Develop Bugs

[Q] 4G, Prepaid?

So I had a Droid 3 on Verizon on a prepaid line ($95 for 450 talk, unlimited text, and unlimited data) but that was 3G.
With the gNexi coming out, I was wondering if I would even be able to use it's 4g capabilities on my prepaid line? I'm obviously going to buy it at full-retail price but will the 4G even work or will I be stuck on 3G all the time?
I can't do contracts...
Should I wait for T-Mobile to get it and use their 4G prepaid instead?

I'm unsure if VZW has a LTE prepay service. That's something you have to look into separately. My guess is they don't. Unless they explicitly say that your prepay covers LTE I would expect to only get 3G.
As far as switching to a different carrier no one can tell you which is better. Its all about where you will use the phone and its your call.

I just did an online chat with a VZW rep, here it is:
Please hold for a Verizon Wireless sales representative to assist you with your order. Thank you for your patience.
You are now chatting with 'Kiara'
Kiara: Hello. Thank you for visiting our chat service. May I help you with your order today?
You: I was wondering if 4G phones like the Droid Bionic are eligible for the Prepaid Smartphone plans???
Kiara: I do apologize for the inconvenience, although the Bionic is not able to be pre paid
You: Are their any 4G phones available for the Prepaid plans?
You: And/or can you tell me if there are any plans to offer any???
Kiara: I do apologize although at this time there are not
You: Ok, thank you for your help
So, looks like you can't, at this time, use a 4G phone on their prepaid plans.
I currently have a Nexus S on T-mobile's $30 month prepaid plan (100 mins, unl. text, unl. data*throttled after 5GB), and I love it but I don't use my phone much for calls... I plan on getting the Galaxy Nexus and using it on this plan once it's available.

Yeah it looks like I'll have to wait for the galaxy nexus to drop on TMobile
WoW this sucksss.... It probably won't even come out until late December...
Maybe I should just import? No idea how it works but I want my nexus asap
Sent from the parietal lobe of your cerebral cortex.

Dmw017 said:
Yeah it looks like I'll have to wait for the galaxy nexus to drop on TMobile
WoW this sucksss.... It probably won't even come out until late December...
Maybe I should just import? No idea how it works but I want my nexus asap
Sent from the parietal lobe of your cerebral cortex.
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Look on the bright side... t-mo plans are cheaper than Verizon. So you'll save money if you switch. But then again tmo reception around your area would play a big role too.

ruthlesset said:
Look on the bright side... t-mo plans are cheaper than Verizon. So you'll save money if you switch. But then again tmo reception around your area would play a big role too.
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Yeah I looked into it and Tmobile is way better than Verizon. I live in NYC so reception shouldnt be a problem at all. Now I'm just trying to figure out if I should import the 16GB model or wait for the 32GB US model :/ bleh ... I wonder when Tmobile will be getting it

Dmw017 said:
Yeah it looks like I'll have to wait for the galaxy nexus to drop on TMobile
WoW this sucksss.... It probably won't even come out until late December...
Maybe I should just import? No idea how it works but I want my nexus asap
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If you have T-mo service in the area then its sooo much better. Just wait, don't import. You'll probably have to buy it unlocked (probably best buy, just like Nexus S) but you'll be better off for it. You don't want to sign a 2year for a Nexus on VZW and get blocked tethering and crap on it.
---------- Post added at 07:13 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:12 PM ----------
Dmw017 said:
Yeah I looked into it and Tmobile is way better than Verizon. I live in NYC so reception shouldnt be a problem at all. Now I'm just trying to figure out if I should import the 16GB model or wait for the 32GB US model :/ bleh ... I wonder when Tmobile will be getting it
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its all up in the air. As I said above ^, they might not "get it" officially at all. Might have to buy unlocked from Google/Best Buy.
But the winner is that the T-mo plans can be as low as 1/2 the price of VZW.

martonikaj said:
its all up in the air. As I said above ^, they might not "get it" officially at all. Might have to buy unlocked from Google/Best Buy.
But the winner is that the T-mo plans can be as low as 1/2 the price of VZW.
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Actually they have a $30 Prepaid plan with 100talk/unlimited text/ and unlimited data (5gb of 4G) -- available only on new line activation.
Btw can you clarify the "unlocked from google/best buy" part? Would I still have to use a sim card if Tmobile wont officially sell it

Dmw017 said:
Actually they have a $30 Prepaid plan with 100talk/unlimited text/ and unlimited data (5gb of 4G) -- available only on new line activation.
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yea their prepay options are pretty epic. 100min is a bit low for most though. I was just referring to their postpay options that are pretty cheap too. I've looked into moving from my EM+ no-contract plan to a prepay lately actually.
Btw can you clarify the "unlocked from google/best buy" part? Would I still have to use a sim card if Tmobile wont officially sell it
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Well if you want my opinion I think they'll end up just selling it exactly like they did with the Nexus S. They sold it online, and they offered it via Best Buy unlocked. You'd buy the phone, then buy your service and get a SIM card from AT&T or T-mobile (or Simple Mobile, or whatever) separately and plug it in. The GN is pentaband HSPA+ and will work with pretty much any SIM in the world.

Dmw017 said:
Yeah I looked into it and Tmobile is way better than Verizon. I live in NYC so reception shouldnt be a problem at all. Now I'm just trying to figure out if I should import the 16GB model or wait for the 32GB US model :/ bleh ... I wonder when Tmobile will be getting it
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Speaking from personal experience, the problem with T-Mobile in NYC is that as soon as you are a few feet below ground level, you lose signal. When you can get 5 bars, it's great, T-Mobile probably has the least congested network of anyone, and you enjoy superb 3/4G speeds. But you will be frustrated by how spotty the coverage is. Go 20 miles North to Westchester or 20 miles east to LI and you'll often find yourself exiting buildings to get a signal.

Chirality said:
Speaking from personal experience, the problem with T-Mobile in NYC is that as soon as you are a few feet below ground level, you lose signal. When you can get 5 bars, it's great, T-Mobile probably has the least congested network of anyone, and you enjoy superb 3/4G speeds. But you will be frustrated by how spotty the coverage is. Go 20 miles North to Westchester or 20 miles east to LI and you'll often find yourself exiting buildings to get a signal.
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Lol that's alright I don't leave the city anyways. What I am wondering is what happens when you deplete your limited use of the 4g data (I'll get 5gb). Someone told me that you get bumped down to EDGE(2G) speeds, but I thought you only go down to 3G.
Sent from the parietal lobe of your cerebral cortex.

Dmw017 said:
Lol that's alright I don't leave the city anyways. What I am wondering is what happens when you deplete your limited use of the 4g data (I'll get 5gb). Someone told me that you get bumped down to EDGE(2G) speeds, but I thought you only go down to 3G.
Sent from the parietal lobe of your cerebral cortex.
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As I (and many others) explained in the other thread about T-mobile:
- You get 5GB of data, that's 4g/3g/2g.
- Once you use all 5GB in a month, you get throttled.
- Throttled speeds are in the range of what EDGE is, even though your phone still says "3G" up in the status bar.
- Once your billing period ends, you get a new 5GB batch of data.
There's no discerning between 4G and 3G by T-mobile. HSPA+ is just a fast version of T-mobile's 3G network. Its not separate.

Just curious has any one looked into metroPCS they say they allow any cdma phone on their network and they have lte. There speeds may not be the greatest and not the best coverage but the price is spot on and unlimited!

robertlawson225 said:
Just curious has any one looked into metroPCS they say they allow any cdma phone on their network and they have lte. There speeds may not be the greatest and not the best coverage but the price is spot on and unlimited!
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Don't think it'll work. You'd have to unlock it somehow, and even then I think theres going to be inconsistencies with the LTE frequencies they use, etc.

martonikaj said:
Don't think it'll work. You'd have to unlock it somehow, and even then I think theres going to be inconsistencies with the LTE frequencies they use, etc.
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I thought that all nexus devices where unlocked developer phones. also i just talked to metroPCS and they did say hardware wise any cdma ohone will work and so will the LTE but, there might be a problem with software incompatibilities. but if that is true i would think our fellow xda members would figure out how to fix any software problems

robertlawson225 said:
I thought that all nexus devices where unlocked developer phones. also i just talked to metroPCS and they did say hardware wise any cdma ohone will work and so will the LTE but, there might be a problem with software incompatibilities. but if that is true i would think our fellow xda members would figure out how to fix any software problems
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It won't be unlocked from the factory because 1) its CDMA/LTE with VZW specific bands, and 2) its being made to order for Verizon to subsidize it (which means they will SURELY dictate that its locked).
The Nexus devices have historically been sold full price without a carrier subsidy (and therefore are unlocked) because google wants them to be used anywhere in the world with any SIM card. This is different because there are carriers involved from the start (and the device is CDMA).
Also, I'm pretty sure the LTE won't be interoperable between the two carriers. Verizon will have their own proprietary network stack for use with their LTE service, and it uses slightly different frequencies from other carriers for LTE, specifically so that their devices won't be interoperable with other networks. They want you to buy a VZW phone and stay on VZW (dirty play, but that's how they roll).
Hope that clarifies things a little bit. Now no one knows for sure how much of the issues can be fixed with new firmware flashes, so I guess we'll see when it comes out. For example I know a lot of people use Sprint and Verizon phones with different custom firmware to run on networks like Virgin, Boost, and Cricket in order to cut down the monthly bill.

martonikaj said:
It won't be unlocked from the factory because 1) its CDMA/LTE with VZW specific bands, and 2) its being made to order for Verizon to subsidize it (which means they will SURELY dictate that its locked).
The Nexus devices have historically been sold full price without a carrier subsidy (and therefore are unlocked) because google wants them to be used anywhere in the world with any SIM card. This is different because there are carriers involved from the start (and the device is CDMA).
Also, I'm pretty sure the LTE won't be interoperable between the two carriers. Verizon will have their own proprietary network stack for use with their LTE service, and it uses slightly different frequencies from other carriers for LTE, specifically so that their devices won't be interoperable with other networks. They want you to buy a VZW phone and stay on VZW (dirty play, but that's how they roll).
Hope that clarifies things a little bit. Now no one knows for sure how much of the issues can be fixed with new firmware flashes, so I guess we'll see when it comes out. For example I know a lot of people use Sprint and Verizon phones with different custom firmware to run on networks like Virgin, Boost, and Cricket in order to cut down the monthly bill.
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well lets just hope some one out there can figure out how to make a phone like this run on a reasonabale priced carrier well other than t-mobile

Can the Sprint GS3 be unlocked to use international GSM?

Title says it all. I will be deploying soon (ARNG), and want to know if my new GS3 will work overseas. Thanks.

I doubt it. It doesn't have a SIM slot visible... I also doubt it has an internal one for GSM use. The Verizon version apparently does or will have that functionality. Verizon peeps, is there a SIM slot visible on yours?
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda premium

That's not good. The big question now is do I get a phone that I'll only be able to use for 6 months. :-(

there's a sim slot for the LTE sim card under the battery cover on verizon is that what you mean?

so sprint does not have a sim [gsm] capability?
=(

i have the USCellular version of the galaxy and they give you a sim card for the phone to support their LTE service for 4G.

jasondhsd said:
there's a sim slot for the LTE sim card under the battery cover on verizon is that what you mean?
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I thought I read somewhere that the Verizon and Sprint GS3 were supposed to be identical hardware wise.

Verizon and Sprint still live in a tiny bubble where the USA is the only country on the planet.....CDMA is old outdated technology, but they try to make it sound cool with 'LTE' catchphrases and the like.
GSM is the predominant service on the planet for cell phones - period. And that's why I have stuck with T-Mobile, even when sometimes their US coverage is not the greatest. I am usually never far from a wi-fi hotspot (they are EVERYWHERE and free in lots of places), so I can live with the coverage issues here and there. Let's face it, all the carriers have coverage issues depending on where you are, so it all balances in the end.
If you actually travel to other countries and would like to take advantage of very cheap pre-paid SIM cards that let you use GSM providers globally, then don't buy a Sprint or Verizon phone. The roaming charges will make it nonviable unless you like getting hit for up to $5 per minute! Many don't realize that cell phone plans in the US are ridiculously overpriced compared to most other countries (Australia, Europe, UK etc), because there's a thing in these other countries called competition and that has every company fighting for your business. Here in the US, we have the big 4 trying to monopolize everything, although there is change in the wind with companies like CREDO (great company BTW - shame it's on Sprint's network so global use is out), Virgin Mobile, Walmart and MetroPCS making the big 4 be more competitive. I still can't believe Verizon's plan costs - my girlfriend and I happened to stop and chat with them in Costco the other day and for us to have unlimited voice, text and SHARE 2GB of data a month it would be way over $220 per month for us both.
With T-Mobile we have unlimited everything (2GB data EACH, and then they 'may' throttle beyond that, although I haven't experienced a slow down when I've only just gone over) for $140 a month total.
It's easy to unlock a GSM phone to be able to use local SIM cards in whatever country you are in, giving you complete freedom on planet earth.
Or you can stick with your 'LTE' (Limited Talk Everywhere)..lol

Globespy said:
Verizon and Sprint still live in a tiny bubble where the USA is the only country on the planet.....CDMA is old outdated technology, but they try to make it sound cool with 'LTE' catchphrases and the like.
GSM is the predominant service on the planet for cell phones - period. And that's why I have stuck with T-Mobile, even when sometimes their US coverage is not the greatest. I am usually never far from a wi-fi hotspot (they are EVERYWHERE and free in lots of places), so I can live with the coverage issues here and there. Let's face it, all the carriers have coverage issues depending on where you are, so it all balances in the end.
If you actually travel to other countries and would like to take advantage of very cheap pre-paid SIM cards that let you use GSM providers globally, then don't buy a Sprint or Verizon phone. The roaming charges will make it nonviable unless you like getting hit for up to $5 per minute! Many don't realize that cell phone plans in the US are ridiculously overpriced compared to most other countries (Australia, Europe, UK etc), because there's a thing in these other countries called competition and that has every company fighting for your business. Here in the US, we have the big 4 trying to monopolize everything, although there is change in the wind with companies like CREDO (great company BTW - shame it's on Sprint's network so global use is out), Virgin Mobile, Walmart and MetroPCS making the big 4 be more competitive. I still can't believe Verizon's plan costs - my girlfriend and I happened to stop and chat with them in Costco the other day and for us to have unlimited voice, text and SHARE 2GB of data a month it would be way over $220 per month for us both.
With T-Mobile we have unlimited everything (2GB data EACH, and then they 'may' throttle beyond that, although I haven't experienced a slow down when I've only just gone over) for $140 a month total.
It's easy to unlock a GSM phone to be able to use local SIM cards in whatever country you are in, giving you complete freedom on planet earth.
Or you can stick with your 'LTE' (Limited Talk Everywhere)..lol
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And what's your point?
To the OP: no, you can't use a SIM card on a Sprint S3, so no GSM.
Sent from my O=O

csmasn said:
And what's your point?
To the OP: no, you can't use a SIM card on a Sprint S3, so no GSM.
Sent from my O=O
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I did have a long answer, but thought my point was pretty obvious to the OP?
If you travel internationally and still want to use your phone (wifi hotspots using grooveIP doesn't count as global use), then buying a Sprint or Verizon GS3, or any other verizon/sprint phone is a poor choice, unless you don't mind coming home to a monstrous bill (easily several hundred dollars, and that's conservative if he is overseas for 6+ months at average international roaming charges of $3.50 per minute, but as high as $5 per minute).
If you already bought the phone from Sprint you should have a 30 day return/cancellation policy, which in your case would be wise to utilize, even moreso if you plan on regular international travel - Sprint/Verizon are bad choices for regular world travel. If you can't/don't want to cancel service, then you would be wise to buy a local el-cheapo pre-paid phone in the country you are based. Your GS3 is only useful for wifi calling/playing solitaire unless you can afford hundreds/thousands $'s bill over your 6 month stay.
Good luck to you.
Edit: Just noticed your OP was in July, so you are stuck with your phone......local prepaid phone is your option.

Using T999 on AT&T?

(Did a quick forum search on this and didn't see anything that answered my question, so if this is around somewhere, I apologize.)
Okay, I'm currently with Verizon Wireless, and generally happy with my service, but what I am unhappy with is my bill (I pay $220+ a month for 4 lines, only 2 of which are Smart Phones). I'm thinking of switching to T-Mobile's prepaid service when my contract is up, and my and my wife both like the Galaxy S3, but I'm leery about T-Mobile's service in my area (I live in a rather Rural area). Ideally, I'd buy an unlocked version of the phone to use with prepaid plans (so if I'm dissatisfied with one prepaid service, I just switch out SIM cards and port my number), BUT unfortunately, the unlocked versions of the S3 that I've found don't work with the T-Mobile HSPA+ band (1700 MHz). However, what I have found is that when comparing the T999 with the I747 (T-Mobile and AT&T versions, respectively), I've found that (LTE aside) the frequencies they operate on are exactly the same, with the difference being only that T-Mobile's can use the 1700 MHz frequency.
SO, my question is: If I went ahead and sprung for a couple of T999's and found that T-Mobile didn't work for me, could I just unlock the phone for use with AT&T and pop in an AT&T SIM, and enjoy AT&T's HSPA+ goodness? Or is there something I'm missing? I know that the other way around won't work (only in very, VERY isolated spots will T-Mobile customers with unlocked iPhones and Droids that operate on 1900 MHz frequencies actually get more than EDGE speeds with their devices), but this seems like the best option (barring buying a GSM Galaxy Nexus from the Google PLAY store, which I'm not sure will be available when my contract is up - I hear that there's a new Galaxy Device being cooked up, and I'm not holding my breath for Google to sell it alongside an older Nexus device).
Opinions?
FYI, I'm not worried about LTE right now. As I said, I live in a rural area that's lucky to have 3G. LTE might not EVER make it to my area (AT&T just added 3G to my area in the last year), so HSPA+ (whether 21 Mbps or T-Mobile's 42 Mbps) is plenty fast for me (my Verizon Wireless Xperia PLAY currently pulls down 1.5 Mbps on a good day).
Link to T999: htt p://ww w.gsmarena. com/samsung_galaxy_s_iii_t999-4804.php
Link to I747: htt p://ww w.gsmarena. com/samsung_galaxy_s_iii_i747-4803.php
(Remove spaces. Would have hyperlinked, but as I don't yet have ten posts, that's illegal.)

Wow. It's refreshing to see someone do research before asking a question.
Yes, that would probably be your best bet. You can use the T-999 on AT&T HSPA+ just fine. You can even use it on Medianet's $10 unlimited data I believe since it isn't an AT&T phone. I feel like you will likely end up doing this as T-Mobile prepaid has a smaller coverage footprint than postpaid (or so they claim).
So yes, if you don't care about LTE, this would work just fine for you.

At&t user here. Yeah hspa+ works fine on it. If losing lte isn't an issue for you then go for it.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2

I was on the same boat as the OP. I bought an unlocked T999 and I am currently using on ATT's network, but through Straight Talk. I still get HSPA speeds w/o the 5GB cap.

Another AT&T user here also using Medianet plan.. Works perfect on hspa+
sent from my AOKP powered s3

Bump. Is there any specific apn settings to get h+. As i have heard straightalk at&t with tmobile s3 only gets edge speeds? Please tell me i was told wrong lol. Thanks

1slow4G said:
Bump. Is there any specific apn settings to get h+. As i have heard straightalk at&t with tmobile s3 only gets edge speeds? Please tell me i was told wrong lol. Thanks
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In a similar situation!
I have the T999 with T-mobile and am moving to Kauai, am there now and the service is worthless. I looked at AT&T's prices for shi*ts and giggles and ugh, no. I just ordered a straight talk AT&T compatible sim from walmart, will need to cut it because everywhere is out of micro sims, and would like to know how successful the T999 is on the AT&T compatible network of straight talk. I seriously feel lost without data to my phone, it hurts.
I have been researching and researching the band frequencies and everything points to that it should work. I just got this phone after my rooted/unlocked SGS4g went into a toilet and then sold on ebay.
lol
BTW long time viewer of XDA, has been successful in unlocking/rooting/flashing the SGS4g and the T999, with a mac I might add which always makes things complicated.
Thanks again

adelynn2006 said:
In a similar situation!
I have the T999 with T-mobile and am moving to Kauai, am there now and the service is worthless. I looked at AT&T's prices for shi*ts and giggles and ugh, no. I just ordered a straight talk AT&T compatible sim from walmart, will need to cut it because everywhere is out of micro sims, and would like to know how successful the T999 is on the AT&T compatible network of straight talk. I seriously feel lost without data to my phone, it hurts.
I have been researching and researching the band frequencies and everything points to that it should work. I just got this phone after my rooted/unlocked SGS4g went into a toilet and then sold on ebay.
lol
BTW long time viewer of XDA, has been successful in unlocking/rooting/flashing the SGS4g and the T999, with a mac I might add which always makes things complicated.
Thanks again
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I have my t999 unlocked and with straighttalk at&t sim. I am getting 4g symbol which is hspa+ on at&t terms. Speed is great, loads up browser pages faster than my wifes tmobile and hers is on 4g aswell. Couldn't be happier. But at home and at work I have wifi so i try to avoid using too much data to avoid the infamous data cap
Sent from my Galaxy S3 using neighbors wifi

Note 2 on at&t or verizon (in boston) ?

I'm currently on verzion but kind of not happy with them so thinking of switching to at&t and buying a note 2. I'm curious (esp if you are in boston) of your experience with the phone with regards to call quality or at&t in general. My understanding is generically gsm phones tend to be more statically than cdma phone (for calls) but don't know in practice if it is a big deal. My parents are on at&t and their phone call quality (when I talk to them) is quite low but they have el cheapo phones so I'm not sure if it is the phone or at&t breaking up the signal. My thought is i would go with the 3gb plan so the bill would be around $70 (I might be able to get a corporate discount but my understanding from folks is at&t charges more to active the corporate discount than you save).
-
I did play with the phone in the store and the speaker was very loud and the phone very fluid; also lte is pretty darn fast in boston. I gues the only alternative would be sprint (if at&t is statically). I know call quality is good on sprint but lte is not yet running here.

I never had a problem with ATT service in Boston. Fast LTE, great signal. Andddd may I add that the branding on the Verizon GN2 is hideous?!

Hum. Only one response; is at&t unpopular or boston unpopular ?

I have att in the boston area and have never had any issues. Also I have heard that the verizon model has been having screen defect issues.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using Tapatalk 2

Is there any method to get at&t to give you hotspot on the 3GB plan; they currently offer it for free on the 5GB plan but I only use 300 or 400MB; so it seems excessive. With verizon I get free hotspot due to fcc ruling (I have a tired plan).

T-Mobile vs AT&T

Here in Atlanta, AT&T rolled out LTE almost two years ago while in my metro area of Atlanta, T-Mobile's LTE was just switched on. I generally get LTE speeds in excess of 30Mb down and 20Mb up here with my T-Mobile S4 where I get 3 out of 4 bars of signal. In the AT&T store nearby, I got 2/4 bars signal, and my S4 speed tests still beat the pants off the demo S4 model AT&T had, which got 3/4 bars signal -- I got over 20Mb dn and over 10Mb up while the AT&T demo model only got about 16Mb dn and 7Mb up (all LTE).
I say this because I am paying a combined total of only $110/month for unlimited everything on TWO 4GLTE phones with T-Mobile ( an S4 and my wife's iPhone5, after all the taxes and fees), while my wife was paying $120/month for unlimited text, talk and data with AT&T for only ONE iPhone4, after contract was long run out! The way AT&T garners exclusive deals on phone model variants that we should all be able to purchase and jacks up the prices of service to double that of the competitors, it's time for people to jump ship and force them to become more competitive.
Just wanted to point out that, while some say that they prefer to pay AT&T for "better", I don't think AT&T really is any better (except maybe for coverage way out in the country, but hey, most of us don't live way out there), and they sure do seem to be screwing customers harder than the other big three carriers, while T-Mobile seems to be the most competitive, pricewise. I personally dont at all care for CDMA phone technology, compared to GSM, so don't care much for Sprint or Verizon, and I've been screwed enough by Verizon, as well as my friend by Sprint.
So GO T-MOBILE!! Keep pushing to be more competitive!

gruuvin said:
Here in Atlanta, AT&T rolled out LTE almost two years ago while in my metro area of Atlanta, T-Mobile's LTE was just switched on. I generally get LTE speeds in excess of 30Mb down and 20Mb up here with my T-Mobile S4 where I get 3 out of 4 bars of signal. In the AT&T store nearby, I got 2/4 bars signal, and my S4 speed tests still beat the pants off the demo S4 model AT&T had, which got 3/4 bars signal -- I got over 20Mb dn and over 10Mb up while the AT&T demo model only got about 16Mb dn and 7Mb up (all LTE).
I say this because I am paying a combined total of only $110/month for unlimited everything on TWO 4GLTE phones with T-Mobile ( an S4 and my wife's iPhone5, after all the taxes and fees), while my wife was paying $120/month for unlimited text, talk and data with AT&T for only ONE iPhone4, after contract was long run out! The way AT&T garners exclusive deals on phone model variants that we should all be able to purchase and jacks up the prices of service to double that of the competitors, it's time for people to jump ship and force them to become more competitive.
Just wanted to point out that, while some say that they prefer to pay AT&T for "better", I don't think AT&T really is any better (except maybe for coverage way out in the country, but hey, most of us don't live way out there), and they sure do seem to be screwing customers harder than the other big three carriers, while T-Mobile seems to be the most competitive, pricewise. I personally dont at all care for CDMA phone technology, compared to GSM, so don't care much for Sprint or Verizon, and I've been screwed enough by Verizon, as well as my friend by Sprint.
So GO T-MOBILE!! Keep pushing to be more competitive!
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I feel ya on that! I switched to Net10/StraightTalk after running the numbers. Sad part was that even buying the S4 outright, the 1st year on ST was still less than 1 year on AT&T... the 2nd year was HALF what I paid for AT&T's service. Only bad thing is I don't get LTE, but... I never really went into LTE areas to begin with, so I'm not even sweating that part!

gruuvin said:
Here in Atlanta, AT&T rolled out LTE almost two years ago while in my metro area of Atlanta, T-Mobile's LTE was just switched on. I generally get LTE speeds in excess of 30Mb down and 20Mb up here with my T-Mobile S4 where I get 3 out of 4 bars of signal. In the AT&T store nearby, I got 2/4 bars signal, and my S4 speed tests still beat the pants off the demo S4 model AT&T had, which got 3/4 bars signal -- I got over 20Mb dn and over 10Mb up while the AT&T demo model only got about 16Mb dn and 7Mb up (all LTE).
I say this because I am paying a combined total of only $110/month for unlimited everything on TWO 4GLTE phones with T-Mobile ( an S4 and my wife's iPhone5, after all the taxes and fees), while my wife was paying $120/month for unlimited text, talk and data with AT&T for only ONE iPhone4, after contract was long run out! The way AT&T garners exclusive deals on phone model variants that we should all be able to purchase and jacks up the prices of service to double that of the competitors, it's time for people to jump ship and force them to become more competitive.
Just wanted to point out that, while some say that they prefer to pay AT&T for "better", I don't think AT&T really is any better (except maybe for coverage way out in the country, but hey, most of us don't live way out there), and they sure do seem to be screwing customers harder than the other big three carriers, while T-Mobile seems to be the most competitive, pricewise. I personally dont at all care for CDMA phone technology, compared to GSM, so don't care much for Sprint or Verizon, and I've been screwed enough by Verizon, as well as my friend by Sprint.
So GO T-MOBILE!! Keep pushing to be more competitive!
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I switched from Att to T-Mobile after being with them for 12 years. Their prices and complacency made me jump ship. T-Mobile is becoming bigger and I expect their coverage to only get better soon. Their no contact promo is paying off and we will see a more mature and reliable service in the next months. Kudos to T-Mobile!
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getting better
I currently live in a rural area on the outskirts of San Antonio....I get decent 3g/4g in the neighborhood and I have a Free T-mobile booster in my house which maxes out the signal on the phone and I get consistant 7mb downloads with it..... However once I leave for work 6 days a week, I get LTE and it FLYS!!!!!! Normally 15 MB down (from what i gather its [T-mobile] only using half bandwidth right now) and like 6 up. ATT is slower in both places, probably due to more people on it! But, T-mobile is upgrading the towers pretty quickly and now that they bought the other company (brain fart) the LTE is gonna get better!!!! I say screw the other carriers they are either to pricy or toooo sloooowwww (sprint) LOL! IMO!