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Is there any GSM choice except AT&T & T-Mobile?

Is there any GSM/WCDMA mobile telecom carriers besides AT&T and T-Mobile?
Verizon, Sprint, Virgin Mobile, Cricket, Straight Talk... They are all CDMA/CDMA2000... But I do not want to throw away my Samsung Galaxy S phone, which worth nearly $500 and only supports GSM/WCDMA network. I really wan to get rid of AT&T, so does T-Mobile

At&t and T-Mobile HSPA+ can run same device?

I know how At&t are gonna have HSPA+ 4g, I'm confused about the new devices they're gonna have that support HSPA+. Are they going to be able to connect to HSPA+ on T-Mobile's network.
So for example, I buy an unlocked HSPA+ tablet from AT&T, straight from their store. Is it going to be able to use T-Mobile's HSPA+ network if I put a T-Mobile SIM card inside?
Also, one last question, if I use T-Mobile's SIM card, do I have to do some special stuff to get it to work on their cell network? Like how you have to unlock an iPhone for it to work on T-Mobile?
Thanks

xAliceNine said:
I know how At&t are gonna have HSPA+ 4g, I'm confused about the new devices they're gonna have that support HSPA+. Are they going to be able to connect to HSPA+ on T-Mobile's network.
So for example, I buy an unlocked HSPA+ tablet from AT&T, straight from their store. Is it going to be able to use T-Mobile's HSPA+ network if I put a T-Mobile SIM card inside?
Also, one last question, if I use T-Mobile's SIM card, do I have to do some special stuff to get it to work on their cell network? Like how you have to unlock an iPhone for it to work on T-Mobile?
Thanks
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Hello,
Unfortunately you will not be able to use HSPA+. HSPA+ is just an extension/revision of the current 3G. Effectively it is also called 3.5G/3.75G in some reports. They use the same 3G band of each respective company. The At&t tablet would work on 850/1900 band and T-mobile will work on their AWS (1700) band. So if you bought an At&t tablet, you may need to get it unlocked, not sure if they lock the sim on tablets. At best you would get Edge service with a T-mobile sim.

thanks man, argg
do you think it's worth it to change to at&t because I just heard of the Motorola Atrix and it sound PRETTY BAD ASS!
I don't know since people I know are always angry at AT&T for their service either..

xAliceNine said:
thanks man, argg
do you think it's worth it to change to at&t because I just heard of the Motorola Atrix and it sound PRETTY BAD ASS!
I don't know since people I know are always angry at AT&T for their service either..
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Click to collapse
NP. I have had every major carrier offered in the US. I have had at&t, t-mobile, and sprint within the last year. I had verizon a while ago and dropped them because they could never get my bill right. Honestly, the service is about the same. The question is how is the service in your area. I mainly stay in my area about 90-98% of the time. I live in a major city so all carries have great service. But I have stayed with At&t for the last few years. Every time I go to another carrier I kept my at&t service, go figure. So I would just look at coverage to where you travel the most and go with a carrier that will give you the best coverage for the best price. Do i prefer a carrier over another, yeah. I like GSM carriers better because I do like to surf and talk at the same time. Sprint can do this if your in a 4G coverage area and have a 4G phone. Verizon is a no go with this feature until they release their LTE phones. But At&t has a better coverage footprint than T-mobile that is why I stick with them. Hope it helps.

Wondering a bit about this too.
I have service through Bendbroadband using a HSPA+ SIM with USB modem Dongle by bandluxe. The service is stellar on the speed, but I can't use the dongle with everything (iPad), so looking for alternate routes before i decide to move to a different provider.
I noticed that the CTO of the company said in a comment regarding their service that any unlocked UE that supports HSPA/HSPA+ in the AWS band could be used, but also had an unclear reponse on cell phones with HSPA+.
I have a Huawei Comet (unlocked), it lists the same AWS Bands compatible, but says HSDPA (which I thought HSDPA + HSUPA = HSPA+ but at higher speeds, correct me if I am wrong), and has hotspot tether that works with tmobile web service no problem.
I plugged the SIM in, and it updates the bar with BendBroadband but I get no data. (might need to provide the IMEI or something)..
Curious if you think it should work, before i go knocking on their doors.
Some other specs:
the mytouch 4g (HSPA+) lists the bands as:850 MHz;900 MHz;1800 MHz;1900 MHz;UMTS: Band IV (1700/2100)
The comet is listed as: 850 MHz;900 MHz;1800 MHz;1900 MHz;UMTS: Band I (2100);UMTS: Band IV (1700/2100)
I am fairly sure the comet is HSPA+ but not advertised that way.

According to comments on the site, Bendbroadband technicians do not actually support moving of the SIMs. Bummer.. trying to keep my business local.. Bumping and moving to Tmobile once the month is up.

[Q] Switching Networks?

So I know when I am not in a tmo area my phone automatically connects to whatever GSM network is available, if any. It's usually ATT but sometimes other regional carriers. However, when I am in a tmo area, it will show ATT as being available, but my phone won't connect to it. Is this a hardware limitation, or is this restricted access controlled by the carrier? If I unlock my phone will I be able to access a different operator?
Sent from my LG G2x

It won't let you connect because there is no roaming and your own carrier is available. Yes, if you unlock the phone and use another sim you can connect to whatever carrier you desire as long as they are gsm. If you switch to an AT&T sim you will get 2G service only on the G2X due to baseband limitations.

Yeah I knew if I unlocked and used an ATT SIM I could access them. I was just wondering if while I am in a tmo coverage area I could access att while using my tmo SIM like I can while I'm not in a tmo area. As it is now, I can't. I'm just wondering how tmo regulates this. I want to know if there is a way to access att using my tmo SIM while in a tmo area.
Thanks for the reply.
Sent from my LG G2x

TJBunch1228 said:
Yeah I knew if I unlocked and used an ATT SIM I could access them. I was just wondering if while I am in a tmo coverage area I could access att while using my tmo SIM like I can while I'm not in a tmo area. As it is now, I can't. I'm just wondering how tmo regulates this. I want to know if there is a way to access att using my tmo SIM while in a tmo area.
Thanks for the reply.
Sent from my LG G2x
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No. TMO and AT&T are direct competitors. They aren't going to allow roaming in areas they have service. I don't even know if they have a roaming agreement for other areas. My guess would be no as AT&T doesn't want to make TMOs service work better prior to the merger.

Oh they for sure have roaming agreements. Anytime I leave a tmo area my phone automatically jumps to ATT.
Sent from my LG G2x

Can you get LTE speeds on pre-paid ATT MVNO with the Skyrocket?

I've done a lot of searching on this topic, but can't find anything definitive.
I'm looking to buy a Samsung Skyrocket i727 and intend to use it on a pre-paid MVNO, either Aio or H2O wireless.
- Will I get true LTE speeds on either of these ATT MVNO's? If so, what can I expect?
- What LTE bands does the Skyrocket support?
- What LTE bands do these MVNO's support?
Thanks so much.

[Q] Moto G Which Straight Talk ATT or Tmo ?

Hello Folks,
I know the Moto G only supports HSPA (3G+), If i have the USA GSM edition, would i be better off with the Straight Talk, TMobile Sim or the ATT sim given the frequencies to take advantage of the speeds ?
I live in the Los Angele's area
Thanks,
Pete

Bump..

pasta1234 said:
Hello Folks,
I know the Moto G only supports HSPA (3G+), If i have the USA GSM edition, would i be better off with the Straight Talk, TMobile Sim or the ATT sim given the frequencies to take advantage of the speeds ?
I live in the Los Angele's area
Thanks,
Pete
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Doesn't matter if you have the usa model. Tmobile is fast but coverage is spotty in rural locations.
I'd use opensignal's maps to make your mind up.
If you go with att, you can go through aio and get it for $150, but they had it for $99 so I wouldn't buy it through them.

Well opensignals maps and other don't differentiate between service (in 3g and 4g) and hspa+.
Since the moto g is technically only capable of hspa+ is there a way to tell if my area is better suited for tmo or att services?
Straight talk is cheaper than aio also, any reason I'd use them over St for the same services?
Thanks,
Pete
sprockkets said:
Doesn't matter if you have the usa model. Tmobile is fast but coverage is spotty in rural locations.
I'd use opensignal's maps to make your mind up.
If you go with att, you can go through aio and get it for $150, but they had it for $99 so I wouldn't buy it through them.
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Click to collapse

I have an XT1034 (US GSM 16 GB) and am on Straight Talk.
I currently have an AT&T SIM card in the phone and get solid coverage wherever I go in Pennsylvania. My data is decent but does slow down throughout the day. I assume I'm being throttled, but I'm not complaining since I typically use several gigs a day.
I originally had a T-Mobile SIM in and while my data would drop to 1X in some areas during my commute I got better speeds and was not throttled (but at the time I was not using as much data).
So to summarize it depends on your usage and location. If you pick up one of the BYOD kits at Wal Mart for $65 you can try both networks and see which works best.

Thanks Folks...Ordered the ATT sim, lets see how it goes
Pete