-Mobile's 3 masts to Vodafone or O2's 1 mast will always give a better experience.
At the end of the day its swings and roundabouts and experiences are so localised that its not worth swapping networks to improve speed unless you intend to stay always in the same location and never go out the front door.
I've been using mobile data on all four networks all over the UK over the last few years and the only thing I can guarantee is that Orange (which has stupidly been my sole personal network provider for over 15 years) will always be the worst of the lot!!!
Their data network is honestly shocking and with all the outages I've experienced this year I would say that the network is really struggling - actually I think most of them are going that way - and it will be a relief if they do actually join forces with T-Mobile.
Anyway this rant has been building up for some time - anyone else experienced the networks performance getting worse this year particularly?
I blame all the new iPhone users myself!!! LOL
Alasio said:
... 3 in the UK have so little 3G coverage they have had to make a deal with T-Mobile so they can use their backbone and masts for transmitting their signal, else they're never going to get anywhere with signal coverage.
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Actually it was announced recently that 3 have the most comprehensive data coverage in the UK at the moment!
Yeah sorry, you'll probably never see 7.2Mb, just like you never get full internet speed it's always 'up to xxMb'
If you live near a mast then yeah signal should be good but probably 5-6Mb at most you would get. (If)
You can follow the tips in the site tips to speed up 7.2mb interent for increasing the speed of the Internet then you can check the Speed in the site http://www.ip-details.com/internet-speed-test/Internet Speed Testyou will know the Difference.
Your tips are useful...

Should I go for Verizon touch pro 2 or something else??

Hi
I'm new to the US, and I'm not familiar with the wireless companies system here..
I have some question:
1. Which service provider is better? I'll be living in Berkeley, CA?? I keep hearing that At&T has bad reception.. which one should I go for??
2. The 30$ data plan: all companies say that this plan is unlimited, but I keep reading (at least for Verizon) it's 5 GB/month.. is this true?? and are there any companies that offer real unlimited data plan...
Because I was thinking of using my phone as a modem for my PC, I don't want to pay more 30-40$ for DSL if I already have a true unlimited data plan
3. Roll over minutes: does this apply only to AT&t, or all carriers?
Thanks in advance guys
duke911 said:
Hi
I'm new to the US, and I'm not familiar with the wireless companies system here..
I have some question:
1. Which service provider is better? I'll be living in Berkeley, CA?? I keep hearing that At&T has bad reception.. which one should I go for??
2. The 30$ data plan: all companies say that this plan is unlimited, but I keep reading (at least for Verizon) it's 5 GB/month.. is this true?? and are there any companies that offer real unlimited data plan...
Because I was thinking of using my phone as a modem for my PC, I don't want to pay more 30-40$ for DSL if I already have a true unlimited data plan
3. Roll over minutes: does this apply only to AT&t, or all carriers?
Thanks in advance guys
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just left AT&T due to extremely poor customer service. AT&T is the only carrier that offers rollover minutes, but their 3G coverage is spotty, and when switching from 3G to Edge or vise versa, you will experience a lot of dropped calls. If you want to use your phone as a modem with AT&T you have to get a tethering plan which will run you $60/month. Verizon has a much larger 3G coverage area, and you don't have to worry about the network being burdened by iPhone users. Sprint has rolled out 4G coverage in some areas with plans to expand. Sprint has cheaper calling plans, but their subsidized phone prices are higher. All in all, do your research, and check online for reviews of coverage, network speed, and customer service.
1. reception obviously varies by location. VZW probably has the best claim to the best nationwide coverage--their business model has very much focused on network building, and up until very recently, their phone selection sucked because they didn't invest as much in securing great smartphones. Alternatively, ATT has focused investment heavily on having great phones, and haven't focused investment as much on building any of their networks.
That said, ATT has great phone reception in a lots of metropolitan areas. There might even be some areas where they have better coverage. And while their 3G data coverage isn't nearly as broad, where it exists, it has been tested as being the fastest (especially when you're not using an iPhone).
2. No, all wireless carriers have a cap of some kind. Further most will charge an extra $30ish a month on top of the $30ish a month for smartphone data for tethering (using your phone as a modem), and they'll still have a data cap.
3. I don't know VZW's plans.
ive been with ATT for YEARS and their costumer service can kiss my ass because i never use it. why? because they offer best reception where im at. why would i want to find out how good t-mobiles costumer service is? i just want a reliable network. all carriers have crappy prices and conditions here. just find the one that works for you and dont listen to what anyone else says. why would you care if verizon has 3g in montana and att doesnt if you live in LA?? its irrelevant. find the least crappy one for you and stick with it.
Do some research on the difference between CDMA and GSM networks. One may work better than another in certain situations.
T-Mobile has cheap rate plans and free tethering.
Sprint has a WiMax network rolling out, although all of the carriers are working on LTE or some other standard of 4G- Not really a concern at this point, since few phones support it.
Verizon has the best customer satisfaction ratings, but their phones are often locked down with software.
AT&T has a history of dropping calls, but has the fastest recorded data speeds.
No matter whom you may chose, you will end up disappointed over some facet or another. You will need to get DSL or some other form of land-based internet, unless you can keep yourself constrained to the 5GB data caps that ALL of the carriers have.
I guess I'm gonna go with verizon then..
I asked a Veizon representative today about the Touch Pro 2, and he said it's only CDMA ... although on their websitethey say it's GSM Quad Band!!! Is there anything that I'm missing?
Will I be able to use out side the US if travel home?
cheers
duke911 said:
I guess I'm gonna go with verizon then..
I asked a Veizon representative today about the Touch Pro 2, and he said it's only CDMA ... although on their websitethey say it's GSM Quad Band!!! Is there anything that I'm missing?
Will I be able to use out side the US if travel home?
cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, it's kind of misleading. The Verizon Touch Pro2 is actually a CDMA/GSM hybrid device, which works on Verizon's CDMA network or any GSM network. In theory, you should be able to use it on any GSM network in any country as long as you have a valid SIM card.
you cant trust advertising. it makes it appear that all options are shiney. verizon claims all of its wireless technologies as 3g no matter what they are, whether they have speeds slower than atts 2g or worse. the verizon touch pro will not actually work in the us or canada on gsm. you also need to pay for vodofone service separately to get international coverage. you can flash a radio that will let you use atts network but youll loose the cdma network verizon uses. sprints 4g network is not as promising as i hoped. its slower than atts 3g network and to use it you have to buy a $10 1-day pass that will let you use 4g in about 10 or so cities. its also not on any phones. in terms of data or unlimited plans, i would probably have to recommend t-mobile. even though i think they have the ugliest version of the touch pro 2. verizon does limit there unlimited plans to 4gb a month i think. and yes att is the only one with roll over. i never use my minutes so i up to about 10000 minutes rolled over. i will never be charged overage as long as i live.
I was with ATT when they were known as Cingular for three years. One day I got a call and they said I was using it off their network too much and I had to stop it or they would cancel me. Since I was not even living in their area, it was not going to happen.
So I signed up with Verizon, which did not even sell phones within a hundred miles of where I would be using it. That was in March of 2007. I went to Alaska for 16 months where it roamed constantly. Not a peep from Verizon about not being on their network. When going to a remote village for more than a month where no cell phone would work, I would just call them and they would suspend my phone for the time I was there. No bill at all and no charge for turning it off. So I have to say the customer support from Verizon is the best there is and ATT is the absolute worst.
texascbx said:
I was with ATT when they were known as Cingular for three years. One day I got a call and they said I was using it off their network too much and I had to stop it or they would cancel me. Since I was not even living in their area, it was not going to happen.
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they wouldnt say something like that. the entire gsm network is theirs.
btw att, verizon, and sprint all have horrible customer service. youre going to always loose with any provider.
The Jack of Clubs said:
they wouldnt say something like that. the entire gsm network is theirs.
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Last I checked, Tmobile's network isn't owned by ATT.
thanks a lot for your help guys, I really appreciae that.
I have one final question: Is there a way I can buy verizon touch pro 2 without a contract, and use it with verizon prepaid service (if that is possible in te first place)?
I'm new here and I don't have many people to speak with, and since I'm a student, I could use any some extra money
Cheers
duke911 said:
thanks a lot for your help guys, I really appreciae that. I have one final question: Is there a way I can buy verizon touch pro 2 without a contract, and use it with verizon prepaid service (if that is possible in te first place)? I'm new here and I don't have many people to speak with, and since I'm a student, I could use any some extra money
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I purchased my VZW off contract. Unsubsidized is probably about $500.
Different carriers have different rules for their prepaid services. With GSM carriers, TMo and ATT, it's easy to pop a prepaid sim into any phone. With CDMA (Sprint and VZW), I'm not sure. Best bet is to call and ask.
well i had sprint for ever...I switched to tmobile.. to get that tp2 free through wmdeals.com even though coverage sucks at my house im happy.. I have wifi for data when im home.. when i leave my home i have edge service everwhere.. til i start getting close to mesquite ( texas ) it goes to 3g.. but edge works great with opera mini.. and for updating certain things.. but so far tmobile rocks..
The Jack of Clubs said:
they wouldnt say something like that. the entire gsm network is theirs.
btw att, verizon, and sprint all have horrible customer service. youre going to always loose with any provider.
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Click to collapse
That's where you are wrong. They did cancel me and one of my brothers living in another town shortly after I got the call and letter. The explanation was they had contracts with other providers to cover you when your were roaming. And roaming was fine, as long as you did not do it too much. I roamed all the time, for about three years.
I called Verizon today, and the representative said that I can't use their prepaid service on a smart phone... although I'm not really sure about, as she sounded clueless, and I had to do lots of explanation until she got the basic idea..
anyway... I like really the verizon version of the Touch Pro 2..
If I go for month-to-month and get it for full retail (490$).. can I cancel with Verizon after that, and unlock my phone, then use it with some other network like T-mobile or At&T????
I never used CDMA before, and after reading some info, I think GSM is better for me, at least for now...
duke911 said:
I called Verizon today, and the representative said that I can't use their prepaid service on a smart phone... although I'm not really sure about, as she sounded clueless, and I had to do lots of explanation until she got the basic idea..
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You never know with reps. I seem to recall that VZW's prepaid might have some unlimited data intended for dumbphones, which of course they wouldn't want you to use with a smartphone.
There are MVNOs, like Page Plus, that use VZW's network, but have prepaid plans where they probably wouldn't be concerned about smartphone usage (pay per kb instead of unlimited).
If I go for month-to-month and get it for full retail (490$).. can I cancel with Verizon after that, and unlock my phone, then use it with some other network like T-mobile or At&T????
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Click to collapse
You can get it unlocked here and use it on ATT or TMo (minus 3g, 2g data still works), and as to whether you can cancel after the fact without penalty, it depends on exactly what you signed up for at VZW.
texascbx said:
That's where you are wrong. They did cancel me and one of my brothers living in another town shortly after I got the call and letter. The explanation was they had contracts with other providers to cover you when your were roaming. And roaming was fine, as long as you did not do it too much. I roamed all the time, for about three years.
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Click to collapse
fortunz said:
Last I checked, Tmobile's network isn't owned by ATT.
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well then double check because att hardware can not utilize tmobile 1700 band. if you in the country you are never going to use another carriers network. and roaming only applies to out of country. even if you stand anywhere on the canadian or mexican borders, you wont be charged roaming. the system isnt that fd up.
The Jack of Clubs said:
well then double check because att hardware can not utilize tmobile 1700 band. if you in the country you are never going to use another carriers network. and roaming only applies to out of country. even if you stand anywhere on the canadian or mexican borders, you wont be charged roaming. the system isnt that fd up.
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Well, that's not entirely true. AT&T devices can use T-Mobile's network, just not HSPA (3G), and vice versa. Before I got my 8925, my main phone was an old T-Mobile Blackberry 7200 which I unlocked to use on AT&T. It could make phone calls and browse at EDGE speeds just fine. The 3G bands are f*cked up internationally since they often differ by country and carrier, but the EDGE and basic GSM bands are pretty much compatible with any GSM phone (since most GSM phones are Tri-band or Quad-band capable).
In addition, it's perfectly possible to use another network in the same country. If a company like AT&T doesn't have infrastructure in a remote area and wants to add service there, they'll often strike a deal with a local carrier who does. It's usually a seamless transition for the user, and it doesn't generally cost the user a cent. Rather, AT&T is the one paying the local cellular operator for allowing the AT&T customers use the local carrier's network as opposed to the alternative of having no coverage in that area. AT&T got mad at texascbx because he was costing AT&T money by roaming on these local carriers, which AT&T had to pay.
Lastly, I know people who live near the borders and they always are careful to see which operator they are using. One of them lives near the Mexican border, and has to make sure he's on AT&T's network before he makes a call. If he doesn't check, he might be roaming on the TelMex network and will get billed outrageous fees for a simple call, even though he's in the US.
I was at the mall today, and I talked to a T-Mobile guy, and he said I can get the T-mobile version of touch pro 2 for full retail, and I can use it with their prepaid plan without any porblems.
Then I spoke with a Verizon representative, and he said that I can't do that on their network, however I can buy the device with out a contract and without any plan...
So my Final question (and I guess fortunz answered before,but I still feel like asking coz I don't want to through 500$ away)... If I get the Verizon Touch Pro 2, and get it unlocked here
http://rhodiumw.htc-unlocks.com/
or here
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=578642
will I be able to use it with any carrier?? prepaid or plan??
I don't really mind about the data, as I'll be using WiFi mainly
Thanks a lot

May make the switch from the Verizon S3 to T-Mobile S4

I have the S3 with Verizon but am thinking to maybe make the switch to the S4 on T-Mobile, and pay the Verizon etf (8 months into my contract)
While Verizon service has been excellent, the data costs have been getting a little to expensive for me, as sometimes I need to increase my data to 4 or 6gb from my normal of 2gb.
I was looking at the plans and I like getting unlimited everything for $50+$20=$70+$20 per month for 24 months for the S4, if I don't buy it outright.
Right now I'm paying approx. $125/mo. with 2GB data.
I'm also paying $35/mo. to Virgin for there bb2go Unlimited Data 4G Wimax service so I can tether my pc and S3.
Total cost comes to approx $160 now.
Compared to approx. $70 for Tmo service Unlimited.
Not sure of Tmo service in NYC and Florida.
I see that LTE will not fully be implemented until between the summer and the end of the year.
I don't want to get stuck with LTE promises like I did with Sprint LTE promises prior to switching to Verizon.
I'm in the middle of researching and wanted to get some real world feedback on Tmo service in the areas mentioned.
Also, before possibly porting to Tmo from Vz, I'd want to try out the service for the trial period, which means I'd need a new number, but if I liked Tmo, I would eventually want to port my present #. I gotta do some research on that one.
Bump.
Any feedback re NYC voice/data reception is appreciated.
There is Tmobile LTE in NYC, parts of it have yet to be turned on. And I keep reading more and more parts of Florida are seeing better data performance.
I'm in the same boat as you, thinking of leaving version for tmobile and Tmobile keeps looking promising from what I've been reading and seeing.
Sent from my DROID RAZR
I appreciate your feedback.
Thanks
The issue I have is that I don't want to fall into the same carrier promising bs of LTE like I did with sprint.
I'm not saying Tmo is like sprint re this.
I just don't know if the Tmo network is set up in a way that is vastly different than sprint, in that they'll be able to deliver the LTE network as promised.
With that being said, I'd settle for HSPA+ for now.
How is voice reception?
Update:
From my research thus far, it reappears that Tmo is not consistent.
With that being said, it is a shame that only the most expensive, monopolized carriers offer consistent services (Two Carriers to be specific, which is really pathetic)
I'll continue to research, because as long as I get consistent service both data and voice in the areas I'm mostly in, than I don't care about whether there is consistent service in the areas I'm not in.
I am pretty sure Tmobile's LTE rollout will be nothing like Sprint's. And even thought LTE isn't everywhere yet, Tmobile's hspa+ network still offers some pretty good data speeds
Sent from my DROID RAZR
I just switched from Verizon to Tmo for the same reasons (among others). I live in Atlanta and service has been great. I'm actually driving down to south Florida tomorrow, so we'll see how well service is down there. With that said, it's going to greatly vary on your location. I would check out their coverage map as it seems to give a pretty good indication on what to expect from what I've seen. Its not like Verizon's where they just say if you have 3g/4g or not. T-mobile's actually tells you the quality of the signal.
As far as the LTE, I wouldn't worry about it. Their HSPA+ "4G" network are pretty decent in my tests, with download speeds averaging around 5mb/s. A lot of times it's higher than that, but I've never seen anything lower than 1.5mb/s, and that's with 1 bar of service. Again, this will vary based on your exact location. I can't wait for LTE to launch, but until then, I'm content.
As far as wanting to port over your number after the fact, they can do it when you're ready. When I ordered mine online, I didn't do the port then as it could be ported in transit. After I got the phone, I called them up and they had to first activate the phone along with a new number. Once that was fully activated, they processed the port request and that was done within seconds.
@steveo11284
Thanks for that info.
Much appreciated
Regarding HSPA+, I'd be happy with those speeds until LTE comes online, as the S4 would be able to handle those bandwidths.
I didn't want to be in the same boat as when I had Sprint and the S3. The S3 was not backwards compatible with 4G Wimax, so if you were not in an LTE area, you were stuck with 3G. In addition, calls were dropping all day long. This was about 8 months ago, so maybe Sprint has their LTE available in more areas, although I was in a NYC sprint store 2 weeks ago, which had no LTE, and the S4 was connected to Wifi. The tech had no idea when lte would be available.
I mention Sprint because I don't want to be in the same boat if I port to T mobile. But it looks like Sprint and T mobile are comparing Apples & Pears, and I'll have a much better experience with T mobile re data, even though LTE is not available yet, HSPA+ is available in a majority of markets.
For clarification regarding delayed porting:
- I can try Tmo without porting, and just get issued a new number to try their service re coverage, data, dropped calls, etc.
- if Tmo doesn't work out, I can return the device within 14 days and pay a $50 return fee.
- if Tmo works out, I can ask Tmo to port over my Verizon number. If this is accurate, does Tmo just port over my existing Tmo number that I was given when I purchased Tmo service?
Obviously I would not port my Vz number to Tmo initially because I want to make sure I have acceptable service with Tmo before terminating the my Vz service and paying the etf, which would be $350 less $80
(8 mos. service) = $270
Yeah I wouldn't really compare Tmo to Sprint. I actually tried Sprint first and ended up returning everything a few days later. I've had 0 issues with Tmo though.
Your first 2 things regarding delayed porting are correct. I'm not sure I understand your last one though:
"If this is accurate, does Tmo just port over my existing Tmo number that I was given when I purchased Tmo service?"
Once you port over your number from Verizon, the number that Tmo gave you will get deactivated and will just go back into their pool of numbers to get used again by another customer in the future. Your account at Verizon will automatically be terminated and you'll receive a bill with your ETF on it.
For clarification, I meant that after using the number Tmo assigned me and I decided to keep Tmo service, Tmo would port my Vz number over, and my originally assigned Tmo number world drop off my account.
As you said, the answer is yes.
Thanks
I may just try out Tmo and see how it goes. If it doesn't work out, I'll lose $50, but if it does work out, I'll save mucho dinero on data costs.
When I worked at sprint in launch day in Dallas we thought it was going to have a good launch. Then to find out they put towers around Dallas not in the major parts. It was a horrible launch. I got tmobile before LTE was announced in Dallas. I just got LTE at my home near rockwall and im hitting 40Megs down and 15 up everytime. This is great because the only way to get Internet at my house is through a sloe satellite.
Sent from my SGH-M919 using xda premium
Sprint LTE roll out is the worst. T-Mobile was the last to roll out LTE and I get LTE now every where I go in California bay area (San Jose, Santa Clara, Cupertino, mountain view, Campbell, willow Glenn, Sunnyvale, even fremont and Hayward). I had sprint for 9 years and left them last year. They still haven't rolled out lte here. They were supposed to start March and should've had it up and running by now. My gf has s3 and she's still yet to see sprint lte anywhere.
Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
It does look like Tmo is on the ball, and getting to where they wanna be.
A while ago it wasn't like that and that's why I was hesitant.
But if it works for me, I can save approx. $50-60 per month, and have HSPA+ and eventually LTE, but I may get LTE now. I gotta give the S4 a test run.
As I said before, I'm paying on average $130-135 with Vz for 4GB average (varies between 2-4gb, and sometimes 6gb) with TEP + $35 for Virgin bb2go for unlimited Wimax data.
I see that Asurion insurance with Tmo is $11+ compared to Vz Asurion plan for $6.99.
But I just got an Asurion replacement that was borked outta the box, so I stuck with my cracked screen S3. Maybe I'll try Squaretrade.
Just got the T-Mobile M919 S4. I didn't port from Verizon yet as I'm taking the S4 for a trial run, and so far I'm very impressed although it's only been a couple of hours.
Obviously the S4 is a premium device and I'm very happy with the brightness and crispness of the display. But I digress, as this thread is about Tmo.
I have gotten 4G LTE in the locations where I have been so far, and have done side by side speedtests with the S3 on Verizon, and so far the S4 has achieved equal and/or higher speeds in the 3 speedtests.
The dl/ul speeds have been:
Tmo - 16/10, 9/7, 14/8
Vz- 9/13, 5/8, 7/12
I know I'm comparing an S4 to an S3, and don't know if that makes a big difference regarding the speedtests. I was comparing the LTE networks
The speeds are not earth shattering, but what I am happy most about is that I'm getting nice 4G LTE speeds with Tmo, and it's Unlimited for $20/mo.
If things go nicely for the next few days, I'll port over from Verizon and save some nice money monthly, and have Unlimited LTE with speeds that will suffice for my needs. I'll be a very happy camper. I'll also save money by not having to pay Virgin for their Wimax Broadband2go service.
The ironic thing is that across the street from Tmo is Sprint, and their in store S4 is working off their in house wifi network, as LTE is not available yet.
For now, I'm paying the $7.49/mo for the insurance with $175 deductible.
I may switch to Square Trade if I keep the S4, but I'll decide later on.
I'm gonna Root and see how things go.
Update:
Ooops
LTE went bye-bye......
I just have the 4G icon in the tray which must be the HSPA+.
The speeds (cough, cough,) are dl/u:
.79Mbps/.04
2.53/.56
And LTE just came back up
While it appears LTE is inconsistent so far, it is up and running, and this in it of itself won't be a negative in whether I port or not.
Afterall, I think the NYC LTE switch was just turned on recently.
Nyc Tmobile. One bar of LTE. Pic below.
Just hit 17.88Mbps/10.30.....dl/ul
I'll know more this week regarding voice/data/reception/coverage capabilities.
criticalchild said:
Nyc Tmobile. One bar of LTE. Pic below.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If that is only 1 bar of LTE, I can't wait to see those data speeds with more bars
Sent from my DROID RAZR
I was sitting at an intersection this morning near the airport in Palm Beach FL and noticed my phone said 4G LTE.... I did a speed test and WOW. 33mbs down and 17 up! I never got that with Verizon, even before it got congested. Things are looking good!
Sent from my SGH-M919 using xda premium
Good to hear that about the PBI vicinity
As you can see, things are also looking good in NYC so far.
Considering the 'switches' are just being turned on, and the build out is continuing, I'm impressed with what I've experienced in the past day. Hopefully things will continue to look good and I'll port from Vz in a few days.
Biker1 said:
Good to hear that about the PBI vicinity
As you can see, things are also looking good in NYC so far.
Considering the 'switches' are just being turned on, and the build out is continuing, I'm impressed with what I've experienced in the past day. Hopefully things will continue to look good and I'll port from Vz in a few days.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I saw the same when they were rolling out lte in my area and it didn't take long before it was completely on. I would say less than a month.
Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

Mi max 3 losing LTE on tmobile

I've been using the mi max 3 on tmobile since the beginning of September. Have loved it, big screen, huge battery, good camera. But in the past week I've noticed at work my LTE randomly dropping while at work. I've been using it with strong signal just fine up to this point but now while in my pocket the LTE dies and I'm on what seem to be edge speeds.
I factory reset the phone, and within a day the problem reappeared with only a half dozen apps installed. I was able to restore LTE intermittently by toggling airplane mode on for a half minute then off, but now even this doesn't work. I know there's band 4 coverage where I work. Does anyone have any troubleshooting ideas?
dcamel said:
I've been using the mi max 3 on tmobile since the beginning of September. Have loved it, big screen, huge battery, good camera. But in the past week I've noticed at work my LTE randomly dropping while at work. I've been using it with strong signal just fine up to this point but now while in my pocket the LTE dies and I'm on what seem to be edge speeds.
I factory reset the phone, and within a day the problem reappeared with only a half dozen apps installed. I was able to restore LTE intermittently by toggling airplane mode on for a half minute then off, but now even this doesn't work. I know there's band 4 coverage where I work. Does anyone have any troubleshooting ideas?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you have Prefer LTE selected on your Preferred Network Type in your sim settings for your current sim?
I do. I've tried swapping from the default apn (the one displayed in one of the accompanying pictures) to another and back, which also sometimes fixes the issue. Finally I've tried deselecting select networks automatically which makes it reaqcuire LTE randomly. However all of these fixes fail to provide reliable results, and often I find when I take my phone out on a break after it being in my pocket for awhile I'm looking at no LTE.
Edit: I've tried the one more straightforward fix by switching from sim slot 2 (with an SD card in the hybrid slot 1) to no SD card with the sim in slot 1. I can't see this being relevant but grasping at straws to keep from going back to my mi mix. Love that phone and all but this battery is too good to pass up if I can help it.
dcamel said:
I do. I've tried swapping from the default apn (the one displayed in one of the accompanying pictures) to another and back, which also sometimes fixes the issue. Finally I've tried deselecting select networks automatically which makes it reaqcuire LTE randomly. However all of these fixes fail to provide reliable results, and often I find when I take my phone out on a break after it being in my pocket for awhile I'm looking at no LTE.
Edit: I've tried the one more straightforward fix by switching from sim slot 2 (with an SD card in the hybrid slot 1) to no SD card with the sim in slot 1. I can't see this being relevant but grasping at straws to keep from going back to my mi mix. Love that phone and all but this battery is too good to pass up if I can help it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try enabling volte. Not sure if it might help, but try anyway. Dial *#*#86583#*#* in your dialer.
Also already enabled. I'm not sure if it's because I have the Chinese rom but it displays as "HD" above the cellular bars, rather than volte, even though my mix on miui 10 just displays volte.
Try checking cellmaper ( https://www.cellmapper.net/Index ) to see if the T Mobile tower near your office has been moved. It's very common for the big carriers to rent space on suitable structures for their equipment rather than owning the towers outright. When leasing arrangements are up for renewal, a carrier may choose to move to a competing tower owner. That happened to me on AT&T. They had equipment on one tower to serve 2 small communities and chose to relocate farther away from both communities. There was no notice, just a very weak or non-existent cell signal. Customer service seemed to take a back seat to reducing costs, even though those costs were a valid business expense and tax deductible. US businesses just don't see value in customer goodwill in this era of courts only protecting stockholders.
Try checking cellmaper ( https://www.cellmapper.net/Index ) to see if the T Mobile tower near your office has been moved. It's very common for the big carriers to rent space on suitable structures for their equipment rather than owning the towers outright. When leasing arrangements are up for renewal, a carrier may choose to move to a competing tower owner. That happened to me on AT&T. They had equipment on one tower to serve 2 small communities and chose to relocate farther away from both communities. There was no notice, just a very weak or non-existent cell signal. Customer service seemed to take a back seat to reducing costs, even though those costs were a valid business expense and tax deductible. US businesses just don't see value in customer goodwill in this era of courts only protecting stockholders.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I suppose this is an outcome I might have to accept. It's frustrating, because I went around with my prior phone double checking what the dominant LTE band in use was in my area, but there's little to be done for it. I wish the US had better selections for domestic offerings.

Question T-Mobile SIM and US mobile eSIM working together on Z fold 4 ?

Time to step up my game...
I am on a USA T-Mobile plan for many years and over all quite happy with their coverage. However, it is from time to time I travel in places they have spotty to non-existent service... Since now I finally have an android phone with eSIM, I started doing some reading and came across US Mobile. They are a MVNO company who offer a connection to wither T-Mobile or Verizon. I will spare everyone the 35 minutes chat I had with them about everything they offer, all I can say it looks like it should work simultaneously on the Z Fold 4 so the phone really scans and connect to both networks..
Assuming this is true I still have tons of questions but let's start with two:
1. How do I assign data to run on T-Mobile and not Verizon? I plan on having Verizon limited to 5GByte, and T-Mobile is unlimited. Can I switch data manually between the networks? Is there a way it will be switched to Verizon only with no signal on T-Mobile?
2. Is there any 'double network' symbols in the task bar? Can I see which network is stronger?
Will appriciate anyone with some experience. Our APPLE estrange brothers and sisters have far more experience in the USA with eSIM and SIM + eSIM but for me, as a long time Android user - zero experience. I plan to try the free 10 days by US mobile in a week, when traveling to an area I had spotty connectivity with T-Mobile before.. Will update when I am back, but in the meantime, does anyone have experience with it? Any non US person that tried it ?
1- Yes, in connection manager you can assign a connection that provides data including hotspot data.
2- Yes you will see two sets of signal bars side by side. Personally I prefer the split bars on Apple but understandably they came up with this due to limited space from the notch.
Finally got my dang phone esim added to Verizon... As someone who called Verizon 15 times, I will tell you this... Don't waste your time with speaking with anyone but Tier 2 Technical Support.... As soon as I finally got transferred to that group it took 5 minutes... smh

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