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Alright. So I've searched the forum with no luck, so I'm asking (if I've missed something, please point me to the right thread and quickly close this one).
I currently have the Galaxy S 4G (t-mobile) and am having second thoughts about my carrier. I found out that I had a discount with Verizon through my job, but even still the plans are ridiculously priced (in a bad way). Since I was exploring an alternative I figured I would check out Sprint. Not only was I impressed by the plan prices, I was very impressed by the Epic 4G Touch (and the Nexus S 4g also). This has me thinking about switching to Sprint.
Now, I live in the Piedmont region of North Carolina. My biggest concern is that I may lose a tremendous amount in coverage and quality of signal. Has anyone here switched from t-mobile to Sprint? And if so, how was your experience? (All of you please chime in, but especially if you live in Norf Cack).
I live in Virginia and I frequently travel to Atlanta and New Orleans. Sprint is ok, but I want to switch to a GSM carrier. My main issue with Sprint is the already installed 3G network. It's the worst of all of the 3G networks and they claim to improve the network in the near future(network.sprint.com). I have been waiting since the EVO for an improvement and everything is the same. The best Sprint phone radio wise is the Photon. The E4GT and the Nexus S 4G has bad radios and I have tested all three. I currently own the E4GT and it's the best looking phone by far, but I recommend sticking with Tmo or jumping to big blue and getting a phone from Craigslist if you want a new one.
knightowl23 said:
I live in Virginia and I frequently travel to Atlanta and New Orleans. Sprint is ok, but I want to switch to a GSM carrier. My main issue with Sprint is the already installed 3G network. It's the worst of all of the 3G networks and they claim to improve the network in the near future(network.sprint.com). I have been waiting since the EVO for an improvement and everything is the same. The best Sprint phone radio wise is the Photon. The E4GT and the Nexus S 4G has bad radios and I have tested all three. I currently own the E4GT and it's the best looking phone by far, but I recommend sticking with Tmo or jumping to big blue and getting a phone from Craigslist if you want a new one.
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One thing everyone must keep in mind is Sprint-Verizon and Att-Tmobile have roaming agreements with each others; if you have a Sprint phone make sure you place it on Automatic and update the PRL, this will resolve your issue, if you can get excellent Verizon signal, your Sprint phone will work; this is something each carrier do not promote to us.
Most carriers (except for verizon) have slow data (Sprint) or spotty coverage (AT&T/T-Mobile). Sprints phones are great if youre in a WiFi area you can make calls and get internet with good speeds.
I recently switch from T-Mobile to Sprint. I used to have the Samsung Vibrant and own the Epic 4G Touch now. So as a previous T-mobile customer and current Sprint customer, I will give you my .02 cents.
I've had Sprint for about a week now, and to be honest, I love it. I wasn't too sure about making the switch, mainly because my friends had sprint phones and my T-mobile Vibrant on 3g averaged around 3mbps download speeds while my friends Epic 4G averages 1.5mbps download speeds on 4G. So thats twice the speed on T-Mobiles 3G, but after playing the the Epic 4G touch, you really can't tell much of a difference. 3G, even though slow than t-mo's 3G, seemed to load up just as quickly, and 4G, even though slow too, actually seemed to load up pages faster. Even when streaming music on Google Music, the 4G connection on my Epic 4G touch loaded up the music faster. Another thing I enjoy about Sprint is that they don't throttle your speed. Last month I went over 5GB on data on T-Mobile and got throttled. First time ever i got throttled. You read about it all the time, but actually experiencing it is a different story. It sucked. One thing i did notice, 4G for Sprint is spotty. I do get it in my house and at my job, but while driving around I seem to lose connection randomly. Another thing is you can't talk and use data at the same time, but I don't really do that.
Another major influence on my switching to Sprint, is T-mobiles murky future. The At&t acquisition wasn't my favorite thing to happen, but it doesn't seem like it'll go through. DT didn't really have a plan B for T-Mobile USA, in fact they aren't really interested in a US market anymore. One possibility for T-mobile was partnering up with cable companies but Verizon's deal with comcast, time warner and brighthouse basically blocked T-mobile from going that route, so T-mobile will probably not have much of a future left in the states.
Like you I was also looking to switch to Verizon, but as you said, prices are ridiculous. It would've been fine for me for one line, but I have a family plan and that just adds up more costs.
So far i'm happy with Sprint. Plus they have 4G LTE planned for the future, so might as well lock yourself in on their unlimited plan before they start follow Verizon and At&t and tier their data.
dallas90733 said:
One thing everyone must keep in mind is Sprint-Verizon and Att-Tmobile have roaming agreements with each others; if you have a Sprint phone make sure you place it on Automatic and update the PRL, this will resolve your issue, if you can get excellent Verizon signal, your Sprint phone will work; this is something each carrier do not promote to us.
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I have the roaming setting on automatic and I have talked to Sprint about updating the PRL, but i don't have call issues like I have data issues. I don't talk on the phone that much, but I can make calls. The data is what I was referring too, which happens to be subpar.
I also switched to Sprint from T-Mobile. I'm in southern Texas (Corpus Christi) and I've had zero problems with Sprint. My loaner Evo 4G was great, good 4G coverage around here although the Evo's battery couldn't really handle that; my minimal contact with customer service has been mostly positive. There's nothing fantastic about it (except my amazing phone), but I can't think of any real negatives so far, either. I'm about three or four months in.
I also switched from T-MO to Sprint. I'm in Nashville, Tn. Got the Epic Touch 4G. No complaints so far. Speeds seem pretty decent. My bill is even cheaper with 2 phones than it was on T-Mo.... So far, everything has been flawless.
I just went over 5Gb for the first time. Received the message earlier today. Speed dropped from 7Mb to 56kb.
So I'm looking to switch to sprint too now. Are they still offering any incentives?
very tempted to make switch as well, using a nexus s on a local carrier only paying $56 month to month. Nice thing & bad thing is I can switch phones at anytime. Unlimited data/texting only $14.99, speeds vary anywhere from 1.2mbps to 6 or so. Becoming tired of switching phones every other month, really havent found something that I like.
Sprint receive a discount of 25%, leaning towards the iphone 4s. Android and rooting is just getting old to me. Sprint bill comes out to roughly $62 plus tax. Sprint in the area is pretty solid as well, but there 3g speeds could be a deal breaker.
MerkSession said:
I just went over 5Gb for the first time. Received the message earlier today. Speed dropped from 7Mb to 56kb.
So I'm looking to switch to sprint too now. Are they still offering any incentives?
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Damn, that is a major drop after going over the cap. Check out how Sprint service is before changing though. Many people get no 4g at all. I do and its great but many have never even had a chance to use it
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I'm one of those Sprint users that's never used 4G. But with the E4GT and Sprint's low prices & unlimited data, the supposed slower data speeds are totally worth it.
JohnCorleone said:
Damn, that is a major drop after going over the cap. Check out how Sprint service is before changing though. Many people get no 4g at all. I do and its great but many have never even had a chance to use it
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium
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E4GT'n & lovin' it
I've been with T-Mobile, at&t, and now I'm with Sprint. I didn't have a data plan on T-Mobile so I won't compare that to Sprints. As far as phone signals and dropped calls I say they're pretty much the same depending on where you live. I just happen to live in a city that's good with T-Mobile and Sprint so I've never had a drop call yet. I get more lost of signal on my Epic 4G Touch (Sprint) but I know that's a popular bug with the Epic Touch so I can't really say how much of the LOS is the fault of Sprints network.
If you want unlimited data go to Sprint. That's true unlimited. No slowing down after 2GB like T-Mobile. But take into consideration you may not get 4G Wi-Max where you live or work. I'm lucky to happen to get it at home and my job.
The only thing I like about T-Mobile over other carriers is they have month to month option. On a major carrier I think that's big. I have no interest going to a carrier made for month to month like boost mobile or virgin mobile. Why? I don't know how good the networks will be. How signal will be. How fast or slow their data speeds are. And they don't have any phones I like.
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nibrwr said:
I'm one of those Sprint users that's never used 4G. But with the E4GT and Sprint's low prices & unlimited data, the supposed slower data speeds are totally worth it.
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I hear all the time that people have issues with Sprints 3G data speed being super duper slow. The 3G is pretty good on my Epic 4G Touch. It's not slow by any means at all. But 4G & Wi-Fi definitely blows 3G out the water.
It definitely depends where you live. I started with Sprint about 15 months ago on launch day of OG Epic. I had 4g since day 1. I have never had a dropped call and I have full bar service with 8-13Mbps download speeds
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JohnCorleone said:
It definitely depends where you live. I started with Sprint about 15 months ago on launch day of OG Epic. I had 4g since day 1. I have never had a dropped call and I have full bar service with 8-13Mbps download speeds
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What phone do you have right now?
I've used them all and I say sprint... But I'm a cheap date...
I had sprint for a few years in college and never had an issue, I'll probably test out my friends iphone 4s to see how it is with sprint. The extra $10 a month for an iphone maybe worth it to me. Although I've been android for the last 3 years, will wait a few months (hopefully) to see what sprints rolls out with the LTE phones, and how the ICS shapes up on nexus s.
I live in LA before coming to sprint I was on tmobile 3g was always fast on my Nexus One every where I was i never worry about coverage. I decided switch carriers for numbers of reasons 1 being that At&t might buy them another was didn't like being throttled after 2gb. sprints plans look better in my opinion but after getting the nexus s 4g wow there is no comparison whatsoever with the epic touch. on the nexus s 4g reception was so bad even wifi wouldn't connect even while standing in front of my router. now when I switched to the Epic touch 4g wifi was good even at the lowest connection 3g is like dial up in my house and 4g is non existing but everywhere else 4g is good 8-13mbps at home is not a bigger deal for me since I have broadband anyway I'm sticking with sprint hoping LTE upgrade is better than wimax.
With all the hubbub surrounding the Clearwire Wimax deal that was signed for the next few years, and the looming launch of LTE (mid-2012?), is it really foolish to sign a new contract and get a Wimax device?
All of the LTE devices I've seen on VZW/AT&T have atrocious battery life at the expense of crazy speeds (20Mbps+). A few coworkers got the Droid Bionic and barely make it to the end of the work day. Old college roommate works for AT&T and he says most of their LTE stuff needs extended batteries in order to be usable for a whole day.
Frankly I can live with Wimax's 3-5Mbps if it means I don't have to keep hovering around a charger all day. The Epic 4G Touch is so very tempting but I'm afraid I'm committing to "old" tech and that in 12 months I'll have regretted it.
(current VZW customer off-contract with an OG Droid)
dparm said:
With all the hubbub surrounding the Clearwire Wimax deal that was signed for the next few years, and the looming launch of LTE (mid-2012?), is it really foolish to sign a new contract and get a Wimax device?
All of the LTE devices I've seen on VZW/AT&T have atrocious battery life at the expense of crazy speeds (20Mbps+). A few coworkers got the Droid Bionic and barely make it to the end of the work day. Old college roommate works for AT&T and he says most of their LTE stuff needs extended batteries in order to be usable for a whole day.
Frankly I can live with Wimax's 3-5Mbps if it means I don't have to keep hovering around a charger all day. The Epic 4G Touch is so very tempting but I'm afraid I'm committing to "old" tech and that in 12 months I'll have regretted it.
(current VZW customer off-contract with an OG Droid)
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First and foremost the spectrum allocated to Sprint's WiMax sucks. It's a razor thin chunk. That is why Sprint's 4G sucks...LTE isn't inherently better in this regard. If LTE was on the same crappy spectrum it would suck too.
When you can connect to WiMax it's fantastic. I used to get 12-15mbps all day long in my area. Now it's in the 3-8mbps range depending on time of day.
That razor thin strip of spectrum allocated to Sprint/Clearwire's "4G" WiMax makes your connection easily disrupted by such disturbances as a closed window or a stiff breeze...seriously. If you aren't in a very solid 4G area (don't ask Sprint or Clearwire, ask people who have the service in your area) I wouldn't bank on getting a 4G signal very often, if at all. When a rom comes out that doesn't support 4G I don't care at all...yeah, it can be that bad.
With that out of the way it should be noted that you likely won't have Sprint LTE coverage in your area for at least a year, likely 2, maybe 3 or 4. Sprint has some rosy estimates flying around right now, but, I remember how their 3G and 4G rollouts went, so, I wouldn't take their word with a grain of salt...I would outright disregard it.
So where does this leave you? Most likely in an area with sparse (if any) 4G and LTE anywhere from 1.5-3 years away and you want a phone now.
Luckily Sprint's 3G service is improving quickly around the country--quicker in some places than others of course. Also the level of improvement will vary wildly depending on many factors, so, don't even bet on the future...especially when it's in Sprint's hands.
My advice? If you want to be/stay on Sprint and are currently satisfied with your service and would also like the ET4G, well, just go get it. By time your contract is up the LTE devices will actually exist and the LTE will be rolled out and WiMax will still be up and running and hopefully the 3G network is up to snuff.
EDIT: As a current Vzw customer you will likely be either disappointed or even horrified by Sprint's current 3G speeds. Ask around, some markets/areas have amazing performance. Where I live is so-so. I'm now getting 600-1000kbps regularly, though last month it was 300-500kbps. However 5 miles away at my friends house I actually saw 2.8mbps and killer 15mbps 4G all the time. Many people here are nowhere near as lucky as either me or my friend, so, ask around....you can never tell.
I'm in downtown Chicago, so I'm sure that it'll be a high priority area for deployment.
My job is 100% travel though, so for a few months at a time I could be anywhere else in the US (Mon-Fri). Typically it's big cities though, like Houston, NYC, Miami, Denver, etc. I just want something fast but consistent. Voice quality/coverage is priority 1, then battery, then data speeds.
I visited two Sprint stores in different parts of the city this week and the web browsing on their 4G seemed plenty fast.
dparm said:
I'm in downtown Chicago, so I'm sure that it'll be a high priority area for deployment.
My job is 100% travel though, so for a few months at a time I could be anywhere else in the US (Mon-Fri). Typically it's big cities though, like Houston, NYC, Miami, Denver, etc. I just want something fast but consistent. Voice quality/coverage is priority 1, then battery, then data speeds.
I visited two Sprint stores in different parts of the city this week and the web browsing on their 4G seemed plenty fast.
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I travel for work sometimes. Chicago is covered in 4G as are most major metropolitan areas.
So far as voice/text ("2G") is concerned you will be well served everywhere. Sprint has pretty thorough 2G coverage and you will roam on Verizon if not. You get "Unlimited" Roaming. If you roam too much they'll give you the boot. I wouldn't worry about it.
So long as you understand all said about 4G and are fine with that 3G is the only real sticking point and is as I described earlier. You will roam on Verizon (at 1x, ick...but we have ways around that if you are forced to roam momentarily), but, it's usually not Sprint's coverage so much as the performance. I personally have never experienced horribly un-usable 3G anywhere...even tethered to my laptop. But I haven't gone on any business trips in the past 9 months when things have gone downhill rapidly--or so the posts here would have me believe.
I'd say buy a VZW phone outright and stay out of contract. Their speeds will be faster as well as the reliability. If this were my only phone I would've dove headfirst off a bunk bed.
I have a company Blackberry on AT&T and a regular feature phone on AT&T so I'm covered service wise. To give you an idea AT&T's HSDPA (3.5G) technology is faster than Sprint's faux 4G.
I love this phone but something needs to happen soon or people are going to leave in droves. The phone is awesome but the service is something to be desired.
I'm in Northern NJ by the way.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using XDA App
Lately the Verizon 3G coverage in downtown Chicago and the burbs have been sucking. I have updated my PRL several times and even flashed a different ROM just to be certain.
I get 4g in plenty of places. (I live in the bay area). Sprint just gave clear some money so I'm still good with buying my next wimax phone. From what I see and hear, lte isn't better than wimax just yet. Fastest speed I've seen is on hspa+ 22mbps.
I think its a waste if you live in an area like I do that doesn't have Wimax and never will.
I am coming from Verizon and the Thunderbolt and until phones get better battery's lte is not worth it unless you want 8 to 12 hours of battery depending on your usage(on my wifi and 4g and 3g service with sprint after 16hours of usage moderate I have 33% life left) In a few years when sprint gets lte maybe batterys will be caught up. Or if sprint doesnt ill switch to at&t or Verizon again. But I am happy with sprint. And I love this phone
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I have known since the beginning of the year when the Galaxy S II became available internationally that that was the phone I wanted to upgrade to. The decider for me to go for the Epic Touch 4G variant on Sprint was the truly unlimited data. I was off contract on AT&T, and even though I was fortunate enough to actually get very good service in my area on AT&T, I liked the idea of never having to worry about my data usage, no matter how I might choose to use my phone.
I don't generally get as good data coverage on Sprint as I did on AT&T, but when I do have service it is generally faster than what I got on AT&T, most especially on 4G. And when it does lose Sprint coverage, it roams on Verizon towers, so I really am never completely without service.
And the phone itself is great. No regrets there.
Thanks. Like I said, Verizon's coverage down here lately seems really lousy. The data speed is "acceptable". My OG Droid is still hanging on by a thread and I am still on an unlimited data plan, though I rarely go over 2-3GB per month.
I'm having trouble finding Chicago Sprint owners to comment on coverage and data speeds, though. Only one or two friends of mine have it and they're not really geeky enough to know what I'm interested in...they see a phone as a phone.
dparm said:
Thanks. Like I said, Verizon's coverage down here lately seems really lousy. The data speed is "acceptable". My OG Droid is still hanging on by a thread and I am still on an unlimited data plan, though I rarely go over 2-3GB per month.
I'm having trouble finding Chicago Sprint owners to comment on coverage and data speeds, though. Only one or two friends of mine have it and they're not really geeky enough to know what I'm interested in...they see a phone as a phone.
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You definitely needs to find someone. You do have a buyer's remorse period you could use.
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CODteabagger said:
You definitely needs to find someone. You do have a buyer's remorse period you could use.
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Yes, the 30 day return period is nice. Would give me a shot at really test driving the thing.
Any suggestions on how to get some real details on Chicago Wimax and voice?
wimax will be around thru 2015 at the least... buying a wimax device now wouldnt be the end of the world.
also.. the first sprint lte devices wont get super awesome. and we wont be seeing the good lte chips(the ones that work on multiple bands) until 2013(sprints 2nd lte gen).
Upgrading to a Wimax phone this year seems fine. And you can enjoy the unlimited data. It will set you up to upgrade in 2013, when new phones will be ready to utilize Sprint's LTE (800MHz/1.9GHz) and Clear's LTE-Advanced (2.5GHz).
dparm said:
Yes, the 30 day return period is nice. Would give me a shot at really test driving the thing.
Any suggestions on how to get some real details on Chicago Wimax and voice?
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It's 14 days now.
daneurysm said:
It's 14 days now.
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Ooo that sucks. It'll probably get ****ty 3G speeds on the 15th day.
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CODteabagger said:
I'd say buy a VZW phone outright and stay out of contract. Their speeds will be faster as well as the reliability. If this were my only phone I would've dove headfirst off a bunk bed.
I have a company Blackberry on AT&T and a regular feature phone on AT&T so I'm covered service wise. To give you an idea AT&T's HSDPA (3.5G) technology is faster than Sprint's faux 4G.
I love this phone but something needs to happen soon or people are going to leave in droves. The phone is awesome but the service is something to be desired.
I'm in Northern NJ by the way.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using XDA App
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Yea Im gonna have to disagree here, one of my customer just bought a skyrocket from att and my touch destroyed his phones speeds while he was on the socalled 4gLTE hspa+ network and I was only in a 3g area (all of san diego county) there is nothing faux bout WiMax, it is all a money issue when it comes down to it.
Yes I am anxious for LTE-A as well as more power efficient radios. I remember when the first "3G" stuff came out years ago (HSDPA or whatever)...the battery life sucked but within a year or two they got it worked out.
daneurysm said:
...Sprint's 4G sucks... When a rom comes out that doesn't support 4G I don't care at all...yeah, it can be that bad.
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Yeah, it's not anything to write home about.
But I mostly use wifi at home and work so I'm not too put out by the slow speeds.
It is good enough to have a halfway decent skype session, youtube, etc...
I was hoping to get some gaming action though.
That ain't happening unless it's on wifi, at least in my area.
Ive been with Sprint for a year, and Ive been putting up with there slow network for a couple of months. Im trying to give Sprint a fair chance to launch LTE in my area( there suppose to start network vision this month) before I start making a decision. I have no prblem buying my device outright so Tmobiles value plan woould save me some money (no i dont want the galaxy nexus, its already last year tech and i would like to see what happens for the holiday season or how the beastly the next nexus is) and i had them before so I know how the service is in my area. My question is if some of you had a chance to switch to tmobile (or some other carrier) rite now or by the end of your contract would you switch.
Sprints in a much better position than tmobile in terms of spectrum and network upgrades. In a year or so sprint will be up there on par with Verizon. If you're in an LTE area, you have unlimited and lte.
Tmobile is good in major cities in terms of data speeds, but I think their building penetration and voice over gsm technology aren't too good. Sprint can roam on Verizon so in theory you have so much coverage.
Tmobile has unlimted data and Tmobiles future position will allow them to roam with at&t 3G/3.75G network and use unlocked devices in there network natively (since the pcs 1900 DC-HSPA+ refarm) and on top of that since their using aws for LTE they can roam on Verizons and at&t future LTE network. So, Tmobile is looking good as well, plus they could always sign with clearwire for extra bandwidth.
Master_sk3 said:
Tmobile has unlimted data and Tmobiles future position will allow them to roam with at&t 3G/3.75G network and use unlocked devices in there network natively (since the pcs 1900 DC-HSPA+ refarm) and on top of that since their using aws for LTE they can roam on Verizons and at&t future LTE network. So, Tmobile is looking good as well, plus they could always sign with clearwire for extra bandwidth.
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I doubt Verizon and att will allow that lol
Sent from my iPride 6g
They will cause the FCC is suppose to put that clause in the deal to allow Tmobile and Verizon sell/swap spectrum around.
Bump. Anybody else have thoughts?
Very tempted. 7 years with Sprint but the prospect of International unlocked phones unlimited data and no contract is attractive.
let's face it sprints data speeds suck. I've been on LTE since it went live and the coverage is too spotty to be effective. Ends up being just a faster mostly 3G experience with frequent loss of connection due to constant 1x, 3G, LTE handoff.
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I switched to T-Mobile for six months last year but I couldn't stand it. I could only get a decent signal if I was outside or near a large window. I came back to Sprint and would rather deal with "slow" speeds than have faster speeds that are severely limited by location.
I'm in the St. Louis area but if T-Mo has great coverage where you are and you can't wait for Sprint's network then you should choose maroon.
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How's TMO in Atlanta?
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washjayb said:
Very tempted. 7 years with Sprint but the prospect of International unlocked phones unlimited data and no contract is attractive.
let's face it sprints data speeds suck. I've been on LTE since it went live and the coverage is too spotty to be effective. Ends up being just a faster mostly 3G experience with frequent loss of connection due to constant 1x, 3G, LTE handoff.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda premium
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Sprint is still working in Atlanta. You'll have LTE everywhere you get 3g when it's finished. Sprint also has HD voice, which is where gsm is lacking.
LTE will have a crystal clear voice with VoLTE and IMS plus I dont care about voice quality cause i mostly text or dont use minutes at all. I mostly use data only anway.
Ascertion said:
Sprint is still working in Atlanta. You'll have LTE everywhere you get 3g when it's finished. Sprint also has HD voice, which is where gsm is lacking.
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well in overall its a matter of choice, personally ive been with sprint for about 7 years now non-stop, yeah ive had some issues with connectivity and signal loss but very rarely...not enought to make me wanna swich to another carrier, now only reason why im still with sprint is for 3 reasons, 1 is verizon, 2 is AT&T huge desapointing networks very expensive and very limited to their service data plans. now T-mobile does have great service and cheaper plans, but u gotta pay extra just to get 4g if u wanna use it for longer times, and now that 4g LTE is coming i can garantee u that their data plan is gonna sky high up the roof, not by much but it will go up i can garantee u that. so if i had my choice betwen does 2, limited 4g LTE or unlimited 4g LTE, id still stick with sprint, ive hadnt had any issues with their CS ive actually had great customer services no problems their althought maybe 2 or 3 every now and then in a blue moon that didnt know jack sh**. i can deal with the slow 3g i barely get 1.5mb/s over here without LTE still waiting for LTE which hasnt been listen just yet in my area but comming soon. if i can listen to music on pandora, watch netflix and surf the web at decent speeds without taking 10 seconds to load a page and have any interruptions then im happy enought and can deal with it. thats why i got wifi waiting for me back home when i get there so i can download does big files that i know i wont be able to download in seconds. until LTE arrives.
washjayb said:
How's TMO in Atlanta?
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My Buddy gets around 10-17mbps all the time. T-Mobile in Colorado is also really really good.
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I think it's all a matter of where you live but here in ol San Antonio at least for me, Tmo suckssss! I've been with Sprint for 7 years and all I have to say is that 3g does suck compared to ATT but at least I have unlimited 4G which I use at least 5+GB's worth a month. Okay 4G is spotty but I'm only paying about $70 a month and super slow 3g is my only complaint. Mostly connected to wifi anyways and have never had a dropped call.
Sent from my Galaxy S III baby!
I got to give a thumbs up to Sprint's customer service too. They always take care of their long-term customers or did when I was in the financial bind a few years ago.... during the Fed lockdown in arguing over unemployment for two months I never lost my cell and couldn't pay the bill for quite a while. They were great.
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Tmo if I didn't go out of town so much
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iphones are the creation of people with nowhere left to turn
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washjayb said:
How's TMO in Atlanta?
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I was with t mobile for about 7 years before I switched to Sprint. Only reason I switched, was my company put me on their plan and started to pay for the bill. That being said, I think t mobile was hands down better than Sprint. (I'm in the Atlanta area btw). T mobile had extremely better data speeds 99 percent of the time. Reception is about the same. My gf still has t mobile and I check mine vs hers all the time. Every once in a while I'll get a decent data speed, but usually t mobile is faster. If I had to pay for my own line, I would switch back to t mobile in a heart beat. Better service, better data, upgrades every year (even let me do my upgrades every 6 months if you call their customer service).
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda premium
jonathanm1978 said:
I got to give a thumbs up to Sprint's customer service too. They always take care of their long-term customers or did when I was in the financial bind a few years ago.... during the Fed lockdown in arguing over unemployment for two months I never lost my cell and couldn't pay the bill for quite a while. They were great.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2
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I don't like the fact that T-Mo outsources CS jobs.
Honestly if i do decide to switch to Tmobile, i wouldnt be apposed to coming back to Sprint if I had to. (Tmobile goes bankrupt, I move and Tmobiles coverage is bad.. etc) Sprint has a god network vision strategy theyre moving slow and there wont be any real results of network vision until 2015, after most markets will be complete and they phase out iden for use of the 800mhz band for LTE-A. Also Clearwire should have a good LTE-A coverage by then.
dougstoner said:
I was with t mobile for about 7 years before I switched to Sprint. Only reason I switched, was my company put me on their plan and started to pay for the bill. That being said, I think t mobile was hands down better than Sprint. (I'm in the Atlanta area btw). T mobile had extremely better data speeds 99 percent of the time. Reception is about the same. My gf still has t mobile and I check mine vs hers all the time. Every once in a while I'll get a decent data speed, but usually t mobile is faster. If I had to pay for my own line, I would switch back to t mobile in a heart beat. Better service, better data, upgrades every year (even let me do my upgrades every 6 months if you call their customer service).
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda premium
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if that is true that t-mobile does have better service and better data, then whats stopping u from switching back to t-mobile, despite that ure company is paying for sprints service, that shouldnt stop yah from switching...the fact of the matter is...if u really wanted to switch to t-mobile u would have and just spent that money out of ure pocket, im sure u earn well enought to pay for it on ure own, other whize u wouldnt be saying that. as for upgrades u can also do ure upgrades every year with sprint as well.
Hi all, I have a 2 year contract with Sprint, but I just cant take it anymore, I am planning on cancelling my contract and sign with another company, but I am not sure which one is the best (or less bad) for me in NYC.
Can anyone recommend one with good reception and real data (not the 30kbps 3G sprint has)
Thanks.
In NYC i get 2mbps on where ever the subway is above ground
1.5mbls when ever I'm outside
1mbps ish in building
All on 3g
But i would go use Verizon
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda premium
gtuansdiamm said:
In NYC i get 2mbps on where ever the subway is above ground
1.5mbls when ever I'm outside
1mbps ish in building
All on 3g
But i would go use Verizon
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda premium
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I get 2.5 mbps in NYC but that is at 3 am. other wise i get between 1-2 mbps. I am also fed up. TMO has a new unlimited no throttle for about 80 per month..My co-worker speed on tmo is 10-14 mbps....
I am starting to think that my phone is broken, because on cloudy days I dont get reception inside buidings, I serious, I am having a bad experience with sprint
Sent from my SPH-L710 using XDA Premium HD app
Been hearing that we should be getting lte soon in NYC, but even then that is probably gonna be spotty at best...I had T-Mobile for a long time and never had any issues speed wise, and its fairly cheap, do some research on their new unlimited plan if you can't wait.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda app-developers app
30Glock said:
I get 2.5 mbps in NYC but that is at 3 am. other wise i get between 1-2 mbps. I am also fed up. TMO has a new unlimited no throttle for about 80 per month..My co-worker speed on tmo is 10-14 mbps....
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Isn't slightly over 2mbps the max for 3G speeds? If you're getting consistently over 1, I wouldn't complain. There are plenty of people elsewhere getting a fraction of that...like 10% of that.
I'd be thrilled with consistent 1-1.5mbps 3G speeds. I'm around Chicago, so LTE is in a few places which is nice, but I'm excited about when they finally upgrade the backhaul for 3G so the speeds will be better.
As for the OP, I would also try changing modems as well, see if some of them work better. Check with other NYC people and see what they're using. Modem can have a HUGE impact on speeds.
hayzooos said:
Isn't slightly over 2mbps the max for 3G speeds? If you're getting consistently over 1, I wouldn't complain. There are plenty of people elsewhere getting a fraction of that...like 10% of that.
I'd be thrilled with consistent 1-1.5mbps 3G speeds. I'm around Chicago, so LTE is in a few places which is nice, but I'm excited about when they finally upgrade the backhaul for 3G so the speeds will be better.
As for the OP, I would also try changing modems as well, see if some of them work better. Check with other NYC people and see what they're using. Modem can have a HUGE impact on speeds.
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Usually here that from sprint users. Some seem to conform. Others like me who tried sprint realize that's not the 3G full potential.
So I rather pay less for tmobile And get awesome speeds. IMHO
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
Mark's ollars
Having tried Att and Sprint....I got pretty $hitty coverage with both and this was living in the Bay Area.
For my previouscontract, I selected ATT based on reading the online reviews about them having absolute the fastest service. What the reviews didnt mention was that I couldnt get ATT service 10% of the time which got annoying real fast.
When it works...ATT and Sprint work great....but the 10% of the time you don't get connection, you'll wish you went with Verizon. They might be a tad slower based on the bandwidth test results online...but at least the coverage is more consistent
I will try changing modems, and see if I can get a better reception, thanks.
diazf09 said:
Usually here that from sprint users. Some seem to conform. Others like me who tried sprint realize that's not the 3G full potential.
So I rather pay less for tmobile And get awesome speeds. IMHO
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
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I don't mean Sprint 3G, I mean the technology limitations themselves. Even if I hop onto Verizon's network with a 3G PRL, I don't ever remember seeing anything over 2mpbs. I have plenty of friends and co-workers who have Verizon and I've never seen anything over that on any of their phones either.
Is it more of a CDMA/GSM 3G thing? Is GSM 3G faster than what you could get on a CDMA network?
hayzooos said:
I don't mean Sprint 3G, I mean the technology limitations themselves. Even if I hop onto Verizon's network with a 3G PRL, I don't ever remember seeing anything over 2mpbs. I have plenty of friends and co-workers who have Verizon and I've never seen anything over that on any of their phones either.
Is it more of a CDMA/GSM 3G thing? Is GSM 3G faster than what you could get on a CDMA network?
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Gsm carriers use a backhauled network capable of much faster speeds ....at least on speedtests
Sprint is implementing backhaul tech over the next year or so.
On 3g (hspa+) I have seen as much as 12mbps down but average 3-5 . This is on our att phones.
Funny thing is though side by side we did some comparisons last year and web pages actually loaded slower on attempt s2 vs sprint s2 .. we never really found an explanation.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda app-developers app
Have you considered forcing the phone to roam and having Sprint cancel your contract due to that? They shouldn't charge a ETF for that either.
88EVGAFTW said:
Have you considered forcing the phone to roam and having Sprint cancel your contract due to that? They shouldn't charge a ETF for that either.
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Great way to get out of this miserable non existing service.. In NYC I can get between 1-3 mbps, this is acceptable to me, however where I live sprint is unusable 12kb D/L up does not exist. I called to complain and their attitude was pay the 350 ETF and you can leave.....Well I'm leaving w/o paying this fee..Thank you Roam Control....
Put a post on the marketplace offering to let another user assume responsibility for the contract. I know i would have considered a cheap s3 that way earlier
Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2
Sprint is actually getting better. With the softbank deal, Sprint controls a majority of the lte footprint. They are also getting an $8 billion cash infusion that will help them finish building out their lte footprint faster and at a higher quality. I know a few people that work for Sprint corporate. They have big plans and are actually executing those plans
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Will they be bringing service to places that do not have it (is western Washington)
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Personally i would toughen it out good things are to come for those who wait
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I'm near Baltimore and over the past 11 years have had Verizon, ATT, T-mo, and Sprint. Each provider had pros and cons. I eventually stuck with Sprint (6 years now). They are the most reliable and ever present. Not the fastest but the only time I've been without service is in the Shenandoah mountains south of us where there is no service coverage by anyone. Sprint has addressed every problem I've ever had as long as I was patient with the rep. Oh wait I was patient with the reps from every provider and they bent over backwards to help me. A Sprint rep have my wife an iPhone for $25 during her last upgrade. We presented then with a problem on our bill and they hooked us up with the phone and fixed the bill.
I don't think any service provider is going to be perfect in all situations. I myself would pick reliable over fastest speed.
Just my opinion but stick it out things are changing with Sprint.
- Sent from my Sprint Galaxy S3 running Paranoid Android 2.22, KT747-Kernel-AOSP-JB-SPRINT-10-14.zip using XDA Premium.
So as I am sure many of you will be doing eventually. I and thinking about getting the S4. Only issue I am having is Sprints network. I am really debating in my mind if sprint is worth the cost considering they have one of the slowest networks. I have been thinking about going to t mobile since most of my phone use is in major cities in the US, with and occasional use in the Caribbean.
So will you be staying with Sprint or moving to a new network?
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium
I get good wimax and this phone does everything. S4 is S3 on steroids so I am thinking about passing for S5!
Mship said:
So as I am sure many of you will be doing eventually. I and thinking about getting the S4. Only issue I am having is Sprints network. I am really debating in my mind if sprint is worth the cost considering they have one of the slowest networks. I have been thinking about going to t mobile since most of my phone use is in major cities in the US, with and occasional use in the Caribbean.
So will you be staying with Sprint or moving to a new network?
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium
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i've already moved from Sprint over to Verizon.. I live in nyc and for me Sprint just sucks out here, the 4g is like 3g and the 3g is like 1x. Lots of dropped calls too, so i flashed over to Verizon. Much better network IMO. T-mobile is good to my g/f has them, great 4G speeds.
It depends on where you spend most of your time. The Sprint network is great in some places and sub par in others. We dont have any official 4G service in KY and 3G is sometimes questionable, but I lived in TX last year and had great service. I occasionally get unofficial wimax here and have no interest in switching phones until LTE arrives. My wallet can't handle Verizon so if I switch service in the future it will probably be to prepaid or back to TMO.
I personally think you should drop sprint like a rock because I have sprint out here in Detroit and their empty promises of 4G for the last 2 years has been nothing shy of an insult, not to mention their signal sucks horribly out here and their 3G speeds rival that of Dial-Up, and that's if you're lucky enough to get data over the 3G connection at all...
T-Mobile also has one of the smallest 4G networks (from what I've heard, don't know how true that is), and I've heard of nothing but problems from the few people that I know that own a T-Mobile phone. My other friends with AT&T never have a single issue, and my other friend with Verizon also has absolutely no problems with them what-so-ever, so I'd say go with AT&T or Verizon - I know I will be as soon as my sprint contract is up in a year.
TMO's LTE network just launched I think so it's naturally almost nonexistent. Their HSPA+ network is more than enough though.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda app-developers app
For those with bad call & data connections, it'd probably be best to switch to a different carrier. As for me, I switched to Sprint from T-Mobile last year because T-Mobile had crappy call quality and connection problems. Fortunately, Orange County has really good 4G WiMax coverage and speeds (my 4G WiMax is faster than my friend's at&t LTE speed on his Note 2) and we're due for 4G LTE in a month or so.
New York City is an active Network Deployment market that is well under way by Alcatel-Lucent. The only places where I wouldn't upgrade to an LTE device on Sprint are in areas where NV has not yet begun and won't begun for an another few months (and then it'll take a month or two to get the stuff up and running after they begin).
Look here to see what other people reported..
http://www.sensorly.com/
and look here for more info about Network Vision.
http://s4gru.com/index.php?/topic/1901-network-visionlte-new-york-city-market/
It depends on how strong the T-Mobile network is in your area. In mine, it isn't that good. I have this phone, s2, and I have a lte backup phone. My area does have lte coverage but it's not completely saturated yet. I have 4g lte at home and an area of one of my jobs. My best dl speed test with lte has been just shy of 4000 KB. There are a lot of if's to consider if switching to another carrier. Do your homework first before making a final decision. There's an app out there, I forgot the name, that shows the coverage area on a map with different carriers and modes. I'd suggest checking that out to gather more information. Here you go. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sensorly.viewer
Your question is very area dependent. I live in Pittsburgh PA there's no lte in my area yet but it's coming. My 3g/4g is awesome though, I rarely find myself running 4g because the 3g is so good. I will be getting the S4 but not right away, I'm gonna wait for the price to drop and development to pick up.
Thanks for all the responses. I think I'm going to stay with the S2 for at least 2 two 3 more months or so before making a switch. I want to see what sprint has to offer in my area of NYC.
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In my area Memphis, TN we have bad sprint coverage and i don't like it. Internet is very slow and sometimes calls don't come through
optimummind said:
For those with bad call & data connections, it'd probably be best to switch to a different carrier. As for me, I switched to Sprint from T-Mobile last year because T-Mobile had crappy call quality and connection problems. Fortunately, Orange County has really good 4G WiMax coverage and speeds (my 4G WiMax is faster than my friend's at&t LTE speed on his Note 2) and we're due for 4G LTE in a month or so.
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inland empire is terrible wish it was like orange county...
i travel to and from inland empire, orange county, SGV and Las vegas alot and inland empire is terrible which is were i am the most of the time...
was thinking of going to tmobile but worried about there coverage.. some people say its good but others have nothing but problems.. wonder how there service is away from the major cities.. Verizon is the best but too much .. thinking of flashing phone to verizon prepaid but would only get 2-3mb download but still alot better than sprint in the inland empire.