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Just rang up T-Mob to cancel my current contract (HTC Hero - nostalgia, anyone?) and was made the following offer:
SGS2 £60 upfront, then £30 for 18 months.
Unlimited data (not crummy reseller data) and £180 of PAYG credit each month (does not roll over)
At my door on Wednesday
Can keep my existing number (no need to inform 100+ people)
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This is in contrast to the deal I was going to get:
Talkmobile, SGS2 £155 upfront, then £30 for 12 months
Unlimited data, 400 mins, 1000 texts
Ships soon-ish-ish-ish ("stock in 7-14 days")
Would be online so cannot keep existing number
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The T-Mob rep said they're merging 3G networks Q2 2011, incorporating Orange and some Three. Maybe this will help the network woes?
I went for the deal, but there's probably time to reverse my decision.
Any thoughts?
Xero Xenith said:
Just rang up T-Mob to cancel my current contract (HTC Hero - nostalgia, anyone?) and was made the following offer:
This is in contrast to the deal I was going to get:
The T-Mob rep said they're merging 3G networks Q2 2011, incorporating Orange and some Three. Maybe this will help the network woes?
I went for the deal, but there's probably time to reverse my decision.
Any thoughts?
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A phone's only as good as the network you use it on. You mentioned "merging," "incorporating," and "network woes," in your description of T-Mobile. Objectively, it doesn't sound like you're going to a very happy place - at least in the near term.
BarryH_GEG said:
A phone's only as good as the network you use it on. You mentioned "merging," "incorporating," and "network woes," in your description of T-Mobile. Objectively, it doesn't sound like you're going to a very happy place - at least in the near term.
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Thanks for the reply!
I've been with T-Mob through their merging of Orange and T-Mob 2G networks, and it was seamless. I now get better 2G reception in more places - hoping the same will happen for 3G.
T-Mobile is adequate, but not as good for data at the moment as Vodafone or 3.
Very interested in hearing some more opinions/rebuttals to this though. What would you do in my situation?
In the U.S., AT&T and Verizon are tier-one carriers. T-Mobile and Sprint, tier-two. I was with Verizon, but left because they're CDMA and I travel internationally a lot. To get GSM, I went with T-Mobile because they were cheaper and had cooler phones. Like your T-Mobile, they had acquisitions and network performance to this day varies by region. One of the areas I travel to in the States had piss-poor coverage. They pissed me off in dealing with the problems I was having with my new G2X so I left. I'm on AT&T now with a SGS2 and (so far) quite happy. We all use our phones differently. You have to weigh voice, data, roaming, reliability, service and price. I learned with T-Mobile U.S. that only focusing on price was a big mistake.
BarryH_GEG said:
In the U.S., AT&T and Verizon are tier-one carriers. T-Mobile and Sprint, tier-two. I was with Verizon, but left because they're CDMA and I travel internationally a lot. To get GSM, I went with T-Mobile because they were cheaper and had cooler phones. Like your T-Mobile, they had acquisitions and network performance to this day varies by region. One of the areas I travel to in the States had piss-poor coverage. They pissed me off in dealing with the problems I was having with my new G2X so I left. I'm on AT&T now with a SGS2 and (so far) quite happy. We all use our phones differently. You have to weigh voice, data, roaming, reliability, service and price. I learned with T-Mobile U.S. that only focusing on price was a big mistake.
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Ahh, I see. In the UK, T-Mobile used to be the smallest (or second-smallest to Three), but they're merging completely with another network - Orange - to become the country's biggest. Or at least that's what was said...
Its more about Verizon. I'm am att customer atm and was thinking about switching over to Verizon to get the galaxy note 2. Has anyone had experience with both providers? Amy thoughts on either?
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kevinallen4325 said:
Its more about Verizon. I'm am att customer atm and was thinking about switching over to Verizon to get the galaxy note 2. Has anyone had experience with both providers? Amy thoughts on either?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using xda app-developers app
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Verizon does many things right, but also many things wrong.
They offer great coverage and speeds. Their plans are a bit pricey, but considering what you get it isn't to be unexpected. Many of us on VZW have unlimited data plans too, which you can no longer get, so it is irrelevant, but most don't want to leave to other carriers for these 3 reasons.
Here is downside about VZW, many people have had a bad experiences in terms of customer service. I've dealt with VZW many times, such as they convinced my sister to get off her unlimited data plan and wouldn't add on some features that my dad took off 5 minutes later by accident.
They get phones late relative to other carriers and they do things that most other carriers do not do (e.g. home button branding).
kimdoocheol said:
Verizon does many things right, but also many things wrong.
They offer great coverage and speeds. Their plans are a bit pricey, but considering what you get it isn't to be unexpected. Many of us on VZW have unlimited data plans too, which you can no longer get, so it is irrelevant, but most don't want to leave to other carriers for these 3 reasons.
Here is downside about VZW, many people have had a bad experiences in terms of customer service. I've dealt with VZW many times, such as they convinced my sister to get off her unlimited data plan and wouldn't add on some features that my dad took off 5 minutes later by accident.
They get phones late relative to other carriers and they do things that most other carriers do not do (e.g. home button branding).
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This really sums it up pretty well.
I've had (and still use for work) AT&T. My personal phone is Verizon.
From my experience and where I live, Verizon has much better reception and call clarity. I hate how AT&T claim they have a more robust LTE connection because they really do not.
But yes, Verizon CS sucks.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2
Verizon has a decent sized LTE network. It's getting to the point where if you're in any well populated area, you'll have 4G service. They are still expanding, and have a lot of work to do before their 4G coverage has the same reach as their 2G/3G network, but they're the only carrier that is even close to having a full next generation network. The price is high, but you get great service in return. Their software updates may be slow, but they also tend to have fewer issues with software updates than other carriers. T-Mobile and Sprint are the only two fast carriers when it comes to updates, and both AT&T and VZW are on the slow end for product updates and also they tend to have more preinstalled junk than other carriers as well. Customer service is hit or miss. It really depends on what you're having a problem with. Their software/hardware troubleshooting leaves a lot to be desired, but it is still better than the rest on average from what I've heard. They tend to be much better with account issues from my experiences, but I don't have any recent comparisons to another carrier for that to say if it's better or worse.
AT&T will have better battery life on their phones as they are full GSM, not a CDMA/GSM (LTE) hybrid network. The nice thing is you can unlock a phone and use it on their network, something you can't do with VZW, and this opens up a lot of possibilities for phones. They tend to be a little less controlling when it comes to devices they sell as well (branding, locking, etc.). Cost is on par with VZW, and you shouldn't have a problem with coverage as long as you aren't travelling through an unpopulated area. However, coverage isn't the same as what VZW offers, and the network can be over saturated in some areas. They have more "4G" than VZW, but most of this is HSPA+, note LTE. Speeds are comparable, but LTE has the potential for much faster speeds in the future, where HSPA+ is pretty much being maxed out.
Overall, I wouldn't say that one is significantly better than the other. Neither is a good option if you are looking to cut costs, and customer service is probably about the same for most things. A lot of customer service issues are going to really depend on who you talk to, as there are always times you get the person that doesn't know anything and doesn't care, they're just there for the paycheck, and other times you get someone that cares or knows what they're doing, and it solves your problem fast. One thing good about VZW is that all of their call centers are in the US, not sure about AT&T. I think the choice should really be, do you want to pay for the network and go through the hassle of switching carriers just for a phone.
Verizon LTE coverage is great and speed used to be great when first rolled out but it's just good now with widespread usage. The one major red flag is frequent LTE disconnects across multiple different LTE handsets such as HTC Thunderbolt, Motorola Rzr series, etc. Sometimes it goes for a few days without a hiccup then usually around midnight it starts going into a frequent LTE disconnect/reconnect, sometimes as often as several times per minute, so data is useless. This problem occurs with 4G LTE and 3G eHRPD which have the same authentication method in common. Disabling 4G LTE and forcing 3G EVDOrevA works fine but I believe it uses a different authentication method. This leads me to believe that it's a network, possibly Diameter authentication, issue. Having to live with this issue for a few months now I'm about fed up. If I hear the Galaxy Note II has the same issue I'm seriously jumping ship to Tmobile.
mi7chy said:
Verizon LTE coverage is great and speed used to be great when first rolled out but it's just good now with widespread usage. The one major red flag is frequent LTE disconnects across multiple different LTE handsets such as HTC Thunderbolt, Motorola Rzr series, etc. Sometimes it goes for a few days without a hiccup then usually around midnight it starts going into a frequent LTE disconnect/reconnect, sometimes as often as several times per minute, so data is useless. This problem occurs with 4G LTE and 3G eHRPD which have the same authentication method in common. Disabling 4G LTE and forcing 3G EVDOrevA works fine but I believe it uses a different authentication method. This leads me to believe that it's a network, possibly Diameter authentication, issue. Having to live with this issue for a few months now I'm about fed up. If I hear the Galaxy Note II has the same issue I'm seriously jumping ship to Tmobile.
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I use my phone at all hours of the day and never have issues with data just randomly disappearing unless VZW is in the middle of a nationwide problem, which hasn't happened for a little while now. I think that they finally got most of the issues they were having to cause the outages sorted, after almost 2 years.
I like Verizon, the coverage is great but sometimes I wonder if the grass is greener. I like to try all the different phones out there and T-Mobile and AT&T have the most open networks for switching out phones. I think T-Mobile is not going to work because the coverage is just not there. I used to be an At&T customer and only left really for Android (Original Droid). Now that Android is spread to al the carriers I wonder if I might like AT&T better just because I can switch out phones so much easier. Anyone have any input, maybe someone that has switched from Verizon to AT&T?
Character Zero said:
I like Verizon, the coverage is great but sometimes I wonder if the grass is greener. I like to try all the different phones out there and T-Mobile and AT&T have the most open networks for switching out phones. I think T-Mobile is not going to work because the coverage is just not there. I used to be an At&T customer and only left really for Android (Original Droid). Now that Android is spread to al the carriers I wonder if I might like AT&T better just because I can switch out phones so much easier. Anyone have any input, maybe someone that has switched from Verizon to AT&T?
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I'd love to provide some input as a user who has been a Verizon customer for a few years and is switching to AT&T. I previously used the Galaxy Nexus on Verizon and then switched to the iPhone 5 last year. I am still on an unlimited data plan. However, I have grown increasingly frustrated at Verizon because of their lack of phone variety, slow updates, locked bootloaders, Verizon customizations (persistent WIFI notifications, for example), etc.
So I bought an HTC One on AT&T the other day and am currently evaluating it. Right now I still have my Verizon iPhone 5 with unlimited data. But I also have the HTC One with the 5GB data plan (I have a 25% business discount).
SO is the grass greener? Yes and No. Here are some of my thoughts:
- Verizon has better overall coverage, but AT&T is faster. In my area, LTE on AT&T just went live, and while speeds are comparable, AT&T has better penetration already into the buildings I've been in. In my workplace, for example, I can get 4G LTE on AT&T but only 3G on Verizon unless I am close to the windows. It's nice having HSPA+ as a drop down from LTE as opposed to Verizon's very slow 3G network IMO. Can't deny Verizon's coverage is second to none, but AT&T is good in my area so this is probably the primary consideration (how is AT&T in your main area you'll be in???)
- It would be very hard to give up my Unlimited Data plan on Verizon. It's nice not having to worry about data caps. However, in actual use, I rarely go over 3-4GB per month and only occasionally reach 5GB. I don't think 3GB would be enough as I'd be constantly worrying about going over, plus I'd have to workaround tethering. For now, I'm keeping my Verizon line until I am absolutely sure.
- Phones! GMS > CDMA if only for the flexibility the former has for phones. The floodgates are open on AT&T and T-Mobile, but Verizon takes longer to get phones, has less variety, and has complete control over them. I hate everything about what Verizon is doing, and it's clear they don't have geeks in mind that like to tinker and switch phones often. I change phones every 9-12 months usually, and AT&T is going to provide a better environment than Verizon for that. Not perfect, mind you. They still lock bootloaders, and have some draconian policies and practices, but by the nature of their GMS network, there is more flexibility.
- HTC One. I bought the One on AT&T before it was officially confirmed that Verizon would be getting it. So there is a part of me that thinks I should just return the AT&T version and wait for the Verizon version. However, I am not at all confident that Verizon won't screw it up or prevent HTC from allowing us to unlock the bootloader. And like I said, I'm just really tired of Verizon and their meddling. I may just end up keep both plans for a while, but right now I'm leaning towards keeping the AT&T version despite my unlimited data plan on Verizon.
Hope that helps.
Yes that was a great help. I am really torn because Verizon's coverage is so great. I know that ATT LTE went live here a little bit ago and I think the coverage is pretty good. Ironically I left ATT for the Droid on Verizon because of the lack of variety on ATT at the time. Thanks for your input.
honestly i would move to verizon right now if i could, in my area better coverage + better speeds
Character Zero said:
Yes that was a great help. I am really torn because Verizon's coverage is so great. I know that ATT LTE went live here a little bit ago and I think the coverage is pretty good. Ironically I left ATT for the Droid on Verizon because of the lack of variety on ATT at the time. Thanks for your input.
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No problem. I know what you mean, I had AT&T a long time ago too and moved to Verizon when they changed their unlimited data policy. So it's ironic that I am now switching back. AT&T has done a good job of courting Android phone makers, and Verizon seems to be in the honeymoon phase of having the iPhone now. It's weird how things have flip-flopped! AT&T also has a few more consumer-friendly policies such as not forcing customers into a Share Everything data plan if you aren't already grandfathered in. They have rollover minutes (which I know isn't a big deal these day with people using voice less). And they have Mobile to ANY Mobile rather than just Mobile to Mobile, which is a small advantage I know.
But yeah, the primary consideration is how each carrier performs in your area. If both are good (like in my area), you have more options.
xnknown said:
honestly i would move to verizon right now if i could, in my area better coverage + better speeds
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Yes, if one carrier has better coverage and speeds in your area, then it makes sense to use that carrier. In my area, Verizon's LTE has been around for almost two years now and I rarely get more than 10 Mbps downloads. Usually it hovers around 5-9 Mbps, which is not even much better than AT&T's HSPA+, let alone LTE. And when my phones on Verizon drop down to 3G, it feels like dialup speeds. So far, AT&T is noticeable better for speeds between my HTC One and iPhone 5.
But again, YMMV and this is just a subjective observation on my part. To the OP, you could always give AT&T a shot for 14 days and compare the networks. If it doesn't work out, you can cancel and just pay the restocking fee. Just use the new phone with a new number, so you don't have to port and cancel your old line yet.
It all depends on your location really. I live near philly and the service has actually been a bit better on att then verizon from when i had them a few years ago. The speeds are also better on att thanks to it not being cdma but rather hspa. Overall I would never go back to verizon due to their prices and slower speeds unless I moved somewhere where they had clearly better service than all other companies.
So what about dropped calls. I barely have any on Verizon, but I remember having them on AT&T. Does being on LTE fix that or is it still a problem?
I went from Verizon (been a customer for 10 years) to At&t recently because my wife's office only gets At&t reception and we wanted to be on a Mobile Share plan instead of having two separate accounts (saves us around 40 a month). I've had an At&t line over the years for work, so I know the coverage isn't NEARLY as good as Verizon, especially LTE coverage in my area (At&t just went live on a few towers in my neck of the woods), but the savings is worth the sacrifice at this time.
Plus, as you said, being able to use most GSM phones on the network is a HUGE plus. Being able to run the Google Edition on my HTC One will be fantastic and I don't think Verizon is going to make it easy to run that software. Plus, as another guy mentioned above, that persistent Wifi thing Verizon does is sooooooo annoying. Almost as bad as At&t putting their name in the notification bar of the GS3/GS4. At least it goes away after a few seconds on the HTC One.
I haven't had many dropped calls on At&t, but calls are not what I do the most of, so I'm a bad barometer for that. I know the wife drops a bunch but I just attributed it to being the Nexus 4 and not a tried and true, tested, At&t phone. She has a GS4 now, so we'll see if that improves.
Anyway, in short, I did it for strictly monetary reasons, but the plus sides of At&t are numerous so it's not as bad as thought it would be.
dbdynsty25 said:
I went from Verizon (been a customer for 10 years) to At&t recently because my wife's office only gets At&t reception and we wanted to be on a Mobile Share plan instead of having two separate accounts (saves us around 40 a month). I've had an At&t line over the years for work, so I know the coverage isn't NEARLY as good as Verizon, especially LTE coverage in my area (At&t just went live on a few towers in my neck of the woods), but the savings is worth the sacrifice at this time.
Plus, as you said, being able to use most GSM phones on the network is a HUGE plus. Being able to run the Google Edition on my HTC One will be fantastic and I don't think Verizon is going to make it easy to run that software. Plus, as another guy mentioned above, that persistent Wifi thing Verizon does is sooooooo annoying. Almost as bad as At&t putting their name in the notification bar of the GS3/GS4. At least it goes away after a few seconds on the HTC One.
I haven't had many dropped calls on At&t, but calls are not what I do the most of, so I'm a bad barometer for that. I know the wife drops a bunch but I just attributed it to being the Nexus 4 and not a tried and true, tested, At&t phone. She has a GS4 now, so we'll see if that improves.
Anyway, in short, I did it for strictly monetary reasons, but the plus sides of At&t are numerous so it's not as bad as thought it would be.
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Thats what I am afraid of. My wife values the voice and I value the data. So dropped calls don't bother me as much, but it would really bother my wife. Especially coming from Verizon with very few dropped calls.
I dropped Verizon last year for AT&T and, despite the few rough patches everyone else has mentioned, it was worth it. No one can beat Verizon's LTE network coverage at this point, but I was so fed up with their other BS on updates and pretty scanty selection of phones that I did what you did and suspended my service for a month to see what happened. At first they weren't perfect, but I was fine with them and loved that I could go from a US SGS3 to an international One X without a hitch. Also, AT&T's coverage (both 3G and LTE) has expanded greatly in quality and quantity over the last 6 months where I'm at for work and everyday life. So now I've finally convinced my wife to drop them also and thus ending our 12 year run with Verizon and their devolution into Apple-like "It's our way or you don't need it" business model.
Will I ever go back? Not until I can buy a new phone from anywhere I want and activate it on their network. And I believe it'll be a cold day in heck before that is ever allowed to happen!
I currently use a Verizon M7 with an old "grandfathered" Verizon unlimited data plan... I really have no complaints about the service level, phone calls are clear and don't drop, LTE data speeds are great... Nonetheless, I dislike Verizon's increasingly-successful efforts to lock-down their devices to an unbreakable degree, I dislike the fact that Verizon STILL hasn't released Lollipop for their M7, AND I feel I'm paying way too much money every month for my line and 3 other lines for my wife and kids (they DON'T have unlimited data).
So, T-Mobile's month-to-month plans and offers to buy out Verizon contracts is tempting... Questions:
Does modern GSM still buzz through every nearby speaker?
How solid are telephone conversations on T-Mobile? Are you happy with their USA network? I'm working around the greater SF bay area with business travel to major metro areas - few road trips...
Are T-Mo's "unlimited" data plans truly unlimited, or do they throttle down speeds after a certain threshold?
Dare I keep using my m7wlv (verizon's HTC One variant) on T-Mo's network? Presumably I can just swap out the SIM, but I suspect limited band selection, etc.
Thanks!
bmeek said:
I currently use a Verizon M7 with an old "grandfathered" Verizon unlimited data plan... I really have no complaints about the service level, phone calls are clear and don't drop, LTE data speeds are great... Nonetheless, I dislike Verizon's increasingly-successful efforts to lock-down their devices to an unbreakable degree, I dislike the fact that Verizon STILL hasn't released Lollipop for their M7, AND I feel I'm paying way too much money every month for my line and 3 other lines for my wife and kids (they DON'T have unlimited data).
So, T-Mobile's month-to-month plans and offers to buy out Verizon contracts is tempting... Questions:
Does modern GSM still buzz through every nearby speaker?
How solid are telephone conversations on T-Mobile? Are you happy with their USA network? I'm working around the greater SF bay area with business travel to major metro areas - few road trips...
Are T-Mo's "unlimited" data plans truly unlimited, or do they throttle down speeds after a certain threshold?
Dare I keep using my m7wlv (verizon's HTC One variant) on T-Mo's network? Presumably I can just swap out the SIM, but I suspect limited band selection, etc.
Thanks!
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Been on T-moblie for 1 1/2 yrs - came from Version
1) No - Never heard of this problem
2) Telephone conversations are just as good as on Verizon. We live in the Tucson, AZ area and have really good coverage here. I'm aware of a couple of spots where signal drops, but am rarely in those areas so no big deal. On road trips, coverage not as good as Verizon but on a trip to Glacier National Park, had signal 75% of the time (50% or more was roaming but at least we could still make calls). Considering the saving over Verizon, I'm happy to put up with that, especially since this is a once a year thing for a week or two only.
3) They throttle down speeds after you reach your high speed data limit. BE AWARE -- when roaming, data is greatly limited, and when you reach the limit, you are cut off.
4) No idea. When we switched, my son had a Verizon Nokia phone that was listed on T-mobile as compatible -- it mostly worked but there were a couple of things that didn't work quite right -- something with texting that didn't work right. After a couple of months, he sold it to my cousin who is on Verison, and wanted that particular phone and bought a Verizon model.
If I had it to do over again would I switch -- Most Definitely! I'm paying less on T-mobile for 4 smart phones than I did on Verizon for 3 flip phones and 1 smart phone, no contracts, unlimited text & talk and just as good of service. Nationwide, coverage is not nearly as good as Verizon, but then I'm not nationwide -- Just be sure to check coverage maps for the areas where coverage is important to you.
Hope that helps - I'll be sure to check back if you have more questions.
p.s. Opps, need to change my signature -- it's now a HTC One
I got mine today and i'm loving it.
As an electrical electronic engineering student i think i'll be finding a lot of projects i can use this for.
Must be noted, I had mine imported from New York in USA (PB2-690Y), so my data reception is spotty at times, but 3g on both 3-Hutchinson and EE work fine the majority of the time, texts and calls are fine and ALWAYS work and im okay living with the 3g data speeds of around 15-20 mbps.
Just some things to note if anyone else in the UK imported.
I payed (in total for HMRC, shipping and handling fees) a total of £550. A little more than going straight from lenovo GB (whenever its back in stock)
Some Networks wont work on the device due to lack of antenna in the device
Quick Charge still works fine with UK chargers
GPS is rock solid with wi-fi (for my Uni Campus), yet dependant on data connection when out and about (as with all phones i believe)
All of my reports on the reception are relating to my area, which is chester. a place where i have only ever rarely received a 4g connection, even in my old lg g3, and my friends struggle on iPhones to get 4g. When i move back over christmas and new years to near birmingham, where my home is, it's somewhere i know i can get a solid 4g signal, and have had so on all networks on all phones i've ever had, then i'll check in again and update. Although, by that time, people who want one in the UK will already have got theirs directly with the EMEA hardware.
Can't recommend enough getting the correct version from lenovo, but being a student wanting the hardware for its project ability more than its daily driver potential, i'm satisfied to live with lackluster data speeds.
According to the UK shop, there's not many left. And the French shop sold out.
They're back in stock in the UK, same rip-off pricing.
Now I found out you can easily unlock the bootloader, this is now my preferred phablet.