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ATT and TMo merger = better service??

Since ATT and TMo are merging, I got to thinking, this SHOULD result in better service (and by service I mean signal strength, 3g availability, etc), shouldn't it?
But, I'm left to wonder. When I had cingular, I loved them, and I loved their service. Didn't ever really have deadspots. Once ATT bought them though, my house became a near dead zone >.<
I would love to think that ATT would use the existing TMo equipment to strengthen their network, but I'm not so sure...
What do you guys think??
Regards
Smith

I think that any time that you reduce competition, especially when the US Government spent a decade and billions of dollars to split this exact corporation up, the customer will always lose.
I honestly don't think that AT$T will do jack **** to give their users a better experience. I think that their "4G" initiative is a perfect example of this - "Hey, I have a great idea. Get this - we'll take our existing 3G network and - now this is brilliant - we'll call it....."4G". Boom. Done. We don't have to spend anything on upgrading our infrastructure." (http://www.zdnet.com/blog/btl/how-at-t-and-t-mobile-conjured-4g-networks-out-of-thin-air/43577)
Now I realize that I'm not being entirely fair to AT$T on this, but they are really not using any new technology in this supposed 4G network. It's all been around for 2+ years. To me, this equates to seriously and fundamentally misleading customers - which they have become seasoned veterans at.
Additionally, their network is severely overloaded. They don't have the trunk bandwidth to properly service all of their towers, even in rural areas. When they acquire T-Mo, they will get a lot of customers to add to this already overloaded system. It is unclear to me how much work they would be willing to put in to this new joint infrastructure. I'd wager that T-Mo will will operate as a wholly-owned subsidiary for a fair amount of time if this acquisition gets approved (and I hope it does not).
In short, I think that this will absolutely not improve AT$T's network; I think it will do the opposite at least in the short to mid term. I think AT$T will continue their deceptive and manipulative business practices (forcing grandmothers on data plans because their phone has a screen big enough for them to see the phone numbers, etc) for a very long time. Reducing competition in this arena is a very dangerous game and it will only lead to the government having to spend a ton of our money to split up an evil monopoly. Again.
Just my $.02 though.

Completely agree with the above comment. I believe that the worst post of this is going to be the lack of competition that will result.as most companies already have a relationship of sharing cell towers service improvements will be limited if any at all
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I agree too... that was the experience when they bought cingular.
I love my cappy, but I may re-sign w/ sprint or verizon when my contract is up... ATT kinda, well, sucks d lol

I dont use my cell data really at all, there is only Edge out by where I am and I am just fine with it. Always around a wifi connection and 95% of my data goes over wifi. Over cell i maybe do 100megs a month. Never had a dropped call that was not because i was in the middle of nowhere or my fault in 6+ years.
It is exciting to see what the network will be like once T-mobile towers get changed over. just think of the 4G coverage area.
While i do agree that less competition is a bad thing, the network i already pay for and am getting just fine coverage for my uses is about to get much bigger and much faster. That I am all for.

smithisize said:
Since ATT and TMo are merging, I got to thinking, this SHOULD result in better service (and by service I mean signal strength, 3g availability, etc), shouldn't it?
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For T-Mo users, yes. For AT&T users, not much.
But, I'm left to wonder. When I had cingular, I loved them, and I loved their service. Didn't ever really have deadspots. Once ATT bought them though, my house became a near dead zone >.<
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Why ppl keep thinking AT&T bought Cingular?
It is other way around. Cingular bought AT&T and decided to drop Cingular name and use AT&T name instead.
I was with AT&T wireless before Cingular bought it. I have better custom service and can buy new phones as many times per year as I want on Premier account. Ever since Cingular bought AT&T, it's all going down hill. Not only I have to wait 2 years to qualify for discounted phone but also the price on Premier is usually $50 higher than non-Premier.

Same here.. Kinda ready to try new waters. Just bought the Thunderbolt. Want to try it out and see how it is..

BeowulfShaeffer said:
So, in short, "Cingular" didn't buy AT&T, nor did AT&T buy Cingular. SBC owned Cingular, bought AT&T, merged the relevant operations, and renamed their business. What is now called AT&T is really the former Southwestern Bell "baby bell", all grown up and having "eaten" its parent.
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Nope. The history is too long for most to remember. Cingular (often referred to as Orange) first purchased AT&T wireless division (often referred to as Blue) and AT&T wireless name in 2004. SBC purchased rest of the AT&T in 2005. Google it. SBC is an evil corporation that everybody hates. Changing the name to AT&T is one way to try improve its image. It worked as most today has no clue who is AT&T really.

What a dramatic history
Anyway, I agreefatbas202. AT&T really should invest to improve its network. Both coverage and data speed. Also stop blocking updates.

Backbone and Cell towers will now be shared, so better service for users, but the spectrum used will be intersting sonce not all phones are quad band for all their capabilites.
TMO users wil get the biggest boost.
Now about the user a few posts earlier complaining about ATT 4G.
TMO did it first and has a slower network. ATT was the last of the major carriers to call the small upgrade to their current tech 4G.
ATT users will get a possible boost since they can use more towers in their areas and this also depends on phone capabilities.
Everyone wins in this merger even when you look at price points and devices and plans. The monopoly point of view is ok, but with two other major carriers and multiple minor ones that argument is a smoke screen.
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it will be about a year before the deal is even approved by the government. so it will be almost 2 years before anyone sees changes.
so calm down for now...

smithisize said:
Since ATT and TMo are merging, I got to thinking, this SHOULD result in better service (and by service I mean signal strength, 3g availability, etc), shouldn't it?
But, I'm left to wonder. When I had cingular, I loved them, and I loved their service. Didn't ever really have deadspots. Once ATT bought them though, my house became a near dead zone >.<
I would love to think that ATT would use the existing TMo equipment to strengthen their network, but I'm not so sure...
What do you guys think??
Regards
Smith
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Interestingly enough, AT&T held a majority of stakes in Cingular and Bell South (SBC) held the minority. Once AT&T and Bell South merged into a new company they dropped the Cingular brand and started marketing their wireless service under the "AT&T Wireless" brand name.
So when you loved Cingular, you were really loving AT&T/Bell South.
As for what is going to happen with the TMo network when AT&T sucks them up... who knows. However, if the deal does go through, I don't think they will dismantle the TMo 4G network, since AT&T needs it.

AT&T gets accelerated 4G, and T-Mobile gets expanded coverage.
Theoretically.
Sent from my Captivate

Without competition AT&T is going to have even more ridiculous policies. That's what I'm most worried about.
T-Mobile was putting a brake on accelerating prices and also gave consumers more options like contract free pricing. I'm sure as heck that AT&T doesn't care about continuing that....
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Pros: Wider coverage, better reception
Cons: monopoly, less choice for consumers and more control to AT&T (damn)
+1 AT&T could adopt a ridiculous pricing.
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Kernel: eXistZ's KB1 #7

Wow, I've learned a lot in this thread haha never knew all of the history between cingulair and att!
Also, I thought ATT users would benefit most... all my friends with TMO have much better signal strength everywhere, higher speeds too lol so I'm surprised (though ATT's network is much larger and so it makes sense) that you are predicting the opposite.
But yeah, hopefully this will result in price drops... But w/o competition, it may result in price jacking >.<
TBH: Sprint and Verizon look better every day... particularly verizon, I don't like most of sprints phones. Idk though lol I've been with ATT so long I'm afraid to change! xD

Let us hope so. AT&T is pretty sketchy where I live. Plus, I have a few friends on TMO so it would be nice to get unlimited calling to them through unlimited mobile to mobile

Glad I canceled T-Mobile - Too ignorant for my business

Although I enjoyed the data speed of T-Mobile, I am glad I am no longer paying a charge to them. This business with their future phones is a sign of how un-serious they take their consumer business. And because of that, they do deserve the lack of business their decisions will cause.
Not producing phones that will fully function of AT&T's 3G/4G service is just pure willy-nilly ignorant and T-Mobile needs to feel the heat of their ignorance. The so-called "super phone" coming to T-Mobile, the HTC Sensation, will be a no-seller because of how T-Mobile chooses to conduct their business.
http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/27/t-mobile-g2x-lacks-quadband-hspa-shatters-dreams/

Interesting. i wonder what they do when and if the merger goes through, what then ? do they run to platforms and try to merge over 2 years ? That will totally toast them in business and will lower market share........... Yeah..... What is their plan ?

Yea, I'm thinking of switching back to AT&T as well. Will get a phone that works as long as I need it to, and much better network coverage. Data speeds aren't that big a deal to me, as long as it's around 2mbps download 1mbps up I'm more than content...
And I can still get a 4GB data plan with an iPhone if I go back...

Not too concerned here. 2 of my 3 t-mobile devices fully support at&t's 3g and 4g bands. Just my hd2 will need to be replaced, and that's years away. Not worried.
edit: And phones are planned many months if not a year (or more) in advance. The at&t - t-mobile merger most likely wasn't even in the outlook when they made that phone in the first place.

MartyLK said:
Not producing phones that will fully function of AT&T's 3G/4G service is just pure willy-nilly ignorant...
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Well, that's assuming that the merger goes through.
And even if it does, it's not T-Mobile themselves who produce the phones, they can only buy what the manufacturers are selling.
Plus you seem to be confusing ignorance with short-sightedness.

MOD EDIT :Keep cool, no need to be rude.

TheMan42 said:
The only ignorance here is your post.
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+1
Why would you invest extra money into adding a whole new radio into a handset if there is no garuntee that the merger will go through? The next complaint/answer would be "tmo's handsets are sooo needlesly expensive". Probably because someone thought it was a good idea to put unecassary hardware in a phone you probably wont even remember when (if?) the merger goes through.
I get calls like this all the time, if the service doesnt work for you i completely understand- Please find another service because getting the same whiney call day in and day out costs t mobile that much more money keeping an unhappy customer.
Let me be clear id rather handle 10000 calls about our coverage and service then silly reasons like this, you dont need to justify your reason to leave a carrier.. just leave.

TheMan42 said:
MOD EDIT :Keep cool, no need to be rude.
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To be honest, that came off a little strong, but I still feel it was justified. The Original post should be re-read, then see what was more flame-bait. My statement was the truth, it was "ignorant". Ignorance isn't an insult, its simply stating the the post has no merit into what T-Mobile is doing with their products.
T-Mobile still remains a competitor to AT&T, why would they start to have manufacturers incorporate further frequencies in their devices that support the competitors products? I don't see AT&T doing that with their products, nor Verizon or Sprint.

Interesting. And maybe of interest to me. Someone from t mobile has been hard on my heels to switch from sprint to t mobile. She countered every advantage i thought sprint had: pricewise, 4g coverage etc. If I did not switch yet, cause I am a creature of habits and stick to sprint cause: it is what I started with.
mikzfan

TheMan42 said:
To be honest, that came off a little strong, but I still feel it was justified. The Original post should be re-read, then see what was more flame-bait. My statement was the truth, it was "ignorant". Ignorance isn't an insult, its simply stating the the post has no merit into what T-Mobile is doing with their products.
T-Mobile still remains a competitor to AT&T, why would they start to have manufacturers incorporate further frequencies in their devices that support the competitors products? I don't see AT&T doing that with their products, nor Verizon or Sprint.
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Actually Sprint and Verizon both work on the same 2 frequencies. We're allowed to roam on Verizon as much as we want, included in the plan (there's no hard limit, but don't overuse it), and Verizon customers get to roam on Sprint.

AT&T will become the only GSM phone provider in california when this takes place.

Not surprise one bit. T-MobileUS is notorious for false advertising or even intended false advertising on a bunch of their handsets. How can you trust a company who intentionally commercialized the whole "4G" craze by simply stating that actual 4G infrastructure wasn't worth it and HSPA+ was more than just enough? Good thing they got bought out.

KevGer said:
Hey there everyone if you would like to save money off a new contract with T-Mobile, Att, Sprint, or Verizon email me at [email protected]
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Please stop spamming
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att is gay

they got bought out by another whack provider though

T-Mobile is just as crap here in The Netherlands aswell, I'm glad I have Vodafone!

been loving verizon since i switched from t mobile

Sprint EVO 4G OR Verizon Droid Charge?

I am currently with t-mobile and looking to change carriers now that's the merger is it true. I am split between the sprint EVO 4g and the verizon samsung droid charge... They both have great coverage and both work on 4g with gingerbread, I am looking for peoples opinions on them... Root capabilities, functions, etc...
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Evo 4G owner for almost a year. Evo development and support forum is "Ginormuous". However, the phone is over a year old, so there are more attractive/powerful devices in the market.
Sprint unlimited data/phone calls… nuff said! Look outside the sprint store for sprint phones. In my area, Radio Shack is selling brand new evo4g's for $50 with a new contract. Sprint is also throwing in $125 credit for switching carriers. I also get a 23% employee discount that sprint gives out to several business and larger corporations. Hope this help.
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That helps a lot!
I've seen that Sprint has better coverage than Verizon and they still have unlimited data, unlike any of the other carriers!
Hopefully I can get a discount, I work for a small Engineering firm, but my wife works for a large local credit union. I tried her email on their discount check website and it said that nothing was available, but I bet I can talk one of the sales associates into saying I work somewhere.
Thanks for the tip on shopping outside the sprint stores... I would have never thought to visit Radio Shack.
Now to try to get out of my T-mobile contract w/o paying ridiculous breaking contract fees! Any tips?

IMO Verizon has better coverage at the moment. Their LTE download speeds are unmatched in the US from my understanding. However, I'm more than satisfied with sprint's 4/3 G coverage where I live. Sprint I'm hearing will soon offer LTE coverage but when, is anysones guess. Also check the 4g coverage in your area for sprint. There are several large markets that don't have sprint's 4g.
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Why leave T-Mobile if you're happy with their service?
You can get a Sensation with a 2-year contract and AT&T has to wait until your contract ends before trying to screw you.

If you are in Kansas City......Sprint is a no brainer.

I'm happy with T-mobile's services... their coverage is decent in my area, there are a few places I go throughout my city that I only get Edge coverage. Everywhere I travel I don't get service though... my moms house north of the city get's very faint Edge service, my wife's mom's town (1.5 hours away) is roaming on AT&T. My grandparents in Ohio, I have to shut my phone off as there isn't even roaming available. My relatives in Colorado, there's no service at all either.
We are starting to travel more and I would like to get decent coverage other than along the interstate.
We shall see how all this pans out. Does anyone know when the merger will take affect and towers will be shared? AT&T customers will get the added benefit of using T-mobile towers, but will T-mobile customers be allowed to use AT&T towers? Or will they restrict it and leave us with current service until we renew contracts over the next couple of years and try to get us to sign with AT&T to get the benefit of using both sets of towers?
I'm not a big fan of the merger... nor of T-mobile's laziness in sending out OS updates for phones. I like staying mostly stock on my phone except for the kernel and the ability to backup/restore. My experience with T-mobile has been good up until the last year when we've had to return 4 defective phones and realize coverage sucks!
By all means, please keep pointing out reasons I should stay with T-mobile! I would love to have someone talk me back into staying!

CCallahan said:
If you are in Kansas City......Sprint is a no brainer.
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That's what I've heard from a few people... thanks for the input (even though you're a (g)ayhawk )

Sprint has a 30 no questions asked return policy
Verizon has a 14 day no questions policy.
I recently switched from Sprint EVO to a Verizon Charge.
I bought the EVO last year for the 4G but My personal experience has been less than stellar (Houston) Your mileage may vary.
Sense 3.0 is superior to Touchwiz but adw launchers help with that.
Stock battery lasted 5 hours on EVO on Charge it last 8 hours
Charge screen is Super AMOLED which is currently the height of android screen tech. EVO 3D has the 3D screen.
Charge has physical buttons. EVO has soft touch buttons
Charge has funny shape
Its all a matter of preference.
Try out both make sure call and data quality is acceptable in your home and places of work and play

Department of Justice Throws Cold Water on AT&T-TMO Merger

Hey AT&T, what did the DOJ's five fingers say to your face:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-...t-to-block-proposed-at-t-t-mobile-merger.html

I have so much hate for AT&T for their outrageous pricing, terrible service, and I just hate them. Can't explain it. Maybe because I've been with Tmo for almost 8 years.
Hope this merger goes down in flames.

and then I was like F*&k YEAH!!!!!!! It's about time we got some actual anti trust enforcement! I highly doubt many tmobile customers will be disappointed by this!

Good news indeed. However, this is far from over. AT&T have about 7 billion reasons to keep fighting for the deal to go through.

Coolness! I despise AT$T! Everything about them makes my skin crawl. Now we need the FCC to get behind this.

I'm glad DOJ did what they did. I can't stand at&t. Them and Verisux! Charging outragious prices. Thank You DOJ for looking out for the little people. It shows that greed doesn't always win in the end.
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Yea!
Sent from my G2x 2.3 OTA Rooted (Xboarder)

For once I'm glad the DOJ did something about this. There's an update where ATT CEO commented on how it's on the burden of proof from the DOJ to prove why the deal is bad.

FCC says will not undermine DOJ in AT&T review
http://news.yahoo.com/t-t-mobile-de...BzdGNhdAN0ZWNoBHB0A3NlY3Rpb25zBHRlc3QD;_ylv=3​WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Federal Communications Commission said it will not undermine the Justice Department in its review of AT&T Inc's $39 billion bid for Deutsche Telekom AG's T-Mobile USA.
The Justice Department filed a lawsuit to block the deal on Wednesday because of anti-competition concerns.
The FCC has never approved a significant takeover that the Justice Department has challenged in court, a commission official said.
(Reporting by Jasmin Melvin. Editing by Robert MacMillan)

The FCC has never approved a significant takeover that the Justice Department has challenged in court, a commission official said.
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Sweet Justice!

If the merger falls through that would actually encourage me to cancel my contract and go back to AT&T because T-Mobile service in my area is just bad and my experience with the G2x isn't much better.

HOORAY!
/10char

The Prayers of many have been heard.
Sent From My G2x EB 1.07

This injunction is nothing more than the Obama regime shaking down AT&T. They have done it to other groups and companies. It is standard operating procedure for Obama. AT&T will pay their pound of flesh (or whatever Obama really wants) and the issue will be dismissed.
Just last week Google bought their way out of trouble for half a billion.

This is the response from the company that owns T-Mobile
www.tmonews.com/2011/08/deutsche-telekom-responds-to-department-of-justice-lawsuit/
Sent From My G2x EB 1.07

Everyone cried about Tmo's data cap. Verizon and ATT are capped also. For kicks I went to ATT to check pricing on Iphone. 1 phone plan was nearly the same as the 5 I have on Tmo. After I told that to the rep he closed the brochure and said yes thats our priceplan. I politely pointed out that thats probably the reason I was the only one in the store and made my way to the door.
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moshe22 said:
The Prayers of many have been heard.
Sent From My G2x EB 1.07
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What you guys don't understand is that T-Mobile can't make it on its own. That's why Deutsche Telekom was unloading it. They also can't afford the investment necessary to move to LTE and staying on HSPA isn't a viable long-term competitive option. Discounting their way to success (the current strategy) isn't viable when they have the highest unit cost base of the four major carriers. If the deal falls through, they'll end up merging with Sprint. Combining Sprint's CDMA network with T-Mobile's GSM network isn't going to be fun for either set of customers. Be careful what you wish for.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/08/31/deutschetelekom-usa-idUSL5E7JV34720110831

Lightning Blue said:
If the merger falls through that would actually encourage me to cancel my contract and go back to AT&T because T-Mobile service in my area is just bad and my experience with the G2x isn't much better.
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Ok well dont let the door hit you on the way out
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Hopefully the 3 billion t-mobile gets for it falling thru will be put to good use.
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tackleberry said:
Hopefully the 3 billion t-mobile gets for it falling thru will be put to good use.
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Yup. Mad people are forgetting that.
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Is it just me or everyone that is on Sprint

Is a retard?
Not talking about their choices with their mobile network, I'm actually talking about their personality. Can it be true?

It's a CDMA thing...no smart person would limit themselves like that...

lowandbehold said:
It's a CDMA thing...no smart person would limit themselves like that...
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Some of us like to have good service in the US.
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Sent from my Droid Bionic.

TheBiles said:
Some of us like to have good service in the US.
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Sent from my Droid Bionic.
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CDMA and a Motorola? That damn near makes your post irrelevant.

lowandbehold said:
CDMA and a Motorola? That damn near makes your post irrelevant.
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The Bionic was the best phone available when I switched to Verizon (Nexus is coming after the holidays), and GSM is a complete joke in the US. I prefer to actually have data when I leave a major city.
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Sent from my Droid Bionic.

Customer Service not Cell Service
I live in the northern most reaches of metro Atlanta, with Sprint, and most people either have AT&T or Verizon. Honestly, they both have better coverage away from the city. The problem is how badly local people demean their cellular provider. If it isn't extra fees or a broken phone they can't trade in then it's the wonderful customer no-service.
I don't mean to imply Sprint is blameless and holy but service from anyone is never going to be perfect - for a few years I didn't have any service across northern Alabama but that serves me right for even being there. The Sprint customer service has always helped me. From free minutes, that I have had for 6 years, to a new free phone and a free battery. Not to mention they don't cut off my service when I'm a day or two late with the payment.
And if the day comes that Sprint starts to take a sh** on me, I'll move down the road to someone else.
So to answer your question, it's either you or those around you but certainly not a universal trait. From my perspective, AT&T people are the 'retards' due to their continued tolerance of sub-standard data service just so they can own the iphone.