Database Users

Will the N1 be T-Mobile's Godsend?

Google always has plans. There has to be a reason they went with T-Mobile. Is T-Mobile going to get an overhaul, or just continue to be the carrier with the worst reputation? I think Google is going to completely rebuild the infrastructure. Does anyone have any theories or facts?

droiddrop said:
Google always has plans. There has to be a reason they went with T-Mobile. Is T-Mobile going to get an overhaul, or just continue to be the carrier with the worst reputation. I think Google is going to completely rebuild the infrastructure. Does anyone have any theories or facts?
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It's too early to say... but I don't think it's a coincidence that T-mobile implemented their Even More Plus plans a few months back. They are tailor-made for unsubsidized phones.

Maybe Google will just buy T-mobile USA

I too, am thinking it will become G-Mobile.

I'm just glad I got a next gen smartphone on T-Mobile finally.

"Carrier with the worst reputation"? I suppose you've misconstrued a lack of (excessive) marketing from T-Mobile as an indication of inferiority. It's a shame so many people actually believe AT&T and Verizon's advertisements.

SurrealNetworks said:
"Carrier with the worst reputation"? I suppose you've misconstrued a lack of (excessive) marketing from T-Mobile as an indication of inferiority. It's a shame so many people actually believe AT&T and Verizon's advertisements.
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MOD EDIT - When you knowmanners, please come back

I got a chuckle out of that one

SurrealNetworks said:
"Carrier with the worst reputation"? I suppose you've misconstrued a lack of (excessive) marketing from T-Mobile as an indication of inferiority. It's a shame so many people actually believe AT&T and Verizon's advertisements.
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I'm a 7 year T-mo customer and can't think of a single reason to switch for the foreseeable future... but I'm the first to admit their network isn't as wide as the other three national carriers. They have plenty of room to improve. Their customer service, however, is amazing.

Calm down, Napoleon, I can see your T-Mobile logo. Your bratty reponse and previous post speak volumes about the quality of your theory and debate. You claim the comment was meant to highlight the perception of the general public. If this is simply a perception then why would an "overhaul' be necessary? Please provide reference to the study that shows the "general public's opinion on wireless carriers". The general public's opinion is typically guided by marketing, but you already know that given how truly smart you are </sarcasm>
Instead of defending your post of ignorance, why don't you speak about your actual experience. If its good you can help to reverse these negative perceptions. If your experience is poor you can provide feedback about that experience, including the type of problems and areas that are affected. This will help other users to make an informed decision about their wireless provider. Here, I'll start by saying in the Midwest you'll be hard pressed to find a better carrier. Specifically I've experienced few, if any, dropped calls in the last several years. 3G speed has been exceptional; speeds ranging from 2-3mbps.

droiddrop said:
I too, am thinking it will become G-Mobile.
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I didn't think about that name. That's a perfect fit!

btmec said:
I didn't think about that name. That's a perfect fit!
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Pretty coincidental, eh?

g-mobile
I like that name, i have been with t-mobile ever since they where called voicestream. Never had a reason to change either. If/when Google ever acquires them that would be the biggest telecomm news ever. i would miss t-mobile, but then again bring on G-mobile. Maybe then we'll see true VOIP.

A theory I heard was that Google may/may not buy T-Mobile, but T-Mobile will become nothing but Google's data carrier and upgrades are due for 4G and more towers. No hard facts, just speculation, but it makes sense.

mikesm1234 said:
I like that name, i have been with t-mobile ever since they where called voicestream. Never had a reason to change either. If/when Google ever acquires them that would be the biggest telecomm news ever. i would miss t-mobile, but then again bring on G-mobile. Maybe then we'll see true VOIP.
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Voip should ideally be carrier independent. I don't think Google needs to be getting into the telecom business. They are great at what they do, and merging with a cellular phone carrier is way outside of the scope of that. Just my opinion.

Google is a business that does that business well. Look at all of the other unheard of products that they have bought up, re-manufactured and now are quite amazing. Grand Central - Google Voice, there are others. I think Google does not want be a cell provider, but completely revamp the way cell phones are used by employing VOIP/Google Voice technologies.

droiddrop said:
Google always has plans. There has to be a reason they went with T-Mobile. Is T-Mobile going to get an overhaul, or just continue to be the carrier with the worst reputation? I think Google is going to completely rebuild the infrastructure. Does anyone have any theories or facts?
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I went to 2 t-mobile stores today and the people that worked there didn't know **** about the N1's, the purchase options, the plan options, nothing. They were nice and I got my insurance, but dumb as ****, I knew more about the plans and phones then they did.

droiddrop said:
A theory I heard was that Google may/may not buy T-Mobile, but T-Mobile will become nothing but Google's data carrier and upgrades are due for 4G and more towers. No hard facts, just speculation, but it makes sense.
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T-Mobile USA has already said they will add a little more to their USA 3G coverage, but their focus is on 4G because they believe that is the true longer term future, and 3G is just a very expensive "short term" service that doesn't fit with their business model of low prices, top notch customer service, and economically sound coverage to match those low prices.
If you live in the SE, T-Mobile actually has the best coverage of any carrier for voice, and they have done a lot more for rural coverage than any other carrier can even hope to claim, yet alone back up.
As well, if T-Mobile were to jump in on the 3G hate war(they won't because they like seeing those other 2 go at it) they could point out AT&T is actually not forth right about having the fastest 3G, T-Mobile has the fastest 3G(both in terms of average market speed and peak market speed), but they also have the smallest footprint.

Anyone else worried that the N1s stuggles and the blame game going on in costumer service will spoil a Tmo/Google relationship ?
What if an N1 or N2 hits for Verizon and is a smash hit ?
for the record...by all accounts Tmos customer service is miles ahead of all the other carriers. The fact the service for N1 is so ****ty is squarely on Google...but I wonder if pissed off people are going to see it that way damaging Tmos already sensitive reputation.

May not make sense. . lol
Why doesn't Verizon just die already(Since they are just as expensive as at&t, but are locked down and limited in so many ways)? And at&t just man up and actually do some work to improve their phone line up(and service, 3G speeds are suffering because of a certain phone. . ) with something other then the 'assphone'. Seriously, it just ruins its reputation and line up, since they aren't focusing too much on anything else. I am a loyal at&t customer since 2002, but I might have to jump ship to T-Mobile because at&t has neglected the other side(Sure there are some other phones, but we still don't have any android devices, and most of the new WM devices are getting thrown at other carriers, plus the premium of the plans. . .).
If Google chose at&t, then it would be over shadowed by the iPhone, and I see that logic, but come on, we need some lovin' too.
But T-Mobile seems cool because of the "Even More" Plans since they are cheap, and they have some good phones lined up soon, and they don't solely rely on one phone to bring in the Benjamin Rolls(Toilet paper made out of 100 dollar bills).
My 2 cents.

I LOVE my new EVO but....

... <rant> I am thoroughly pissed off at three service providers. #1, T-Mobile because their service rep told me over the phone that they could make it work on their network before I bought it, #2) Verizon because they told me that the phone could be activated on their network and all I had to do was take it to one of their stores with a tech (they lied), and #3) Sprint for their attempted monopoly. Why are we, as a user community putting up with this kind of monopolistic activity? <end rant>
All that said, can someone offer any hope that I can get this phone activated on any network but sprint? I thought that CDMA was a standard.
Feeling angry, stupid, and taken advantage of....
Paul

It can only be used on Sprint.

I don't see why you would want to pay more for verizon service when you can already use their towers, well you already do when you roam, but use verizons over sprints, better to stay with sprint and pay less money for more.

You have every reason to feel stupid.

How is Sprint running a monopoly? By having an exclusive phone? Wtf are you saying?

Move to Canada: http://www.ppcgeeks.com/2010/06/18/canadian-bill-aimed-at-unlocking-phones/

Thanks for the encouragement....

avalst said:
You have every reason to feel stupid.
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lol, agreed

Go Metro
You can use it on Metro PCS

Canadian law.... what a wonderful idea.... that someone should actually own their phone and be able to use it on any compatible network.

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=696073
Do that. That will make it so your phone uses verizon towers.

The t-mobile guy you talked to doesn't know what he's talking about. They use GSM, a completely different radio technology.
Verizon...while it may be possible in the future, it doesn't appear possible yet. If you're dissatisfied and really want verizon, return it and get yourself that new DroidX that was announced.
Sprint is no more a monopoly for having an exclusive phone than Verizon for having the Droid, Eris, etc; T-Mobile for having the G1, Nexus, etc; or ATT for the iPhone. Sure it'd be nice to have the new smartphones on any carrier but the truth is, it's just not that way here in the US just yet...and hasn't been for years. The fact that you didn't look around and realize it is nobody's fault but your own.

Where do you people come from?! Seriously I wish the internet came with real names and age group of everyone who posts anything online (excluding those of course who have some kind of medical questions that they don’t want to broadcast to the world). Yes this is a page for tech geeks but must we be so rude to those who don’t know what we know?
We behave as if understanding technology is a given and anyone who doesn’t know the things we know, must of course be stupid. I honestly would love to know if the smart-asses of the net are all a bunch of lonely (friendless and dateless) souls with an abundance of tech savvy but no people skills. I’m not going extreme just over this thread but rather over this entire forum and ones like it.
Peager, you were given wrong info and those reps who told you so, should have known better. Sprint along with Verizon use a type of communication technology called CDMA which is not compatible with the tech the other U.S. carriers use (and most other carriers around the world) called GSM. Now even within the 2 different types, there are different radio frequencies that different carriers use and that different phones are capable of using. Some phones can be used from one GSM carrier to another GSM carrier (or from CDMA to CDMA with some CDMA phones) but as far as I know, you’ll always end up not having access to 3G data when you make the switch.
If you’d like to know more, just do a Google or Wikipedia search on CDMA and GSM and you’ll quickly learn all you want to know about them and then if you so wish; you can join the ranks and become an xda Android jerk to the next guy who comes along and doesn’t know what you now know. In other words, I think too many people forget that we all have stupid questions at one point or another, on one subject or another. I'm sure there are a few super geeks who were made to feel mighty stupid while asking questions to a doctor or any other professional in other industries.

I think people are more baffled by his claim of Sprint running a monopoly
Sent from my EVO

AshMa said:
Where do you people come from?! Seriously I wish the internet came with real names and age group of everyone who posts anything online (excluding those of course who have some kind of medical questions that they don’t want to broadcast to the world). Yes this is a page for tech geeks but must we be so rude to those who don’t know what we know?
We behave as if understanding technology is a given and anyone who doesn’t know the things we know, must of course be stupid. I honestly would love to know if the smart-asses of the net are all a bunch of lonely (friendless and dateless) souls with an abundance of tech savvy but no people skills. I’m not going extreme just over this thread but rather over this entire forum and ones like it.
Peager, you were given wrong info and those reps who told you so, should have known better. Sprint along with Verizon use a type of communication technology called CDMA which is not compatible with the tech the other U.S. carriers use (and most other carriers around the world) called GSM. Now even within the 2 different types, there are different radio frequencies that different carriers use and that different phones are capable of using. Some phones can be used from one GSM carrier to another GSM carrier (or from CDMA to CDMA with some CDMA phones) but as far as I know, you’ll always end up not having access to 3G data when you make the switch.
If you’d like to know more, just do a Google or Wikipedia search on CDMA and GSM and you’ll quickly learn all you want to know about them and then if you so wish; you can join the ranks and become an xda Android jerk to the next guy who comes along and doesn’t know what you now know. In other words, I think too many people forget that we all have stupid questions at one point or another, on one subject or another. I'm sure there are a few super geeks who were made to feel mighty stupid while asking questions to a doctor or any other professional in other industries.
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sooooo hypocritical lol

you cant return the phone? you have 30 days right even with a restocking fee?
just get the HTC HD2 and put android on it... its about the same as the evo

Yeah, I love my new EVO but I am pissed that it doesnt make me toast and coffee in the morning
Is the fact we are LIVING a revolution completely lost on everyone??

ZILLA said:
sooooo hypocritical lol
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Oh really is that so, four extra o's and all?

The issues he raises are not as dumb as they seem
Peager said:
... <rant> I am thoroughly pissed off at three service providers. #1, T-Mobile because their service rep told me over the phone that they could make it work on their network before I bought it, #2) Verizon because they told me that the phone could be activated on their network and all I had to do was take it to one of their stores with a tech (they lied), and #3) Sprint for their attempted monopoly. Why are we, as a user community putting up with this kind of monopolistic activity? <end rant>
All that said, can someone offer any hope that I can get this phone activated on any network but sprint? I thought that CDMA was a standard.
Feeling angry, stupid, and taken advantage of....
Paul
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For those of us who have been on the forum a while, these issues seem dumb. They are not. We are being screwed by the manufacturers and the carriers but we don't see it that way. John's thoughts are not dumb. I just got done writing a letter to the chairman of the FCC asking that the FCC require carriers to make smartphones compatible with more than one 3G network in the US.
Let's start by discussing GSM phones. In the US, AT&T uses UMTS 850 & 1900 Mhz for 3G service, T-Mobile uses the AWS 1700 Mhz frequency for 3G data service. There is absolutely no reason that HTC smartphones cannot have radios that can handle 850, 1700, 1900, and 2100 Mhz. In this way the phones would be good for 3G data in the US on either T-Mobile or AT&T. Why does this matter?
Whether you know it or not, you are paying at least $500 for a smartphone. If you buy it out right without a contract you're going to pay that much. If you buy on a two year contract, you are getting about a $200 discount. This discount is covered by fees that you'll be paying for data over the next two years. If you terminate early, you'll pay around $200 to do so. At the end of your two year contract, you must stay with your current carrier if you want to continue to get 3G data.
It is abundantly clear that HTC is in collusion with the carriers to not provide unlocked phones that will work on AT&T or T-Mobiles network. A few years ago, you could buy an international unlocked phone (such as the HTC TyTn or TyTn II) which had the 850, 1900, and 2100 Mhz radios which could work in Europe and the US on AT&T's network. However, now HTC only makes unlocked international phones with 900 and 2100 Mhz radio. In other words, if you want the latest HTC phone to work on AT&T or T-Mobile, you have to wait till either AT&T or T-Mobile has it. Sometimes, these carriers don't get the phone you want at all. For example, the HTC HD2 which is one of the best phones HTC ever made has not been offered to AT&T. Fortunately, Telstra in Australia got the HD2 and Australia has the same 850 Mhz frequencies of AT&T. I bought one from Australia and am using on AT&T which is my favorite carrier at least for data. What a pain in the posterior.
The same problem exists with CDMA phones. The CDMA carriers have made it tough for one to switch from Verizon to Sprint or visa versa. There's no SIM card (Why not the technology exists?) You have to take you phone to someone that can hook you up on the different network. With the EVO 4G it would be stupid to go to Verizon because they don't have Wimax and the 4G component of the EVO 4G won't work.
Furthermore, I have the HD2 but I wish I could buy its cousin the Supersonic (aka EVO 4G) and run it on a GSM network (either AT&T or T-Mobile). I cannot do this because HTC has made an exclusive deal with Sprint.
These exclusive hardware deals and the 2 year contracts are inherently anticompetitive. We should be able to chose the phone we want and run it on the network we want. That would be competitive. I have asked the FCC to not give approval to GSM smart phones unless they have more than one 3G radio that works in the US. If this were the case, a buyer could decide to pay full price for the phone (i.e, no 2 year contract) and jump from carrier to carrier at will based on the price, quality, and features of the carrier's network. This is roughly the way Europe works.
In Europe most countries use 2100 Mhz for 3G (though I hear they are going to begin using 900 also). For years one has been able to buy unlocked phones and do month to month contracts. One can jump from Orange to O2 to Deutsche Telekom (T-Mobile) at will and the 3G data will work.
Europe has had video voice calling for years. The European prices aren't any cheaper than they are in the US but you get more speed, more features, and more choices. We're getting screwed here but everyone is asleep. They are too dumb to see what has happened. The front facing cameras you now see on the EVO 4G have been around for years in Europe on their robust networks.
Another thing that makes me upset about HTC phones is the lack of internal memory. Memory is cheap. Yet the EVO 4G has only 1GB? What the heck? Even Motorolla gets it. Their new Droid has 8G plus an SD card slot. I wish the Droid was GSM. I'd buy it in a heart beat.
HTC is probably the best smartphone manufacturer. However it took them years to get a decent sized screen on their devices. It took them years to get a 3.5mm jack on their devices. How long will it take to get 8, 16, or 32GB on their devices? Probably another 2 years. Oh wait, I almost forgot, they actually got 8G in the Verizon Incredible. They probably only did this because Verizon forced them to.
Unle

So Verison won't activate it? The phone is CDMA which is what Verison uses.

[NEWS] T-Mobile & Sprint merger is possible

http://www.businessinsider.com/t-mobile-usa-might-sell-to-sprint-2011-3
Saw this today and thought I'd share.
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA Premium

I don't see how that merger would work. I personally don't like sprints coverage.
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA Premium App

First off, I highly doubt that the US gov't would let a merger like this go down.
Second, I wouldn't be surprised that IF it happened, they would stay as 2 separate companies at the consumer level, but connected via management. It just doesn't make sense for 1 company to offer both GSM and CDMA concurrently. Are they just going to start only taking on handsets that operate with both CDMA and GSM? I just don't find this likely.
I sure hope that this doesn't happen. CDMA really needs to die, and I personally have seen the light of GSM and of T-mobiles slightly more customer-friendly approach. More than likely because their subscriber numbers are dwindelling, but the fact that they openly offer no-contract plans, cheap plans, and are flexible on many different things, I just hope they stick around the way they are. I know this isn't the most profitable business model (but it is still profitable) compared to Verizon, but its one that is necessary for those of us who see the ridiculousness of what the other carriers are charging.
I don't want Sprint + T-mobile to turn into another Verizon. It will just give them more ability to start charging $110 for unlimited plans like Verizon and AT&T do. Choices are good! People like Verizon, and their service is great, but I like my money more than I like Verizon.

Sprint sucks. Tmo would die like nextel is this happened. And I would be ****ed having to run back to verizon
From my permarooted 1209mhz G2 with CM7 nightly 6

This has nothing to do with a single company implementing both GSM and CDMA. This is because SPRINT WANTS GSM, and tmobile already exists.
In upgrading to GSM, there are precisely two options; either implement it yourself (Canada/Belus), or buy one that's ready made.

dhkr234 said:
This has nothing to do with a single company implementing both GSM and CDMA. This is because SPRINT WANTS GSM, and tmobile already exists.
In upgrading to GSM, there are precisely two options; either implement it yourself (Canada/Belus), or buy one that's ready made.
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This is definitely interesting, but it makes sense. WiMAX sucks compared to the other technologies available, and GSM is just better overall too.

I read that an industry analyst said this is likely T-Mobile selling their towers to Sprint and Sprint leasing them back.
I dunno if I believe that either, but that seems more likely to me than a straight up merger.

martonikaj said:
First off, I highly doubt that the US gov't would let a merger like this go down.
Second, I wouldn't be surprised that IF it happened, they would stay as 2 separate companies at the consumer level, but connected via management. It just doesn't make sense for 1 company to offer both GSM and CDMA concurrently. Are they just going to start only taking on handsets that operate with both CDMA and GSM? I just don't find this likely.
I sure hope that this doesn't happen. CDMA really needs to die, and I personally have seen the light of GSM and of T-mobiles slightly more customer-friendly approach. More than likely because their subscriber numbers are dwindelling, but the fact that they openly offer no-contract plans, cheap plans, and are flexible on many different things, I just hope they stick around the way they are. I know this isn't the most profitable business model (but it is still profitable) compared to Verizon, but its one that is necessary for those of us who see the ridiculousness of what the other carriers are charging.
I don't want Sprint + T-mobile to turn into another Verizon. It will just give them more ability to start charging $110 for unlimited plans like Verizon and AT&T do. Choices are good! People like Verizon, and their service is great, but I like my money more than I like Verizon.
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What about Cingular and At&t? They were allowed to merge along with Sirius and XM... apparently the goverment doesn't care about monopolies. Excuse my spelling lol! Heck, at&t is back as mama bell. They were broken up but they're back now

sino8r said:
What about Cingular and At&t? They were allowed to merge along with Sirius and XM... apparently the goverment doesn't care about monopolies. Excuse my spelling lol! Heck, at&t is back as mama bell. They were broken up but they're back now
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True - any opposition from the gov quit when they took M$ to court and they realized that they had more money to spend on lawyers then the government could ever muster.
After this exon mobile merged, making the largest company ever known to man and there has never been a peep about monopoly since.
Since the government is pretty much funded by public enterprise at this point I wouldn't expect them to step in.
PS **** Sprint - they blow - the rumor before this one was that they were going to abandon all of their Clear 4G WiMax ancient bull**** and go to LTE ... so whatever

I've been a tmo customer for 10+ years (well, Omnipoint, voicestream and then T-Mo.) Overall, I've been pretty happy with them.
I was also a Sprint customer, briefly. There wasn't anything wrong with the service, the phone selection (for back then, pre smartphone) was OK, and they had coverage where I needed it.
However, it seems every bill, they messed something up and I had to spend 1-2 hours on hold and dealing with their crap customer service to get it fixed.
Every. Goddamn. Month.
That got old quick.
This was a while ago, perhaps things have changed, I don't know. I did swear "never again" when I finally gave up in disgust and cancelled.
I sincerely hope this doesn't happen.

I have been with T-Mobile over 14 years (Powertel, Voicestream, T-Mobile) and the only time I had issues was back in 2004 when I was stationed at Camp Pendleton. They didn't have towers on the base, therefore no reception, but as soon as I drove off, full bars the whole way. If T-Mobile was to merge with AT&T, and AT&T be the dominate company, I'm gone!
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA Premium App

AT&T set to aquire T-mobile for $39 billion

I've been a T-Mobile customer for seven or eight years now and have never regretted a moment of it. These people have always gone above and beyond to make me feel like I was worth something to them as a customer and a person. I haven't had to contact them often, but when I did, I always knew I would hang up the phone with a smile on my face. T-Mobile US has one of the best customer service departments in the world in terms of customer satisfaction. If I were planning to commit suicide, I would probably call T-Mobile, since I know they would be able to talk me down.
On the flip side of this is AT&T, with whom I've had some of the worst customer service and just service in general in all of my life. I started out with my first cellular device through Cingular Wireless. I wouldn't say they were the best service (they were far from it), but most of my friends and family were on the network and it was in the early days of the talk for free within the network deals. AT&T came along a few years later and ruined any creditability Cingular Wireless had provided me. When the networks in my area finally were updated to EDGE through AT&T, I immediately began having problems with dropped calls and spastic data rates. Calling to complain about this service garnered me a generic response from them along the lines of "What do you want me to do about it?" The customer should not be the one who suggests that the cellular connection to the tower needs to be reset.
After a full year of waiting out my contract and the remainder of my patience with them, I began searching for an alternative solution. I narrowed down my list to All-Tel and T-Mobile for their outstanding customer service. T-Mobile won me over, since, at the time, I was using my HP iPAQ hw6945 (HTC Sable), and needed a GSM network. Since that day, I have constantly raved about their phenomenal customer service, support and network speed. I was also blown away by their astonishingly competitive pricing.
I am currently paying the same $50 for service that I was when I signed up initially. I have a plan consisting of 1000 minutes a month (unlimited for me), unlimited text, and unlimited data ($30+$10+$10). This data plan also includes tethering for free. I haven't been under a contract with them since the first year I was with them, as it was required. I have never been hassled about updating my terms of service, or anything of the sort. It has been one completely happy ride other than the spotty 3G coverage which has been growing rapidly.
With all of this considered, I must say that I am completely shocked and appalled that the company is being sold off to the only other GSM network in the country with a national footprint: AT&T. Though the transaction isn't completely finalized yet, I see no reason why the FCC would oppose this as the also let Verizon's "Net Neutrality" rules pass, even though they were completely one-sided.
Other than customer service from AT&T (or lack thereof, rather), this also presents yet another problem for the customers of T-Mobile: 4G. We will now be set to move into AT&T's field of using LTE instead of HSPA+ or WiMax for our 4G coverage. For those of you who don't already know, LTE is not the happy trail to the Internet you may think.
The LTE standard was designed with carriers in mind, not consumers. This means that the format allows carriers to control the content they show you. You will begin seeing tiered data plans with access to partial content coming soon as the networks expand. For example, if you decide to get the cheapest data plan, you will not only be limited in maximum data caps, but also certain things like YouTube may be filtered out of your service because you would have to pay extra for it. AT&T and Verizon have already come out and said that this will happen with services like Skype and YouTube. WiMax does none of this as it was intended to be an open format set up with end users in mind. HSPA+ simply doesn't support the concept.
Am I the only one concerned here? I think if this does go through, I'll be booking it over the Sprint. I am not fond of CDMA networks, but it's FAR better than the alternative.
Sources:
Lots of good LTE vs. WiMax links in this thread
AT&T/T-Mobile US acquisition details

AT&T is taking over T- Mobile.

Well said Cajunflavoredbob. I went through similar experiences that you speak of. Like I said in another thread, after AT&T stuck me hard, I vowed never to give them my business again. Now after hearing this news, I will end up eating my own words!
I have the Touch Pro2 (T-mobile brand) and I really like this phone, especially after the modified ROMs here on this site. I have no intention to get another phone. So now I have to wait until this deal gets finalized and then determine if keeping this phone is worth going through the headaches with AT&T all over again.

All plans will be grandfathered. Also better service coverage too, so I don't think it will be so bad. I hope we can use At&t frequency phones on a T-Mobile service.

We have so many threads about this topic.

Androidboy35961 said:
We have so many threads about this topic.
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Care to share which ones? I looked through this forum and hadn't found a single one talking about the acquisition. If I had, then I wouldn't have started this thread. If there are threads about it in other areas of the site, then there isn't much I can do about that as those threads would be in the wrong place. This thread was started to allow open general discussion of the subject. Obviously, if threads you may be referring to are in device specific forums, then not everyone is going to see them.

I don't know much about the world of mergers except I read that this one will take at least 12 months. Is this a done deal? Or is there something sufficiently monopolistic about it that could run into legal troubles?
Jake

jakfish said:
I don't know much about the world of mergers except I read that this one will take at least 12 months. Is this a done deal? Or is there something sufficiently monopolistic about it that could run into legal troubles?
Jake
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The deal could take up to a year to finalize if it is allowed. This acquisition would make AT&T the only nation wide GSM carrier. AT&T is also looking to acquire more radio spectrum from Qualcomm who had those FloTV things for a while that bombed. It still has a lot of red tape to go through, but, honestly, I doubt that it will run into much opposition unfortunately. The other downside to this is that we now know that DT is looking to offload T-Mobile US to the highest bidder. Before this, there was a rumor about Sprint trying to acquire the company. I doubt Sprint can afford the price tag on T-Mobile now that AT&T has set the bar. It is a loose-loose situation for T-Mobile customers. No matter what happens, Big Daddy is still putting up TMoUS for sale. The question now becomes, who will get it in the end?

if this goes through im going to Sprint because i hate AT&T AND dont like the idea of youtube being a premium service on Verizon. but isnt this deal like monopoly. i doubt the US government will allow this too happen without some legal troubles and a lot of money being payed to the government.

The only positive things I can see out of this, are that a) it's a true gsm marriage, which continues to maintain a world flavor to the phone and b) AT&T will have boatload of different bands: 1700, 2100, and whatever AT&T uses. That should free up 4G considerably.
Had T-Mobile and Sprint gotten together, I just can't see the CDMA-GSM thing. What were they going to use, half a sim card?
But I'm old enough to remember the bad AT&T days and can't feel that these will be any better.
Jake

AT&T is not that bad..lol

I have been with T-mobile since the company was Voicestream... Im hurt to see DT sell us out like this I hope google will outbid AT&T because I dont like any of the other cellular providers.

Androidboy35961 said:
AT&T is not that bad..lol
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I am very glad to hear someone speak well of AT&T, because my personal experience has not been good. I am convinced that CFB is dead-on with his assessment about why they purchased T-Mobile (his LTE argument). This is NOT even remotely good for the consumer.
I know only one person who has been happy with Sprint (out of dozens), but they seem to be the least restrictive which may force me to give them another try. But they'll probably have the same indoor reception issues Verizon has - CDMA doesn't penetrate walls as well as GSM does. It's kind of funny: we have two groups of people huddled outside the office doors - smokers and Verizons customers.

FWIW:
http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2011/03...es-but-will-consumers-see-the-benefit/?hpt=T2

jakfish said:
FWIW:
http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2011/03...es-but-will-consumers-see-the-benefit/?hpt=T2
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I read that this morning before leaving for work. It doesn't help to ease my tensions about the acquisition.

Given that it's a Republican, hence laissez faire, House, I can't see them stopping this merger, but the initial political chatter is very much against it. That could be nothing more than posturing for constituents, but for AT&T to take over 80% of the mobile market in one fell swoop, politicians are really going to have to look the other way.
They often do, however,
Jake

. The question now becomes said:
Well stated, and an apt analogy! That is as well the conundrum of the new prisoners at the state prison...
ATT will play the part of Bubba perfectly!
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Everybody needs to take a deep, deep breath and calm down. We're a two cellular carrier household; T-Mobile and AT&T. According to T-Mobile at their home page they addressed several questions one being our current devices and plans and they said they will honor them. For many of us who have been with T-Mobile for example were with two other companies in the SE USA - PowerTel and VoiceStream. It was no secret Deutsch TeleComm had been shopping T-Mobile USA around for quite some time and their statement reflects they will be concentrating with their business in the countries of Germany and other European countries. Current trends suggest AT&T has a 50-50 chance at obtaining T-Mobile USA; however their lobby in Washington is strong and there has been no hint from the Obama administration to curtail this merger as other big name mergers have yet to be turned down. There will be stipulations and this will be watched very carefully. Judging my the speed which this has moved in the past two days, much of the legwork prior to announcement seems to had been done well in advance. Whether we like it or not; we're at the whelm of these companies and they are going to do what is in their best interest and we're all along for the ride; we have a choice whether we like it or not, it's whether there are enough of us after the two companies merge.

jakfish said:
Given that it's a Republican, hence laissez faire, House, I can't see them stopping this merger, but the initial political chatter is very much against it. That could be nothing more than posturing for constituents, but for AT&T to take over 80% of the mobile market in one fell swoop, politicians are really going to have to look the other way.
They often do, however,
Jake
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It actually not on the Republicans this time. Democrats are the ones fighting for a nation-wide broadband network. This merger would be the basis for that goal. Our president has outlined this several times before. I would not be surprised in the least if AT&T becomes a monopoly...again. It's not that they would look the other way, it's more about will they allow it to happen to further their goal? I'm all for a national broadband infrastructure, but AT&T is NOT the way to achieve that.

SnittyKitty said:
Everybody needs to take a deep, deep breath and calm down. We're a two cellular carrier household; T-Mobile and AT&T. According to T-Mobile at their home page they addressed several questions one being our current devices and plans and they said they will honor them. For many of us who have been with T-Mobile for example were with two other companies in the SE USA - PowerTel and VoiceStream. It was no secret Deutsch TeleComm had been shopping T-Mobile USA around for quite some time and their statement reflects they will be concentrating with their business in the countries of Germany and other European countries. Current trends suggest AT&T has a 50-50 chance at obtaining T-Mobile USA; however their lobby in Washington is strong and there has been no hint from the Obama administration to curtail this merger as other big name mergers have yet to be turned down. There will be stipulations and this will be watched very carefully. Judging my the speed which this has moved in the past two days, much of the legwork prior to announcement seems to had been done well in advance. Whether we like it or not; we're at the whelm of these companies and they are going to do what is in their best interest and we're all along for the ride; we have a choice whether we like it or not, it's whether there are enough of us after the two companies merge.
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Well, more than anything, this is a financial move for DT. They get a payout no matter what happens. If the merger goes through, they will get an 8% stake in AT&T as well as a DT board member on AT&T's board of directors. Even if the deal falls through by some chance, T-Mobile gets $3 billion, a roaming agreement, and a hefty chunk of spectrum for AT&T, just for doing nothing. Either way, DT wins. No matter what, T-Mobile customers loose.

Sprint files suit to stop AT&T / T-Mobile merger *update* At&t strikes back lol

Sprint files suit to stop AT&T / T-Mobile merger *update* At&t strikes back lol
Looks like the US government isn't the only party looking to stand in the way of AT&T's proposed acquisition of T-Mobile. Sprint today announced that it has filed suit in federal court in the District of Columbia against AT&T, Deutsche Telekom and T-Mobile. The filing outlines the carrier's concern that the proposed deal would harm consumers, corporate customers and carriers (such as, you know, Sprint), while transforming AT&T-Mobile and Verizon into a "duopoly." Of course, this isn't the first time the carrier has let the world know that it's not particularly pumped about the whole proposal. See the full litigious press release after the break.
source:http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/06/sprint-files-suit-to-stop-atandt-t-mobile-merger/

AT&T fires back against Sprint over T-Mobile acquisition suit
Well, that didn't take long. Sprint today revealed that it has filed a suit against AT&T's proposed T-Mobile purchase -- and now AT&T is hitting back with some less than flattering words. An AT&T spokesperson told Engadget, "this simply demonstrates what we've said all along -- Sprint is more interested in protecting itself than it is in promoting competition that benefits consumers." AT&T went on to promise a "vigorous fight" and reiterated that such a merger would ultimately prove beneficial to the industry and consumers, improving wireless service and solving spectrum concerns.
Source:http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/06/atandt-fires-back-against-sprint-over-t-mobile-acquisition-suit/
**** getting real

auau465121 said:
Well, that didn't take long. Sprint today revealed that it has filed a suit against AT&T's proposed T-Mobile purchase -- and now AT&T is hitting back with some less than flattering words. An AT&T spokesperson told Engadget, "this simply demonstrates what we've said all along -- Sprint is more interested in protecting itself than it is in promoting competition that benefits consumers." AT&T went on to promise a "vigorous fight" and reiterated that such a merger would ultimately prove beneficial to the industry and consumers, improving wireless service and solving spectrum concerns.
Source:http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/06/atandt-fires-back-against-sprint-over-t-mobile-acquisition-suit/
**** getting real
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How does at&t buying tmobile promote competition?
I'll wait.

Lol I liked the idea putting the movie wedding Crasher on the title.screen.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

culua said:
Lol I liked the idea putting the movie wedding Crasher on the title.screen.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
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yeah that had me laughing too

mattykinsx said:
How does at&t buying tmobile promote competition?
I'll wait.
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Ha! AT&T sucks ass and they know it! For example, when AT&T first got the IPhone, it overwhelmed their network. AT&T STILL hasn't learned from their mistake(s).
I would rather go prepaid than have AT&T has a sole GSM carrier.
Also, I think and heard that there is a petition floating around contesting the AT&T merger/buyout of TMobile.

mattykinsx said:
How does at&t buying tmobile promote competition?
I'll wait.
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I have had T-mobile before. I didn't mind it. Taking our choice down to 3 from 4 decreases the competition. I can't see how this is good for consumers. Only argument I can see is that merging the two means their coverages merge but me living in a major city don't have coverage problems with any carrier. But better coverage doesn't mean better for consumer because that means ATT can continue to charge their high prices with less alternative.

jessejames111981 said:
I have had T-mobile before. I didn't mind it. Taking our choice down to 3 from 4 decreases the competition. I can't see how this is good for consumers. Only argument I can see is that merging the two means their coverages merge but me living in a major city don't have coverage problems with any carrier. But better coverage doesn't mean better for consumer because that means ATT can continue to charge their high prices with less alternative.
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It's important to note...
Their coverage will not merge, they will improve though.
Due to rules to prevent monopolies they will likely have to sell off some of the acquired spectrum.
At&t will gain, and the gains will be noticeable, but they won't gain every subscriber/tower from T-mobile.
But that's obviously not the problem with this merger.
And I'm yet to hear one good reason why this merger is "promoting" competition.

AT&T just has some wack ass plan prices. T-Mobile are a bunch of morons. I was having problems with my signal & this guy kept telling me to use WiFi calling & i asked him if it had WiFi on the phone & he said I don't know. I knew there was no Wifi on the phone but i wanted to see how much this guy even knew about phone. He had a computer right in front of him with the make & model of the phone i was using & could not figure out if it had Wifi. I finally told him this kind of phone does not have Wifi & he said ok we will send you one that does have it. lol. T-Mobile cut my friends phone off because he was 1 day late paying his bill, PFFT. What a joke. I wish Sprint would have bought T-Mobile, Then everyone would be happy. Sprint is by far the BEST company! I hope Sprint does stop AT&T from buying T-Mobile then turns around & buys them. Hope Sprint also gets the NFL contract back, They should have never let that go.

AT&T knows that having less companies allows them to control a market that is a need for us consumers. By having more companies providing a service in communications allows the customer to have a choice, which eventually will help in the price of the service. Any company, regardless of service by having less competition allows them price their service to benefit them, not the consumer.

let att have it. if they dont buy it, dt is already saying that they would rather shut down t-mo and sell off its assets rather than spin it off and do an ipo. either way, were going down to 3 carriers.

austin420 said:
let att have it. if they dont buy it, dt is already saying that they would rather shut down t-mo and sell off its assets rather than spin it off and do an ipo. either way, were going down to 3 carriers.
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I'd rather that happen then have ma bell back.
Your cell phone bill with thank the U.S. government/Sprint as well.