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Tmobile vs At&t

new to android... currently using N1 on att edge... contemplating a switch to Tmobile... latest "speed tests" by PC World show ATT as a clear leader for download speeds, plus they have better spectrum and in my exp. allow better penetration though walls. I live in seattle but travel to many major cities on east coast... anyone offer any suggestions with their exp with Tmob vs. ATT? How biased is Pcworld?
My goal is the use the N1 on ATT until they get a proper android device... couple months I hope, or do I switch now and save the trouble...any advice would be appreciated

tmobile and att both have their ups and down
but tmobile now clearly has AMAZINGLY BETTER unlimited min data and text plans for a very low low LOW price
check it out
not a tmobile rep lol
just a very long time tmo user
and tmo's 3g aint that bad
i dont notice any problems with it

thanks for the reply
yeah im aware of the potential $$ savings, however for me that is not the case...im more looking into who will provide the best speeds/least amount of hassle over the next year or so...i have few friends who work at ATT store who are managers, and I can always get anything done to my account I need to...
I understand Tmobile has "great" service, but my experience with them both online and in the stores has been horrible. The sales reps Ive spoken with at several stores have been sorely uninformed and have outright lied to my (by making up answers that are not true about many things, so probably not malicious lies but if you dont know TELL ME!). The latest episode was when a sales rep told me that they would be carrying the HTC Desire in April, and that It will have a physical keyboard and dual core processor!
in my area, as posted by pcworld, ATT completely smokes tmobile in average DL speeds (1400vs 900)... plus im able to pay $60 a month right now and have everything i need..granted i am stuck on att edge with my n1, but its not as bad as i thought...my plan was to keep the phone until att finally got one, but their whole "backflip" ordeal has left me concerned with their openness to google... I love my N1, even the trackball, and would be hard pressed to pick a desire over it... Im rambling now so Ill stop, but last point is that i would have to cancel my att contract, which at only $175 isnt that bad, considering i just last month bought a 3gs for $220 and sold it for $530...

T-Mo this summer is going to smoke AT&T as the fastest 3g network.But as far as coverage AT&T is a little better,plus is true that lower frequency is better penetrating to buildings,that's one problem i'm dealing now with T-Mo,but the price is right,so I guess at the end you have to look for the best one for your needs.

tmobile plans
just talked with a very knowledgeable Tmobile reap... apparently seattle is #11 to receive fiber upgrades, and will receive HSPA+ around may 18th... of course this is all hearsay... they will also be selling HD2s for BOGO $199 contract... amazing deal... very nice phone, they had one today I was able to play with. Perfect size for me... just waiting for a more perfect android port and ill make the switch from nexus one...
just ported my number to tmobile today...hopefully i wont be disappointed

ieon said:
just talked with a very knowledgeable Tmobile reap... apparently seattle is #11 to receive fiber upgrades, and will receive HSPA+ around may 18th... of course this is all hearsay... they will also be selling HD2s for BOGO $199 contract... amazing deal... very nice phone, they had one today I was able to play with. Perfect size for me... just waiting for a more perfect android port and ill make the switch from nexus one...
just ported my number to tmobile today...hopefully i wont be disappointed
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Did you talk to a rep online? Or was it a friend or something? I would LOVE to have some more info on St. Louis expansion further southward and any other plans in the area. I'm currently on AT&T about 10 miles outside T-Mo's 3G bubble. I have AT&T 3G since last October, but am using an ADP1, since my unlocked Roger's Dream broke. I think I am going to switch to T-Mo when I get my free Nexus, but I would love to have 3G.
Anyway, the point is where'd you get the info, and if you can find out anything about St. Louis from that rep (if its in person, if not tell me its online I'll try some more).
K thx bye
Lol just playin, but thanks. Please let me know

Here in vegas t-mo 3g speeds are better then AT&T so TMo was the clear choice for me. The fastest 3g speeds in town here though are with verizon
We tested using 4 phones:
Tmobile G1
Tmobile MyTouch 3g
Verizon Blackberry
At&T Iphone
The results were pretty staggering:
Tmobile G1 - 970kbps
Tmobile MyTouch 3g - 1023 kbps
Verizon Blackberry - 1876 kbps
At&T Iphone - 200 kbps

Funny noone mentioned sprint. You, being number for reliability and all that.

T-Mobile FTW!
I live in the Bay Area and I have done several speed test all over with both an iPhone 3GS and Nexus One. For the most part AT&T gets around 1400-2400 kbps down and about 200-300 kbps up with a 1000-3000ms ping. T-Mobile gets about 1000-1500 kbps down and 300-600 kbps up with a 60-100ms ping. In most cases AT&T does get slightly faster speeds and has more 3G coverage but is not as reliable. Sometimes the data connection disappears or takes forever to start loading. Once both phone do start loading there isn't much difference loading web sites. As far as downloading files AT&T is slightly faster but doesn't seem to have the bandwidth that T-Mobile when downloading multiple files at the same time. I used to be a long time customer of AT&T but got fed up paying $100/month for data/texting/voice and getting unreliable data service where I work (Financial District - San Francisco). Personally I would recommend that anyone who is on the fence to go with T-Mobile. They don't have perfect service but for the price its a much better value than AT&T. I haven't had any problems or issues besides a few select areas with poor 3G reception since I have switched to T-Mobile.
Cities tested:
Concord/Walnut Creek Area: Both worked really well. AT&T what quite a bit faster in speed tests but loading regular web sites was about the same.
Marin: AT&T = Good - Some areas get dropped calls and no 3G | T-Mobile works good as well. Some areas get poor reception for 3G and Edge | Speeds are about the same... AT&T is slightly faster. (Lots of testing)
Pleasonton: Both worked really well. (Limited testing)
San Francisco: AT&T = Horrible... didn't work at all in my building with full 3G | T-Mobile works great... works perfect in the same place AT&T didn't | Speeds are about the same... when AT&T works.
Vallejo: About the same as Marin.
Hope this helps,
- Victor

neoelectrex said:
Funny noone mentioned sprint. You, being number for reliability and all that.
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The reason is that OP has a GSM device and Sprint is CDMA...

T-Mobile because AT&T network is lame. They actually told their iFail users to don't use internet as much because of their weak ass network and they are locking down their android phones so T-Mobile wins of course.

Sigh
Ok Ok I know location plays a huge part in this but let me say this, AT&T is 100% trash compared to Tmobile (based on New Jersey), They pay millions to say they cover 97% of US and they have the fastest 3G in the US. When? 8 Years AGO? I did a test with my friends iphone 3GS (new Jersey) with an app called SPEEDTEST, also did the same test (SAME PLACE MY HOUSE NJ) with the same exact APP SPEED TEST on my nexus one,
Results
Iphone3GS AT&T = 99kbits/sec (test was done 2 times each.) Similar results he was pinging about 4000-5000
Nexus one Tmobile = 1,740Kbits/sec (test was done 2 times each.) Similar results I was pinging about 88=97
I then tested my 2G (same place + same app) = 210kbits/s
This means my 2g was faster than his so called 3G, funny thing is, his iphone 3GS doesnt even say when its on Edge or 3G, My nexus one says when its on Edge (2G), 3G Or HSPDA (which I'm on all day HSPDA full bars in NJ). DO NOT FORGET HOW TRAFFIC IMPACTS A NETWORK, it's horrible. You are paying more, you have worse call quality (both network and phone) considering the 2 microphones of the N1 and clarity of Tmobile. So you pay more? Do less, both apple and AT&T limit you, and you have the nerve to compare? Apple is ditching AT&T for few reasons, 1 of them being 30% dropped calls in major cities, and allowing android phones (better phones) than Iphone on their exclusive network.
My point? Why the hell would you pay more and get less? Not only get less, but slower, and sloppier? The comparison boggles my mind, Maybe Tmobile doens't cover as much, this is a fact as well, but man check their coverage map and see if its available in your area, because it's way better in every possible way.
My plan is 500 minutes with everything else unlimited (mobile to mobile, text, data, weekends, nights) Most the people I speak with have tmobile, so I never even go past 200 minutes ever. This costs me 65.34 a month after taxes and I use my nexus one every hour of the day literally. if you want the pictures to my tests, I'm glad to show my proof, email me at [email protected] or go to my youtube page and see my nexus one vids. I'll be uploading some videos when my friend returns to my house, yes speeds vary even by the day or hour due to traffic, but I'm normally getting over 1mbit/s all day long, he gets very bad lag in his network, he pays 120 a month which is about twice what I pay and his calling/data/all around sucks. Why argue? why bother? I've asked my friends with nexus one in jersey city to test his network and it's almost as fast as mine, so i'm not in luck here, tmobile simply rocks after their network upgrade december 2009, don't forget they'll be doing another upgrade for intense speeds before 2010 ends.
Signing off Gslick, email me for pictures of the tests.
Youtube chan with my rooted nexus one = www.youtube.com/user/exclusivegslick might as well sub if you like the phone and/or android.

i am in columbus area and here tmobile 3G is bad, i dont get 3G at all in my house.
i have a iphone 3gs and it gets 3G coverage everywhere.
as soon as i get off the highway 3g bars with tmobile starts going down.
the funny thing is that even in tmobile store i get EDGE with tmobile phones and the att 3gs gets 3G
and no i donot work with att.
my advice check 3G coverage to whatever city you travel the most.
i would go with mediocre 3G speed but better coverage, instead of blazing fast 3G with no coverage

This all depends on where you live and what type of service quality you are looking for.... I've heard ATT and T-Mobile trashed on forums for various reasons.
I live in Austin, Texas, USA... I can't speak for data service as I'm using a T-Mobile frequency G1 on ATT network - so, I'm restricted to Edge data service.
However, my wife has several friends who are on T-mobile and they constantly drop calls. Which DOES NOT happen to us on ATT. Also, ATT has MUCH better reception in the rural areas where I work than T-Mobile (which is VERY spotty in the rural areas).
So, my wife and I refuse to leave ATT for now. Despite my near clinical depression over not being able to upgrade my G1!
Data may or may not be better for T-mobile in the urban area here - I don't know.
I would check with your friends and family who travel the same areas that you do - who also have service with both carriers and have decent phones.
The claims from store reps will almost always be biased - however, if you have a friend who is a store rep who will give you an honest opinion - I would ask them what kind of complaints they hear "in store" regarding the other carriers.
Don't just take someone else's word from a post on this forum if that person DOES NOT live in your area - as they could have a completely different experience and the carriers' infrastructure could be very different.

jongie123 said:
T-Mo this summer is going to smoke AT&T as the fastest 3g network.But as far as coverage AT&T is a little better,plus is true that lower frequency is better penetrating to buildings,that's one problem i'm dealing now with T-Mo,but the price is right,so I guess at the end you have to look for the best one for your needs.
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AT&T coverage is not a little better than T-MO, it's a lot better, for both data and voice.
I have no idea what make anyone think T-MO America, who is in dire financial straits right now, has the money to keep up with AT&T's massive mobile network build-out. The truth is, they can't. AT&T has steadily been improving backhaul and connection speeds, is getting ready for 4G deployment and has that capacity in place in many places already.
AT&T's network has been improving faster than anyone else's, and that's why they currently have the fastest 3G speeds on the nation's #2 3G network for coverage. But they are far from done, and any competitor who thinks they're sitting still to be leapfrogged had better be prepared to spend a boatload of money to build, because AT&T is. T-MO just does not have the resources (revenue) to keep up.

Gslick said:
Ok Ok I know location plays a huge part in this but let me say this, AT&T is 100% trash compared to Tmobile (based on New Jersey), They pay millions to say they cover 97% of US and they have the fastest 3G in the US. When? 8 Years AGO?
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You're talking out your butthole, pure and simple. Your narrow view of the network is a paradigm child of your limited experience with it. It's nothing more than crap folklore.

Wow, I live in Lewiston, ID. There isn't much around here and I have hit 3.5mb down and 1mb up with my Hero. For some reason lately I can't hit Liberty Lake with Speedtest. Is a couple hours away up by Spokane WA. For some reason it thinks I am 45mi away from Wichita, KS. Still hit almost 2.97mb down and 1.07mb up with a 348 ping.

some ppl. here are getting biased here.
for me i live in columbus and i bought the HD2 was waiting for it for months if not longer, but was sooooooo disappointed when i got it really bad 3G, next to nothing.
call quality soooooo bad, many ppl. are saying that its the HD2 thats at fault.
but i dont know, i have a 3GS in the house and that gets 3G even in tmobile store where the HD2 didnt
so i will think twice before taking tmobile in the future, asleast FOR AS LONG AS I LIVE IN COLUMBUS.
thats my personal experience, i cannot speak for other US cities or locations.

UberMario said:
T-Mobile because AT&T network is lame. They actually told their iFail users to don't use internet as much because of their weak ass network and they are locking down their android phones so T-Mobile wins of course.
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That's a complete load of crap. It's an outright lie. Maybe you didn't start it, but it's still a lie.

geronemo said:
some ppl. here are getting biased here.
for me i live in columbus and i bought the HD2 was waiting for it for months if not longer, but was sooooooo disappointed when i got it really bad 3G, next to nothing.
call quality soooooo bad, many ppl. are saying that its the HD2 thats at fault.
but i dont know, i have a 3GS in the house and that gets 3G even in tmobile store where the HD2 didnt
so i will think twice before taking tmobile in the future, asleast FOR AS LONG AS I LIVE IN COLUMBUS.
thats my personal experience, i cannot speak for other US cities or locations.
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Columbus, OHIO- right? I live in the upper left corner of Ohio (Williams County) and want to get a nexus one. However, everyone I know has Verizon. I am sick of waiting so I am going to get one now. According to tmobile's and att's websites, att has the better coverage. I was also considering the palm pre plus ($50 bucks for two!), but I want the sexy nexus one.

[Conundrum] On AT&T, looking to escape.

So I've gotten myself into a pickle. Let me start this by saying that staying on AT&T is not an option for personal reasons.
Current situation: HTC Inspire 4G with an unlimited data plan on AT&T.
Living in NY metro area with great coverage.
Got the green light from AT&T to cancel my contract with no ETF if I want.
Hopes & Dreams: Have a great phone on a future-proof network (LTE for example) while guaranteeing myself unlimited data.
Obviously I have a lot to weigh here:
AT&T's acquisition of T-Mobile.
I feel like this is pure bad news if I were to stay with AT&T or switch to T-Mobile. If I stay AT&T, prices are sure to go up, and sure I keep my unlimited data, but the network is going nowhere fast. 4G is bull****. 3.5G at best. All in all, the real innovation and envelope pushing just isn't happening here.
Verizon's LTE & Tiered Data.
From what I hear, the speeds are gorgeous. I checked and I'm in a hot coverage area. But I also hear indoor coverage sucks, and the LTE > 3G handoff is sloppy and leads to service drops.
Then there's the tiered data. I'm sure if I were to wait too long, I'll miss the boat on unlimited LTE data. Hence the reason I feel I need to make a move soon.
Sprint.
Short & sweet: Is the 4G good? Phone selection ramping up any time soon? What's hot now? The Pre 3 looks amazing, but if it'll be on Verizon, I'm not sure what Sprint may have to lure me in.
MetroPCS.
Just kidding
Anyway, any and all input is appreciated. I'm just not sure where to go and how.
Keep in mind I need to do the carrier change by May 4th.
Thanks!

30 views and no opinions?

I tried dumping AT&T and switching to T-Mobile a year ago and within 48 hours I was begging AT&T to reactivate my account In the end, it simply came down to signal strength/coverage. Before even considering all the other factors, find out what kind of service you're going to get in the EXACT locations where you spend your time. Maybe you're lucky enough to have strong service from multiple carriers (I wasn't), but I'd certainly test and see if it narrows your options.

I agree with what kopsis said; find out coverage in your exact area to the extent possible.
I can't say too much about the options personally, as I've had T-Mo since they were Voicestream and just after they bought Omnipoint, but I'm leery of the AT&T merger and I know they're not the best for everybody as is.
I have a VZ blackberry through work and while it's hard to be completely objective since the BES and proxy stuff screw with speeds, I've had issues with data actually being usable. While I have great coverage (theoretically), I've found sometimes that the device will show EVDO but only be able to pull 10kbps. Or it will not be able to get on EVDO at all and revert to barely usable 1xRTT even in areas that supposedly have hot EVDO coverage. I think while they have great geographic coverage, base stations can get overloaded throughput-wise, especially given the nature of legacy CDMA devices being "promiscuous" and talking to every tower they possibly can. I'm sure LTE will be different with them but my experiences so far have left me less than impressed.
With regards to Sprint, be aware, that they're rumored to be dumping WiMax for LTE sometime in the future, so that may interfere with your "future-proof" plans...

Inspire or Sensation?

Per my other post regarding service plans, I was hoping for some feedback from you guys.
A couple weeks ago I renewed my contract and got an Inspire. I'm still within the return window, and heard about the Sensation. Obviously the Sensation is the more powerful phone and would be preferable over the Inspire. And of course, Tmobile's $80 unlimited plan is very attractive when compared to $110 for the same plan features from AT&T.
However there's some rumor going around that the Sensation's bootloader is locked down tight and that it might not be able to be cracked so that we can flash custom ROMs. That's obviously a deal-breaker to me since I need root, and just hate the bloatware carriers put on a phone. I'd want it unbranded.
So, what would you guys do? Return the Inspire, go with Tmobile and get the Sensation when it comes available in the hope that it can be unlocked by then? Or stick with the Inspire and let it be?

That is a tempting phone but I think I would hold off and stick with the Inspire. There are a couple of reasons.
1. This phone is already hacked wide open and fully customizable. There is no guarantee the same thing will happen with the Sensation. (I am sure it will, but we never really know)
2. What happens if the AT&T T-Mobile merger goes through and they make you switch phones back to something with the AT&T banding within a year. The only good news is that you would come over at a better grandfathered price, but I am sure they will rip that away when LTE comes in.
3. T-Mobile Coverage leaves something to be desired. It rocks where it is present, but it isn't present in a lot of places. If you travel at all take a good look at that coverage map.
4. I believe the Sensation is only going to be capable of 21mb down (only... ha) not the 42mb down T-Mobile is deploying to cities like Vegas. This makes me wonder what their future plans are and if there is something... dare I say it... even better coming in 3 months.

bmolloy said:
The only good news is that you would come over at a better grandfathered price, but I am sure they will rip that away when LTE comes in.
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You make good points.
I presume that LTE is the AT&T 4G network, which the Inspire is designed for? Y'see I posed the above question on the assumption that the Sensation would operate on AT&T's 4G network as the merger goes forward, and/or that AT&T would offer an equal or better phone as the Tmobile customers were migrated over, but that might not be correct. Can you comment?
The problem I face is that I need to make a final decision by the end of today and either return the Inspire and revert to my no-contrast status, or stick with it. But if I stick with the Inspire, I'm locked into it for 2 years.

BillTheCat said:
Per my other post regarding service plans, I was hoping for some feedback from you guys.
A couple weeks ago I renewed my contract and got an Inspire. I'm still within the return window, and heard about the Sensation. Obviously the Sensation is the more powerful phone and would be preferable over the Inspire. And of course, Tmobile's $80 unlimited plan is very attractive when compared to $110 for the same plan features from AT&T.
However there's some rumor going around that the Sensation's bootloader is locked down tight and that it might not be able to be cracked so that we can flash custom ROMs. That's obviously a deal-breaker to me since I need root, and just hate the bloatware carriers put on a phone. I'd want it unbranded.
So, what would you guys do? Return the Inspire, go with Tmobile and get the Sensation when it comes available in the hope that it can be unlocked by then? Or stick with the Inspire and let it be?
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Click to collapse
Not to mention the Sensation will be tied to T-Mobile and if the merger with AT&T goes through, eventually the data will no longer work. T-Mobile has been rumored to be contracting for phones that have quad band HSDPA+ radios. But the latest info is that the G2x doesn't have it. And the G2x was clearly stated it would have the quad band HSDPA+ radio. If the G2x doesn't have, I would not trust the Sensation would have it.
Stick with the Inspire. It's the safer bet.

BillTheCat said:
You make good points.
I presume that LTE is the AT&T 4G network, which the Inspire is designed for? Y'see I posed the above question on the assumption that the Sensation would operate on AT&T's 4G network as the merger goes forward, and/or that AT&T would offer an equal or better phone as the Tmobile customers were migrated over, but that might not be correct. Can you comment?
The problem I face is that I need to make a final decision by the end of today and either return the Inspire and revert to my no-contrast status, or stick with it. But if I stick with the Inspire, I'm locked into it for 2 years.
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Click to collapse
My understanding about the merger is that T-Mobile runs their "4G" HSPA+ on different bands than AT&T does so the phones will not be compatible. AT&T wants that company so they can have all that bandwidth, all of those users and all of the towers in the densely populated areas like SF, NY and LV that are notorious for dropping calls when the towers get crowded.
AT&T has plans on rolling out LTE (which the inspire is NOT capable of using) within the next year, T-Mobile does not have any announced LTE plans because their HSPA+ is so good and I am sure they are waiting to see if they do get sucked up.
One other note, the T-Mobile "Unlimited Plan" is now saying they will throttle your data speeds when you reach 2GB. That means that blazing fast 21mb/s download speeds you get will be slowed way down until your billing cycle is up. For the time being AT&T's unlimited is unlimited.
I got the Inspire because I am locked to AT&T with the 4 phones with data plans I have on my contract. I look at this as an awesome phone that will definitely hold me over until they release a phone with LTE, which by that time being that I pay an obscene amount of money to them every month I will be elegible for my 15 month or so upgrade. In reality the only time I feel like my phone is inferior is when I am doing speedtest.net tests with friends of mine that have Thunderbolts which where I live get 20mb down and up. In reality though this phone is absolutely sick and it's only downside is that AT&T doesn't seem to be rolling out a very fast HSPA+ network like they advertised.

Great feedback, guys. I appreciate the help. Still on the fence, but getting closer to a decision.
MartyLK said:
T-Mobile has been rumored to be contracting for phones that have quad band HSDPA+ radios.
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This spec says that the phone is quad-band, or am I confusing data with voice radios?
http://www.cellhut.com/HTC-Sensation-Pyramid-30632.html?INO=518754
bmolloy said:
AT&T has plans on rolling out LTE (which the inspire is NOT capable of using) within the next year...
One other note, the T-Mobile "Unlimited Plan" is now saying they will throttle your data speeds when you reach 2GB...
In reality though this phone is absolutely sick and it's only downside is that AT&T doesn't seem to be rolling out a very fast HSPA+ network like they advertised...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All good points. Here are my thoughts:
* If the Inspire isn't capable of LTE, then it's not really a 4G phone, is it? So maybe I should return the sucker now and wait to see what happens?
* I can't see myself ever going over 2G of data per month, and I have WiFi at home and office, so Tmo's throttle isn't much of an issue for me.
* If AT&T's data network isn't as robust as Tmobile's, then maybe I should really be looking to leave then, no? And if the voice network will eventually merge, wouldn't that be another reason to jump ship and go with Tmo?

BillTheCat said:
This spec says that the phone is quad-band, or am I confusing data with voice radios?
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Yeah, that would be the cell radio, which is compatible with AT&T, as well as Edge data network (2G).
According to this Engadget article, the G2x may not have the quad band HSDPA+ radio.
http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/24/t-mobile-g2x-getting-gingerbread-sooner-than-youd-expect-may/

Looking at those specs the Sensation says that it's 3G bands are 2100/900 MHz. AT&T uses 850/1900 MHz bands for 3G. The 2G radio is quadband so it looks like it will work on EDGE. I have an Nexus One that is unlocked but I had to wait for the AT&T banded one because the T-Mobile unlocked one would not work on AT&T 3G bands.
As for the AT&T not having 4G, that battle has been being fought for a long time here. Really what they did is call their HSPA+ network 4G, just like all of the other cell companies that have the same infrastructure starting doing about a year ago. They aren't exactly lying but they are not exactly telling the truth either. They do actually explain what they are doing on their website, but you have to look for it. I am not a fanboy here, I just think people are flaming AT&T even though they aren't exactly hiding what they are doing. They are just taking advantage of the lack of a universal definition for 4G.
http://www.wireless.att.com/answer-...locale=&_dyncharset=UTF-8&solutionId=KB115944
That Sensation is a great phone, honestly if it is unlocked and works on AT&T 3G bands and developers can root it and get some good ROMS I might just have to sell a kidney and buy one off contract to run on AT&T's network.

That is weird because if you go to the ATT site under inspire it says
4G* - HSPA+/LTE HSPA+ with enhanced backhaul
I just assumed it was capable of LTE
Humm

swatcop1 said:
That is weird because if you go to the ATT site under inspire it says
4G* - HSPA+/LTE HSPA+ with enhanced backhaul
I just assumed it was capable of LTE
Humm
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That is their definition of what comprises 4G, not what this particular phone is capable of.

swatcop1 said:
That is weird because if you go to the ATT site under inspire it says
4G* - HSPA+/LTE HSPA+ with enhanced backhaul
I just assumed it was capable of LTE
Humm
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Sweet! If AT&T says it's so, I would more believe them than HTC. But in all actuality, the AT&T LTE will likely be their 4G network. This means, probably, that the Inspire is compatible in the fact that it uses 4G. This would also make the Atrix compatible.
But I'm not all that familiar with LTE to begin with.

swatcop1 said:
That is weird because if you go to the ATT site under inspire it says
4G* - HSPA+/LTE HSPA+ with enhanced backhaul
I just assumed it was capable of LTE
Humm
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None of the current phones they are pushing out with "4G" labels have LTE radios. Part of that "What is 4G?" battle. I really think we are at least 1 year away from an LTE phone on AT&T. Just a guess, but I have had them for a long time and watched how slowly they move on stuff like this. An example would be launching the iPhone on only the 2G network when they had a fully deployed 3G network, and rolling out this HSPA+ way after T-Mobile and many international carriers. Not exactly committed to bleeding edge technology here with the big blue ball.

bmolloy said:
They are just taking advantage of the lack of a universal definition for 4G.
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To my way of thinking, 4G is about a speed standard, not a protocol standard. I don't care if the phone speaks Greek or German, as long as it does so at 4G speed. That said, I do agree with you that AT&T (or other large companies) tend to get into the crosshairs because it's easy to pick on the 800 pound gorilla.
bmolloy said:
That Sensation is a great phone, honestly if it is unlocked and works on AT&T 3G bands and developers can root it and get some good ROMS...
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I'm smellin' a lot of 'if' comin' off this plan. Lots of variables - timing, hardware, rooting, unlocking, ROM availability... there's a lot of uncertainty. Might just stick where I am. Besides, there's no saying that even IF everything went well with Tmo and the Sensation that when they're absorbed by AT&T that users won't be forced into an Inspire or other phone anyway.

Understood thanks

MartyLK said:
Sweet! If AT&T says it's so, I would more believe them than HTC. But in all actuality, the AT&T LTE will likely be their 4G network. This means, probably, that the Inspire is compatible in the fact that it uses 4G. This would also make the Atrix compatible.
But I'm not all that familiar with LTE to begin with.
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Actually AT&T's plan is to be the only carrier that has LTE and HSPA+ so those in areas that don't have LTE can fall back on HSPA+ and still have somewhat of the 4G experience.
Like it has been said, none of their current phones have LTE radios. The Inspire will see 4G HSPA+ type speeds once the backhaul has been completed in your area but will never see LTE speeds when they roll out.

Any last thoughts on this? I have only until tomorrow to make my decision.

Verizon's LTE is fast now, but wait till it gets saturated like ATT. It'll go downhill just like Sprint's WiMax did.
I personally, would stick w/ ATT because of the Tmob merger. When that's done, the ATT network will get better for us the consumers.
If you have an Unlimited data plan, that's enough reason to stay IMHO. All the carriers are going the way of tiered data plans as an attempt to make the "experience" the best for all of us. I don't like it but don't have a choice either.
I think that if you'll fight the urge to have the best now, you'll be better off in the long run when all the wrinkles get ironed out w/ the ATT-Tmob merge.
My $.02
Tx

I say sensation because its newwer.LOL

I'm not ENTIRELY certain... but I believe the incredible S's bootloader is signed, and has yet to be cracked (or whatever needs to be done for custom Kernels/Roms) I'm not sure if HTC will continue the trend of signing bootloaders, etc, but seeing as how it's a newer phone, it would most likely follow that pattern.
If you're into hacking/modding/tweaking to the extent of a fully unlocked phone (read:custom kernels, more rom choice) then get the Inspire 4G.
If you find yourself pleased with Sense 3.0/ HTC's offerings in general, get the Sensation.
As a side note, I'm sure root will eventually be found for it, but no telling when with HTC changing their phone security game up.

Question about Sprint's new LTE vs WiMax

So as i understand, 4g LTE is official with Sprint according to a Coming Soon page on Google's website.
What does everyone think about the 4G LTE rollout on sprint? I'm not too familiar with how the rollout would work, but from what I've seen with verizons; it went very fast, and Verizon had a lot more coverage in 1 month with LTE then sprint did in 1+ year with Wimax. If that makes any sense... Especially in New York, my friend with VZ gets more LTE coverage then I do with Wimax.
Do you guys think Sprint's 4G LTE coverage rollout is going to be as sloppy as its WiMax rollout? or is it a lot easier to deploy LTE. I liked the speeds of WiMax, but it was probably the flakeyest technologies i've ever used: going from Wimax tower to tower on the move and sometimes would disconnect.
The reason I ask because my contract is up, and I'm thinking of switching to VZ galaxy nexus immediately. Or should I hold it out for sprint's LTE to come around.

bigblueshock said:
So as i understand, 4g LTE is official with Sprint according to a Coming Soon page on Google's website.
What does everyone think about the 4G LTE rollout on sprint? I'm not too familiar with how the rollout would work, but from what I've seen with verizons; it went very fast, and Verizon had a lot more coverage in 1 month with LTE then sprint did in 1+ year with Wimax. If that makes any sense... Especially in New York, my friend with VZ gets more LTE coverage then I do with Wimax.
Do you guys think Sprint's 4G LTE coverage rollout is going to be as sloppy as its WiMax rollout? or is it a lot easier to deploy LTE. I liked the speeds of WiMax, but it was probably the flakeyest technologies i've ever used: going from Wimax tower to tower on the move and sometimes would disconnect.
The reason I ask because my contract is up, and I'm thinking of switching to VZ galaxy nexus immediately. Or should I hold it out for sprint's LTE to come around.
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I think the best indicator would be AT&T's rollout which seems to be moving fairly quickly and smooth. If you were to switch carriers, you should run far and fast from CDMA and get with the rest of the world on GSM...

Two year contract, pick your bulls**t supplier carefully
Trying to jump carriers to follow the LTE trail feels like jumping lanes in heavy traffic; sure you can make some progress but is it really worth the trouble?
Most people sign a two year contract; in two years, the three major carriers will have better LTE networks and we'll be back to who covers your area better.
The problem is most people think the grass is greener on the other carrier, with the phones or speed; if it were, it's because of all the bulls**t they fertilize with.
ATT just raised rates, Verizon has tried junk fees, and still does. Sprint has smaller service areas. They all have customer no-service.
So the real question is, who's bulls**t do you want to put up with for the foreseeable future?
Just to be clear, I have had Sprint for 10 years and I have had service area problems but every time I called to deal with a billing or account problem, they fixed it and gave me a discount of some kind for my trouble. So this is me, dealing with the devil I know.

Sprint and the future of LTE
something interesting about Sprint is they are upgrading their entire network with their project vision
http://newsroom.sprint.com/press_kits.cfm?presskit_id=19
Some interesting things on this project is it is an "all in" for Sprint. This will replace all of their existing gear and fill in a lot of coverage holes they have... or atleast that is the plan. Sprint needs a lot of additional capital to get the project to really work built they maybe setup forsucess in the future. Sprint has also publicly said this will dramatically reduce their costs which for us users is important to know as it could mean lower data rates. this also will deploy LTE (I beleive) to many more towers which with Clearwire & WiMAX never seemed to get the deployment to become useful outside of a metro area...but if you don't travel a lot this is not a big deal as surfing on a phone with EVDO is fine...
Like someone else mentioned unless you have an all you care to eat package with ATTM or VzW you are going to be paying a lot more to change to them. If you travel globally I think ATTM is the best with support for UMTS/GSM if you are US and Americas only then CDMA with VzW/Sprint/MetroPCS/Cricket would be fine.
I have a both a VzW and ATTM phone and depending on the area they both are good or suck... I don't have a Sprint phone currently but think I will be getting the Nexus when it comes out and ditching my VzW phone (blackberry)

verizon vs tmobile

I've been with verizon since 2000 and never really had an choice to change since they always had the best service in my area. I've never liked at&t and the rep for tmobile has been its known for prepaid and shotty service. Thing is now, I see more and more people moving over to tmobile and are loving it. Its cheaper per month than verizon and service in my area in NJ is pretty much the same as verizons. Plus there are some features like the wifi calling, the hspa+ coverage, lte. that make it pretty attractive. But the kicker on whats making me consider the change is the phone selection. Verizon seems to always be lagging behind and I'm tired of having to wait for new phones to hit verizon and for updates to be released. Has anyone else thought about a move?

topaz330 said:
I've been with verizon since 2000 and never really had an choice to change since they always had the best service in my area. I've never liked at&t and the rep for tmobile has been its known for prepaid and shotty service. Thing is now, I see more and more people moving over to tmobile and are loving it. Its cheaper per month than verizon and service in my area in NJ is pretty much the same as verizons. Plus there are some features like the wifi calling, the hspa+ coverage, lte. that make it pretty attractive. But the kicker on whats making me consider the change is the phone selection. Verizon seems to always be lagging behind and I'm tired of having to wait for new phones to hit verizon and for updates to be released. Has anyone else thought about a move?
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I'm probably going to switch to their pre-paid service when my contract is up. I want a Nexus.... Verizon doesn't seem to be getting another any time soon.

I would definitely go with Tmobile for better phone selection & price, but the service in my area is below average. Hopefully LTE rolls out to my area then I'll jump ships.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

I have to jump ship Verizon breaking my bank bad got to pay a fortune to keep service . I gotta switch back to my iPhone I know -_- and go to T-Mobile prepaid because they have the 1900 MHz support in my area
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

If you go to a T-Mobile store they might be able to help you pay for your ETF fee, at least that's what they did for me. I would have to pay Verizon 150, but the rep just credited my T-Mobile account 100$ when I switched. He told me that this is something every store has a budget for. It's definitely worth a shot just asking the rep. It's saved me quite a bit of money so far (even if coverage isn't perfect)
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

I had T-Mobile and really liked 'em. They were NOT cheaper, I'm able to get on VZW's Old Fart Plan and it was just $5/mo more than the T-Mo plan I had.
CS is about equal with both except for T-Mo's prepaid which gets you people who speak no intelligible English, with postpaid you get good CS.
Coverage, very close to zero with T-Mo, everywhere I went. Only spotty coverage in the largest cities, VZW has 3g or better everywhere I travelled.
A phone that can't make a call until you find a Starbucks with free WiFi isn't useful to me.
Have your car break down on California 371 in the middle of the Cahuilla Indian Reservation? You're 50 miles from ANY T-Mo signal and you've got 2 - 3 bars with Verizon.
I really liked T-Mo but it wasn't usable for me.

for those that had coverage issues how long ago did you have tmobile? I heard coverage recently got better and that they are aggressively expanding to more towers across the country.

I don't like Verizon's pricing, phone selection, and the hassle required to unlock their phones for international use.
That being said, I switched from t mobile to Verizon in 07 for one reason: coverage. I use to live in Philadelphia in an 5 floor apartment with a T-Mobile store like three blocks away. No coverage in my apartment unless I kept the phone by the window.
Now I live and work in north nj and Verizon is the only reliable wireless carrier (by word of mouth). Not sure how much has changed in six years but I would leave Verizon if anyone had coverage close to the theirs

topaz330 said:
for those that had coverage issues how long ago did you have tmobile? I heard coverage recently got better and that they are aggressively expanding to more towers across the country.
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I tried 2 weeks ago, just to test their service and see how it was since I haven't been with them for 1 year and a half and its still sucky. They do have 4G (HSPA+) in my area now but I get 1 bar of it and when it dont get a strong signal it'll go to Edge. I hear a nearby area "might" get LTE in late June so that means my area "might" get it late 2013. I'm just waiting to see what happens...my contract is up in November for Verizon

My buddy has tmo and hates the service. He doesn't get service with his phone and winds up using his Verizon work phone 90 percent of the time to make calls.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium

I had Verizon before I switched to T-Mobile. T-Mobile is cheaper, has just as good of support and a good selection of phones. However, Verizon does have better service so if you travel frequently expect some dead zones.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app

I used to have T-mo and I loved it! The reception in my area was incredible. I moved to verizon and it's still in the same category in satisfaction. T-mo is a lot cheaper than verizon, so I would give it a try. You're not going to regret it. Sim cards are the best.

I recently jumped from Verizon to T-Mobile and pretty much all comments thus far are justified.
topaz330 said:
for those that had coverage issues how long ago did you have tmobile? I heard coverage recently got better and that they are aggressively expanding to more towers across the country.
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They've added -some- sites in recent times, but the "re-farm" you seem to have heard about is primarily a massive equipment refresh for about 85% of the existing WCDMA sites. Unlike Sprint's Network Vision or AT&T's "add an LTE panel to an 8 year old WCDMA site" rollout, T-Mobile is doing a -complete- equipment refresh on said sites using either Nokia Siemens Networks Flexi Base Station solutions or Ericsson's Antenna Integrated Radio setups. For the sites that get the new equipment, coverage could see a 10-15% improvement in coverage and in-building penetration due to each of the NSN/Ericsson setups having the radio at tower-top.
T-Mobile will do you well if you are a city-rat. The lack of rural expansion pre-AT&T failed merger was due to the cost of infrastructure and backhaul when the only spectrum you have is high-frequency (PCS/AWS). Even in areas of excellent coverage, there's still a few limitations: Deep inside buildings, attenuation -will- eat the signal. Terrain is another big one that affects all carriers... if you happen to be in a place where terrain blocks your line of sight, you're not gonna get a good signal. Now, the equipment refresh is to facilitate LTE, as both setups are capable of LTE-A out of the box. T-Mobile had to sit on their hands for 18mo and not do any proactive system/coverage upgrades due to the AT&T merger debacle, but it was a good thing as now that they have the money and spectrum from both the merger fallout and MetroPCS plus new equipment, they're good to go. So, depending on where you live, work, and play, T-Mobile could potentially be great...
but...
bbqsfire said:
My buddy has tmo and hates the service. He doesn't get service with his phone and winds up using his Verizon work phone 90 percent of the time to make calls.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium
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MiG8GT said:
I had Verizon before I switched to T-Mobile. T-Mobile is cheaper, has just as good of support and a good selection of phones. However, Verizon does have better service so if you travel frequently expect some dead zones.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app
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Unfortunately, when all you have is high-frequency spectrum to use and a network that hasn't seen significant expansion since 2009, this is going to happen. As with all carriers, one man's perfect signal might have a crap signal from another carrier in the exact same spot. Happened to me: with Verizon, could pull 30mbit LTE from bed, but at work I could kill an entire charge with light use because the phone had crap signal on all 3 services (1x EVDO and LTE(whose average speedtest at the desk was 2-3mbit down)). Meanwhile, terrain eats T-Mobile's WCDMA signal at my house(edge only), but I pull 3x the speeds on T-Mobile because of a near perfect signal than I could with Verizon at work.
If you have a friend with T-Mobile, treat'em to lunch and ask them to take a ride around town with ya to see how the service is where you go. Another option is to borrow someone's unused, unlocked T-Mobile phone and grab a sim, sign up for the $30 100min/unlim data&text online and carry that around with you for a bit.
For someone like me who -rarely- leaves metro areas when I travel, T-Mobile is great. For you, it could be different, just take the "ZOMG SPOTTY COVERAGE TMO SUCKS" with a grain of salt, and understand that no carrier is perfect everywhere, even if those comments for that individual are justified.
Forgot to add: T-Mobile won't see any WCDMA expansion for the foreseeable future since their current focus is on the equipment refresh on existing sites. The next round of expansion will come after the 600MHz auction next year.
Shoot me an IM/PM if you have any more questions.

Opposite for me, since Tmo coverage is awful for even making calls in a lot of areas where I live. I agree that they are easier to deal with, but lack of coverage in a lot of areas in Kentucky and Ohio nix them for me.

rushless said:
Opposite for me, since Tmo coverage is awful for even making calls in a lot of areas where I live. I agree that they are easier to deal with, but lack of coverage in a lot of areas in Kentucky and Ohio nix them for me.
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yes, I have Vzw, for two reasons, one they have good coverage nearly everywhere in the us and two data speeds are good. important if you need t use Google Navigator.

topaz330 said:
for those that had coverage issues how long ago did you have tmobile? I heard coverage recently got better and that they are aggressively expanding to more towers across the country.
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I have a T-Mobile S3 and Verizon Z10 for work, Verizon Bionic and TB for personal.
I get better coverage and internet speed on my Verizon devices than my T-Mobile.
I'm in Chester County, PA.

coverage
You could always do a bit of research for your expected area to see what the coverage is like across the various carriers.
www dot opensignal dot com
As if the captchas and relogins aren't enough, I can't friggin post links either.

I've started to take a hard look at T-Mobile and seriously thinking of switching when my contract end on Verizon. I live in southern NH and work in MA. There are T-Mobile 4G towers close to my house and work, but my commute would be mostly 2G.
Comparably, Verizon is mostly 4G in the area, a strong 4G signal at work, but at home I rarely get a 4G signal and half the time the phone will drop because of poor signal strength. There are 3G spots and some bare areas on my commute.
My step-son has T-Mobile and he get a strong 4G signal at our house. He also says he mostly has phone service in the area(drop spots) and data is mostly 2G. When you get closer to the highways or bigger tows / cities there is better service.

Verizon
T-Mobile is awesome, if you live in a coverage area, work in a coverage area, and/or go to school in a coverage area. Also, if you DO NOT EVER plan on traveling, or, at least, taking your phone with you when you go.... Their coverage is horrible compared to Verizon, but their prices are nicer, the packages are more appealing, and prepaid is way better. Really, it's just all up to you, and what you want.

I never had any problems while traveling with t mobile service I have gone from one end of the country to another with mine when I had them before and I'm looking to switch back only switched because I wanted to give Verizon a try not liking them way to pricey and crappy phone selection
Sent from my SCH-I535