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Who has seen this?
http://www.mobilizeeverything.com/home.php
kirk123 said:
Who has seen this?
http://www.mobilizeeverything.com/home.php
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It just came out http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/03/20/att-to-acquire-t-mobile-usa/
Crazy ****... I NEVER would have seen that coming :-(
Really bad for the US cellular industry.
I have.
Sent from my Inspire 4G using XDA Premium App
kirk123 said:
http://www.mobilizeeverything.com/home.php
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Was just about to post this.
I think it will be good for us if AT&T decides to add their frequencies to T-Mobile's towers. The purchase is expected to take a year and I wonder if it will be blocked by the SEC.
Does that mean AT&T wireless can actually get worse, now that they will (supposedly) gobble up t-mobile?
gunnyman said:
Was just about to post this.
I think it will be good for us if AT&T decides to add their frequencies to T-Mobile's towers. The purchase is expected to take a year and I wonder if it will be blocked by the SEC.
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Well in "the old days" I would have seen the SEC letting this go about as far as I can throw it, but after changing the laws to allow comcast to become the mega-carrier they are, they'll let this one through as well.
Very unfortunate given that T-Mobile at least has drive to create a decent product.
I guess the old saying is true, if you can't beat em, buy em, lol
kirk123 said:
Does that mean AT&T wireless can actually get worse, now that they will (supposedly) gobble up t-mobile?
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It can gets LOTS worse, hehe. I worked for T-Mo at corp during the formation through mergers in 2001... it was UGLY.
bella92108 said:
It can gets LOTS worse, hehe. I worked for T-Mo at corp during the formation through mergers in 2001... it was UGLY.
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Wonderful! More dropped calls, YES!! lol
kirk123 said:
Wonderful! More dropped calls, YES!! lol
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In my experience, T-Mo had far LESS than AT&T, tho it's been 5 years since I had T-Mo. With T-Mo, they have so many roaming agreements you can drive across the country and have fairly reliable service the entire way. Not the case with Big Red or Big Mama Blue.
bella92108 said:
In my experience, T-Mo had far LESS than AT&T, tho it's been 5 years since I had T-Mo. With T-Mo, they have so many roaming agreements you can drive across the country and have fairly reliable service the entire way. Not the case with Big Red or Big Mama Blue.
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I know a few people that are stuck with t-mobile. All I hear them complain about, is dropped calls. T-mobile data speeds aren't bad from what I can tell. I think t-mobile has better 4G coverage. Is this true?
kirk123 said:
I know a few people that are stuck with t-mobile. All I hear them complain about, is dropped calls. T-mobile data speeds aren't bad from what I can tell. I think t-mobile has better 4G coverage. Is this true?
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They have about a year head start on HSPA+, but that's about it. No clear direction on LTE tho, so I guess this was written...
Big pink and big blue got hitched! LOL
I'm sure T-mobile customers are jumping for joy after they read this news.
I'm seeing this as being one step closer to getting rid of CDMA.
I wish Cell Phones worked the way they do in Europe. We have too much fragmentation and carrier control in the US.
I have a friend on T-Mobile and he likes the data speeds but the coverage of phone service itself apparently isnt that great all i hear about his how much he complains!!!
Here is some more info from engadget
http://www.engadget.com/photos/atandt-t-mobile-lte-buildout-slides-0/#3984852
Edit: I also read somewhere that it may take a year for this to complete. So no new changes for a while.
NICE!!!!!
I have been to places where there are only tmobile signals! (i did a network search, only tmobile pop up!), but i'm unable to connect cus att wont allow it! i guess this merger will change that!
this means that now after it is complete, we will be able to access t-mobiles hspa+ network with our inspires right? this is great news if we can b/c t-mobiles roll out of hspa+ is far greater than at&t's as of now
Least they will have a larger hspa plus network
Sent from Snarf with an Epic
so this is the trick that att will use to increase their 4g network. LOL i guess when they started rolling out the 4g they ment it would be ready NEXT year! LOL
bpodz34 said:
this means that now after it is complete, we will be able to access t-mobiles hspa+ network with our inspires right? this is great news if we can b/c t-mobiles roll out of hspa+ is far greater than at&t's as of now
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they use different frequencies so I imagine hardware on t Mobil towers would need changing.
Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk
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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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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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...
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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.
Im going to be coming from Sprint to possibly verizon. I was wondeirng a few things
1. How is the service? I get BAD 3g speeds ( around .5mb ) and 4g is decent whenever I can get it ( 5mb or so ). Whats their average 3g and 4g speeds?
2. What about phones? Im coming from the Evo and its still considered a top contender with the new phones that are out there now. I dont want an iphone, Id like to stay android. Any phones out there that are pretty good?
Any and all help is appreciated.
p.s. I know I have an at&t thread out there too, but Im looking at verizon too.
I get about 1.1mbps on 3g and 8+mbps on 4g.
verizon has a excellent variety of 4g phones..including Galaxy Nexus, HTC rezound, Droid razr / razr Maxx,LG spectrum and more.
yeah those speeds arent bad, way better than what I get. But I think AT&T is pulling more speed right?
Hey I have an evo on Sprint, so I know how those slow speeds feel.
That being said. On my Verizon iPhone, I see anywhere from 1.5mbps to 2 plus 3g, and I see folks getting 8+ lte also. This is in the Denver metro area.
If you are switching I suggest soon. Verizon is running a double your data promotion right now when you get a 4g device. my Co workers enjoy their rezounds. Galaxy nexus is good, but I have heard of network problems with them.
Boo
Verizon has some of the best 3G coverage, thats the biggest reason I stay with them. Using the Speedtest app I get around 1.5-1.8 Mb/s down and about 0.5-0.5 Mb/s up on 3G with a good signal. I'm not sure about 4G because I don't have a 4G device and even if I did coverage will not be in my area for some time.'
The best Verizon android device out there now as far as being dev friendly and running ICS is the Galaxy Nexus. The biggest con of the nexus is its size.
Thanks. Im liking the nexus, but havent seen it in person. Im going to check it out tomorrow possibly. Now whne you say size, guess you mean the screen? I dont think that would bother me much.
Verizon is packed with good 4G LTE phones.
My average 4G speed is 8-15down and 8-15up but I've had more than a handful of times where I've hit close to 40down and 20up.
My main concern is the 3g as 4g is a milker...
Never mind
Thanks man... I afraid of the overloaded service with AT&T though... I heard their towers are overlaoded and they dont have the best connectivity.. CAn you roam on AT&T? I dont always need data, but Id like to NEVER be without phone service.
Never had data dropping issues, but the signal meter on many cell phones are very inaccurate.
On my Droid 3 the factory signal meter likes to read 5 bars down to about about -95 dBm. For some reason phone manufacturers nowadays like to make it look like you have 5 bars all the time. Luckily Android lets allows you to get the real dBm value from the radio so I know its not a hardware issue as the dBm value is much more reliable then the signal bars.
A lot of service issues depend on where you're located. I have a galaxy nexus in the Las Vegas area and have no complaints at all. This area is well provisioned for 4g though. The nexus is a great phone IMO, although mine didn't stay stock for very long so I can't really speak to how the stock phone is
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA
Never mind
All in all, you pay the most, but in the long run, probably worth it.
Around my area Verizon seems to be better then at&t. Less dropped calls and faster data.
Sent from my smashed ADR6300 using spaghetti
Verizon 4g/Deadspots
I am about a mile from a 4g tower and get about 1 bar(max 2 bars) with a consistent 105 dbm. There seems to be alot of deadspots in the Abingdon,MD area. 3g coverage is pretty good, but like I said, there are alot of deadspots with no coverage. I can't figure out how I can be that close to a 4g tower and still get bad coverage....maybe it's the phone....
how does one know which tower is 4g and which tower isn't?
kafitze said:
I am about a mile from a 4g tower and get about 1 bar(max 2 bars) with a consistent 105 dbm. There seems to be alot of deadspots in the Abingdon,MD area. 3g coverage is pretty good, but like I said, there are alot of deadspots with no coverage. I can't figure out how I can be that close to a 4g tower and still get bad coverage....maybe it's the phone....
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Click to collapse
Thanks man. Im not too far from abington.
Lets bump this for the late night crew
I average at least 15-20mbs down and have gotten as high as 35-40mbs down on LTE.
I always have great connections, never drop calls.
My father has AT&T, hates it, Mother has Sprint, hates it. In my area Verizon is king. I rarely use 3G so I can't really comment on 3G speeds. Just looks at the current coverage maps and LTE markets for the major carriers and it's obvious Verizon is light years ahead of the rest.
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?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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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Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
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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
Can anybody let me know if they switched from VZW to T mobile how the experience has been?
Do you regret it because of signal issues?
Thanks for any advice. [emoji106] [emoji111]
My girlfriend has T-mobile, and I used to have Verizon, until I switched to Sprint for their Google Voice integration. With T-mobile, the signal is realllyy spotty, but with Verizon it was quite good. This is from having been in the same place as her and only I had signal. So, I think you made a good choice.
I think it depends on where you are. Some areas T-Mobile sucks and some areas they are great but if you consider the savings worth, that what matters.
you can test drive Tmobile for 7 days free !
they even send you iphone5s to play for 7 days !
just google tmobile test drive
It just sucks that we probably won't have root with the Verizon version of the Edge.
It depends on where u live if you stay , Here in metro Detroit T-Mobile is the best provider IMO and there LTE speeds beats Verizon , AT&T, and Sprint. If you live in a rural area T-Mobile shouldn't be considered.
Detroitking02 said:
It depends on where u live if you stay , Here in metro Detroit T-Mobile is the best provider IMO and there LTE speeds beats Verizon , AT&T, and Sprint. If you live in a rural area T-Mobile shouldn't be considered.
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T-Mobile has converted some of their Edge network to LTE already and is continuing that process as we speak. Also, they are setting up their 700Mhz LTE network which will require a phone with Band 12 capabilities. Their network continues to improve, but I would try out the test drive and see how you like it. Be sure to return the phone or else they are going to bill you for it.
drbveb88 said:
Can anybody let me know if they switched from VZW to T mobile how the experience has been?
Do you regret it because of signal issues?
Thanks for any advice. [emoji106] [emoji111]
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Here in Minnesota tmobile is awesome, verizon obviously has the best coverage overall, but tmo In the last couple years has extended it's reach immensely, don't get me wrong, the coverage up here is outstanding, speeds are faster than verizon overall, the only difference in the extreme northwoods, like border of Canada in the middle of a lake miles and miles from a person I will have service, i might not have lte whereas verizon does spottingly (that a word?) Lol but overall I have zero complaints, in fact I have a couple buddies that are also in your dilemma take them for a spin first and see what you think
DigChrono said:
My girlfriend has T-mobile, and I used to have Verizon, until I switched to Sprint for their Google Voice integration. With T-mobile, the signal is realllyy spotty, but with Verizon it was quite good. This is from having been in the same place as her and only I had signal. So, I think you made a good choice.
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le0.br4zuc4 said:
I think it depends on where you are. Some areas T-Mobile sucks and some areas they are great but if you consider the savings worth, that what matters.
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netnerd said:
you can test drive Tmobile for 7 days free !
they even send you iphone5s to play for 7 days !
just google tmobile test drive
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Detroitking02 said:
It depends on where u live if you stay , Here in metro Detroit T-Mobile is the best provider IMO and there LTE speeds beats Verizon , AT&T, and Sprint. If you live in a rural area T-Mobile shouldn't be considered.
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slimc84 said:
T-Mobile has converted some of their Edge network to LTE already and is continuing that process as we speak. Also, they are setting up their 700Mhz LTE network which will require a phone with Band 12 capabilities. Their network continues to improve, but I would try out the test drive and see how you like it. Be sure to return the phone or else they are going to bill you for it.
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jdidtht said:
Here in Minnesota tmobile is awesome, verizon obviously has the best coverage overall, but tmo In the last couple years has extended it's reach immensely, don't get me wrong, the coverage up here is outstanding, speeds are faster than verizon overall, the only difference in the extreme northwoods, like border of Canada in the middle of a lake miles and miles from a person I will have service, i might not have lte whereas verizon does spottingly (that a word?) Lol but overall I have zero complaints, in fact I have a couple buddies that are also in your dilemma take them for a spin first and see what you think
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Thanks everyone. I am in Northern Virginia and the reviews are mixed here. While I am close to DC and Richmond so signal and coverage should be strong, there are so many military bases, Airports and suburbs- which all help to create problem areas.
I will have to give it a try to really get a good gauge. Why can't VZW just release a unlocked phone, save me these dilemmas. Lol.
Again, thanks for all the feedback.
jwjames83 said:
It just sucks that we probably won't have root with the Verizon version of the Edge.
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That's the whole reason I'm even contemplating. Uugh. [emoji53]
drbveb88 said:
That's the whole reason I'm even contemplating. Uugh. [emoji53]
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It's been a little over a year since I have been in that area, but when I was there, I had pretty good service. The only time I had any issues, was when I was inside buildings. But they have rolled out the 700 mhz spectrum there so that should greatly improve signal quality indoors.
Edit: Also, the only two phones listed on the T-Mobile website that support Band 12 are the Note 4 and the Note Edge. So you won't be able to test the connectivity if you do the 7 day test drive with the Iphone 5S.
drbveb88 said:
That's the whole reason I'm even contemplating. Uugh. [emoji53]
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Could you maybe pay off your t-mobile phone and just use straight talk with the t-mobile compatible straight talk sim card?
It's what I do.
If you have the unlimited data from Verizon i'd stay. they no longer offer that and if you switch to a carrier with bad reception in your area then you wont get to go back. as far as the strait talk comment goes that is no good either, their data speeds are ridiculously low. my wife has straight talk (Verizon phone) and i run circles around her with my Verizon contract phone. it may say 4g, but it's a lie... i just wish they still offered unlimited data so i could have used my upgrade that now will never be used.
if you do not have the unlimited package with Verizon i suggest you run like hell to the first available option that has service in your area. Verizon is mean. unfortunately for me there is no other choice atm.
Straight talk users a bunch of networks like at&t and T-mobile. It will vary by which network you're using on which phone in what area. Even different phones can vary because of their antenna and design blocking reception like some early iPhones. Just a thought. There's a lot of prepaid plans out there, I'd look into those and keep the phone if possible.