Related
... <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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Just got this "BREAKING NEWS" thing on my phone that said T-Mobile sells to AT&T for like 37 billion $$ ... I want to say I hope this is joke .. but it isn't because it is on a real website .. WFTV .. I love my UNLIMITED DATA phones.
http://www.wftv.com/money/27255956/detail.html
AT&T To Acquire T-Mobile USA For $39 Billion From Deutsche Telekom
Posted: 3:00 pm EDT March 20, 2011Updated: 3:06 pm EDT March 20, 2011
DALLAS -- AT&T to acquire T-Mobile USA for $39 Billion from Deutsche Telekom
shEEEsh said:
Just got this "BREAKING NEWS" thing on my phone that said T-Mobile sells to AT&T for like 37 billion $$ ... I want to say I hope this is joke .. but it isn't because it is on a real website .. WFTV .. I love my UNLIMITED DATA phones.
http://www.wftv.com/money/27255956/detail.html
AT&T To Acquire T-Mobile USA For $39 Billion From Deutsche Telekom
Posted: 3:00 pm EDT March 20, 2011Updated: 3:06 pm EDT March 20, 2011
DALLAS -- AT&T to acquire T-Mobile USA for $39 Billion from Deutsche Telekom
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
sadly it looks true
http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/20/atandt-agrees-to-buy-t-mobile-from-deutsche-telekom/
Not a good thing at all. AT&T SUCKS. I am glad that I am Canadian and do not have to deal with those jerks.
Judging by the amount of ATT rants I have seen I feel sorry for you guys. It won't be long before ATT start offloading their network onto tmobiles and updateing android devices to prevent sideloading (unless they do what t mobile and Orange UK did which was a 2g crossover)
Wait doesn't their 3g work on different bands
Sent from my HTC Wildfire using XDA App
Just great, not a happy camper at all. Hopefully when its all said and done i will no longer be living in the US. It is a shame that a company will force you to take one of their plans when you dont want to and there is nothing anyone can do about that,why would i want to pay more and get less and sign another contract that i dont want to?
Dont want to go back to sprint and verizon will be hard to get into with their credit check and i dont want to loose my SIM phones.
Sent from HAL 9000
**** I just left att 2 years ago....BOLLOCKS
Sent from my SGH-T849 using XDA Premium App
Wow, good bye good service. So long great speeds. No I can join the people at work who's service sucks.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
****, first Cingular and now Tmo. I am cursed. I am also just out of contract and on a sweet unlimited plan that is pretty cheap. I finally had what I wanted.
I guess the least they could do is give me back the rollover minutes I lost when I switched and the money I had to pay to get out of the contract. I mean, that was all a result of me wanting to switch, and I accepted it. Now I have to go back to AT&T? I guess if they say "**** you" to my request (which the will), it is off to Sprint maybe.
Yeah. I'm not happy either. I just hope this was a monetary move and they leave the networks untouched. If they start screwing with **** I'm gone. ETF and all. I was very happy with t mobile. I hate ATT, and always have.
Sent from my GT-P1000 using XDA Premium App
I saw an interesting post in another forum. The poster claims the reason why anti-trust laws will be overlooked is so ATT can build the 4g network up. Basically, they do all the grunt work getting the 4g standard set nationwide, and then the gov't steps in and chops them up. ATT knows this, but they also know they will make large profits during this time.
The poster did a much better job explaining, and his version made some sense. Either way, I like Tmo. I don't want to change to ATT again.
This is going to hurt, so heres an idea, ALL the talent here, we could start our own service.. DOH.. not...
I will definately switch to a diff carrier, my contract will be over in 10 months.
Bumping this up so that ppl can learn to READ and realize that there are multiple thread on this already.
T-Mobile customers now get to experience the worst customer service by any company on the face of the earth! Seriously I would rate AT&T as the number 1 worst company for customer service that I have ever dealth with in my entire life. T-Mobile's customer service is much better.
As for customer service .. TMobiles reps will probably be AT&T employees. In the beginning the c/s will be ok, at least until they realise they don't have to be nice and/or helpful to keep their job.
what i'm more concerned about is this. what will happen to my galaxy tab that runs on TMo's AWS bands after the merger? from the material they released today it seems that there going to phase out tmo 3g on AWS to implement LTE on that spectrum. does that mean if i have my tab for two years, i'll have edge only(no 800/1900 AT&T 3G Band) on the new network for a year?
An agreement was announced under which AT&T will acquire T-Mobile USA. The agreement is the first step in a process that, including regulatory approvals, is expected to be completed in approximately 12 months. Until then, we remain a separate company and continue to operate independently.
We know our customers, business partners and others may have many questions.
Here is some more information:
Will my service change?
There is no change in your service and we remain committed to ensuring you have the best experience possible experience using your T-Mobile USA products and services.
Will I now be billed by AT&T?
No, your billing remains exactly the same. T-Mobile USA continues to operate as an independent company. As always, you would receive advance notice to any changes to your services.
Why is T-Mobile USA doing this?
Bringing together these two world-class businesses will create significant benefits for customers. The merger will ensure the deployment of a robust 4G LTE network to 95% of the U.S. population, something neither company would achieve on its own. Also, because of our compatible networks and spectrum, the customers of T-Mobile USA and AT&T will experience improved voice and data service almost immediately after the networks are integrated.
Will T-Mobile USA’s quality be reduced?
No. In fact, the combination of AT&T and T-Mobile USA will offer an even stronger service to customers. Until the acquisition is closed, we will work hard to maintain our position as the value leader with America’s largest 4G network.
If the acquisition closes, will I still be able to use my T-Mobile USA phone?
Yes. Your T-Mobile USA device will operate the same in the future as it does today.
Should I wait to sign-up with T-Mobile USA or upgrade my phone?
No, T-Mobile USA offers the latest wireless devices that are affordable on America’s Largest 4G Network and the combination of AT&T and T-Mobile USA will mean even stronger service for our customers. Now is a great time to be a T-Mobile customer.
Is T-Mobile USA getting the iPhone?
T-Mobile USA remains an independent company. The acquisition is expected to be completed in approximately 12 months. We do not offer the iPhone. We offer cutting edge devices like the Samsung Galaxy S 4G and coming soon our new Sidekick 4G.
Will my rate plan change because of the acquisition?
We will honor all contracted plans that are entered into before the change of ownership.
Where can I express my opinion on this?
T-Mobile customers can utilize the company's online Forums.
The merger is good for At&t and T-Mobile, but consumers loose a bit of choice in a carrier who was willing to take risks and "keep the big players honest" when it comes to pricing and value. I'm not a T-Mobile customer nor have I been for a long time but I respect what they represented in the market place. If the merger gets green lit then wireless competition in the US dies a little.
Sent from my SCH-I800 using XDA Premium App
A little. Have you HEARD all the moaning and groaning about how horrible AT&T is?
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
I live between Decatur & Hartselle and dropped several calls yesterday, after calling att I was transfered to 2nd tear support who told me most likely I was experiencing dropped calls because the 3 towers surrounding me are being worked on for "4G". I asked specifically if she meant HSUPA+ and she confirmed the towers are being upgraded to HSUPA+. Previously I had spoken with att's Jessica Wilson in the office of the president, most of you already know att's office of the president was much less than helpful in obtaining info on HSUPA+. So I just wanted to share the info I had received, and I know it is different in every area but: Att is upgrading the three towers in the Hartselle/Decatur AL area to support HSUPA+, one tower will be completed on 7/1 and the other two on 7/15. Of course you can never really trust what an att person tells you.. but this seems more like the truth than anything else I have previously been told.
I think you mean HSPA+.
HSUPA is blocked on your phone by AT&T, and will be unlocked by a software OTA supposedly this month. The current AT&T 3G network fully supports HSUPA already. If you had an unlocked Inspire/Captivate or iPhone, you already have HSUPA.
Divinedark said:
I think you mean HSPA+.
HSUPA is blocked on your phone by AT&T, and will be unlocked by a software OTA supposedly this month. The current AT&T 3G network fully supports HSUPA already. If you had an unlocked Inspire/Captivate or iPhone, you already have HSUPA.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes your right! I meant HSPA+, sorry. But I assume that HSUPA+ and HSDPA+ are just the Ups and Downs of HSPA+.? Anyways.. like the op says this is just information regarding the three TOWERS in my area and is less valuable info for anybody that doesn't live in the Dec/Hart AL area. Or you could deduct that rural areas will start to see the network upgrades this summer. Just wanted to share what I learned because it took me a month and I talked to several att people before about HSPA+ and was never given any real info.
My cm7 Captivate does have HSPA+ enabled, but until these towers are working I cannot enjoy it. So for everybody that doesnt live in major cities, I would say the tower upgrades are just as or more important than the phone upgrades. I have joined the community in filing a bbb complaint and signing groubles and all the other things this community has been trying to get att to enable the feature, for those in major cities that have the towers. However, att/moto could enable HSPA+ today and it would be completely useless to me until these tower upgrades are complete.
If Decatur, AL in the back of beyond is being upgraded that soon.............means the rest of us in the civilized world will have it sooner!
On a more serious note.............I wouldn't believe anything an AT&T rep told me! When it goes live, we will know...........until then..........I believe the community here at XDA knows more than AT&T employees!
CaelanT said:
If Decatur, AL in the back of beyond is being upgraded that soon.............means the rest of us in the civilized world will have it sooner!
On a more serious note.............I wouldn't believe anything an AT&T rep told me! When it goes live, we will know...........until then..........I believe the community here at XDA knows more than AT&T employees!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Right you civilized people in boston might be getting upgraded towers sooner than July. Us hillbillys just seen are first lectronic thang, its shiny and makes loud noises.
Agreed when it goes live we will know....until then........Can you provide me with a link to XDAs thread on tower upgrade eta?
Please read this before all the flaming post are posted. I have read enough discussion on this board to know there is no chance of it. How Google locked everything down. How ever, we could maybe find a turning post with this message.
This was posted on Tmobile blog:
http://multimediacapsule.thomsonone.com/t-mobileusa/t-mobile-brings-voice-over-lte-to-seattle
Tmobile is turning on VoLTE in Seattle. I will try to explain this as best as I can since I work in the Industry and atm Tmobile. You can read further techs in the blog post. But simply, Tmobile is putting its Voice network on its LTE network.
As you know, our LTE devices, operate on all (US) GSM/CDMA/LTE Bands but voice calling we were always locked out of (because of Google). You can see if you are using a regular smartphone, if you place a call, your phone will swtich from LTE to 4G service. The current standard. But with Tmobile and ATT rolling VoLTE out, our phones will stay on LTE provided you are in the service area.
Inside these cabinets there used to be two devices that handled each technology, GSM and LTE. But i just started seeing Tmobile roll out a new devices that carries both of these technology in the same unit, providing this capability. I can tell you NYC and the Boroughs roll out is wwwwaaaaaaaayyyyyyyy behind. We have completed 1500+ LTE upgrades around the city and i just started seeing the new device about 3 weeks ago. So i can tell you that Tmobile has alot of sites to go back and retrofit in order to make this work in NYC. ATT will be done in NYC before tmobile, because they are getting ready to upgrade their LTE network but they will install the newer device at the same time. ATT should be ready by years end. Tmobile, will probably turn it on by end of year as well but the service will be very scattered.
Now i wonder if some devs with deeper knowledge of these devices and programming could turn these devices into a phone. As of right now, only a developer in Seattle could work on this (For Tmobile). And where ATT has turned on this service. Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. So maybe there could be hope on the LTE devices. God speed developers.