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I'm currently with Tmobile and just upgraded my phone to the Sensation. I love the device and can't wait for the potential it will be unleashed once it's unlocked. However, have you guys wonder what would happen to Sensation once Tmobile is merge with ATT?
Our 3G/4G won't be compatible with ATT unless I'm wrong. Although it doesn't make the device useless, it's a large investment that can't be use to its fullest features.
It's been reported they will give a "Comparable" phone if that did happen. They will have to do something to avoid having a suit filed against them.
the merger, if approved, wouldn't happen till next june. Nothing would change at that point, except the name at the top of the bill. T-mob towers would still operate for years to come
tdy2kn1 said:
I'm currently with Tmobile and just upgraded my phone to the Sensation. I love the device and can't wait for the potential it will be unleashed once it's unlocked. However, have you guys wonder what would happen to Sensation once Tmobile is merge with ATT?
Our 3G/4G won't be compatible with ATT unless I'm wrong. Although it doesn't make the device useless, it's a large investment that can't be use to its fullest features.
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They have to add our frequency to their network is mandatory by FCC
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That's good to know. Make me feel more comfortable about the purchase
Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using XDA App
There's a couple of things to take in to consideration when pondering whether the merger gets approved.
1) Deutsche Telekom, T-Mobile's parent, has the business listed on their books as "discontinued operations." It's an accounting practice that they wouldn't have used unless they felt there was a high likelihood the acquisition was going to go through.
2) T-Mobile's hemorrhaging more profitable pre-paid customers which is by far the most profitable business segment in the retail wireless business. They lost over 400K of them in Q1 2011 while VZW, AT&T, and Sprint showed gains. Also, T-Mobile's customer quality is the worst out of the big 4 with the highest amount of bad debt write-off. Since they have less than half the corporate accounts (an even more profitable segment) of either VZW or AT&T, their earnings tanked in Q1. Everyone expects Q2's numbers to be even worse. If they are, T-Mobile and AT&T will tell the approval bodies there's risk of the businesses viability as a stand-alone. That threat gives even those that don't support the deal an out by allowing them to say its approval was necessary.
Bottom line is that the deal is much more likely to go through than not. I know that T-Mobile fans aren't too fond of AT&T but the combined and rationalized network will give both sets of customers better coverage and faster data speeds.
BarryH_GEG said:
There's a couple of things to take in to consideration when pondering whether the merger gets approved.
1) Deutsche Telekom, T-Mobile's parent, has the business listed on their books as "discontinued operations." It's an accounting practice that they wouldn't have used unless they felt there was a high likelihood the acquisition was going to go through.
2) T-Mobile's hemorrhaging more profitable pre-paid customers which is by far the most profitable business segment in the retail wireless business. They lost over 400K of them in Q1 2011 while VZW, AT&T, and Sprint showed gains. Also, T-Mobile's customer quality is the worst out of the big 4 with the highest amount of bad debt write-off. Since they have less than half the corporate accounts (an even more profitable segment) of either VZW or AT&T, their earnings tanked in Q1. Everyone expects Q2's numbers to be even worse. If they are, T-Mobile and AT&T will tell the approval bodies there's risk of the businesses viability as a stand-alone. That threat gives even those that don't support the deal an out by allowing them to say its approval was necessary.
Bottom line is that the deal is much more likely to go through than not. I know that T-Mobile fans aren't too fond of AT&T but the combined and rationalized network will give both sets of customers better coverage and faster data speeds.
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I agree. I have also heard ATT has donate 500k to politicians making it all the likelihood the merger will go through.
Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using XDA App
other than maybe higher monthly prices, i think that the merger is beneficial for us: more devices, better coverage, roll over minutes, etc...
about the question: att will provide users with an equivalent handset, so basicaly we will get a new state of art handset, whichever one is out at that time, and you can be sure that it will be more advanced than the sensation by that time.
mike2518 said:
other than maybe higher monthly prices, i think that the merger is beneficial for us: more devices, better coverage, roll over minutes, etc...
about the question: att will provide users with an equivalent handset, so basicaly we will get a new state of art handset, whichever one is out at that time, and you can be sure that it will be more advanced than the sensation by that time.
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It'll be a year to eighteen months before T-Mobile's bands are re-proportioned. By then everyone will be toward the latter half of their two year agreements. I'd guess AT&T would allow T-Mobile'rs to keep their plan pricing and get a new subsidized phone of their choice with some sort of additional discount if they renew their contracts. Those that don't re-up would get their handsets replaced free of charge. I doubt AT&T will replace a then year to eighteen month old handset with their latest and greatest for free. So, and I'm only guessing, your willingness to renew will most likely effect the handset you get.
Less compition is never good
Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using XDA App
Hopefully the corporate anti-trust greed merger fails, so that we tmob's can live happily ever after!
unicoyo said:
They have to add our frequency to their network is mandatory by FCC
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This is actually false. In order for ATT to "add" TMO's frequencies they would have to purchase, install and turn up new equipment at every cell site plus upgrade their switches to handle that new equipment. Next, if ATT does that, and transfers TMO's customers to their network on TMO's bands then all the spectrum they just bought for LTE is not being freed up.
What will happen is once the merger finalizes ATT will begin to slowly transfer the TMO customers to their own network as contracts naturally end. It will be a slow process over a 2-5 year period as ATT increases their capacity capabilities. ATT CANNOT TAKE ON ALL OF TMO'S CUSTOMERS RIGHT AWAY!!!! I cannot stress that enough, they DO NOT have the capacity to take on an additional 35 million subscribers.
galaxys said:
Hopefully the corporate anti-trust greed merger fails, so that we tmob's can live happily ever after!
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Would be a nice thought but the truth is, this merger has been devastating to T-Mobile. They are loosing customers fast because of it. I know they will get a bunch of money if it fails but I don't know if it will be enough to save them. Maybe, fingers crossed, if the merger fails someone else like Google will purchase TMO USA.
tdy2kn1 said:
I agree. I have also heard ATT has donate 500k to politicians making it all the likelihood the merger will go through.
Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using XDA App
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500k? I think you might be missing a zero or two. 500k isn't **** to a company like at&t.
setzer715 said:
ATT CANNOT TAKE ON ALL OF TMO'S CUSTOMERS RIGHT AWAY!!!! I cannot stress that enough, they DO NOT have the capacity to take on an additional 35 million subscribers.
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I doubt they have the network right now to take on a fifth of that. AT&T's network is just **** because they didn't handle it right. I do not want to go to a company who's network & infrastructure is ****.
WorldWide60 said:
500k? I think you might be missing a zero or two. 500k isn't **** to a company like at&t.
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source
Im sure we will begin to see most of TMO's new offerings support ATT bands as well. Most of us phone fanatics do not last more than 6 months/year with the same phone so for us this will be a non issue. My biggest concern are the rates and my ability to stay on my no contract plan
I'm just afraid that after 6 months or so, they'll force customers to drop their grandfathered plans and accept their crappy data rates and such if they ever desire to upgrade their handset.
I left ATT over three years ago because their "new" phone selection sucked and their planes are unecessarily over prices for what they offer you.
I had reasonable network speeds but I see more stability and burst speeds in the city here with T-Mobile than I did with ATT. The network is no where near as large but for my prime usage area's I'm better off now.
Both companies I felt were about the same in the customer service department.
If ATT offers pricing and plans like T-Mobile does now I won't be so against the merger.
I really feel bad for those of the t-mobile family...as a sprint customer, I welcome you to the family of true unlimited and you can get the evo 3D. Just a sensation with a few different designs and 3D capability and a larger battery...
galaxys said:
Hopefully the corporate anti-trust greed merger fails, so that we tmob's can live happily ever after!
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There won't be a tmo USA if it fails.
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Just heard on CNN - the deal is dead. They nade the announcement and then said deals latter.
Opps - ? rather then & in title...
Yes, the deal between ATT and T-Mobile is totally dead, killed by the U.S. Justice Department's anti-trust lawsuit. T-Mobile, which is owned by Deutsche Telekom, gets $3 Billion plus some spectrum from ATT as compensation for the deal not going through. Deutsche Telekom wants to sell T-Mobile and isn't investing any more money in it and won't upgrade the network's high speed capabilities which will cause it to lose customers as they switch to other networks to get higher speed data services. T-Mobile will also not be getting the iPhone which will also deprive it of new customers and cause it to lose customers. In spite of the positive spin Pilipp Humm, the CEO of T-Mobile, has promoted "We have an opportunity to write our own future" T-Mobile is in serious trouble.
The next suitor will be Sprint - not sure if that is better or worse for TMO customers.
Beggars1923 said:
The next suitor will be Sprint - not sure if that is better or worse for TMO customers.
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May not be that way.
"Now that the merger has failed, it’s unlikely T-Mobile could court Verizon or Sprint as potential suitors because they use completely different cellphone technologies to service their phones, Mr. Kuittinen said.
He said that T-Mobile must now explore more creative opportunities — for instance, seeking partnerships with media giants like Amazon, Facebook or Google. T-Mobile’s spectrum, not its customer base, is its most valuable asset."
From http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/19/att-t-mobile/?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha26
Does T-Mo have poor service/reception in a lot of areas? It's fine where I live and the price is great, I hope it sticks around for a while. Verizon charges SO much for their plans
xAshxMoneyx said:
Does T-Mo have poor service/reception in a lot of areas? It's fine where I live and the price is great, I hope it sticks around for a while. Verizon charges SO much for their plans
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I have great signal too, or I did before I got the G2X lol... but seriously - I think T-Mobile's "bad reception" compared to other carriers is a complete myth perpetuated by those who feel the need to defend their decision to spend more, and by those who believe that just because they pay twice as much for their cell service that it guarantees them better service. In the "real world" I've seen as many times that I had signal and verizon/at&t customers did not as I have the other way around.
Now TMobile has $4 billion to play with
Jufjufjuf said:
Now TMobile has $4 billion to play with
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http://www.tmonews.com/2011/12/with-att-out-of-the-picture-where-does-t-mobile-go-now/
Only if. It's all going to their parent company, Deutsche Telekom, and they're under no obligation to give a cent of it to T-Mobile US.
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xAshxMoneyx said:
Does T-Mo have poor service/reception in a lot of areas? It's fine where I live and the price is great, I hope it sticks around for a while. Verizon charges SO much for their plans
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I drive a lot between Houston, Baton Rouge and New Orleans and I can go for a long while where I am on "Edge".
Hoping google will buy tmobile but not holding my breath.
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T-Mobile signal is ****ty I am sorry. It depends on location. I lived in Milwaukee WS and its best signal hands down. I moved back to NJ and its same ****ty signal I endured for 10 years.
I have to rely on wifi and if not for that, I have no signal.
T-Mobile signal is ****ty. Again, depends on location. My time in Milwaukee, I was shocked how awesome signal is there.
Again depends on location.
Its where I live, dead zone. Sucks!!!
Yah well instead if this Att should of lobbied to have congress mandate sharing of cell phone towers no matter the carrier who built it. So this way ATT can stop complaining like a girl.
That's what other countries do and their prices dropped and network coverage grew.
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fabricatedhero said:
Yah well instead if this Att should of lobbied to have congress mandate sharing of cell phone towers no matter the carrier who built it. So this way ATT can stop complaining like a girl.
That's what other countries do and their prices dropped and network coverage grew.
Sent from my LG-P999 using xda premium
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but...but...that would create a fair and competitive market that served the customer! Are you mad?!
Seriously though, the carriers in the US (aside from T-Mobile, who have actually lobbied to get something like this to happen), would HATE this. It would require they actually step up to serve their customer rather than just their shareholders.
The fact is that most companies are blind to what ACTUALLY serves their shareholders. By stepping up to serve their customers, they also step up to serve their shareholders. The fact is that consumers would FLOCK to a Google based cell provider. Google follows a simple model. Take care of their consumers by offering a "low cost" offering then exploiting that for moderate ad shares, and also (most importantly) trying to build upon that offering by moving consumers to their other offerings by true "integration", thereby "owning the house" generating quadruple the original marketshare generating BILLIONS in additional revenue, ie share holder profits. If someone beats Google to the punch on this model in the mobile communications market, they stand to make a MASSIVE profit. Companies simply over complicate economics/marketing.
JaiaV said:
but...but...that would create a fair and competitive market that served the customer! Are you mad?!
Seriously though, the carriers in the US (aside from T-Mobile, who have actually lobbied to get something like this to happen), would HATE this. It would require they actually step up to serve their customer rather than just their shareholders.
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Sent from my LG-P999
jeremyritzmann said:
The fact is that most companies are blind to what ACTUALLY serves their shareholders. By stepping up to serve their customers, they also step up to serve their shareholders. The fact is that consumers would FLOCK to a Google based cell provider. Google follows a simple model. Take care of their consumers by offering a "low cost" offering then exploiting that for moderate ad shares, and also (most importantly) trying to build upon that offering by moving consumers to their other offerings by true "integration", thereby "owning the house" generating quadruple the original marketshare generating BILLIONS in additional revenue, ie share holder profits. If someone beats Google to the punch on this model in the mobile communications market, they stand to make a MASSIVE profit. Companies simply over complicate economics/marketing.
Sent from my LG-P999
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We are pretty much in agreement, my post was more than a bit tongue-in-cheek. I'm a big fan of moving to the way most of Europe does their cell phones:
1. Usually the government owns the towers and the cell providers lease those towers in order to provide the actual services to the customer. This helps to remove the problem of technology and coverage divisions that cell companies have in the US and is one of the main reasons switching carriers is far easier there.
2. No annual contracts. US customers are spoiled on the false idea that their smartphones are 'free' or <$200 when in actuality they are paying out of the nose for vastly over-inflated contracted plans that are anywhere from double to triple that of any cell service in Europe in order to subsidize their phones. This isn't helped by the fact that it seems the public can't get over the idea that paying $400-600 for the full price of the phone would amount to them saving thousands of dollars over a couple of years, even if they bought another phone during that time. Another factor that makes switching carriers easier and helps promote competition on a service level. Also, not subsidizing phones means that carriers lose less money buying up phone stock they never sell (and have to make up by making the contracts more expensive and charging for stupid things like tethering!).
3. Well I guess I kind of ate up all of my points in the first two by elaborating a bit too much.
Um I seen somewhere that dish is looking into it.
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JaiaV said:
2. No annual contracts. US customers are spoiled on the false idea that their smartphones are 'free' or <$200 when in actuality they are paying out of the nose for vastly over-inflated contracted plans that are anywhere from double to triple that of any cell service in Europe in order to subsidize their phones. This isn't helped by the fact that it seems the public can't get over the idea that paying $400-600 for the full price of the phone would amount to them saving thousands of dollars over a couple of years, even if they bought another phone during that time.
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+1, Tmobiles value plan is at least $25/month cheaper than the regular one, which amounts to $600 over the 2 year contract. I know I've never gotten a $600 phone for free.
xAshxMoneyx said:
+1, Tmobiles value plan is at least $25/month cheaper than the regular one, which amounts to $600 over the 2 year contract. I know I've never gotten a $600 phone for free.
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Unfortunately most people can't do basic math and still opt for the $250 phone and Classic (non-value) plan. In effect paying hundreds of dollars more over the life of the contract. Back when the Even More Plus first rolled out I still worked at tmo tech support and you'd be surprised how many people were absolutely livid that they couldn't get a discounted phone after being a customer for X years, AND have the Even More Plus... they thought they were being ripped off by being asked to pay for the phone.
Honestly, the failure of the American cell phone consumer to be able to do BASIC MATH is one of the reasons T-Mobile is failing. I have friends who honestly believe that Verizon gave them a better price.
Its beyond them doing basic math. Our culture in the US is always about the short term when comes to saving money, never the long term. Interest only mortgages is a PRIME example of that. No pun intended.
lotherius said:
Unfortunately most people can't do basic math and still opt for the $250 phone and Classic (non-value) plan. In effect paying hundreds of dollars more over the life of the contract. Back when the Even More Plus first rolled out I still worked at tmo tech support and you'd be surprised how many people were absolutely livid that they couldn't get a discounted phone after being a customer for X years, AND have the Even More Plus... they thought they were being ripped off by being asked to pay for the phone.
Honestly, the failure of the American cell phone consumer to be able to do BASIC MATH is one of the reasons T-Mobile is failing. I have friends who honestly believe that Verizon gave them a better price.
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When I was working for Verizon last year there was talk of congress possibly cracking down on phone contracts and forcing service providers to get rid of them.
Now, that would make it impossible to get high end devices at subsidized rates.
The only alternative (i can think of) would be either ads inherint on the phone, like what KDDI is doing with the ads in the dropdown status bar, or company branded phones, like an HTC Pepsi Evo or a Samsung Ford Motors Galaxy.
Of course the phone's casing would sport the company logos, and such, and rooting would probably be much more difficult seeing as these major corporations have a big vested interest in making sure people see their stuff.
So, would an outside company's branding piss you off?
Sent from my Samsung Droid Charge 4G-LTE
I don't see that happening.
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If that happened I'd go back to dumb-phones and forget all about smartphones. That's far too intrusive for my liking. (Incidentally, I see 0% chance of this happening.)
I don't think there is a reason for carriers to have ad-supported devices since consumers are still purchasing devices that are $199 and $299 with a 2-year contract. I don't know 100% what the numbers are but considering the rapid growth of a smartphone adoption, the carriers won't employ ad-supported devices so they can capitalize on a profit. Now in 10-years when carriers are looking for ways to further differentiate themselves from competitors, I could see the smaller guys offering ad-supported devices to try to get a leg up on the competition with a larger customer base (i.e. A T-Mobile or Sprint offering free devices to compete with Verizon because they can't compete on tower spectrum or device selection).
Archer said:
If that happened I'd go back to dumb-phones and forget all about smartphones. That's far too intrusive for my liking. (Incidentally, I see 0% chance of this happening.)
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This.
Maybe I could try living with it, but in the end I would just try flashing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xtuxax8Dtk4
Here in Canada, we now get rid of those contract for telecom. Now the contract only apply to the price of the phone. So if you bought a phone that worth 300$ but the operator give it to you for 0$ with a contract of 3 years, if you break the contract after only 1 year, you would have to pay 2/3 of the phone, 200$.
As simple as that.
That is a simple solution. Makes a lot of sense
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I don't care about a contract but the way phones are getting EOL'ed so quickly and new stuff is flying around, contracts need to be dropped down to 1 year.
if they were required to eliminate contracts i would expect ad's in phones to become the norm in order to help subsidize the price of the phone will still attracting consumers.
I Am Marino said:
I don't care about a contract but the way phones are getting EOL'ed so quickly and new stuff is flying around, contracts need to be dropped down to 1 year.
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You can still get 1yr contracts, but pay a little more for your phone. One of the reasons I switched to T-mo years ago was that their offerings were just as good with only 1 yr contracts vs the rest having 2 yrs. Most of the time now if I get a new to me phone is it used, or at least previous gen to offset the cost. Nice being to upgrade on occasion tho.
papabear said:
You can still get 1yr contracts, but pay a little more for your phone. One of the reasons I switched to T-mo years ago was that their offerings were just as good with only 1 yr contracts vs the rest having 2 yrs. Most of the time now if I get a new to me phone is it used, or at least previous gen to offset the cost. Nice being to upgrade on occasion tho.
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I don't mean 1 year contracts as an option and your phone is pricier, I mean 1 year is standard, and 2 year is the extended option.
The phones retail or discounted is still more than it costs to make them.
papabear said:
You can still get 1yr contracts, but pay a little more for your phone. One of the reasons I switched to T-mo years ago was that their offerings were just as good with only 1 yr contracts vs the rest having 2 yrs. Most of the time now if I get a new to me phone is it used, or at least previous gen to offset the cost. Nice being to upgrade on occasion tho.
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a lot of carriers no longer have one year contracts
http://www.cnn.com/2011/TECH/mobile/04/11/verizon.contracts.mashable/index.html
http://www.mobilemag.com/2011/09/30/sprint-drops-1-year-contract-option/
If the federal government mandated that a private corporation not be allowed to offer contractual subsidized phones there would be a libertarian uprising. Give them an inch and they take a mile. They have no business mandating a thing.
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Yeah i think the Ads would be a horrible idea, just another thing to bog down the phone and waste user data, and the government should stay out of the tech market anyway before they screw it up like everything else they touch and control
Can't see this happening. There's no way the ads could generate enough income to justify a £500 phone for every customer? Thought I could definitely live with it if it saved me a few hundred!
I hate Ads...thats why I use the AdAway app! Don't see the contracts going away...
I don't see it happening either, mostly because ad generated revenue would never be as consistent as X number of monthly plans at $Y. Big corporations like being able to predict their future revenue, especially if that's what they're used to.
Rominucka said:
When I was working for Verizon last year there was talk of congress possibly cracking down on phone contracts and forcing service providers to get rid of them.
Now, that would make it impossible to get high end devices at subsidized rates.
The only alternative (i can think of) would be either ads inherint on the phone, like what KDDI is doing with the ads in the dropdown status bar, or company branded phones, like an HTC Pepsi Evo or a Samsung Ford Motors Galaxy.
Of course the phone's casing would sport the company logos, and such, and rooting would probably be much more difficult seeing as these major corporations have a big vested interest in making sure people see their stuff.
So, would an outside company's branding piss you off?
Sent from my Samsung Droid Charge 4G-LTE
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This would also lead to more encrypted bootloaders. If the only way carriers could make money from the phone itself was to advertise, then they would take measures to insure you couldn't just load a new clean rom on the phone. So as a result of ads in phones, I think we would lose custom roms also. Not exactly the ideal scenario.
i want to try that, let see what will happen
I made this petition to accomplish the goal of allowing all consumers to choose a their carrier while keeping the phone they already have with another. This could enable greater competition between carriers and therefore fairer terms and lower prices. I would appreciate your support.
make locking cell phones to specific providers illegal
I'm assuming you are happy to see contract prices rise as a result.
The key problem is most Americans are totally ignorant as to the price of a phone, and how their monthly plan subsidises it.
CrazyPeter said:
I'm assuming you are happy to see contract prices rise as a result.
The key problem is most Americans are totally ignorant as to the price of a phone, and how their monthly plan subsidises it.
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This will not end subsidies. The ETF still applies.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2
lynyrd65 said:
This will not end subsidies. The ETF still applies.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2
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subsidies are fine, it's a consumer aweness issue. Too many times you hear American's claiming their iPhone cost them $50....
Im sorry but America has to have the WORST legal system and even worse Carriers.
Let me explain something us Brits learned a long time ago. Some may have realised this but i constantly see people calling phones a $200 phone. ITS NOT
PHONES ARENT SUBSIDIZED - A Subsidy implies that Carriers are giving you a "subsidy" or "Discount" on the phone when you take out your 2 year plan with them. - THIS ISNT TRUE.
You pay 200$ for the Phone and XX per month which is actually significantly higher than the UK pays even with our 20% VAT taken into account.
The Price of a Nexus 4 is $349 Retail and $549 from Tmobile USA - Plus you have to take out a $90 a month plan which gives you unlimited calls and data and texts.
A sim only deal is $69 per month so you save $20 a month which is $480..... (not sure how long contract this is, its not clear)
So HOLD ON! You pay $200 + $480 = $680 Extra to get the Phone included in your deal?
$680 for a Phone which Retails for $349 from Google? or $680 for a phone which retails from Them! at $549
So basically these are called CARRIER SUBSIDIES because YOU are subsidizing the carrier! AND they want to lock YOUR phone so you cant take it elsewhere????
And you thought communism was a bad thing?
It has nothing to do with Nexus 4, that's why I moved it to General.
http://www.engadget.com/2013/07/16/att-next-upgrade-program/
AT&T:
http://www.att.com/shop/wireless/next.html?sf15024656=1#fbid=PD71HEOU89k
Interesting...
Also... top comment on Engadget:
OK, so I work for ATT I'll just clarify this for you guys a little. This is what we reps have been told. Basically whatever the normal price plan is for the phone you add 1/20th of the phones price to that normal plan pricing. After 12 months minimum but before 20 months you can choose to trade in your old phone and get a new one. There are no down payments for either phone so there is that, you can get an iphone 5 64GB for no money down if you have good credit XD. BUT you would then pay an extra 40 some per month to make up for it. The average installments would be $20 with smartphones usually costing about 400 or more so after 12 months you would have paid $280 or more and if you sold your old phone you could buy a new one.
POINT: This is a blatant rip off, save up your money those months and sell the phone you save money, the price you pay for this simply gives ATT a larger profit, they will then resell the old phones you turn in which by the way have to be in perfect shape or there will be an additional charge for repairs. Anyone with sense will no do this.
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Oh and how this effect the unlock policy, currently any non iphone can be unlocked after 90 days of service in good standing. On this ATT NEXT plan you cannot unlock it until after the full 20 months.
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FAQ
What is AT&T Next?
AT&T offers you another choice for smartphone and tablet pricing. AT&T Next is a new way for you to get a new device every year. You have the choice after 12 monthly payments to trade it in for a new device or choose to keep it, and after 20 months, there are no more installment payments. No down payment, activation, upgrade, or financing fees are required — only sales tax on the device is due at time of purchase.
How can I take advantage of AT&T Next?
Visit att.com or a participating AT&T Company Owned Retail location to learn more about AT&T Next and to find out if you are eligible.
Are there additional charges?
Sales tax is charged on your new phone or tablet at the time of sale. There's no down payment and no activation fee.
Is a contract required with AT&T Next?
AT&T Next requires that you sign an installment agreement to pay for the device over 20 monthly payments. If you cancel your wireless service, the remaining unpaid balance on the device is due. A Wireless Customer Service Agreement (voice and data service) is required.
How many AT&T Next installment plans may I have on my account?
There's a limit of two per account.
What devices are eligible for AT&T Next?
At this time, customers can buy a smartphone or tablet with AT&T Next.
Do I own the device? Or is this a leasing offer?
The device is yours and you’re responsible for 20 monthly payments. You’re also responsible for any loss, theft, or damage to the device — both during the installment agreement period and after. We recommend you purchase the optional Mobile Insurance to protect your investment.
How do I get a new device every year with the program?
After your twelfth (12) installment payment, but before your twentieth (20) installment payment, if your wireless account is in good standing you may trade in the device. The device must be fully functional and in good physical condition. Select a new smartphone or tablet and a new 20-month agreement will start.
When I trade in my device after 12 months and get a new one, what is the length of my new installment plan?
When you trade in your device, no further installments are billed for the original device. You will start over with a new 20-month installment plan on your new device.
Will I be able to pay off this device early?
Yes, you have the option to pay off your installment agreement, but the full outstanding balance will be due immediately.
What payments are due if I cancel AT&T Next?
The full outstanding balance on your installment agreement becomes due.
What if I don't want to trade in my device after 12 months and I want to keep it?
You have the choice to either trade your phone in or keep your phone. If you keep it, after 20 months, it’s yours and no more installment payments are required.
What if my phone is damaged (e.g. cracked screen)? Can I still trade it in after 12 months?
Yes. However, we reserve the right to charge a fee to repair the device and return it to fully functional and good physical condition.
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This is a ripoff. Why is everyone trying to follow TMobile's BS? There's a reason why offer crap service.
I'm going to stick with my normal 2 year upgrades. AT&T has always offered me an early upgrade from 6 months-1year at the 2 year price. If that goes away and I have to put up with this BS, I'll be pissed.
mr_blanket said:
http://www.engadget.com/2013/07/16/att-next-upgrade-program/
Interesting...
Also... top comment on Engadget:
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Interesting... I called this when T-mobile started this. It is almost better to pay full price for phones now... If you sell your current phone 300-450 and put the rest on a credit card you will still be saving money or just pay it up front. But the cancel at any time is pretty cool idea
But this may lead us to buy unlocked devices and not deal with locked bootloaders....
AutoUnion said:
This is a ripoff. Why is everyone trying to follow TMobile's BS? There's a reason why offer crap service.
I'm going to stick with my normal 2 year upgrades. AT&T has always offered me an early upgrade from 6 months-1year at the 2 year price. If that goes away and I have to put up with this BS, I'll be pissed.
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I am willing to bet that soon that will go away... Not sure how soon but eventually
joshuadjohnson22 said:
I am willing to bet that soon that will go away... Not sure how soon but eventually
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Yeah, this sucks. I might just start paying full price and sell the old phone. Much easier.
some quick calculations
S4 is $32/month. Would have paid $384 in a year.
If I just bought a Galaxy S4 for $629. I could sell it in a year for ~$400, so $229.
or
use your upgrade. $149 is what I spent on my Galaxy S4. Sell it for $450 in the Fall, pick up GNote3 on CL, etc. $500-550. Only out about ~$100-150. Sell GNote3 in the Spring for $450-500 for GS5.
AutoUnion said:
Yeah, this sucks. I might just start paying full price and sell the old phone. Much easier.
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same here, as I posted above... why not get the international unlocked version and be able to flash out of the box? Now with international phone having LTE I don't see a need to get carrier phones if it will cost us so much
joshuadjohnson22 said:
same here, as I posted above... why not get the international unlocked version and be able to flash out of the box? Now with international phone having LTE I don't see a need to get carrier phones if it will cost us so much
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I wonder if this also means that those early upgrades they used to give to iPhone owners are gone to. I have iPhones on the other lines on my family plan, so if I don't have an upgrade, I could bank on using one of those
AutoUnion said:
I wonder if this also means that those early upgrades they used to give to iPhone owners are gone to. I have iPhones on the other lines on my family plan, so if I don't have an upgrade, I could bank on using one of those
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I think those things will die off slowly. But I doubt it will be right away
I'm curious to see what else they talk about at their keynote.
I would really like them to do what US Cellular did. They brought back Unlimited Data, but it's ONLY valid for the 2 year contract length. After that, it's gone. If you try to break your contract, the ETF is $$$$. Let them charge $40/month for it. Still worth it over Sprint/TMobile, IMO
AutoUnion said:
I'm curious to see what else they talk about at their keynote.
I would really like them to do what US Cellular did. They brought back Unlimited Data, but it's ONLY valid for the 2 year contract length. After that, it's gone. If you try to break your contract, the ETF is $$$$. Let them charge $40/month for it. Still worth it over Sprint/TMobile, IMO
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It will be "Blah Blah Blah we want more of your money... Blah .... we will take it with force if we have to.... Blah .... what are you going to do about it... Blah Blah.... bend over and take it.... Blah I will be charging you a fee for listening to this keynote it will appear on your bill as a $10 Keynote charge... This will be added to your monthly bill to pay for future keynotes"
I think it's nice for it to be an option. Myself, I just buy out of contract if given a choice. It's nice to offer this and the traditional plan so some people who cant afford a phone outright can get one.
All the carriers new deals are all including trading in smartphones as of late. Usually you get ripped off as you can sell it yourself for more $. Selling my year and a half old iPhone 4S almost paid for my S4 in full out of contract..
20 month = same as unlocked upfront
12 month and upgrade to newer phone = 60% of cost one year lease... what a ripoff
Well it is AT&T
AT&T users better read the fine print before rejoicing. You’re still paying the same high monthly contract price for your no-contract plan. AT&T is double dipping into your wallet when those contract monthly plans has a subsidized phone calculated into them but you’re paying full price for the phone.
AT&T Mobile No Contract.
$70/m unlimited talk.
$20/m unlimted text.
$30/m 3GB data plan.
$32/m Samsung S4 monthly payment Next program.
+$10/m device insurance.
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$162
Compare with T-Mobile, and the price you pay for unlimited talk, text, and true unlimited, you’re just paying for the talk unlimited portion on AT&T. Not to mention, the insurance is built into the Tmo Jump program.
T-Mobile
$50/m unlimited talk/text.
$20/m unlimited data plan.
$20/m Samsung S4 monthly payment.
$10/m Jump program (includes premium device insurance).
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$100/m
I guess Att thinks we can't do simple math.
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This is the most telling story I've seen about it so far...
http://www.theverge.com/2013/7/16/4528404/att-next-phone-upgrade-plans-a-huge-ripoff
mr_blanket said:
This is the most telling story I've seen about it so far...
http://www.theverge.com/2013/7/16/4528404/att-next-phone-upgrade-plans-a-huge-ripoff
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We all needs to repost this. Att needs to know we are not going for this crap.
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nthknd said:
We all needs to repost this. Att needs to know we are not going for this crap.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using xda premium
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Absolutely. Repost, Facebook, Tweet, Link, +1, etc. Maybe this will cause a Xbox One-like backlash.
What I hate the most is that the majority of the people on this forum are stuck with AT&T until 2015 :crying:
You guys do realize this is an OPTION right? They are not forcing you to take this deal. Verizon also has a deal starting like this one as well. At least att is not forcing those with unlimited data to lose it when they want an upgrade like big red does. Att has always given OPTIONS unlike other carriers who force things down your throat. Remember that when you start typing your rant about how att sucks.
Also when was anything perfect at launch? I'm sure as time goes on and voices are heard, this plan will get made to make more sense.
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While it is an option, for now at least, so many people will fall for this scheme. People like my iPhone loving mother who is persuaded by "as seen on TV" adds will probably fall for this no matter what I say. Or teenage girls who beg their parents for the latest and greatest.
All they have to say is "NEW DEVICE EVERY YEAR". That's it. People will be overjoyed and they will make billions. Only our small subset of users will actually do the math.
Yeah att is simply bartering...if your selling something at a garage sale you always start with a high price and slowly lower until you reach an agrrement...att wants to make as much money as possible so they will start high and hopefully lower to find a price they still make profit and that people will go for...and as stated this plan is only a choice, we arent being forced to use the next plan
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I have a $285 etf right now
Say I early upgrade to a s3 mini at $12/mo ($250 full price) with the next promo. I can just pay off the $250 and leave with no penalty? Cheaper than paying my etf and I can sell those phones as new because I wouldn't keep them.
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