Database Info

Probably leaving T-Mobile.. any suggestions based on rooting options??

So I'm over T-Mobile and their crappy reception in my area.
I've had work tickets opened for trouble-shooting in my area and nothing..
I've written to corporate and was basically told either deal with it or pay the termination fee.. this 2 days after re-newing. Little did I know that you cant cancel as soon as you renew a contract, unlike when you open a new line (Thanks for NOT telling me that T-Mobile).
Anyhow, I'm probably gonna sell my Sensation, my wife's Galaxy S 4G, and our niece's Vibrant to pay the cancellation fees, and look to go elsewhere.
Verizon & Sprint seem to have the best reception in my area, but I like rooting my phones and I'd like to know, what phones or service have the more options when it comes to rooting??

wait... you are not even getting 2G ? as in EDGE?
you can certainly ROAM for free in the USA, back then when i was living there even when i get no 3G i can still roam just fine in 2G and get reception everywhere where 3G did not reach without additional charges

AllGamer said:
wait... you are not even getting 2G ? as in EDGE?
you can certainly ROAM for free in the USA, back then when i was living there even when i get no 3G i can still roam just fine in 2G and get reception everywhere where 3G did not reach without additional charges
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well the reception is so choppy that in and around my condo, the reception goes from 4G to Edge, to nothing, to edge, and back n forth - ALL DAY around my place! I literally have to cross the street to receive a picture message!!
I've just had it with all that and the fact that I kinda got duped by the freakin Loyalty dept themselves, I'm over T-Mobile.

AllGamer said:
wait... you are not even getting 2G ? as in EDGE?
you can certainly ROAM for free in the USA, back then when i was living there even when i get no 3G i can still roam just fine in 2G and get reception everywhere where 3G did not reach without additional charges
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Before I moved all I got was gprs sometimes. Most times I had to use wifi calling to make a call or stand by the street to talk. People could get 3 bars of AT&T 3G in my house.
Now I've moved and get full T-Mob coverage, but the 3G speeds are worse than Sprint and Verizon.
We plan to drop them soon, especiallyvafter they changed our rate plan and tried to extend our contract another.year.behind our backs and charged us $50 in minutes overages because their MyAccount app shoes the wrong minute used value on every phone.
Then lied about the rate plan change and told me there was a note on the account saying we were notified. After cussing her out for about 5 minutes I hung up in her face and called back. The next person fixed it probably just tobget me off the phone. I was fuming.
I'm going back to AT&T. They had much better customer service and infnitely better coverage. I don't mind paying more for piece of mind. Also, I want true unlimited mobile to mobile calling. Not T-Mobiles gimp version cause no one else except the people on my plan has them, anyways.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using Tapatalk

I would get a Sgs2 of you can (At&T) or the sprint one. If the big (bad) red is your thing then the Razr seems to be the best from my useage. I work near a red store and Have gone to 2 and tryed both the razr and the 720p HTC and the razr seems more use able to me, but the S2 on AT&T H+ was able to = or beat them in loading web and video. The HTC could not even play 1080p video right and the first one I tryed at the store near me booted up and before I could do anything it went off for good.( I have never seen a phone do that in a store.)
I like AT&T now even if my speeds of 3-5mb is not as good as the 2.5-15mbs of LTE. P.S Yes I did a speed test on cnet and my phone got 3.8 and the HTC got 2.5. I don't think was right, but you never know.

Well in your area it could be complicated would not use Sprint their service is unreliable, so pick your poison, ATT and get bumped off alot from over crowding or Verizon and get over charged and deal with cdma
BTW, I have a friend who owns a percentage in the Arsenal team.....
You could get a booster for your house, TMO offers them, or you can buy a grey market one and THAT will solve alot of your problems.
perroh said:
So I'm over T-Mobile and their crappy reception in my area.
I've had work tickets opened for trouble-shooting in my area and nothing..
I've written to corporate and was basically told either deal with it or pay the termination fee.. this 2 days after re-newing. Little did I know that you cant cancel as soon as you renew a contract, unlike when you open a new line (Thanks for NOT telling me that T-Mobile).
Anyhow, I'm probably gonna sell my Sensation, my wife's Galaxy S 4G, and our niece's Vibrant to pay the cancellation fees, and look to go elsewhere.
Verizon & Sprint seem to have the best reception in my area, but I like rooting my phones and I'd like to know, what phones or service have the more options when it comes to rooting??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

verizon vs tmobile

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.
Click to expand...
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...
Click to collapse
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
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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

[Q] Straight Talk vs TMobile vs Ting vs ???

Curious what opinions are...
What is the best cheap provider?
I see there are some big threads about TMobile, but searching around the net, I see a lot of people who seem to like Straight Talk.
Anyone use Ting?
Any opinions? Any first hand experiences?
Thanks

www.lycamobile.us and www.gosmartmobile.com also have better deals, especially for pay-as-you-go users.

.jond said:
Curious what opinions are...
What is the best cheap provider?
I see there are some big threads about TMobile, but searching around the net, I see a lot of people who seem to like Straight Talk.
Anyone use Ting?
Any opinions? Any first hand experiences?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've heard too many complaints about Smart Talk to consider them a first option. They're good for basic AT&T-area coverage I guess, but not very heavy data usage. T-Mobile has less coverage but is much better about data.

Get a plan at aiowireless.com. They're owned and operated by AT&T and have great service. I've used them for 2 months now and don't regret switching from T-Mobile. I get way better coverage and LTE nearly everywhere. T-Mobile's LTE is still in infancy and only in a few markets across the USA.
AT&T is trying to buy Leap Communications which owns Cricket. If government regulators allow them to do so, AT&T will be merging Aio with Cricket. Same service, new name. Though Cricket has been viewed as a "cheap and crappy" pay as you go service for many years, if owned and operated by AT&T, I think it'll really boost it's way into competing with the bigger dogs now that it'll have better coverage and service to offer.

.jond said:
Curious what opinions are...
What is the best cheap provider?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
One son switched his galaxy nexus from ST ATT to ST TMob in Dec. His coverage (Orlando, FL/UCF) improved and dl speed went from 6 to 11/12MB . In June, I switched him to TMob $30 (100 min) plan. Coverage seems the same, but now he has 5GB high speed data. I keep extra $ in the account in case he needs more minutes but he hasn't yet.
I moved two Iphones (4s) from ST ATT to GoPhone in July. The other three of us live in a rural south Florida area with decent coverage about 100 feet from our house. We usually get a signal inside the house. Local coverage/signal the same; however, I no longer have to constantly (weekly at times) re-negotiate the data connections and mms just works. (ST never fully supported GSM Iphones. ) I considered aio but went with gophone. ATT installed the sims and made certain everything was working. All I paid for was the first month ($60.+sales tax), no sim or activation fee. Since then, I have gotten refills for $54./month--no tax.
I have a Nexus 4 and am still on ST ATT. I was waiting on my last 90 day purchase to run out before moving to GoPhone, when they actually became transparent with their data policy. I just purchased another 30 days and a new LTE sim in anticipation that one day, Google will actually make the Nexus 5 available. After I experience LTE through ST, I will decide to stay or go.
My Orlando area son will take my n4 as he will be on LTE with it. I will get ATT LTE when in covered areas with n5.
We have no experience with other prepay. We had been Sprint customers for 12 years until we no longer were able to receive a signal in our house (tried TMob with same results). I do thank Sprint for not caring about our situation since it made me consider prepay. The best thing about prepay is you can leave if you don't like it. If you watch forums (howardforums is great for carrier info), you can find out when good deals are available. Last month I picked up TMob micro sim for a buck as I was considering trying them again. As I mentioned, ATT did gophone set up for free.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 4

Great information! Very cool.
Anyone else?

Rarscaryfrosty said:
Get a plan at aiowireless.com. They're owned and operated by AT&T and have great service. I've used them for 2 months now and don't regret switching from T-Mobile. I get way better coverage and LTE nearly everywhere. T-Mobile's LTE is still in infancy and only in a few markets across the USA.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm also thinking of switching from regular AT&T to Aio, although it will mean the loss of some coverage since it will only talk to AT&T towers (no roaming). From a practical standpoint, however, this probably isn't a big deal since 99% of the places I'm likely to be have AT&T coverage; it's mainly on long trips to the west (Nebraska, Wyoming, etc.) where it gets thin.

How the hell is this Nexus 5 General?

ritchea said:
One son switched his galaxy nexus from ST ATT to ST TMob in Dec. His coverage (Orlando, FL/UCF) improved and dl speed went from 6 to 11/12MB . In June, I switched him to TMob $30 (100 min) plan. Coverage seems the same, but now he has 5GB high speed data. I keep extra $ in the account in case he needs more minutes but he hasn't yet.
I moved two Iphones (4s) from ST ATT to GoPhone in July. The other three of us live in a rural south Florida area with decent coverage about 100 feet from our house. We usually get a signal inside the house. Local coverage/signal the same; however, I no longer have to constantly (weekly at times) re-negotiate the data connections and mms just works. (ST never fully supported GSM Iphones. ) I considered aio but went with gophone. ATT installed the sims and made certain everything was working. All I paid for was the first month ($60.+sales tax), no sim or activation fee. Since then, I have gotten refills for $54./month--no tax.
I have a Nexus 4 and am still on ST ATT. I was waiting on my last 90 day purchase to run out before moving to GoPhone, when they actually became transparent with their data policy. I just purchased another 30 days and a new LTE sim in anticipation that one day, Google will actually make the Nexus 5 available. After I experience LTE through ST, I will decide to stay or go.
My Orlando area son will take my n4 as he will be on LTE with it. I will get ATT LTE when in covered areas with n5.
We have no experience with other prepay. We had been Sprint customers for 12 years until we no longer were able to receive a signal in our house (tried TMob with same results). I do thank Sprint for not caring about our situation since it made me consider prepay. The best thing about prepay is you can leave if you don't like it. If you watch forums (howardforums is great for carrier info), you can find out when good deals are available. Last month I picked up TMob micro sim for a buck as I was considering trying them again. As I mentioned, ATT did gophone set up for free.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where do you get your Gophone refills at $54?

rochrunner said:
I'm also thinking of switching from regular AT&T to Aio, although it will mean the loss of some coverage since it will only talk to AT&T towers (no roaming). From a practical standpoint, however, this probably isn't a big deal since 99% of the places I'm likely to be have AT&T coverage; it's mainly on long trips to the west (Nebraska, Wyoming, etc.) where it gets thin.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea, where I work, my office is in a basement. I sadly cannot get coverage in the basement with Aio Wireless, but I got 2 bars of HSPA with T-Mobile. My coworker who has Aio also can get service though, I assume this is due to antenna differences in our phones. I have a nexus 4 right now, and it's commonly known is has a crappy antenna compared to some other phones. I'm hoping the antenna on the nexus 5 will pick up reception better, but it's no big deal since I walk up to the main level of the office multiple times a day where I can get perfect coverage.

Tmobile's $30/mo prepaid is tough to beat overall if you don't use much voice. 4G, good coverage, and cheap! I'm planning to dump my Verizon plan after I see some good reviews on the Nexus 5. I'll save $53/mo even with my company's Verizon discount.

TiltedAz said:
Tmobile's $30/mo prepaid is tough to beat overall if you don't use much voice. 4G, good coverage, and cheap! I'm planning to dump my Verizon plan after I see some good reviews on the Nexus 5. I'll save $53/mo even with my company's Verizon discount.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you say good coverage?

ryude said:
Did you say good coverage?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Duh.. a-yup....

Got 1 question, if you switch to tmo prepaid, would you be able to keep your number? And how long it takes for number transfer?
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus

Lancez said:
Got 1 question, if you switch to tmo prepaid, would you be able to keep your number? And how long it takes for number transfer?
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can transfer your number. Typically it takes up to 8 hours for everything to work. It took me 2 weeks to even get texting working. Once it kicked in though, I had no issues sending/receiving texts to and from people. It was a bit frustrating going 2 weeks without texts. I was surprised when I switched to Aio wireless and it only took 2 hours for me to send and receive SMS and MMS.

TiltedAz said:
Duh.. a-yup....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where I live Sprint has better coverage... and that's saying something.

Rarscaryfrosty said:
You can transfer your number. Typically it takes up to 8 hours for everything to work. It took me 2 weeks to even get texting working. Once it kicked in though, I had no issues sending/receiving texts to and from people. It was a bit frustrating going 2 weeks without texts. I was surprised when I switched to Aio wireless and it only took 2 hours for me to send and receive SMS and MMS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Took me 40 seconds after I ported my number, but maybe that's because I ported my number from TMo postpaid to prepaid

.jond said:
Curious what opinions are...
What is the best cheap provider?
I see there are some big threads about TMobile, but searching around the net, I see a lot of people who seem to like Straight Talk.
Anyone use Ting?
Any opinions? Any first hand experiences?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I say try both yourself and see which best works for you. You can pick up a Tmob SIM for $1 on sales they have all the time, ST sims they go for like $6, so one month port your # into TMob and the next month port it to ST, see which one works best for you.
Tmo Pros: 5GB data, $30 bucks flat, no extra fees
Tmo Cons: only 100 mins (why i use talkatone and port my main # to GV, no mins used, only data)
ST Pros: Unlimited Mins, ATT Towers
ST Cons: $45 bucks + $3 something in fees, 2.5GB and after that they throttle like crazy (basically useless), they are picky with streaming music/vid

miamidesigner said:
I say try both yourself and see which best works for you. You can pick up a Tmob SIM for $1 on sales they have all the time, ST sims they go for like $6, so one month port your # into TMob and the next month port it to ST, see which one works best for you.
Tmo Pros: 5GB data, $30 bucks flat, no extra fees
Tmo Cons: only 100 mins (why i use talkatone and port my main # to GV, no mins used, only data)
ST Pros: Unlimited Mins, ATT Towers
ST Cons: $45 bucks + $3 something in fees, 2.5GB and after that they throttle like crazy (basically useless), they are picky with streaming music/vid
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And depending where you live, ST actually has service whereas Tmo does not.

You can also try Solavei. Offers the most data for the lowest price. (4GB for $49. First two months are $39 right now.) Best value I'd say compared to what others offer. Runs off of T-Mobile.
Disclaimer: I am an independent rep with them but I've personally used the service since November (when the Nexus 4 came out) and love it.
Link in my signature or PM me as I can get you some freebies as well.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app

[Q] Nexus 5 Simultaneous Voice/Data

Thought this may be of interest... I see other threads out there related to some older phones, but nothing related to the GNex5, so I thought I'd start one here.
I'm on Sprint, and apparently I can't do simultaneous voice and data with LTE or 3g during voice calls. Wifi seems to work just fine. Anyone else experiencing this with Sprint? What's the experience for those using T-Mobile/ATT? Stock or unlocked? I've also noticed that I'm unable to update my PRL or Profile (Network Error). I am unlocked and rooted at the moment. Did not notice this as I didn't tinker with it prior to unlocking.
Coming from Samsung GS3 and GN2 with Sprint where the LTE/3G radio is separated, I did not realize this was still a technological challenge... I went with this phone simply because it was inexpensive for the hardware and I don't have to renew my contract to avoid paying an arm and a leg. Have I just hit a "You get what you pay for" scenario, putting me (or anyone using CDMA) back 3 years in radio tech??

The phone has to support SVDO in order to do voice+data on Sprint. Very, very few phones do (the EVO 4G LTE did, the HTC One didn't, for example). It requires a special antenna configuration as well IIRC.

cadbomb said:
Thought this may be of interest... I see other threads out there related to some older phones, but nothing related to the GNex5, so I thought I'd start one here.
I'm on Sprint, and apparently I can't do simultaneous voice and data with LTE or 3g during voice calls. Wifi seems to work just fine. Anyone else experiencing this with Sprint? What's the experience for those using T-Mobile/ATT? Stock or unlocked? I've also noticed that I'm unable to update my PRL or Profile (Network Error). I am unlocked and rooted at the moment. Did not notice this as I didn't tinker with it prior to unlocking.
Coming from Samsung GS3 and GN2 with Sprint where the LTE/3G radio is separated, I did not realize this was still a technological challenge... I went with this phone simply because it was inexpensive for the hardware and I don't have to renew my contract to avoid paying an arm and a leg. Have I just hit a "You get what you pay for" scenario, putting me (or anyone using CDMA) back 3 years in radio tech??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately no, the nexus 5 does not support SVDO or SVLTE. This means it also will only connect to one airlink at a time - when you receive a call, it will switch to 1x, pausing your LTE, similar to older handsets.

justis s said:
Unfortunately no, the nexus 5 does not support SVDO or SVLTE. This means it also will only connect to one airlink at a time - when you receive a call, it will switch to 1x, pausing your LTE, similar to older handsets.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Too bad... Found more on s4gru regarding this:
"That is what we have been told. Sprint tri band LTE devices will not support SVLTE. Whether that is due to band 26 LTE 800, band 41 TD-LTE 2600, or the combination of the two, we do not know. And the sample size is very small right now to project unconditionally into the future. But the standard expectation going forward should be no SVLTE on Sprint multi band LTE devices. Simultaneous voice and data will have to be accomplished by other means, such as third party VoIP apps and eventually VoLTE."
I are a sad sprint customer lol. Also why I went with a multi carrier phone off contract June 2014 can't come soon enough, cause I loves this phone!

This was my biggest complaints with this phone on sprint. I couldn't do it so I activated it using straight talk for att and couldn't be happier. It's unfortunate that spark phones on sprint won't do simultaneous voice and data, at least for now. But I'm not willing to compromise.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

laestrella said:
This was my biggest complaints with this phone on sprint. I couldn't do it so I activated it using straight talk for att and couldn't be happier. It's unfortunate that spark phones on sprint won't do simultaneous voice and data, at least for now. But I'm not willing to compromise.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hear that. My biggest issue with switching providers is that I average 5-6gb of data usage/mo on my line and about 12gb combined with the other two phones on my family plan (Ting told me not to switch lol). It's hard to beat the bargain offered for services rendered from Sprint. Nickles and dimes I suppose. Oh well, maybe 2015 will be the year of the phone... (Oh wait, we'll probably have 5g by then and tri-band will evolve to octa-band with the same problems )

cadbomb said:
I hear that. My biggest issue with switching providers is that I average 5-6gb of data usage/mo on my line and about 12gb combined with the other two phones on my family plan (Ting told me not to switch lol). It's hard to beat the bargain offered for services rendered from Sprint. Nickles and dimes I suppose. Oh well, maybe 2015 will be the year of the phone... (Oh wait, we'll probably have 5g by then and tri-band will evolve to octa-band with the same problems )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I still have a family plan on sprint so if my data amount becomes an issue I'll go back but for now I'll sacrifice more data for fast and always available data, and at a rate of $45 I'll take it.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

laestrella said:
This was my biggest complaints with this phone on sprint. I couldn't do it so I activated it using straight talk for att and couldn't be happier. It's unfortunate that spark phones on sprint won't do simultaneous voice and data, at least for now. But I'm not willing to compromise.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have ST AT&T service. When I am on a call though, I lose LTE. It switches me to H (HPSA I think). Speed is not terrible, but would be nicer to have LTE while on a call. Do you have the same experience? If not, do you know how I can have LTE while on a call? Thanks.

p0k3y said:
I have ST AT&T service. When I am on a call though, I lose LTE. It switches me to H (HPSA I think). Speed is not terrible, but would be nicer to have LTE while on a call. Do you have the same experience? If not, do you know how I can have LTE while on a call? Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope, that's by design. It has to do with available radios. If LTE isn't on a separate radio it can't be used simultaneously. On the upside, having less radios means better battery life overall.

Switching to t-mobile from vzw, bad decision?

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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's the whole reason I'm even contemplating. Uugh. [emoji53]

drbveb88 said:
That's the whole reason I'm even contemplating. Uugh. [emoji53]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.