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The best and cheapest 3g network in the USA?

Hello, I am going to visit USA in August for 1 month (many states), could you please advise me, which 3g network is cheapest for SMS (foreign SMS too) and 3g Internet (well, probably unlimited or best for Android heavy usage)
Thanks for attention
Read that AT&T has the best 3G coverage, but it's pretty expensive - 5 gb for $40, am I right?
P.S. Not sure if I chose correct place to post this thread

For no plan prepay you best bet is Tmobile. 3G coverage in almost all real cities. Edge in most small towns, and G everywhere else. I can get internet anywhere with it just slow internet if I'm in the middle of nowhere driving state to state. They have a data only plan for $38.99 a month unlimited(10GB). Or 500 anytime minutes free nights and weeksends, unlimited txt and unlimited data(10GB) for $59.99. If you go ATT you will have to run a credit check even to get 1 month of service and even then they don't have any data only plans so your bill will most likely be the 39.99 + $30 for 2GB data, + tax's which run around $10.

Thank you very much, in this case I'll take T-mobile unlimited data plan then
And maybe keeping second (old) phone with old sim card in roaming
Which plan do you think it is better to take for my sister if she doesn't use the internet at all and just SMS?
and are this unlimited SMS work if you send them abroad? I mean are they still free?

maxpower097 said:
For no plan prepay you best bet is Tmobile. 3G coverage in almost all real cities. Edge in most small towns, and G everywhere else.
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uh... just make sure that your phone supports Tmo's 3G bands (probably not)... 1700 AWS, not 2100 (i.e. UTMS 1700 not UTMS 2100)...

Yep, T-Mobile would be your best bet

Check out Simple Mobile.
They use T-mobile's network and offers $60 for everything INCLUDING unlimited international text message. If can get good T-mobile service in your area, you might as well sign up with them to save bunch. The only downside is you have to have a unlocked or T-mobile compatible GSM phone in advance as they don't provide subsidized phones.

hbkmog said:
Check out Simple Mobile.
They use T-mobile's network and offers $60 for everything INCLUDING unlimited international text message. If can get good T-mobile service in your area, you might as well sign up with them to save bunch. The only downside is you have to have a unlocked or T-mobile compatible GSM phone in advance as they don't provide subsidized phones.
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thanks, I am planning to but off contract Samsung Captivate (AT&T version of Galaxy S), but then unlock it for any GSM network
never heard about Simple Mobile, will google it, thanks

DarkVasyaK said:
thanks, I am planning to but off contract Samsung Captivate (AT&T version of Galaxy S), but then unlock it for any GSM network
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Again... don't expect such phones to work with Tmo's 3G... you'll be stuck with EDGE...
You'll need the Samsung Vibrant if you want Tmo's 3G to work in the US... or a Behold II or MyTouch... plus Tmo has funky rules for Android phones on prepay (or not)... you may need to do their FlexPay ...
there's a good chance that you'll have to go with AT&T prepaid... given what you're planning...

Your Euro phones probably won't work with Tmo 3G but you very well might pick it up some places. Many many many people have picked up 3G on tmo's US network with INTL unlocked phones. One of the bands matches, the other doesn't. So it depends on which tower your near.

maxpower097 said:
Your Euro phones probably won't work with Tmo 3G but you very well might pick it up some places. Many many many people have picked up 3G on tmo's US network with INTL unlocked phones. One of the bands matches, the other doesn't. So it depends on which tower your near.
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I believe what you say is incorrect. Not only are the frequencies around 2100Mhz different between Tmo's 1700/2100 (UTMS1700) and UTMS2100 different, but UTMS1700 *depends* on the 1700Mhz for uplink, so you can't even create a connection.

Actually...certain Asian phones operate on the same frequency bands as T-Mobile...but good luck getting your hands on one.
~Jasecloud4

Confused
So, I am going to buy Samsung Captivate
It's UMTS 850/1900/2100
If I unlock it for any sim and put T-mobile sim inside, 3g won't work?
I should use AT&T then? I saw at the web site that there is a 5 gb data plan for $60
I don't really want to buy T-mobile Samsung Vibrant because it's easier for me to buy international version then, but I don't really like how it looks.
And just one more question, I am going to live in Singapore for 1 year soon, does anybody know if 3g will work with Captivate in Singapore?

DarkVasyaK said:
Confused
So, I am going to buy Samsung Captivate
It's UMTS 850/1900/2100
If I unlock it for any sim and put T-mobile sim inside, 3g won't work?
I should use AT&T then? I saw at the web site that there is a 5 gb data plan for $60
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This is correct. Tmo runs on a special band so only Tmo branded phones, and some "asian or INTL" phones can use tmo 3G. ATT 3G is US standard and can be used by most phones, but ATT doesn't have any unlimited dataplans anymore. They don't have any prepay dataplans, the only data only plans they offer are for the ipad. So your gonna pay much more, but ATT will give you better 3G coverage, but slower in the cities compared to TMO. TMO actually is beating out sprint 4G in most area's, but its coverage is spotty and only in large cities. I would go tmo and buy a throw away phone when you get here. Or get a tmo phone for the trip, then actually spend real money on a phone when you get home. You can get a TP2 for around $150-$200 here, and HD2 for $250, then you can ebay it off when you get home or sell it real quick on CL before you leave. If you haven't tried it the TMO HD2 is a beast.

well, I wanted to use tons of android apps using 3g internet, but in this case I should just use EDGE... don't want to buy special phone for 3g or something like that...
it seems that I have a choice between 3g with AT&T for $60 (5 gb) and T-mobile EDGE for $40 (unlimited data) ?

DarkVasyaK said:
well, I wanted to use tons of android apps using 3g internet, but in this case I should just use EDGE... don't want to buy special phone for 3g or something like that...
it seems that I have a choice between 3g with AT&T for $60 (5 gb) and T-mobile EDGE for $40 (unlimited data) ?
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well you could get 100MB of data on AT&T for $20... but perhaps that isn't enough for you... seek out Wifi whenever possible? (that's what I do when traveling outside the US...)
or live with Tmo EDGE, which really isn't that bad and some would claim that you may be dealing with EDGE or EDGE-like bandwidth on AT&T as well, depending on where you go and congestion (hoards of iphone users)...

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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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] Data Rates, signal, quality of service

Hellos,
Was wondering and wanted to know from others, their experiences with using a D2G with different carriers/services.
I have a D2G on simple mobile currently. Switched from Sprint using an EVO 4G, data in my calling areas just stunk and never got better, forget ever getting a 4G signal..
But, it seems I am in an area between towers, because I seem to get the same result using Simple Mobile connected to Tmobile Towers. Signal drops from nothing to 3 bars if I turn around. And I only get an Edge data connection (I understand it's a frequency issue).
I was told by a Walmart Rep, that they use Family Mobile powered by Tmobile and don't have the throttle issue as with Simple Mobile, but 250mb data cap at the same $45/month as Straight Talk (even thought I'd be stuck at Edge with the D2G anyways) is too low a cap, especially if I were to switch phones later on.
So I recently read into Straight Talk as an option, after reading how bad H2O data is and that Simple Mobile's 3G is throttled to 119kbs (tested on a SK4G, yeap confirmed 119kbs max).
So I wanted to know from others, what kind of data rates they are getting on various providers using a D2G.
-CC

clockcycle said:
Hellos,
I was told by a Walmart Rep, that they use Family Mobile powered by Tmobile and don't have the throttle issue as with Simple Mobile, but 250mb data cap at the same $45/month as Straight Talk (even thought I'd be stuck at Edge with the D2G anyways) is too low a cap, especially if I were to switch phones later on.
So I recently read into Straight Talk as an option, after reading how bad H2O data is and that Simple Mobile's 3G is throttled to 119kbs (tested on a SK4G, yeap confirmed 119kbs max).
So I wanted to know from others, what kind of data rates they are getting on various providers using a D2G.
-CC
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I would not know about Droid using 2G (on my old phones what I used as T-Mobile EDGE) or what I call "100K data" connection since I don't get it around here. I am sure that my data connection at times has degraded to 2G, but I have not noticed that as being the issue, so I have not been able to perform a speed test while in 2G mode.
Last June 2011 I used a Droid style phone on Virgin Mobile USA prepaid. That was the Motorola Triumph. I can't recall as a MVNO who was providing Virgin Mobile's signal, but I think it was Sprint by that point (Sprint bought Virgin Mobile USA prepaid). In any event, I was not pleased with the VM speeds (that is, if I was not using WiFi). My speeds were consistently about 300K to 700K.
Currently I use Straight Talk and I am VERY VERY pleased with the service. When I bought a phone and a Straight Talk SIM card I opted for GSM AT&T service since it had better GSM phones than T-Mobile did.
Since Straight Talk is an MVNO (buying its signal or "tower space" from other carriers and spectrum resellers) one's Straight Talk signal and data connection will only be as good as the provider you chose to use with your Straight Talk account. I assume the same principle applies to CDMA and Droid (Motorola) handsets.
Where I live in San Francisco I get a better signal from GSM-based AT&T than I did with T-Mobile GSM handsets, so on Straight Talk's SIM purchasing site I chose to buy an AT&T GSM SIM.
Whereas with T-Mobile 4G I would often get 2G in most parts of my residence, with AT&T 4G (again, this is with Straight Talk) using an Samsung Galaxy S II and ATT HTC Inspire, I consistently get a strong 4G signal (says "H+" on notification bar). And speed tests have been outstanding, (using speed test net 2286 kbps download, 1130kbps upload). Those speeds are in the "slower part of the house). This does not matter most of the time, however, since I use WiFi 90% of the time.
Bottom line: I suspect one's physical locale, handset model, and provider (CDMA, GSM, or specific carrier) all play an important part in the speed and quality of a data connection. In other words, everyone's experience may differ, even with someone who has the exact same setup as I, but who lives down the block.

global GSM vs US GSM version on tmobile

1) i'm confused as to which one to get. i'm on the tmobile $30 prepaid plan with unlimited data. If i get global GSm version, would i still be able to use my 3g data? If i get the U.S gsm version instead, if i travel outside the U.S, does this mean that prepaid 3g plans on other countries won't work on this phone? i'm confused and need help on which on to get since i want the phone to work with tmobile 3g data while in the U.S but also work when with other data plans in other countries i travel.
2) i got another question, lets say i don't care about using Data and accessing the internet. In which case, does it really matter if i get the global GSM or US gsm if i live in the U.S? i would still the the same signal strength just for talking and texting right?

jinjin12 said:
1) i'm confused as to which one to get. i'm on the tmobile $30 prepaid plan with unlimited data. If i get global GSm version, would i still be able to use my 3g data? If i get the U.S gsm version instead, if i travel outside the U.S, does this mean that prepaid 3g plans on other countries won't work on this phone? i'm confused and need help on which on to get since i want the phone to work with tmobile 3g data while in the U.S but also work when with other data plans in other countries i travel.
2) i got another question, lets say i don't care about using Data and accessing the internet. In which case, does it really matter if i get the global GSM or US gsm if i live in the U.S? i would still the the same signal strength just for talking and texting right?
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There was another thread that talked about this: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=48104955&postcount=22
The conclusion was if you are on T-Mobile to go with the US version. You can see the map where the 1700 band is used in the US too.

Verizon Moto G on Straight Talk

The phone is only $99 on Verizon. I heard you needed to use the phone for 6 months before you can use it on another carrier
Anyway to get around this or has anyone actually done this yet? Want to make sure it works.
And are you still getting Verizon coverage on Straight Talk or how does that work?
Is there a 16gb CDMA version as well? Only saw an 8gb.

kaivorth said:
The phone is only $99 on Verizon. I heard you needed to use the phone for 6 months before you can use it on another carrier
Anyway to get around this or has anyone actually done this yet? Want to make sure it works.
And are you still getting Verizon coverage on Straight Talk or how does that work?
Is there a 16gb CDMA version as well? Only saw an 8gb.
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I think that Straight Talk is a GSM network so you would have to have the GSM model of the phone. I was under the impression that Straight Talk uses the T-Mobile network. Someone correct me if I'm wrong please.

romuloxiii said:
I think that Straight Talk is a GSM network so you would have to have the GSM model of the phone. I was under the impression that Straight Talk uses the T-Mobile network. Someone correct me if I'm wrong please.
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They have a CDMA card you can buy and register your phone on their network. I think it's kind of new. I'd link you but I'm on mobile

romuloxiii said:
I think that Straight Talk is a GSM network so you would have to have the GSM model of the phone. I was under the impression that Straight Talk uses the T-Mobile network. Someone correct me if I'm wrong please.
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Straight talk uses Sprint and Verizon CDMA networks as well as T-mobile and AT&T GSM networks...
I'm really not sure how the BYOD on CDMA works, I would like more info as well.

redking117 said:
Straight talk uses Sprint and Verizon CDMA networks as well as T-mobile and AT&T GSM networks...
I'm really not sure how the BYOD on CDMA works, I would like more info as well.
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Straight Talk (Verizon Wireless - CDMA) will require an access code to their network; $15.00. This applies to phones that do not have a SIM Card which the $99 8GB Motorola Moto G CDMA variant is. However, I did put the MEID for the device as to its compatibility on Straight Talk and was told it is not which makes no sense given if you have a GSM variant, it does not require a subsidy unlock code if the device is set up with either the AT&T and/or T-Mobile radios. I have to believe that the reason has to do with those stupid clauses which carriers have with their phones and however long they are. It's always been my understanding the code is what you need to run on their network. One caveat; I have noticed that on Verizon Wireless's prepaid "Everything" plan, the devices run only on their 3G network nor am I aware they have the 4G LTE radios in them. I've tested their 3G band and at best regardless of where I have tested it between Albany, GA; Columbus, GA; Auburn-Opelika, AL; the best speed I have had is tops 1.0 meg down but normally about 0.7 megs (700 k) down...enough to run Pandora or any music app. I will say one thing about the phone, for the price, not bad! I wish it was available when I bought an HTC One M7 I paid $650.00 for but I got the DE 64GB variant; this device, you do feel the 8GB restriction though there are many cloud options.