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Buying a phone/SIM/contract in the USA

Hi,
This could possibly be the dumbest question you've ever heard asked, but.....
I work for a UK based company and one of our members of staff is on a long-term contract in the US - based in New York, looking for new business etc... She has a Touch Pro device - on a UK contract with a data package - that she uses to make calls, send/receive email (via our Exchange server in the UK) and is very concerned about the size of the phone bills she's been generating!!!
My question is this: can she buy a contract SIM from a US provider to use in the Touch Pro, or will she need to get a CDMA-type phone - whatever she ends up with, will need to talk to our Exchange server in the UK
I have no idea as to what options are available - and also which option is the most cost-effective. I know we're gonna get shafted on the data charges whichever way we go, but hopefully the phone calls to US numbers from a US phone will be considerably cheaper as they won't be classed as roaming.
Any suggestions you guys may have would be most welcome; I'm relying on the expertise of the XDA members in the US
Thanks in advance - and apologies again for the dumb question!
Mark.

Mark Crouch said:
Hi,
This could possibly be the dumbest question you've ever heard asked, but.....
I work for a UK based company and one of our members of staff is on a long-term contract in the US - based in New York, looking for new business etc... She has a Touch Pro device - on a UK contract with a data package - that she uses to make calls, send/receive email (via our Exchange server in the UK) and is very concerned about the size of the phone bills she's been generating!!!
My question is this: can she buy a contract SIM from a US provider to use in the Touch Pro, or will she need to get a CDMA-type phone - whatever she ends up with, will need to talk to our Exchange server in the UK
I have no idea as to what options are available - and also which option is the most cost-effective. I know we're gonna get shafted on the data charges whichever way we go, but hopefully the phone calls to US numbers from a US phone will be considerably cheaper as they won't be classed as roaming.
Any suggestions you guys may have would be most welcome; I'm relying on the expertise of the XDA members in the US
Thanks in advance - and apologies again for the dumb question!
Mark.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Let me be the first to say there are no stupid questions....just stupid people who ask them....LOL and just kidding. Actually your thinking is right on track. If she has sim version of the Pro 2 then she can go ahead and get either t-mobile or AT&T. Either way when she leaves she will be required to pay an early termination fee. The package for AT&T completely unlimited is $99.00 but don't hold me to it. Also if she is using the UK version, no 3G for her, unfortunately, but if you read those who have the blackstone here in the US then you will see that Edge seems good enough for them. One more thing to consider is if she is in New York City, is all the wifi hotspots available. Those along with her unlimited plan should get her through the mess. T-mobile is the next option, but I don't use their service so no dice on that one.
Tell her to go to an AT&T store and also a T-mobile and find out what she can from each and then make a decision based on what her needs are.
I hope this helped a little.

Thanks for that - I'll take a look at the AT&T site and see what options are available for her. Looks like the phone/data are separate packages, but that's no problem; whatever she ends up with will be less than the last two bills we've had (about $1500USD a month ). Even the termination fee is "only" $175, so that won't hurt too much
Hey, thanks for the tip about the wi-fi - hadn't even considered that!! Are there a lot of AT&T wi-fi hotspots in the NYC area or is there just a lot of wi-fi generally (I ask because the AT&T data plans I've seen so far include access to their own hotspots).
Certainly some food for thought - I'll go away and digest it all
Many thanks,
Mark.

Mark Crouch said:
Thanks for that - I'll take a look at the AT&T site and see what options are available for her. Looks like the phone/data are separate packages, but that's no problem; whatever she ends up with will be less than the last two bills we've had (about $1500USD a month ). Even the termination fee is "only" $175, so that won't hurt too much
Hey, thanks for the tip about the wi-fi - hadn't even considered that!! Are there a lot of AT&T wi-fi hotspots in the NYC area or is there just a lot of wi-fi generally (I ask because the AT&T data plans I've seen so far include access to their own hotspots).
Certainly some food for thought - I'll go away and digest it all
Many thanks,
Mark.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The touch pro in the US is called the Fuze, it is the only GSM Touch Pro available. Both US Touch Pros are CDMA ( Verizon and Sprint ). But since the hardware is the same I am sure that a european TP will work just fine on the AT$T network with an AT$T sim.
The unlimited calling package is $ 99/mo and the data package ( internet email, weather, MMS ....) is $30. Of course international calls are always extra. ( called Aruba last week to the tune of $12.50 for 15 min )
So $129 for unlimited calls, texts, and data to @4GB /mo.
You can also cut down the minutes package and save more considering all unused minutes from one month " rollover " into the next month. Nights and weekends are free and AT$T to AT$T calls are free.
Here is my package for 4 phones. TilT, iPhone, LG Vu and Samsung Propel.
59.99 +9.99+9.99+9.99= $86 for 900 shared minutes ( the kids rarely talk, just text, so we always have a good pile of rollover minutes left just in case someone gets " chatty " one month.
Data Tilt-30 ; iPhone-30 =$60 Unlimited Texts on all four phones = $30
So $ 176 for four phones, not bad I think ? ( better deals welcome )
Since you are not subsidizing the phone, no contract, no early termination fee. Hope this helps

OK, I think we're getting close......
Thanks for the responses; I think we're now armed with all the facts
I think she's been told to go to an AT&T store and get something sorted. Only problem (?) now is that she's decided she doesn't want the Touch Pro any more, so she'll be looking to get a new handset through AT&T too (our UK sales people had TP's, but hated them and now have the HTC Snap - think that's the way she wants to go too!!).
Cheers,
Mark.

Pre-paid plans using CDMA Rhodium

I have been a long time customer (more than 10 years) with Iowa Wireless. I LOVE the plan I have, and the rate I haven't been able to find a match to. I'm a big fan of GSM and how I can change phones at will, but alas, I am moving to an area of North Dakota that doesn't have any GSM data, and very poor GSM voice coverage.
I have to move to Verizon (or any other CDMA provider), so I have taken this as my chance to get a new Rhodium to upgrade from my Kaiser to. Yay me.
BUT...
I don't like it, but I have had some financial difficulty, and now must pay a heafty deposit to get 'normal' service from Verizon (which is over priced to begin with).
If I get the Verizon pre-pay unlimited plan *shudders*, can I add a TP2 from eBay by just providing the correct serial numbers?
What about other pre-pay CDMA providers? Wal-Mart's Straight Talk is the right plan at a reasonable price, but can I mount a CMDA TP2 to thier network?

If you have access to MetroPCS in your area, and are willing to jump through a few hoops in getting the device configured, you can use a TP2 there. I have a Sprint TP2 that I bought on eBay running on MPS without issue. Data speeds will take you back to 2003, but the $40 unlimited call/text/data plan is hard to beat.

goldenu said:
If you have access to MetroPCS in your area, and are willing to jump through a few hoops in getting the device configured, you can use a TP2 there. I have a Sprint TP2 that I bought on eBay running on MPS without issue. Data speeds will take you back to 2003, but the $40 unlimited call/text/data plan is hard to beat.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow, I'll have to check them out. Is MetroPCS GSM, or CDMA based? Unfortunatly (in this case) the TP2 can run both GSM and CDMA... as for speeds, I'm used to a trunkated 20K, so anything is fine with me. *chuckles*
Thanks for the pointers!

Check out Page Plus it resells Verizon service thier data plans are crap 20megs and 50 megs and then prepaid $3 a meg (I think) lol but if you setup you phone right you can get allo the free data you can use. I had some issues but had it working pm me if you want details. thei unlimited plan talk and txt with 20megs of data is ~$40
Otherwise see if US Cellular is in the area still expensive for my plan but better than Verizon.
1000 anytime National plan, free nights and weekends starting at 7pm, free incoming calls txts and pics~$45
+txt plan 750 msgs ~$10
+data $24
+phone insurance ~$6
+taxes ~however much the government steals
gets my bill ~$100 per month
But I do pull about a 1megabit down and reasonable upload with 200ms to 250ms latency in my service area when tethered on my pc and I've only been in two places in all of america I did not get coverage so I like them allso the costumer service is the best I've ever had from ANY COMPANY HANDS DOWN.
If their was one company that deserves a hug in the whole world is US Cellular they are the best!
sorry for typos it's late I'm tired and lazy.

How do you get free unlimited data from Page Plus?

I am also curious as to whether or not you can tie an unlocked Touch Pro 2 to the Straight Talk network. Anybody have any ideas?

Verizon Wireless Basic Pre-Paid Plan
I've got a Blackberry through work and use that to read my work mails and for calls. I was still using the HTC P3600 as my PDA/MP3 player/Navigation/snapshots/movies/games/etc. and was thinking it's time for an upgrade. The TP2 seemed to be a worthy successor... thank god - I was waiting long enough. Anyway, I was also looking for a plan that I could use every now and then without any monthly commitments and related high charges. So the Verizon basic pre-paid plan seemed ideal for my situation - it costs 99 cents per day you use it - while giving you unlimited data for that day. I'd get a $100 charge so they let me keep my number for 1 year and I'd get OTA data for every third day during that year. So much for the plan...
First attempt: Try to get the Vz TP2 with the basic pre-paid plan. FAILED ... although the pre-paid guys told me the phone would work with the plan, they wouldn't be able to sell it to me without a monthly plan. I could have gotten it for the month-to-month price and then cancelled the plan after the first month - but I didn't want to go that far.
So I bought the phone through eBay. Slight complication - but I am very happy with my new phone so far!
Second attempt: Get the Vz pre-paid plan setup to my new TP2 that I bought off eBay. FAILED althought initially I was informed the pre-paid plan would WORK with the TP2 - Verizon Wireless refuses to set it up with the TP2 (which they will recognize as soon as you give them your MEID). They told me "the pre-paid network is not able to handle the traffic generated by the TP2 phone" right, like there's a separate pre-paid network....
Third attempt: PENDING I want to get some low-cost CDMA phone, either off eBay or from Vz directly (~$40 dollars one-time costs) and set that up with the basic pre-paid plan. Then I'll just "repair"/clone that phone's ESN to my TP2 and theoretically will be able to use my TP2 finally with the Verizon Wireless Basic Pre-Paid plan.
Anyone has any thoughts or - even better - real life experience? Will this work? Any ideas for a cheaper solution? I don't mind the workaround - it's fun so far...

Bizzled - THIS IS EXACTLY the kind of information I wanted to know! I'm reading this intently, I can't wait to hear how this went. I have a little bit of time before I have to change companies, I'd really like to do this...
I think I can get you a phone that is from VZ... used to be on the network, let me know if you need one, I'll go do the research on my end.

Page Plus is a prepaid service that uses the Verizon network. They will activate any unlocked CDMA phone (even phones from another carrier).
Most Verizon PDA phones work out of the box with no unlocking or anything needed.
See here:
http://www.pagepluscellular.com/
Sounds like exactly what you are looking for.

bizzled said:
I've got a Blackberry through work and use that to read my work mails and for calls. I was still using the HTC P3600 as my PDA/MP3 player/Navigation/snapshots/movies/games/etc. and was thinking it's time for an upgrade. The TP2 seemed to be a worthy successor... thank god - I was waiting long enough. Anyway, I was also looking for a plan that I could use every now and then without any monthly commitments and related high charges. So the Verizon basic pre-paid plan seemed ideal for my situation - it costs 99 cents per day you use it - while giving you unlimited data for that day. I'd get a $100 charge so they let me keep my number for 1 year and I'd get OTA data for every third day during that year. So much for the plan...
First attempt: Try to get the Vz TP2 with the basic pre-paid plan. FAILED ... although the pre-paid guys told me the phone would work with the plan, they wouldn't be able to sell it to me without a monthly plan. I could have gotten it for the month-to-month price and then cancelled the plan after the first month - but I didn't want to go that far.
So I bought the phone through eBay. Slight complication - but I am very happy with my new phone so far!
Second attempt: Get the Vz pre-paid plan setup to my new TP2 that I bought off eBay. FAILED althought initially I was informed the pre-paid plan would WORK with the TP2 - Verizon Wireless refuses to set it up with the TP2 (which they will recognize as soon as you give them your MEID). They told me "the pre-paid network is not able to handle the traffic generated by the TP2 phone" right, like there's a separate pre-paid network....
Third attempt: PENDING I want to get some low-cost CDMA phone, either off eBay or from Vz directly (~$40 dollars one-time costs) and set that up with the basic pre-paid plan. Then I'll just "repair"/clone that phone's ESN to my TP2 and theoretically will be able to use my TP2 finally with the Verizon Wireless Basic Pre-Paid plan.
Anyone has any thoughts or - even better - real life experience? Will this work? Any ideas for a cheaper solution? I don't mind the workaround - it's fun so far...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you buy a verizon branded TP2? Just curious, since I'm dealing with my own issue with verizon.

@cdmccul - I'll definitely share the results once I'm done. Got a Verizon Phone already for the cloning process... just need to figure the cloning out now. Thanks for the offer though!
@SaltyDawg - thanks for the hint. I won't go with PagePlus though since they charge you $1.20/MB for data and that's all I'm interested in for my future TP2 plan...

MadM3rlin said:
Did you buy a verizon branded TP2? Just curious, since I'm dealing with my own issue with verizon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes I did.

bizzled said:
@cdmccul - I'll definitely share the results once I'm done. Got a Verizon Phone already for the cloning process... just need to figure the cloning out now. Thanks for the offer though!
@SaltyDawg - thanks for the hint. I won't go with PagePlus though since they charge you $1.20/MB for data and that's all I'm interested in for my future TP2 plan...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
$1.20 per MB? That's only if you take the standard plan.
http://www.pagepluscellular.com/Plans/Talk n Text 1200.aspx
That says you get 1200 minutes, 1200 text messages, and 50 MB of data for $29.99 per month (which is the same as the $1.00 per day that you were talking about on Verizon). And data is billed at .60 per MB if you go over the 50 MB.

I looked at PagePlus, but the web site wasn't working well for me, and it appears as though they won't get me a phone number near where I need one. Doesn't mean I won't try a different area code, but for now, if I can get Verizon to work, that would be 'better.
However, Verizon doesn't have any LOCAL numbers to exactly where I am. The closest town to where I am moving to is considered long distance to where I will be living.

cdmccul said:
I looked at PagePlus, but the web site wasn't working well for me, and it appears as though they won't get me a phone number near where I need one. Doesn't mean I won't try a different area code, but for now, if I can get Verizon to work, that would be 'better.
However, Verizon doesn't have any LOCAL numbers to exactly where I am. The closest town to where I am moving to is considered long distance to where I will be living.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just port your number in. Keep your existing number. If you don't have an existing number, buy a cheap prepaid phone and then port that number.

SaltyDawg said:
Just port your number in. Keep your existing number. If you don't have an existing number, buy a cheap prepaid phone and then port that number.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll have to see if I can find any - the town I'm moving to isn't THAT small, but I haven't found any local cell numbers. I'll have to do more research, there's got to be somebody... That or I'll try to do something with the GoogleVoice thingy I read about a while ago.

Well if push comes to shove, you can port landline numbers too. So you could sign up for a landline from whoever the local phone company is, and then after a few days port it out to your cell phone.

How can I buy a T-Mobile prepaid SIM card for my US vacation?

Hi everyone
I bought my SGS 4G during my last US vacation.
Coming back to visit (10 days on August), I'd like to buy a prepaid SIM card with unlimited 3G/4G with a local line just for this stay.
I saw s SIM card for 50$ in the T-Mobile site.
How can I do that, if I'm not at the states at the moment?
What alternatives do I have?
I searched the web and couldn't find a clear, easy & cheap solution.
It has to work with my lovely SGS 4G.
Thanks in advance!
Sent from my SGH-T959V using XDA

itzik
Your best bet is most likely gonna be to just get the plan once you arrive in the states. Tmob stores are all over the place so unless your flying into Podunk, Kentucky(no offense to people from the great state of Kentucky) you should be able to find a store within a few miles of the airport. Hope you figure it out and you have a blast in the States.

Just out of curiosity where will you be? Here in NYC t-mobile stores are everywhere & may be in the airport itself.
Sent from my SGH-T959V using xda premium

Hi guys
Last year in NYC 2 different AT&T stores didn't want to sell me a SIM card as I'm a tourist with no social security number. This year my starting point is Miami.
Sent from my SGH-T959V using XDA

I would contact a store close to where you will be staying in Miami. Tell them whats going on and they will probably be more than happy to help you. Also Walmart sells T-mo stuff so they might be able to help you. IIRC you can save a tiny bit buying from walmart.
Another option is use the Straight Talk sim card program. Its five bucks cheaper and the same service. Im not totally sure of the data connection. Im looking into the type of data connection you get. I know Normal straight talk phones have the same coverage as att,verizon and t-mo. Ill update once I can get a straight answer.

Great, 10x, I'll make some research on the mobile stores around my staying area i.e south beach.
Sent from my SGH-T959V using XDA

It would be best to wait until you're in the states. You will have no problem getting a prepaid SIM activated from T-Mobile (I am an Event Rep for them). I'm not sure if they offer it in Florida but if you don't really need many minutesthey offer unlimited 4g (throttled after 5gb) & messaging with 100 minutes for $30. I sell a lot of that plan during conventions here in Denver.
Sent from my SGH-T959V using xda premium

Talked to a Straight talk rep the byod sims operate 3g service. So if the T-Mo $30 plan doesnt have enough minutes for ya that is a option.

Hi eb13
That plan sounds like just what I need. Is it limited to a period of time? I found a T-mo store in Miami but it has low ratings.. and probably they won't offer this plan. I'll try contacting them on Monday.
Thanks.
Sent from my SGH-T959V using XDA

itzik2sh said:
Hi eb13
That plan sounds like just what I need. Is it limited to a period of time? I found a T-mo store in Miami but it has low ratings.. and probably they won't offer this plan. I'll try contacting them on Monday.
Thanks.
Sent from my SGH-T959V using XDA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The t-mo 30 dollar plan is good for 30 days.
This from the t-mo site.
*First 5GB at up to 4G speeds. New activations only. Available exclusively in-store at Walmart, on Walmart.com, and T-Mobile.com.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would goto walmart and get it. Normally they are slightly cheaper.

eollie said:
The t-mo 30 dollar plan is good for 30 days.
This from the t-mo site.
I would goto walmart and get it. Normally they are slightly cheaper.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 Walmart and online arethe only points of sale for the $30 plan
Source: used to work cell phones in Walmart, then wireless advocates (staples/Costco) and TMobile
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA

Hi Again
OK, so regarding the T-mobile 30$ plan I found this on T-mo site :
http://prepaid-phones.t-mobile.com/monthly-4g-plans
and this one on Wallmart site :
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Tmobile-30-Wireless-Airtime-Card/15443357?findingMethod=rr#ProductDetail
Few things still unclear to me :
1. If I buy it from T-mo, do I have to do it in advance and ask for delivery to the hotel or can I just instantly go and buy it from a local T-mo store I found 15 minutes walk from the Hotel ?
maybe I should order it online and just go pick it up from that store ?
2. Why do all stores in Miami get lousy reviews with "bad customer service", "no parking" and "no one speaks English there" ?
3. Wallmart centers are not near my staying place, so I could order it and get it shipped to the hotel I suppose, but here it says :
"The $30 Unlimited Web & Text with 100 min talk plan works only with T-Mobile Phones purchased from a Walmart store or from Walmart.com"
WTF ? I bought my phone in some local Manhattan store I don't even remember its name.
4. Even in Wallmart site I see I get the activation code via mail - but how would they know my IMEI number?
Regarding the Straight-Talk plans I found this one :
http://www.straighttalksim.com/shop.php
So what I understand from this is that it will cost me 60$ overall (which is twice the T-mo price).
I don't really need the unlimited talk, but mabe it's worth the price comparing to T-mobile service.
What do you advise ?
Thanks !!!

The $30 plan is suppose to be part of the byod(bring your own device) promotion so walmart should be willing to sell you the sim card. I would goto my local walmart and ask but I know each store will do things slightly different.
You also might be able to contact t-mobile and tell them what your wanting to do and ask what they suggest. They might be able to have the item shipped to the hotel in advance of your arrival and you pick it up at the desk when you sign in. What you are getting from them is the sim card it costs like 4 bucks and they refund that to you once you activate.
If you dont need the unlimited calling then I would stick to t-mo. In Miami area the 4g service should be super.

itzik2sh said:
Hi Again
OK, so regarding the T-mobile 30$ plan I found this on T-mo site :
http://prepaid-phones.t-mobile.com/monthly-4g-plans
and this one on Wallmart site :
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Tmobile-30-Wireless-Airtime-Card/15443357?findingMethod=rr#ProductDetail
Few things still unclear to me :
1. If I buy it from T-mo, do I have to do it in advance and ask for delivery to the hotel or can I just instantly go and buy it from a local T-mo store I found 15 minutes walk from the Hotel ?
maybe I should order it online and just go pick it up from that store ?
2. Why do all stores in Miami get lousy reviews with "bad customer service", "no parking" and "no one speaks English there" ?
3. Wallmart centers are not near my staying place, so I could order it and get it shipped to the hotel I suppose, but here it says :
"The $30 Unlimited Web & Text with 100 min talk plan works only with T-Mobile Phones purchased from a Walmart store or from Walmart.com"
WTF ? I bought my phone in some local Manhattan store I don't even remember its name.
4. Even in Wallmart site I see I get the activation code via mail - but how would they know my IMEI number?
Regarding the Straight-Talk plans I found this one :
http://www.straighttalksim.com/shop.php
So what I understand from this is that it will cost me 60$ overall (which is twice the T-mo price).
I don't really need the unlimited talk, but mabe it's worth the price comparing to T-mobile service.
What do you advise ?
Thanks !!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. No you do not need to buy in advance. You can walk into any Tmo store and buy prepaid activation on site. Choose to activate yourself by phone and the $30 option is available to anyone who activate by phone.
2. Because people are jerks
3. disregard that, I sell these plans to people on a daily basis at numerous locations and in any phone. I have activated these for customers with unlocked iphones (not proud of that).
4. You provide your IMEI when activating buy it's only to make sure you're not going to use a phone that's been reported stolen from retail. (if a phone is stolen from a retail location the IMEI guess into a database)
I highly advise staying away from Straight Talk - just my opinion but there service on every level is less than respectable.
Sent from my SGH-T959V using xda premium

Hi guys
Thanks for all the replies!
I'm probably taking the 30$ unlimited web plan and Skype pay as you go credit for the long distance. I think it's ideal for a 10 days period.
Sent from my SGH-T959V using XDA

Hi everyone,
Excuse me for bringing back this topic, but I have a similar question regarding this topic. We're visiting California next week as an European tourist. I'm willing to buy the 30 days unlimited web prepaid deal from t mobile, however I saw that it is for 'US residents only'.
Do they check this? Do you have to provide a passport or something?
We only need Internet for 3 weeks so 30 days is sufficient, it's mainly for navigation purpose on my HTC Sensation.
Another question, is the sim a standard one or is it a micro sim?
Hope you can give us the answer! Can't wait for our visit!
Best regards,
Jasper from the Netherlands.

Dutchman86 said:
Hi everyone,
Excuse me for bringing back this topic, but I have a similar question regarding this topic. We're visiting California next week as an European tourist. I'm willing to buy the 30 days unlimited web prepaid deal from t mobile, however I saw that it is for 'US residents only'.
Do they check this? Do you have to provide a passport or something?
We only need Internet for 3 weeks so 30 days is sufficient, it's mainly for navigation purpose on my HTC Sensation.
Another question, is the sim a standard one or is it a micro sim?
Hope you can give us the answer! Can't wait for our visit!
Best regards,
Jasper from the Netherlands.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No they do not check it. You do not need to provide a passport. However you may be required to present an ID. It varies. If you plan to get one at a T-Mobile store, you can request a standard one, or microsim. If for some reason you decide to buy it online, it'll come as a standard similar card.
Sent from my SGH-T959V using xda premium

[TOOL] Mobuk needs some UK users

Hello there,
I've been working on adapting a program for the United Kingdom. It's about comparing different mobile plans with yours and your agenda. Permissions include accessing your personal data in order to load your call list from your agenda and calculate how much would it cost you monthly with every different mobile plan.
Currently, I've include Vodafone, orange and T-mobile plans, but if it's fine, I'll add up more carriers.
Available for free at google play, mobuk occupies around 100 kb and will increase very little since it's mostly text.
Though it's been already released I wonder about the prices since prefixes are different from the ones in my country. So I'd like someone to check if everything is ok. Preferably, users calling over 100 minutes monthly.
There is still a long way to go, including internet filtering and such, but it's a starting point.
Suggestion will be welcome. Thank you
P.S.: Seems like reading posts on XDA forums don't count for the 10 posts limit , I can't actually post outside links... but it makes sense as a reasonable antispam measure

Here is the link for anyone interested.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tenuki.mobuk
I'm gonna give this a try now and I'll let you know what I think.
Sent from my VegaCream Beta 4.1 using XDA Premium HD app

What will this do exactly? I'm on Orange and I used 748 minutes last month..

Caramelslice said:
What will this do exactly? I'm on Orange and I used 748 minutes last month..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It will load the list of your phone calls and calculate how much would cost you on dozens of different plans...
Then you'll get an idea of which plan would cost you less money. Essentially, it's comparing every single plan, so that you find out if "Panther 36 or Dolphin 31" would give a cheaper result in your case.
The attachment shows the result of the program when talked 0 minutes.

Good idea, but if your tied into a contract there's not much you can do for a good few months, for example downgrade tariff and such. It'd be good if you could monitor for a users contract up until month X where they can downgrade their tariff and suggest a suitable tariff on the same network if they are not making full use of their allocated plan.
Other's will be on PAYG, so you'd need to factor in PAYG plans. Or others will be on Sim Only plans again these can be short term or long term contracts. Then you've got things like GiffGaff £10 per month for 250 mins, Unlimited SMS & Data, and most people that's the cheapest non contract contract in the UK.

nikzDHD said:
Good idea, but if your tied into a contract there's not much you can do for a good few months, for example downgrade tariff and such. It'd be good if you could monitor for a users contract up until month X where they can downgrade their tariff and suggest a suitable tariff on the same network if they are not making full use of their allocated plan.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Added to the TO DO list... Thank you.
However, I'm doubtful about users leaving my app for long months till the contract expires.
nikzDHD said:
Other's will be on PAYG, so you'd need to factor in PAYG plans. Or others will be on Sim Only plans again these can be short term or long term contracts. Then you've got things like GiffGaff £10 per month for 250 mins, Unlimited SMS & Data, and most people that's the cheapest non contract contract in the UK.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The sim only plans are already added, they are the ones including SIM in their name. Which leads me to adding another line to the TO DO list: " write some instructions to understand the plan-names-coding"...
Pay as you go plans, seems reasonable, though it would require some additional long hours of adding plans and some option to filter them in/out.
As for other companies, such as Giffgaff, they still not included. My original intention was to add them according to their share of the market... the next one is O2, then 3 and then Giffgaff... However, giffgaff only features a few different plans so it would be easy to add them.
my "TO DO" list looks awful now, thanks for your suggestions :good:

I know it's work but you can implement a remind feature for example you'd have to research each individual networks downgrade time.
Also what would be useful is to add a feature that will notify a user a month before their contract expires. This would be useful for us folks to tend to be forgetful.
But so far looking good. I'd be more than happy to test but I don't use that many minutes prefer to text and use whatsapp and such.
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[Discussion] Carriers! Discuss, compare, and/or hate on your carrier(s)

Hello my fellow XDA members!
This is a thread about companies that provide us with the ability to call, text, browse internet and do other stuff on our mobile devices, and go all-out-rage or all-out-love thanks to the level of customer service - the carriers.
Here you can talk about them, discuss the current/past/future data/call plans, share your thoughts on %carrier_name% in %country_name%, compare them between each other. Tell us what, in your opinion, could your carrier improve based upon your personal thoughts or upon other carriers' experience.
If you have ever visited other countries and used the local carrier - tell us how it compares to carriers from your contry, or just ask about prices/plans/etc. about carriers from other countries.
And, if you can, make a top-3/5/7/etc. carriers. You may compile such lists either from the local ones on even include the foreign ones.
So, let's start!

carrier : Mobile one
Country : Singapore
2GB 4G LTE per month. which is too little.
500 free sms.per month. I don't text a lot though, so it really doesn't matter.
free incoming calls. per month. heh, my favourite phrase is "could you call me instead"
I don't remember how much it costs to have outgoing calls though.
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carrier : Vodaphone
Country : India
changed my carrier a while back because of their poor service
their 3g stops working at 12 in noon and started to work again in evening wtf???

Fatal1ty_18_RUS said:
Hello my fellow XDA members!
This is a thread about companies that provide us with the ability to call, text, browse internet and do other stuff on our mobile devices, and go all-out-rage or all-out-love thanks to the level of customer service - the carriers.
Here you can talk about them, discuss the current/past/future data/call plans, share your thoughts on %carrier_name% in %country_name%, compare them between each other. Tell us what, in your opinion, could your carrier improve based upon your personal thoughts or upon other carriers' experience.
If you have ever visited other countries and used the local carrier - tell us how it compares to carriers from your contry, or just ask about prices/plans/etc. about carriers from other countries.
And, if you can, make a top-3/5/7/etc. carriers. You may compile such lists either from the local ones on even include the foreign ones.
So, let's start!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
wow, this thread is dead pretty quickly
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Well, let's not let it die then
Carrier: Beeline
Contry: Russia
2GB of 3G per month, free incoming calls from any other Russian carrier
This carrier has pretty much the most suitable costs for calling, texting, browsing and more. What definately differs this one from the other two is that you cal find yourself a plan basically for anything
Are you a granny/grandad? Grab this plan
Do you want to provide your kids with a plan? There you go
Browse internet from your phone/tablet? You have 6 options of 3G internet and 7 options for 4G
Plus Beeline also provides a home internet, the digital TV, AND it has WiFi Hotspots across Moscow, and probably in other cities too
Sadly their 4G coverage is just awful - it works only within Downtown of Moscow, so if I'd need LTE - I'd had to use other carrier's services for that

We have been using T-mobile pay-as-you-go in the US for years. Lowest price we can find if you don't call very often. May not fit everyone's needs but fits ours perfectly. No monthly fees, no contracts, very low cost. The downside is that the cell coverage is not very strong in the suburbs. But we can live with that. YMMV.