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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.
Why is it everywhere I read, so many people choose Sprint and T-Mobile if they are in happy with Verizon?
Why do so many people make comments like "Oh no, not AT&T " or "I hope that new phone doesn't go to AT&T " ?
What is so wrong about them that so many people don't like them? Is just just a handful of people that had a bad experience? Is it a valid dislike over the companies service? Is it because they want to be the only all powerful mega phone provider?
If some of you wouldn't mind sharing your thoughts.
Thanks.
Sent from my Super Streak Monster Hybrid
Why is it everywhere I read, so many people choose Sprint and T-Mobile if they are in happy with Verizon?
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In this case, I'd say lower cost might be a factor. In most areas, Verizon has very good or at least reasonable service.
Why do so many people make comments like "Oh no, not AT&T " or "I hope that new phone doesn't go to AT&T " ?
What is so wrong about them that so many people don't like them? Is just just a handful of people that had a bad experience? Is it a valid dislike over the companies service? Is it because they want to be the only all powerful mega phone provider?
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AT&T has had and still has problems with dropped calls in major metro areas. I've used them personally and haven't had a very good experience with their network in NYC.
Their raw coverage isn't too bad, but I wasn't able to rely on them to have calls connect all the time and for consistently fast data. T-Mobile has less raw coverage in the US but where it does work it is very consistent (for the record, in 99% of the places where I've needed signal, T-Mobile does work fine. YMMV).
Having said all that, if AT&T works well for you in your area, then that is great. Stick with them if you are happy. With cell phone carriers what works well is always going to vary from region to region.
See I understand all of your reasons but beyond that it just seems that more and more people are against AT&T for more extreme reasons.
I have been a customer of Sprint, Nextel (when it was just Nextel) , T-Mobile and now AT&T and I genuinely have no service complaints about any of them. I must be one of those people that understands that it is a cell phone and dropped calls and inconsistent service in different areas is going to happen with any carrier you choose. I just felt that more people were angry with more specific reasons but maybe I'm just looking for an answer that really isn't there.
Maybe people just like to moan about anything and currently AT&T is the choice of the month.
Sent from my Super Streak Monster Hybrid
Cthater said:
See I understand all of your reasons but beyond that it just seems that more and more people are against AT&T for more extreme reasons.
I have been a customer of Sprint, Nextel (when it was just Nextel) , T-Mobile and now AT&T and I genuinely have no service complaints about any of them. I must be one of those people that understands that it is a cell phone and dropped calls and inconsistent service in different areas is going to happen with any carrier you choose. I just felt that more people were angry with more specific reasons but maybe I'm just looking for an answer that really isn't there.
Maybe people just like to moan about anything and currently AT&T is the choice of the month.
Sent from my Super Streak Monster Hybrid
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I'm in the same boat. I've been with AT&T for some time and have had few problems with them from a technical standpoint. My biggest issue is more of how they segment their service offerings (i.e. charge extra to tether your phone even though you pay for a limited data plan) and how slow they are to approve/release upgrades to their handsets; Froyo was out for 6+ months before the official AT&T release on the captivate.
Some people might be more accepting of dropped calls but on T-Mobile dropped calls are an absolute rarity for me, whereas they were a regular expectation on AT&T.
I can understand the hatred toward AT&T. You have to realize that service for some period was just VERY bad in major metro areas. At one point in time it really just wasn't possible to make calls reliably or use data with any decent speed in NYC. Why? influx of iPhone users. Lately it has improved a bit but isn't great still.
if AT&T had put more money into their network to prepare for the usage things could have been better. You don't hear about carriers like Verizon or Sprint having too many issues with dropped calls due to an overloaded network. That's because they actually have invested in enough capacity to handle it. You could say AT&T experienced a lot higher growth than these, which is true to an extent, but Verizon's network pushes a LOT of calls and data every day and generally doesn't miss a beat in my experience. T-Mobile is about on par too here in NYC (though I understand they're not as strong in other areas).
See I understand that, but wouldn't you think that something like this merger would be a good thing?
Yes I understand that T-Mobile is currently cheaper than AT&T and yes I understand that if the merger goes thru that all current T-Mobile may be subject to pay a higher rate than they are used to but in that you will be getting all the benefits of the current T-Mobile service greatness you have now and you will be adding all the extra areas of service that you currently do not have that AT&T does. Isn't that worth a little more every month?
I thought so when I left and went to AT&T. I sacrificed cheaper rates for better coverage at a price and it is a price that I am glad to pay for.
Another thing that used to bug me when I was on T-Mobile was every high end device I would purchase would only work on Edge on T-Mobile and 3G on AT&T. Very unfair for someone who is willing to pay $400-$500 for a smartphone only to get Edge service because of who my carrier was. I will admit I was very happy with the innovations that T-Mobile was coming up with but unsatisfied with the end results.
Sorry for the rant. LOL
Sent from my Super Streak Monster Hybrid
As long as TMO has 3G (which may even be HSPA+ "4G") coverage in your area, then data service is generally pretty solid in my experience. Yes, sometimes it drops to 2G/EDGE, especially when indoors, but this is not common in Manhattan generally speaking.
I don't see the AT&T/TMO merger as a good thing because quite honestly the reason AT&T has poor service in a number of metro areas (and like I said, it used to be extremely bad) really comes down to poor business practices/management. They were the only carrier offering an iPhone and this was a highly sought after device. Even if their service quality was just OK at best in some areas many people were still flocking to them for the iPhone. It's clear that they knew this and took advantage of it. Now don't get me wrong they have put a lot of money into their network, but they could have handled this a hell of a lot better.
I also would prefer to keep my TMO service with crystal clear calls and fast data as it is. I don't need to use AT&T towers as I rarely if ever go to places where TMO doesn't have service and I especially don't want AT&T users creating congestion problems on the TMO towers.
I have to agree. I do think tho that AT&T's data problems stems alot from being the only network having 3G capable of surfing and talking at the same time. That in itself could be the cause for HUGE data consumption by its users, especially those with iPhones. I still font see how adding more towers wouldn't help in coverage tho.
Sent from my Super Streak Monster Hybrid
AT&T's data problems stems alot from being the only network having 3G capable of surfing and talking at the same time
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T-Mobile's 3G network has always had this capability.
Basically, I just don't want my current T-Mobile service which is solid to be mixed with AT&T's service which isn't solid. In the simplest sense, when you mix something that's very good with something that's mediocre, you're going to get something in between. And that's what I don't want. I guess AT&T users stand to gain more than T-Mobile users, except for T-Mobile users that aren't in good coverage zones.
gsvnet said:
I guess AT&T users stand to gain more than T-Mobile users, except for T-Mobile users that aren't in good coverage zones.
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That is 100% true and I guess with me now being an AT&T customer, I reap all the benefits.
Wouldn't it be kinda nice to have just one network with great prices and all the towers and goodies? LOL
Sent from my Super Streak Monster Hybrid
I've have at&t for many years and still do now. I had T-Mobile for about the last 5 months. Seriously in my area AT&T can't be beat and only paying $50 with unlimited internet and unlimited txt msg and just 450min (way more then I need). One of the major problems is that in some states coverage for at&T is horrible and really I notice it also comes down to the phones/radio too. Like all compaies just depends on your area.
Cthater said:
See I understand all of your reasons but beyond that it just seems that more and more people are against AT&T for more extreme reasons.
I have been a customer of Sprint, Nextel (when it was just Nextel) , T-Mobile and now AT&T and I genuinely have no service complaints about any of them. I must be one of those people that understands that it is a cell phone and dropped calls and inconsistent service in different areas is going to happen with any carrier you choose. I just felt that more people were angry with more specific reasons but maybe I'm just looking for an answer that really isn't there.
Maybe people just like to moan about anything and currently AT&T is the choice of the month.
Sent from my Super Streak Monster Hybrid
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One or two dropped calls per month or even a week? Maybe. But AT&T has (in NYC metro area including, Jersey City, NJ where I live) three, four, five even six dropped calls A DAY. That in my book is utterly unacceptable especially when you are paying the "premium"prices AT&T charges for sub-par below bargain basement cell and customer service. If you have had good experiences with AT&T, I'm genuinely happy for you. Just know that you are in a very small minority of people that feel that way. As for Verizon (in my experience) their service isn't any better or more consistent than the service I currently receive from T-Mobile while paying significantly less. (I should know I also pay my fathers/stepmothers Verizon bill each month and for roughly equivalent service their bill is much higher). I have Sprint for mobile broadband and their 4G service has decent speed and it's unlimited for 60$ a month. Their 3G is nothing to write home about imo. (t-mobile is almost 3x (comparing Sprints 4g to T-Mobiles "3.5g". I have both the N1 and NS neither of which are capable of the 14.4+ HSPA+ speeds T-Mobile has)faster though at least in, my area) this has been my experience.....
Sent from my NS (no it's NOT SNS or GNS)
Technically, WiMAX is not classified as a 4G technology only LTE and HSDPA+ are. Anything available on the 700 LTE Band at the moment is also not true 4G but rather pre-4G or 4G Advanced (this is why Verizon keeps saying it has the most Advanced 4G network). HSDPA+ currently WAS running 14.4mbps it's NOW running and upgrading in most markets to 42.2mbps. The current LTE offering is @ 22.2mbps. Solid, however, I'd agree I really have a strong dislike for At&t having used to work for them, people don't look beyond the merger. Hope people understand that when it goes through their will only be ONE GSM carrier which will dictate which GSM handsets come here. At&t is notorious for locking down Android handsets as well. At&t is also notorious for getting what it wants regardless of laws and regulations. One article that seems to have slipped through the cracks http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0611/56660.html
How much does it cost to force a merger through? about 10k to each congressman/woman
http://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/recips.php?id=D000000076&chamber=&party=&cycle=2010&state=&sort=A
Trv06kviper said:
Technically, WiMAX is not classified as a 4G technology only LTE and HSDPA+ are. Anything available on the 700 LTE Band at the moment is also not true 4G but rather pre-4G or 4G Advanced (this is why Verizon keeps saying it has the most Advanced 4G network). HSDPA+ currently WAS running 14.4mbps it's NOW running and upgrading in most markets to 42.2mbps. The current LTE offering is @ 22.2mbps. Solid, however, I'd agree I really have a strong dislike for At&t having used to work for them, people don't look beyond the merger. Hope people understand that when it goes through their will only be ONE GSM carrier which will dictate which GSM handsets come here. At&t is notorious for locking down Android handsets as well. At&t is also notorious for getting what it wants regardless of laws and regulations. One article that seems to have slipped through the cracks http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0611/56660.html
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Right. But the N1 and the NS (my phones) are capped at 7.(something, too early) I didn't feel like repeating t mobiles recent (and current hspa + upgrade path).... Most people here should have read about this stuff) and technically, NONE of technologies used in the US are "true" 4G according to the ORIGINAL DEFINITION (they revised it after the carriers cried and whined)
(they revised it after the carriers cried and whined)
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They do a LOT of that lol
I honestly don't understand all the hate towards AT&T, BUT I live in NJ, which is a popular and congested area.. so AT&T probably has lots of data towers and such here
With my iPhone 4, I didn't really get that many dropped calls to be honest. The prices also are pretty good in my opinion.
Only problem is that sometimes the data speeds are uneven. I am also impressed with the LTE network Verizon has set up; freaking fast as hell.
I still prefer AT&T because of their prices though
As someone who worked for AT&T, got crapped on by AT&T, and was subsequently fired by AT&T for no reason, I'll be damned if I give their sub-par service one dime from my pocket.
JayXL14,
Try hanging out in NYC. Dropped calls galore on AT&T. has been for a few years now.
Never a problem with TMO.
I can't stand either AT&T and Verizon and firmly believe those two are involved in backroom price collusion. Disagree with me all you want, I believe it and you can't change my mind. That being said, I also believe Sprint and T-mobile are no angels either..... They all suck donkey @#$&s.
Sent from my NS (no it's NOT SNS or GNS)
Hey guys
I am currently on ATT network California and I am just frustrated. I don't think I need to talk about call drops. Added to that, SF has a ton of dead spots with no bars on my phone. In my apartment, I had to install a microcell. All in all, I am not impressed with ATT and currently, I am spending over 150 bucks for 2 smart phones with 2GB data and one simple feature phone.
I was looking at Virgin mobile and though the pricing sounds amazing, I could not find too many reviews online speaking positively about Virgin.
1. I would like to hear a few pros and cons of Virgin
2. One of the cons I am hearing a lot is customer support. I personally think ATT is terrible itself. Is Virgin customer support as bad or worse?
3. I read some cases of billing errors of $600. Is this common?
4. Most important of all: How is the network coverage and data speeds?
Your feedback would be of great help to me.
coverage is the same as sprint but without free roaming. speeds are said to be worse
Out of all prepaid companies, Virgin Mobile was the BEST for me.
I had signal EVERYWHERE. (I'm in Long Island though)
I did not find their customer service to be bad at all.
The prices are incredibly cheap.
I never had that wrong bill problem? Lol.
And the data speeds, were roughly around 300-500kbps.
Only way you can go wrong though is the choice of phones they have.
I had an Optimus V at the time.
I was just wondering what the opinions of T-mobile was for the members here. I have been on a Radioshack/AT&T employee plan since 2006 and even though I quit in 2008 I have continued to be on this plan. It was amazing (2000 minutes, unlimited text, and unlimited data for $25 a month), however I just received notice today from my old AT&T rep that I will finally be taken off it. I am currently looking at switching to one of the major US carriers and am looking at the plan prices. I want to stick with an Android phone, so I'll need data. Verizon's cheapest plan looks to be $89.99/month for what I want (450 minutes, unlimited text, 2GB of data), with AT&T and Sprint's around $10 cheaper. I rarely use minutes (average of 250 a month), but I text quite a bit so I would want unlimited text. I also don't use data much. My max in the past year has been 134MB, however I know if I have a faster phone I will probably use data more. I was looking at T-mobile's plans and noticed they are drastically cheaper. $49.99/month for 500 minutes, unlimited text, and 2GB of data. Is their service much worse than AT&T, even though they are both GSM? I'd hate to switch to them and end up hating my service.
So in short, does anybody who has had AT&T and T-mobile notice a major difference between the two? Would I be better with sticking with Verizon or AT&T or are they all about equal nowadays?
Thanks in advance!
I recommend you buy an unlocked phone (hello Nexus!) and get a sim card from Straight Talk. They are a MVNO that runs on the AT&T network. I believe plans are $45.
It always depends on your area. For years I used Cingular(now At&t) and I had pretty decent service. About 5 years ago, T-Mobile was carrying a phone I wanted, so I decided to switch. (This was before I knew about the glory of unlocking ;P). T-Mobile's network was so horrible I never (read:NEVER) got service within a 2 mile radius of my home, and about the same at work.
I couldn't make a phone call with out it dropping, so I was forced to switch back to At&t. The guy at T-Mobile pulled up a "coverage map" and it claimed I should have the best service right in the area I needed it. So it was a bunch of bull if you ask me.
My suggestion has always been to talk to people who you know in the area of where you will be using your phone. I know some people from around my area who get great reception with T-Mobile and get awful service with At&t. I honestly have no idea how it happens, but it does.
Another route would be to get the phone to test (perhaps one of their pre-paid, no contract options?) and use it for a few days. If you are unhappy, simply return it. If you are returning it because of bad coverage they HAVE to take it back and give you a full refund.
I still think the asking people around the area is the best option. Perhaps you could give a general location, and ask people on the forums who are located near by to give you some of their opinions on their coverage? Its probably the best way to be sure, if you ask me.
T-Mobile was great to me in the East Bay area of northern California, until last November, when they instituted traffic-shaping policies that meant every single JPEG image on the internet was horribly compressed into an ugly mess of artifacts and banded gradients.
I really miss T-Mobile's HSPA+ speed. AT&T just can't quite get as fast. But I'll take a 20-25% slower connection that isn't adulterated over a faster one that's been tampered with.
I've had ok experiences with T-Mobile. When I lived in Atlanta there were many areas where I simply didn't get a signal, but that's probably due to to the terrain. As suggested you should probably ask others in the area where you will be how their coverage is. In regards to plans, I'm on a contracted unlimited talk/text, 2GB data for $90. I'll be modifying that at the soonest opportunity... I guess at least the phone itself was cheaper at the time :/
Thanks for info!
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I've had T-Mobile for a few years now, and I can't wait to leave this company. I'm currently in the process of jumping ship. I've driven from California to Tennessee, Tennessee to Iowa, Iowa to Michigan, and back again. I've never seen such garbage coverage from a cellular company. I have a 4G compatible phone, but I've only ever seen 4G when I fly through Chicago's O'Hare Airport. Their 3G coverage area is also terrible.
So, Cons are as follows:
4G: What 4G?
3G: Doesn't exist
2G: Covers the entire country with data speeds barely faster than dial-up, unless you live more than 25 miles outside a big city, or in North Dakota in general.
Reception: It's a well known fact that T-Mobile cannot maintain or even guarantee any sort of standard level of service indoors.
Pros:
Pricing: They are cheap for a reason.
"Unlimited" Data Plans: They "throttle" them after a certain amount of time, and it's throttling to less than 2G speeds. In fact, you should try being throttled while trying to drive across the country using Google maps...
Customer Service: The only pleasant part of my time with T-Mobile.
cdchris12 said:
I've had T-Mobile for a few years now, and I can't wait to leave this company. I'm currently in the process of jumping ship. I've driven from California to Tennessee, Tennessee to Iowa, Iowa to Michigan, and back again. I've never seen such garbage coverage from a cellular company. I have a 4G compatible phone, but I've only ever seen 4G when I fly through Chicago's O'Hare Airport. Their 3G coverage area is also terrible.
So, Cons are as follows:
4G: What 4G?
3G: Doesn't exist
2G: Covers the entire country with data speeds barely faster than dial-up, unless you live more than 25 miles outside a big city, or in North Dakota in general.
Reception: It's a well known fact that T-Mobile cannot maintain or even guarantee any sort of standard level of service indoors.
Pros:
Pricing: They are cheap for a reason.
"Unlimited" Data Plans: They "throttle" them after a certain amount of time, and it's throttling to less than 2G speeds. In fact, you should try being throttled while trying to drive across the country using Google maps...
Customer Service: The only pleasant part of my time with T-Mobile.
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Click to collapse
Those may have been YOUR experiences and I'm not discounting that BUT....
I have FIVE LINES with T-Mobile
NEVER HAVE I HAD an issue with signal or coverage indoors.
Full bars in my home, excellent signal (68dBm-72dBm).
Very good coverage in Jersey City, NJ where I live.
My husband whom travels all over the tri-state area (NY,NJ,CT) doesn't have any reception issues either.
Fast HSPA+ (yes, it's a 3.5G technology) speeds depending on the device used. (I have the Amaze,,Sensation and, a Nexus S on T-Mobile ATM)
Wasn't me!! I didn't do it!
I completely disagree with cdchris12 however I always lived in area with good T-Mobile coverage and their throttle speed is fast enough to view website and use Google Maps. I do find that depends on the phone, usually older ones can have problem keeping data and gps in door, unless you're next to a window. With newer big phones with good antenna is not so much a problem.
I'd say get an unlocked phone and go with T-Mobile prepaid $50/month plan which give you unlimited everything and throttle to 2G after 2GB of usage. Unless you need roaming which isn't available with prepaid. I have family and friends who use ATT 3G and T-Mobile 3G network is always faster to me. In fact, with a Galaxy SII with dual HSPA+ antenna I get speed excess of 20mbps. Straight Talk has the same plan for $45 I believe and they go through T-Mobile network.
T-Mobile also allows you to tether which ATT don't, although recently I heard they changed that for people with $70 plan.
You might also find this useful: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=21604722&postcount=2
To get T-Mobile 3G you need a phone that support 1700/2100Mhz band.
In the East Bay area T-Mobile's HSPA+ speeds are really quite fast. I often saw 8-9Mbps downstream on my Galaxy Nexus before I switched to AT&T.
Unfortunately a fast internet connection is useless if your carrier alters all images on the internet so everything looks like dogpoo.
I have no idea what you are talking about, you might be accessing website through some kind of proxy like Opera Mini/Turbo. I know you will reply that that isn't the case, but I really can't think why that would be the case, but it has to be through some kind of proxy. I also notice some roms are set to connect to SimpleMobile by default instead of T-Mobile, which also causes problems. With Opera Mobile using desktop user agent, it looks exactly like my PC, and I've tried 5 different Android phones with T-Mobile. I haven't heard of millions other T-Mobile users complaining about degrading pictures quality from browser.
eksasol said:
I have no idea what you are talking about, you might be accessing website through some kind of proxy like Opera Mini/Turbo. I know you will reply that that isn't the case, but I really can't think why that would be the case, but it has to be through some kind of proxy. I also notice some roms are set to connect to SimpleMobile by default instead of T-Mobile, which also causes problems. With Opera Mobile using desktop user agent, it looks exactly like my PC, and I've tried 5 different Android phones with T-Mobile. I haven't heard of millions other T-Mobile users complaining about degrading pictures quality from browser.
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Click to collapse
It's a proxy, but the proxy is on T-Mobile's end, not mine. It's a transparent proxy and it works exactly like the Opera Mini proxy, but I can't choose to turn it off. Connecting through a VPN would obviously fix the problem, but there's no easy way to force Android to auto-connect to a VPN every time I open the browser.
Trust me, I was thorough. The user agent wasn't an issue. The APN was set correctly. I spent over ten hours on the phone with T-Mobile's technical support and I hard reset the phones on both lines multiple times, restored to unrooted stock multiple times, and nothing fixed the issue. When I bought my Galaxy Nexus, I tested it before unlocking the bootloader and rooting it, and had the same exact issue.
Just to be absolutely sure, I even tested the issue on an iOS device (iPhone 3GS) and a WP7 device (HD7) with the same results--heavily compressed JPEG images when viewing any unencrypted page.
It no longer matters since I left T-Mobile for AT&T, which uses no such proxy.
Edit: I should note that I'm not the only one with this problem. Every person I know in the SF Bay area who uses T-Mobile has this problem. It may be automatic traffic shaping algorithms used on a tower-by-tower basis (which would explain why some people don't have the problem), but yeah, it's all over the place here. I tested demo phones in every T-Mobile store I could easily reach in the area--three in SF, two in Oakland, one in Berkeley and one in El Cerrito, and they all exhibit the same problem.
For example:
Actual quality, downloaded over wifi (180kb)
Very low quality, downloaded over T-Mobile 3G (55kb)
Yea, the compression thing on TMo is a well known thing. It doesn't bother me personally.
To throw in my experience with AT&T/T-Mobile here, I review phones as a side project. I've noted several differences in the two networks. Most are well known things that others have commented on. T-Mobile EASILY has better customer service. They always have. They pride themselves in their outstanding customer care. As long as you aren't being retarded or yelling at them, they will do everything possible to make you a happy customer.
As far as coverage goes, check the maps. AT&T has a bigger network footprint. T-Mobile has better network speeds. I get better speeds on T-Mobile 3G than on AT&T LTE. Obviously this is very dependent on location, but that's how it is here.
If you have coverage from T-Mobile and don't mind the picture compression, I strongly suggest it. I lived without 3G from T-Mobile for 2 and a half years while I was in the Army on base in Georgia. EDGE speeds are respectable from them. Their customer service and my ridiculously old $50 unlimited everything plan kept me going.
T-Mobile does throttle users once you reach your limits. I've never been throttled personally, but I've maxed out a test SGS2 just to see what it's like. You are still able to browse the web. No videos or streaming music, though. Speed tests put the throttling at around 70-110 Kbps. This is within EDGE speeds. Their unthrottled EDGE speeds are between 160-320 Kbps here. By comparison, GPRS speed drops down to about 20-40 Kbps.
My preference is for good customer service. T-Mobile has always been there for me, even when things got tight for me. I see no reason to leave them now. Look at the news just within the last 6 months. AT&T couldn't care less about its customers. It doesn't change anything until it gets sued.
cajunflavoredbob said:
Yea, the compression thing on TMo is a well known thing. It doesn't bother me personally.
To throw in my experience with AT&T/T-Mobile here, I review phones as a side project. I've noted several differences in the two networks. Most are well known things that others have commented on. T-Mobile EASILY has better customer service. They always have. They pride themselves in their outstanding customer care. As long as you aren't being retarded or yelling at them, they will do everything possible to make you a happy customer.
As far as coverage goes, check the maps. AT&T has a bigger network footprint. T-Mobile has better network speeds. I get better speeds on T-Mobile 3G than on AT&T LTE. Obviously this is very dependent on location, but that's how it is here.
If you have coverage from T-Mobile and don't mind the picture compression, I strongly suggest it. I lived without 3G from T-Mobile for 2 and a half years while I was in the Army on base in Georgia. EDGE speeds are respectable from them. Their customer service and my ridiculously old $50 unlimited everything plan kept me going.
T-Mobile does throttle users once you reach your limits. I've never been throttled personally, but I've maxed out a test SGS2 just to see what it's like. You are still able to browse the web. No videos or streaming music, though. Speed tests put the throttling at around 70-110 Kbps. This is within EDGE speeds. Their unthrottled EDGE speeds are between 160-320 Kbps here. By comparison, GPRS speed drops down to about 20-40 Kbps.
My preference is for good customer service. T-Mobile has always been there for me, even when things got tight for me. I see no reason to leave them now. Look at the news just within the last 6 months. AT&T couldn't care less about its customers. It doesn't change anything until it gets sued.
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Click to collapse
This^^^^ %110. That being said, I've only experienced image compression in NYC, in a few areas (mostly midtown Manhattan). I live in Jersey City, NJ and haven't experienced it here. Even with image compression, images don't look THAT BAD....at least IMO.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk
Babydoll25 said:
This^^^^ %110. That being said, I've only experienced image compression in NYC, in a few areas (mostly midtown Manhattan). I live in Jersey City, NJ and haven't experienced it here. Even with image compression, images don't look THAT BAD....at least IMO.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk
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Click to collapse
For me, they looked so bad I was willing to pay $40 more a month to AT&T in order to make it go away permanently. The other line on my account is used by my partner, and she would frequently read manga raws on her phone. When the image compression started, the Japanese characters in the raw manga scans became totally illegible. She was, to put it mildly, rather upset. This is probably 90% of why she owns a smartphone and is willing to pay for it, so I'm sure you can see the issue here.
For me it was an aesthetic issue, but for her it was a functionality issue. In any case, we pay a little more a month, but we also get more--and I personally prefer AT&T's method of handling data. At least on AT&T if I want more than 3GB a month I can pay to get extra GBs. On T-Mobile, you'd get throttled regardless and EDGE in the East Bay is completely unusable.
I would have stayed with T-Mobile had I been able to figure out how to automatically log into a VPN every time I opened an app that pulled image assets from the web (the browser, the Android Market, etc). Unfortunately, the only solution I found also wakelocked the phone permanently, preventing it from sleeping and killing any semblance of good battery life.
synaesthetic said:
For me, they looked so bad I was willing to pay $40 more a month to AT&T in order to make it go away permanently. The other line on my account is used by my partner, and she would frequently read manga raws on her phone. When the image compression started, the Japanese characters in the raw manga scans became totally illegible. She was, to put it mildly, rather upset. This is probably 90% of why she owns a smartphone and is willing to pay for it, so I'm sure you can see the issue here.
For me it was an aesthetic issue, but for her it was a functionality issue. In any case, we pay a little more a month, but we also get more--and I personally prefer AT&T's method of handling data. At least on AT&T if I want more than 3GB a month I can pay to get extra GBs. On T-Mobile, you'd get throttled regardless and EDGE in the East Bay is completely unusable.
I would have stayed with T-Mobile had I been able to figure out how to automatically log into a VPN every time I opened an app that pulled image assets from the web (the browser, the Android Market, etc). Unfortunately, the only solution I found also wakelocked the phone permanently, preventing it from sleeping and killing any semblance of good battery life.
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Click to collapse
I think that's the main problem with the way TMo handles it. It's not consistent. It seems to be worse based on location and usage. More compression in more populated areas or something. For me, I can tell that the images are compressed if I zoom in inside a webpage, but otherwise, it's business as usual.
Same with the data speeds. A lot of people say that it drops to regular GPRS speeds when they get throttled. I only tested it the one time with that review unit SGS2, but it wasn't that bad. 100Kbps is fine for web browsing. The problem seems to be that it's all very much a "your mileage may vary" situation.
AT&T is evil, but at least they are consistent.
They're all evil. We simply pick the lesser evil in any given location.
I'm kind of surprised that nobody's mentioned T-Mobile's Wifi Calling. It allows you to get service anywhere that has a Wifi network available, and you can do everything as normal (Call, text, internet) through your plan. I use it everyday, and I think it's great.
theholyfork said:
I'm kind of surprised that nobody's mentioned T-Mobile's Wifi Calling. It allows you to get service anywhere that has a Wifi network available, and you can do everything as normal (Call, text, internet) through your plan. I use it everyday, and I think it's great.
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Click to collapse
It's nice to have, but kind of crappy that it still counts against you, even though you aren't using their towers...
Hey there,
I'm going down to the U.S for a trip to Darien Lake for a weekend soon (my family and I are Canadian). I need phone/text/internet access with fast speeds and very reliable service. I have heard 'Straight Talk' tossed around a bit on these forums, though I don't know if I would be allowed to purchase it (as a non-U.S citizen). I have an unlocked N7000 Galaxy Note to use on any service and would prefer to use it if possible. So, it is in this situation that I humbly ask for advice from my fellow XDA'ers.
Kindly,
LiquidNitrogen
Not sure where you are in Canada my friend but take a look at this... Perhaps you can order one or find something similar in your area...
http://www.omegacell.com/collections/us-roaming-sims
LiquidNitrogen said:
Hey there,
I'm going down to the U.S for a trip to Darien Lake for a weekend soon (my family and I are Canadian). I need phone/text/internet access with fast speeds and very reliable service. I have heard 'Straight Talk' tossed around a bit on these forums, though I don't know if I would be allowed to purchase it (as a non-U.S citizen). I have an unlocked N7000 Galaxy Note to use on any service and would prefer to use it if possible. So, it is in this situation that I humbly ask for advice from my fellow XDA'ers.
Kindly,
LiquidNitrogen
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Click to collapse
I believe you can just go to straighttalk.com and order yourself a sim card [choose AT&T sim]and a $45 month unlimited card. Should be around $60 shipped.
Edit: I'm not sure they ship internationally. Could you have it shipped to the location you are staying in the states?
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda premium
Go with Straight Talk. ST uses ATT's network so very reliable in most places in the US and fast data as well.
I live in Rochester, used to live in Buffalo, so I travel between the cities quite a bit, right through Darien Lake area.
I would look at Red Pocket (goredpocket-dot-com). They use the AT&T Go Phone prepaid coverage (You can google the map, then put in Pembroke, NY as the address. Pembroke is town adjacent to Darien Lake). You will see coverage is fine there, and I've had no problems with calls through there.
I'm sure you can buy a Red Pocket SIM on Amazon and have it delivered to Canada. Red Pocket used to cater to the Asian Market who would be coming to the U.S., So signing up from Canada probably won't be a problem.
I should also float the question the other way, what's the best Prepaid SIM to use when I visit Canada? This will be the first time I'll be taking a GSM phone to Canada (I previously had Sprint).
straighttalk is the way to go. they have a cheaper 30 dollar plan also.
maddog2727 said:
I live in Rochester, used to live in Buffalo, so I travel between the cities quite a bit, right through Darien Lake area.
I would look at Red Pocket (goredpocket-dot-com). They use the AT&T Go Phone prepaid coverage (You can google the map, then put in Pembroke, NY as the address. Pembroke is town adjacent to Darien Lake). You will see coverage is fine there, and I've had no problems with calls through there.
I'm sure you can buy a Red Pocket SIM on Amazon and have it delivered to Canada. Red Pocket used to cater to the Asian Market who would be coming to the U.S., So signing up from Canada probably won't be a problem.
I should also float the question the other way, what's the best Prepaid SIM to use when I visit Canada? This will be the first time I'll be taking a GSM phone to Canada (I previously had Sprint).
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Click to collapse
I looked around recently, Petro-Canada looked like a pretty good bet.
The problem is, us getting Petro-Canada SIMs is likely the same problem he'll have trying to get a Straight Talk SIM or Red Pocket SIM - They won't ship internationally, not even across the US/CAN border. I know Straight Talk's BYOD SIMs are mail-order only, you cannot purchase them in brick-and-mortar stores. Dunno if Petro-Canada SIMs are easier to find in their gas stations.
I live near the NY/PA border and have been looking into SIMs for if I ever want to make a trip to Montreal.
Yeah get the ST Sim and get it delivered to someone here in the States to either forward it to you in Canada our have it waiting here for you to pick up in the States. The Sims are sent by Fed Ex ground unless you want it delivered quicker and you can pay for 2 day or next day shipping.
Sent from my GT-N7000 Samsung Galaxy Note "Go big or go home" using XDA app
The only reason I suggest Red Pocket over straight Talk is that there's an unofficial daiy cap with straight talks data (go ahead and read about the problem in the forums) where as with Red Pocket you get to use your block of data however you like. You cam tether, use it all in one day, etc.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk 2
I dont view straight talk as a pre-paid SIM in its classic sense.. as its a monthly contract...
I recommend a visit to http://www.telestial.com/ to view available options.
Mystic38 said:
I dont view straight talk as a pre-paid SIM in its classic sense.. as its a monthly contract...
I recommend a visit to http://www.telestial.com/ to view available options.
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Click to collapse
It's "monthly" but you only need to get it a month at a time. It's not a contract, no need to sign up for multiple months.
The more basic "pay as you go" plans are so basic that a Note will exceed the cost of a better plan rapidly.
As for Canadian prepaid, I'm really not sure. I've never had to use prepaid, I've always had a plan. Rogers/Bell/Telus are the 'big 3' companies in Canada, which all have more or less the same service and quality - the difference is in pricing and packages. I've always been a Telus user, as they have very clear and fair pricing, but I know many who are on Rogers (not too many on Bell though). Bell is usually more expensive for what you get. Whatever you do, stay away from Wind Mobile - their coverage sucks, their customer service is terrible, they are a royal pain to deal with and they only use T-Mobile's bands.
Prepaid SIMs are pretty easy to get. I've seen them alot at gas stations, Walmart, convenience stores, 7/11, etc. It's impossible to get unlimited data here in Canada though, even on contract you can't get it. Our providers have been very strict about that. And on top of that, within the past few months, they've upped their efforts to increase pricing and reduce caps on their data offerings.
I believe the major cellular companies to check out are Rogers/Telus/Bell (big 3) and their subsidiaries Koodoo, Virgin Mobile, Fido. This should help:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Canadian_mobile_phone_companies
Anyways, back to my issue, I'm going to need alot of data as much data as possible (~4 to 6 gb). Red pocket seems pretty good but they only give you 2GB of data. I'm looking at Boost Mobile right now but they use Sprints network, which is supposedly slow, but they don't cap their data (supposedly). The unofficial data cap on Straight Talk makes me want to avoid it, as I've read its 100mb/day which is very small.
LiquidNitrogen said:
As for Canadian prepaid, I'm really not sure. I've never had to use prepaid, I've always had a plan. Rogers/Bell/Telus are the 'big 3' companies in Canada, which all have more or less the same service and quality - the difference is in pricing and packages. I've always been a Telus user, as they have very clear and fair pricing, but I know many who are on Rogers (not too many on Bell though). Bell is usually more expensive for what you get. Whatever you do, stay away from Wind Mobile - their coverage sucks, their customer service is terrible, they are a royal pain to deal with and they only use T-Mobile's bands.
Prepaid SIMs are pretty easy to get. I've seen them alot at gas stations, Walmart, convenience stores, 7/11, etc. It's impossible to get unlimited data here in Canada though, even on contract you can't get it. Our providers have been very strict about that. And on top of that, within the past few months, they've upped their efforts to increase pricing and reduce caps on their data offerings.
I believe the major cellular companies to check out are Rogers/Telus/Bell (big 3) and their subsidiaries Koodoo, Virgin Mobile, Fido. This should help:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Canadian_mobile_phone_companies
Anyways, back to my issue, I'm going to need alot of data as much data as possible (~4 to 6 gb). Red pocket seems pretty good but they only give you 2GB of data. I'm looking at Boost Mobile right now but they use Sprints network, which is supposedly slow, but they don't cap their data (supposedly). The unofficial data cap on Straight Talk makes me want to avoid it, as I've read its 100mb/day which is very small.
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I would rather have data cap than ever deal with sprints network again.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda premium
The ST $30 "All you need" plan may only be available on their phones and not on an unlocked phone from another GSM carrier. Hope I'm wrong. See http://straighttalksim.com/index.php
lamou1nr said:
I would rather have data cap than ever deal with sprints network again.
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Click to collapse
Thanks for the advice on the Canadian Prepaid.
As cor your issue, I believe Boost is CDMA only because it's runs on Sprint's native coverage.
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