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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
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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
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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
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I purchased my VZW off contract. Unsubsidized is probably about $500.
Different carriers have different rules for their prepaid services. With GSM carriers, TMo and ATT, it's easy to pop a prepaid sim into any phone. With CDMA (Sprint and VZW), I'm not sure. Best bet is to call and ask.
well i had sprint for ever...I switched to tmobile.. to get that tp2 free through wmdeals.com even though coverage sucks at my house im happy.. I have wifi for data when im home.. when i leave my home i have edge service everwhere.. til i start getting close to mesquite ( texas ) it goes to 3g.. but edge works great with opera mini.. and for updating certain things.. but so far tmobile rocks..
The Jack of Clubs said:
they wouldnt say something like that. the entire gsm network is theirs.
btw att, verizon, and sprint all have horrible customer service. youre going to always loose with any provider.
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That's where you are wrong. They did cancel me and one of my brothers living in another town shortly after I got the call and letter. The explanation was they had contracts with other providers to cover you when your were roaming. And roaming was fine, as long as you did not do it too much. I roamed all the time, for about three years.
I called Verizon today, and the representative said that I can't use their prepaid service on a smart phone... although I'm not really sure about, as she sounded clueless, and I had to do lots of explanation until she got the basic idea..
anyway... I like really the verizon version of the Touch Pro 2..
If I go for month-to-month and get it for full retail (490$).. 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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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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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
Hey guys, I was just wondering if this device can be purchased in the US and what networks it will run on. Specifically, will it run on T-Mobile USA. Thanks!
Closed Source Project said:
Hey guys, I was just wondering if this device can be purchased in the US and what networks it will run on. Specifically, will it run on T-Mobile USA. Thanks!
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EDGE speeds only on T-Mobile, both One X's (international and U.S) don't have AWS bands. They'll work on 1900Mhz in refarmed markets but that's less than 10% of T-Mobile's network right now.
No to purchased in the U.S. for the international version unless you live in NYC or Chicago where you can pick it up at places that normally do online only. An AT&T store if you're talking about the U.S. version.
You can get a contract-less post-paid plan from AT&T because you're bringing your own equipment (the international version). Since the IMEI isn't in their database they don't know what kind of phone it is. You can tell them it's a Motorola Krzr (a non-smart data phone) and get a cheap data plan. If you take the $39.99 450 minute plan, and add messaging unlimited with mobile-to-any-mobile calling for $20, you can add unlimited data for non-Smartphones for $10. So your total monthly bill (before taxes) will be $69.99. And, for now, there's no soft cap on the data for non-Smartphones plan. You'll get HSPA+ data which I've seen as high as 8MB down in TX.
You could probably do one of the MVNO's and get it a little cheaper but people have reported mixed results both for activation and d/l speeds.
Good luck.
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.
Ever since Sprint backed out of its*proposed merger with T-Mobile, it’s been all-change at the Kansas City-based telecoms company. Its CEO, Dan Hesse was*replaced by Marcelo Claure, who’s set to bring a new competitive edge to Old Yeller. And if WSJ’s inside sources are correct, that could mean launching an unlimited plan costing just $50 per month.
Sprint is allegedly “testing” a $50 plan which would include unlimited data, text and calls. That’s some $30 cheaper than the equivalent*
http://www.tmonews.com/2014/08/sprint-could-be-set-to-undercut-t-mos-unlimited-plans/
jpeps3 said:
Ever since Sprint backed out of its*proposed merger with T-Mobile, it’s been all-change at the Kansas City-based telecoms company. Its CEO, Dan Hesse was*replaced by Marcelo Claure, who’s set to bring a new competitive edge to Old Yeller. And if WSJ’s inside sources are correct, that could mean launching an unlimited plan costing just $50 per month.
Sprint is allegedly “testing” a $50 plan which would include unlimited data, text and calls. That’s some $30 cheaper than the equivalent*
http://www.tmonews.com/2014/08/sprint-could-be-set-to-undercut-t-mos-unlimited-plans/
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It doesn't matter how much they lower prices. People won't put up with their lousy network. Unlimited talk text and data for $50 sounds great, until you can't actually talk text and use your data. LOL.
Probably should have posted this under General...
This isn't going to help Sprint, not with their network in the shape it's in.
npaladin2000 said:
This isn't going to help Sprint, not with their network in the shape it's in.
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They need to quickly dump their CDMA network and beat Verizon at their own game. High risk, but it's go big or go home for Sprint at this point.
By me the sprint service sucks either way
then tmobile would counter with a jab to the mouth !! but sprints service is horrible and it wont be enough to save them
The big two have coverage.
T-Mobile is deploying higher quality LTE network and expanding coverage as well.
Sprint has what? Lower price only drives network oversold.
Don't rely on massive chunk of 2.5GHz network as the cost can be pretty high to make coverage on par with AWS and PCS.
Too little too late for Sprint. They had the advantage years ago with their unlimited 70 dollar plan before 4G was out, then they scrapped Wimax and started over with LTE and their network is a complete disaster. The worst part? They are on par with Verizon and AT&T for cost of services, which is absurd for the network that they offer. I switched to T-Mobile 18 months ago, and never looked back. T-Mobile has a much faster network, and right now, nobody can beat their prices. The downside to T-Mobile who has fantastic coverage in the metro areas, is your phone is pretty much unusable if you are traveling through rural areas, I mean, you can't even get cell service to make a call. Luckily, I am very rarely in those areas, and mostly notice it while passing from one metro area to another. Hopefully, T-Mobile will make the network larger at some point, but right now they are great in cities.
Not going to Sprint even if they are cheaper.
Back when they bought Nextel I ended up getting $600 bill for text messages even though I had unlimited text messages. I spent 3 months fighting that bill before it was taken care of. 2 years later 23 fellow employees, and myself were dropped by Sprint for excessive roaming, and they wanted us to pay the ETF's. There's a tower 1/2 mile from the office. If I have to deal with this kind of stuff for a $10-15 cheaper bill I'll pass. So far AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile I haven't had this kind of trouble with(Yes I have all 3 services. Used to be 4). Sprint hasn't shown me something that makes me believe I should go back.
Network quality is subjective, just like it is with T-Mobile. While you all are saying Sprint has a terrible network, even more people are saying the same about T-Mobile's. Meanwhile, where I live, both are great and both are much cheaper alternatives to AT&T and Verizon.
partylikeaninjastar said:
Network quality is subjective, just like it is with T-Mobile. While you all are saying Sprint has a terrible network, even more people are saying the same about T-Mobile's. Meanwhile, where I live, both are great and both are much cheaper alternatives to AT&T and Verizon.
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It really depends on were you live and we're I live sprint Internet really bad were tmobile is really.
Sent from my C6916 using xda premium
partylikeaninjastar said:
Network quality is subjective, just like it is with T-Mobile. While you all are saying Sprint has a terrible network, even more people are saying the same about T-Mobile's. Meanwhile, where I live, both are great and both are much cheaper alternatives to AT&T and Verizon.
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If even more people are saying that about T-Mobile, why did T-Mobile pass Sprint in subscribers? How in the world is Sprint much cheaper than AT&T and Verizon? I pay 85 dollars less per month on T-Mobile then I did with Sprint, and I don't have to suffer 300kbps data anymore. 210 a month on Sprint to 125 a month on T-Mobile with 3 line family plan. I'll be the first to admit that in rural areas, T-Mobile is poor, a lot worse than Sprint even just to make a phonecall, but in any metro area, there is no comparison.
Actually there are several rural areas where Sprint has only deployed 3g, or even hasn't deployed EVDO yet, while T-mobile has deployed HSPA. It depends on the area some, but overall Sprint is behind on their network modernization. And they were counting way too much on their BRS spectrum being the magic bullet, but have run into too many problems.
I was at basic training and my family changed my data plan from unlimited to limited.... So I've decided to switch to Tmobile.
I was wondering what features/ problems I will have if I switched carriers?
I would first ensure that tmobile will offer you the coverage you need. Are you active duty or guard? If active, then you should consider who the better carrier is where your stationed
LordLoss said:
I was at basic training and my family changed my data plan from unlimited to limited.... So I've decided to switch to Tmobile.
I was wondering what features/ problems I will have if I switched carriers?
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T-Mobile will pay your ETF if you switch and port your number. Of course, you will have to pay the ETF and will receive a gift card for the amount of the ETF. Check the coverage and ensure that T-Mobile is going to have signal where you are going to be stationed. Their coverage nationwide is pretty spotty when compared to AT&T and Verizon so just ensure that you are going to have coverage, or switching will not do you any good.
Being an active duty soldier. I would stick to AT&T or Verizon. Especially if you go to the field alot.
Besides coverage (like others have said), you do have to get your phone unlocked. To get it done free, call AT&T and have them unlock it. May take a couple days, then do the switch. I've done the switch, reception has be fine throughout CA and NV. A couple spotty areas while driving to Vegas (it is a desert...), but once there, it was good.