Save $ on cell service -- Ting Mobile / Solavei (+ other MVNOs) (1 Viewer)

[(HULK)]

All right, just one last check-in on this thread. Which, again, I must thank HULK for starting as it has been a revelation for our family. Customer service and about $15/month difference gives Ting an advantage over the other provider we're looking at, Virgin Mobile. However, one big feather in Virgin's cap is unlimited data and, the biggest one of them all to my wife, ability to get an IPhone (albeit a 4 or 4s). Is there anything I'm missing with Virgin? Anyone have bad/good experiences with them? We're looking at a Samsung Galaxy Victory for her with Ting, but an IPhone 4 is only ~$60 more with Virgin.

It may not matter for you or your wife, but Virgin throttles to 2G speeds after 2.5GBs (thats 2500 MBs) of data usage in a month.Virgin literally just started offering support for LTE via Sprint as well (although just one phone so far). Ting has had it since this past summer. So they're the same on that front.Ting will probably get the iPhone at some point, just not sure when, but their blog has made it clear that they're up Sprint's butt about it. We'll see if/when it happens. I would say the choice of phones @ Ting is pretty deep (from low end up to Galaxy Note 2), but the lack of an iPhone is definitely holding them back at the moment. I personally am not an iPhone person but so many people are.

 

[Mystery Achiever]

All right, just one last check-in on this thread. Which, again, I must thank HULK for starting as it has been a revelation for our family. Customer service and about $15/month difference gives Ting an advantage over the other provider we're looking at, Virgin Mobile. However, one big feather in Virgin's cap is unlimited data and, the biggest one of them all to my wife, ability to get an IPhone (albeit a 4 or 4s). Is there anything I'm missing with Virgin? Anyone have bad/good experiences with them? We're looking at a Samsung Galaxy Victory for her with Ting, but an IPhone 4 is only ~$60 more with Virgin.

Just in case you missed, if you pay via Autopay, the iphone is only $30/month instead of $35. At least it was when I was looking around a couple of weeks ago.

 

[culdeus]

Wife has an iphong unlocked for Tmobile's 30/month 1500TalkText + 30MB data. Would like to up the data and drop the talk/text but on Ting you have to have a VZW iphone right? It is really unclear who they piggyback.

 

[(HULK)]

Wife has an iphong unlocked for Tmobile's 30/month 1500TalkText + 30MB data. Would like to up the data and drop the talk/text but on Ting you have to have a VZW iphone right? It is really unclear who they piggyback.

They piggy back on Sprint and don't support the iPhone yet.

 

[3MTA3]

BlackdotTing has been on my radar for a bit as I like the option to bring my phone there until I figure out which phone I want next.I've also been looking at T-mobile's month to month plan. They have a $30 plan that includes unlimited data and text, but only 100 minutes of talk. Which I think would be enough for me if my wife ever stopped calling me so much. I'd set up VOIP at home for when I need to make work calls.

This is what I have and I love it. You have to pay more for the phone but it pays for itself in less than a year.

 

[(HULK)]

Finally up on Solavei, Sim card took 6 days to get here.

 

[Mystery Achiever]

BlackdotTing has been on my radar for a bit as I like the option to bring my phone there until I figure out which phone I want next.I've also been looking at T-mobile's month to month plan. They have a $30 plan that includes unlimited data and text, but only 100 minutes of talk. Which I think would be enough for me if my wife ever stopped calling me so much. I'd set up VOIP at home for when I need to make work calls.

This is what I have and I love it. You have to pay more for the phone but it pays for itself in less than a year.

When I was looking at prepaid in the T Mobile store, the guy suggested I buy the %60 monthly plan, which is the lowest that discounts a phone and then trade down in a month. I don't know how easy this is to do. I know I could not do that through him because this plan is not available in-store. I was looking at the $3/day Pay As You Go. One of these two plans is probably the best for me, but I haven't been able to find anyone locally to give me a report on coverage and what I've seen online isn;t great. Friends who have had Sprint have not been happy with coverage, so that is why I haven't pursued Ting or Virgin

 

[(HULK)]

BlackdotTing has been on my radar for a bit as I like the option to bring my phone there until I figure out which phone I want next.I've also been looking at T-mobile's month to month plan. They have a $30 plan that includes unlimited data and text, but only 100 minutes of talk. Which I think would be enough for me if my wife ever stopped calling me so much. I'd set up VOIP at home for when I need to make work calls.

This is what I have and I love it. You have to pay more for the phone but it pays for itself in less than a year.

When I was looking at prepaid in the T Mobile store, the guy suggested I buy the %60 monthly plan, which is the lowest that discounts a phone and then trade down in a month. I don't know how easy this is to do. I know I could not do that through him because this plan is not available in-store. I was looking at the $3/day Pay As You Go. One of these two plans is probably the best for me, but I haven't been able to find anyone locally to give me a report on coverage and what I've seen online isn;t great. Friends who have had Sprint have not been happy with coverage, so that is why I haven't pursued Ting or Virgin

Post the following info and I'll use my spreadsheet to find something for you. $3 a day is $90 a month and I'm sure I can crush that.Monthly averages or guesstimates:Call Minutes:Textsata Usage:Zip Code: (I'll use this to check coverage near you)

 

[Annyong]

im sure this has been asked, but....

Can I take my off contract iPhone to anything of these carriers instead of buying a new phone?

 

[Mystery Achiever]

Post the following info and I'll use my spreadsheet to find something for you. $3 a day is $90 a month and I'm sure I can crush that.Monthly averages or guesstimates:Call Minutes:0-25Texts:0Data Usage:0Zip Code: 06902

Don't laugh! I have an old Motorola flip phone that I rarely use. I've done fine without a smartphone, though I am sure if I had one I'd play around with it and like the idea of having back up if internet goes down. I pay $20/month (almost $24 with taxes)for 50 anytime minutes/250 nights and weekends( on Verizon, which is who everyone I know uses). That is why the $3/day makes sense for me. Though, at only $6/month more (as I understand it, the $30 prepaid is tax-inclusive), I might be willing to pay up for a new toy and a few less minutes that I probably don't need. I am fine staying with what I have, though at some point, I need to join the 21st century.

 

[(HULK)]

im sure this has been asked, but....Can I take my off contract iPhone to anything of these carriers instead of buying a new phone?

To some of them. What carrier are you currently on? That will dictate where you can bring it.

 

[(HULK)]

Post the following info and I'll use my spreadsheet to find something for you. $3 a day is $90 a month and I'm sure I can crush that.Monthly averages or guesstimates:Call Minutes:0-25Texts:0Data Usage:0Zip Code: 06902

Don't laugh! I have an old Motorola flip phone that I rarely use. I've done fine without a smartphone, though I am sure if I had one I'd play around with it and like the idea of having back up if internet goes down. I pay $20/month (almost $24 with taxes)for 50 anytime minutes/250 nights and weekends on Verizon, which is who everyone I know uses. That is why the $3/day makes sense for me. Though, at only $6/month more (as I understand it, the $30 prepaid is tax-inclusive), I might be willing to pay up for a new toy and a few more minutes that I probably don't need. I am fine staying with what I have, though at some point, I need to join the 21st century.

Carrier Avg. Rating No. of Reviews Towers Coverage Map --------------------------------------------------------------------------------1. AT&T 2.03 29 Towers Map 2. Verizon 1.97 31 Towers Map 3. T-Mobile 1.81 21 Towers Map 4. Sprint 1.71 7 Towers Map --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Looks like AT&T's coverage actually exceeds Verizon's in your area. Sprint is in 4th place, but it looks okayish. If you're okay with Sprint's coverage then Ting which uses that network, they could cover you for $9 a month. Thats $6 for having a phone active and $3 for 100 minutes a month. Plus taxes, you're looking at roughly $11ish total a month. But you'd probably have to buy a Ting ready flip phone.This will really come down if you're wanting to enter the smart phone era. I'm not sure if switching to Ting is worth it with the reduced coverage if you're staying with a flip phone. And if you go smartphone, you'll want some data at least, and then a myraid of options open.Honestly, stay put @ $20 a month with reliable coverage until you're ready to join the smartphone people.

 

[(HULK)]

Post the following info and I'll use my spreadsheet to find something for you. $3 a day is $90 a month and I'm sure I can crush that.Monthly averages or guesstimates:Call Minutes:0-25Texts:0Data Usage:0Zip Code: 06902

Don't laugh! I have an old Motorola flip phone that I rarely use. I've done fine without a smartphone, though I am sure if I had one I'd play around with it and like the idea of having back up if internet goes down. I pay $20/month (almost $24 with taxes)for 50 anytime minutes/250 nights and weekends on Verizon, which is who everyone I know uses. That is why the $3/day makes sense for me. Though, at only $6/month more (as I understand it, the $30 prepaid is tax-inclusive), I might be willing to pay up for a new toy and a few more minutes that I probably don't need. I am fine staying with what I have, though at some point, I need to join the 21st century.

Carrier Avg. Rating No. of Reviews Towers Coverage Map --------------------------------------------------------------------------------1. AT&T 2.03 29 Towers Map 2. Verizon 1.97 31 Towers Map 3. T-Mobile 1.81 21 Towers Map 4. Sprint 1.71 7 Towers Map --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Looks like AT&T's coverage actually exceeds Verizon's in your area. Sprint is in 4th place, but it looks okayish. If you're okay with Sprint's coverage then Ting which uses that network, they could cover you for $9 a month. Thats $6 for having a phone active and $3 for 100 minutes a month. Plus taxes, you're looking at roughly $11ish total a month. But you'd probably have to buy a Ting ready flip phone.This will really come down if you're wanting to enter the smart phone era. I'm not sure if switching to Ting is worth it with the reduced coverage if you're staying with a flip phone. And if you go smartphone, you'll want some data at least, and then a myraid of options open.Honestly, stay put @ $20 a month with reliable coverage until you're ready to join the smartphone people.

And when you are ready... this is what I would recommend:Get an unlocked Nexus 4 directly from google. Its either $299 or $349 depending on how much onboard storage you want. This is very cheap for an unlocked and unsubsidized phone, but don't let the price fool you, it is one of the best smartphones on the market right now.Take this to one of the AT&T MVNOs. They have the best coverage by you.If you want to go ultra cheap, you can get a Consumer Cellular plan: $17.50 for 150 minutes, 100 texts, and 10 MB of data. That is not much data though, and if you're utilizing your smartphone's smartphone features you'd want more than that imo. They also have a $25 plan for 150 minutes, 1000 texts, and 100 MB of data. Thats pretty decent if you're using wifi mostly and keeping data down.ETA: And if you find that as you get used to a smartphone you need more data, the beautiful thing here is that it is super easy to change carriers and plans. All you need to do is swap out the SIM card.

 

[Jaysus]

HULK> are you seeing any decently prices Straight Talk AT&T micro sims? I'd like to have one in my hip pocket for testing the AT&T network in my area.

Going to give the T-Mobile MVNO a spin once my sim arrives.

 

[Mystery Achiever]

Honestly, stay put @ $20 a month with reliable coverage until you're ready to join the smartphone people.

And when you are ready... this is what I would recommend:Get an unlocked Nexus 4 directly from google. Its either $299 or $349 depending on how much onboard storage you want. This is very cheap for an unlocked and unsubsidized phone, but don't let the price fool you, it is one of the best smartphones on the market right now.

Thanks for taking the time. I agree it is not worth switching except as a way to add smartphone. This is a loyalty plan, so if I do switch I cannot get it back back. I can add Verizon's $30/mon 2G data plan to it for a total of about $59, though I would qualify for a discounted phone. I am definitely more comfortable with the scope of the Verizon and AT&T networks. As infrequent as it may be, I don't want to be out of town and not be able to use the phone. T-Mobile's network looks it might be okay, but I'd like 1st hand confirmation. I looked at a web site where people self-report and it wasn't so good, but I assume more people report problems than good service. So, I am just hanging out with my little plan, keeping an eye out for new options or sales and at some point I'll switch. If my phone broke, I go straight to smartphone vs. replacing with another flip.Which MVNOs use ATT or Verizon? The only one I am aware of is Straight Talk, which would still be on the pricey side for my needs.

 

[(HULK)]

HULK> are you seeing any decently prices Straight Talk AT&T micro sims? I'd like to have one in my hip pocket for testing the AT&T network in my area.Going to give the T-Mobile MVNO a spin once my sim arrives.

Sold out everywhere. People on Ebay are price gouging right now.

 

[(HULK)]

HULK> are you seeing any decently prices Straight Talk AT&T micro sims? I'd like to have one in my hip pocket for testing the AT&T network in my area.

Going to give the T-Mobile MVNO a spin once my sim arrives.

Sold out everywhere. People on Ebay are price gouging right now.

Net10 is pretty much identical to Straight Talk (same owner) and you can get a Net10 AT&T micro SIM for $0.99 to $5 on ebay right now.My link

 

[(HULK)]

Honestly, stay put @ $20 a month with reliable coverage until you're ready to join the smartphone people.

And when you are ready... this is what I would recommend:Get an unlocked Nexus 4 directly from google. Its either $299 or $349 depending on how much onboard storage you want. This is very cheap for an unlocked and unsubsidized phone, but don't let the price fool you, it is one of the best smartphones on the market right now.

Thanks for taking the time. I agree it is not worth switching except as a way to add smartphone. This is a loyalty plan, so if I do switch I cannot get it back back. I can add Verizon's $30/mon 2G data plan to it for a total of about $59, though I would qualify for a discounted phone. I am definitely more comfortable with the scope of the Verizon and AT&T networks. As infrequent as it may be, I don't want to be out of town and not be able to use the phone. T-Mobile's network looks it might be okay, but I'd like 1st hand confirmation. I looked at a web site where people self-report and it wasn't so good, but I assume more people report problems than good service. So, I am just hanging out with my little plan, keeping an eye out for new options or sales and at some point I'll switch. If my phone broke, I go straight to smartphone vs. replacing with another flip.Which MVNOs use ATT or Verizon? The only one I am aware of is Straight Talk, which would still be on the pricey side for my needs.

List of carriers either on Verizon or AT&T's networks (or both):VerizonAT&TAirVoice WirelessBlack WirelessConsumer Cellulargood2GO MobileH2O Wireless (GSM)Jolt MobileNET10 WirelessNext G MobilePage Plus CellularPhonataPure TalkUSARed Pocket MobileSkyView WirelessStraight TalkTalkForGood

 

[Jaysus]

HULK> are you seeing any decently prices Straight Talk AT&T micro sims? I'd like to have one in my hip pocket for testing the AT&T network in my area.

Going to give the T-Mobile MVNO a spin once my sim arrives.

Sold out everywhere. People on Ebay are price gouging right now.

Net10 is pretty much identical to Straight Talk (same owner) and you can get a Net10 AT&T micro SIM for $0.99 to $5 on ebay right now.My link

Yeah, I am going to grab one of them at some point I suppose. Looks like they just introduced a 1.5gb hard cap on data though... which shoiuld be more than enough for the wife (or for times when I am traveling and need AT&T coverage)

 

[Mystery Achiever]

List of carriers either on Verizon or AT&T's networks (or both):

Thanks! Haven't heard of most other than Net 10 and I can't remember why I wrote them off. Will look again. My cousin uses another Carlos Slim offering, Tracphone, and has been very satisfied, but they don't offer real smartphones.If I go the SIM card route, I'll be back for tutoring!

 

[(HULK)]

HULK> are you seeing any decently prices Straight Talk AT&T micro sims? I'd like to have one in my hip pocket for testing the AT&T network in my area.

Going to give the T-Mobile MVNO a spin once my sim arrives.

Sold out everywhere. People on Ebay are price gouging right now.

Net10 is pretty much identical to Straight Talk (same owner) and you can get a Net10 AT&T micro SIM for $0.99 to $5 on ebay right now.My link

Yeah, I am going to grab one of them at some point I suppose. Looks like they just introduced a 1.5gb hard cap on data though... which shoiuld be more than enough for the wife (or for times when I am traveling and need AT&T coverage)

That 1.5GB cap is only on AT&T with them though. Their Tmobile SIMs don't have that. AT&T must be charging MVNOs more than Tmobile is I guess.

 

[Annyong]

im sure this has been asked, but....Can I take my off contract iPhone to anything of these carriers instead of buying a new phone?

To some of them. What carrier are you currently on? That will dictate where you can bring it.

AT&T

 

[Wingnut]

HULK> are you seeing any decently prices Straight Talk AT&T micro sims? I'd like to have one in my hip pocket for testing the AT&T network in my area.Going to give the T-Mobile MVNO a spin once my sim arrives.

Sold out everywhere. People on Ebay are price gouging right now.

Holy crap. Got mine just in time.

 

[(HULK)]

im sure this has been asked, but....Can I take my off contract iPhone to anything of these carriers instead of buying a new phone?

To some of them. What carrier are you currently on? That will dictate where you can bring it.

AT&T

Okay, you'll be able to bring it to quite a few places, any AT&T or T-mobile MVNO. Is it an iPhone 5 though? Only a few MVNOs offer LTE right now.Give me your usage (minutes/texts/data) and I'll find you a good deal.

 

[Annyong]

im sure this has been asked, but....Can I take my off contract iPhone to anything of these carriers instead of buying a new phone?

To some of them. What carrier are you currently on? That will dictate where you can bring it.

AT&T

Okay, you'll be able to bring it to quite a few places, any AT&T or T-mobile MVNO. Is it an iPhone 5 though? Only a few MVNOs offer LTE right now.Give me your usage (minutes/texts/data) and I'll find you a good deal.

dang Hulk, you rule. 1 iPhone 41 iPhone 4sTotal we probably use less than 500 minutes a month. 2GB data each a month1500 texts total

 

[Jaysus]

1 iPhone 4

1 iPhone 4s

Total we probably use less than 500 minutes a month.

2GB data each a month

1500 texts total

Do this first, and you are in business: https://www.att.com/deviceunlock/client/en_US/?

 

[(HULK)]

im sure this has been asked, but....Can I take my off contract iPhone to anything of these carriers instead of buying a new phone?

To some of them. What carrier are you currently on? That will dictate where you can bring it.

AT&T

Okay, you'll be able to bring it to quite a few places, any AT&T or T-mobile MVNO. Is it an iPhone 5 though? Only a few MVNOs offer LTE right now.Give me your usage (minutes/texts/data) and I'll find you a good deal.

dang Hulk, you rule. 1 iPhone 41 iPhone 4sTotal we probably use less than 500 minutes a month. 2GB data each a month1500 texts total

Does either phone ever go over 2Gb a month? Cause that matters with a few of the option (Straight Talk and other Tracphone owned carriers can/will shut you down).Also, you okay with T-mobile carriers as well? T-mobile's HSPA+ network is faster than AT&Ts fyi.

 

[(HULK)]

im sure this has been asked, but....Can I take my off contract iPhone to anything of these carriers instead of buying a new phone?

To some of them. What carrier are you currently on? That will dictate where you can bring it.

AT&T

Okay, you'll be able to bring it to quite a few places, any AT&T or T-mobile MVNO. Is it an iPhone 5 though? Only a few MVNOs offer LTE right now.Give me your usage (minutes/texts/data) and I'll find you a good deal.

dang Hulk, you rule. 1 iPhone 41 iPhone 4sTotal we probably use less than 500 minutes a month. 2GB data each a month1500 texts total

Does either phone ever go over 2Gb a month? Cause that matters with a few of the option (Straight Talk and other Tracphone owned carriers can/will shut you down).Also, you okay with T-mobile carriers as well? T-mobile's HSPA+ network is faster than AT&Ts fyi.

You'll have a couple of options.First, the cheapest would be the Tracfone subsidiaries: StraightTalk and TelCel (if you speak Spanish only IMO). Their plans are unlimited minutes, unlimited texts, and unlimited data with a caveat. Most people say they get throttled and then shut down completely (account closed!) if they go over 100MB in any one day or 2GB in a month. They also do not roam on other networks. So, if you choose an AT&T SIM, you will not be able to roam on Tmobile.Next, there is Solavei. Its $49 per line, unlimited talk/text, 4GB of 4G data per line, throttled to 2G after that cap which you probably won't hit. Free roaming of voice/texts on AT&T's network if you happen to be away from Tmobile's towers. Added bonus, refer 3 people and get $20 off your phone bill each month.Finally there is T-mobile's Value Plan for 500 mins, unlimited texts, and 2GBs of data @ 4G speeds (throttled to 2G after cap). Thats $49.99 a line. You can fully roam (including data) on AT&T for free.

 

[(HULK)]

After using Solavei/T-mobile's network for a day, I can say that I am pleased. Definitely better coverage than Sprint near me.

 

[Jaysus]

After using Solavei/T-mobile's network for a day, I can say that I am pleased. Definitely better coverage than Sprint near me.

are you in a HSPA+42 market? What kind of data speeds are you getting?

 

[(HULK)]

After using Solavei/T-mobile's network for a day, I can say that I am pleased. Definitely better coverage than Sprint near me.

are you in a HSPA+42 market? What kind of data speeds are you getting?

Yes. I assume there is an app to use to check data speeds, but I don't have it. What do you recommend?

 

[Jaysus]

Speedtest

 

[Evilgrin 72]

So, I called Ting because my referral credit never hit. They said if you don't use the link, you won't get the credit. I guess when Rascal called, someone manually posted the credit for him but not for me. Rep said she'd take care of it, and now there it is.. only it's $25, not $75. D'oh ! I'm not pushing the issue further, as it's free money all the same.

 

[(HULK)]

So, I called Ting because my referral credit never hit. They said if you don't use the link, you won't get the credit. I guess when Rascal called, someone manually posted the credit for him but not for me. Rep said she'd take care of it, and now there it is.. only it's $25, not $75. D'oh ! I'm not pushing the issue further, as it's free money all the same.

That sucks. You could try email... supposed to be $75 right now.

 

[(HULK)]

Speedtest

In my basement over wifiing: 20ms

Download: 2853kbps

Upload: 6267kbps

In my basement over the network:

Ping: 80ms

Download: 1535kbps

Upload: 1291kbps

Not bad for my basement. I'll try upstairs and then outside later. Its snowing right now imo.

 

[(HULK)]

Came across something interesting today. Sprint expanded its BYOD plan yesterday to more MVNOs. Apparently they're all getting the deal Ting has with being able to bring somewhat older phones over. However, before the year is out it will supposedly expand to include any Sprint phone and even Verizon phones. If so, that would be great for a lot of these companies.

 

[(HULK)]

Speedtest

In my basement over wifiing: 20ms

Download: 2853kbps

Upload: 6267kbps

In my basement over the network:

Ping: 80ms

Download: 1535kbps

Upload: 1291kbps

Not bad for my basement. I'll try upstairs and then outside later. Its snowing right now imo.

Outside at bus stoping: 547ms

Download: 11724kbps

Upload: 3349kbps

Outside office:

Ping: 562ms

Download: 12429kbps

Upload: 1712kbps

Inside office:

Ping: 53ms

Download: 4360kbps

Upload: 1409kbps

See, working pretty well! Especially outside. I never used speed test when I was on Sprint, but I can tell the phone is faster at my office by a lot. Heck, 12.5 MBs per second is very good imo.

 

[The Hank]

My phone is sucking today (stuck in factory reset mode, myTouch4G) and my contract is up in December, looking for new providers within next 6 mo -- will definitely have to check this out

 

[Abraham]

1SaleADay has the Nokia 900 on sale for $220. It's a GSM phone.

 

[NajehHejan]

Hulk, I could use some advice. I have a Samsung Galaxy S2 through T-Mobile. My contract is not up until Feb 2014 (signed a 2 year deal like a dummy). My grandfathered plan for 1500 minutes + unlimited data + 400 texts works to $85/mo total after taxes/etc. Not a terrible deal for what I get but I don’t need all of that. Frankly I’d be fine with 250-500 minutes + 1-2GB data (I mostly use wireless) + unlimited text would be nice. I do not like T-Mobile. They are awful in my area (Philly burbs). Dropped calls, 4G doesn’t always work, sometimes I don’t even get the “E” coverage. My wife has iphone via AT&T and wherever we go she has coverage, but me not even close. I think it may be worth it to break my contract with T-Mobile and get a cheap monthly plan with a new provider who has better reliability. I have little clue what jailbroken or unlocked mean or how to go about doing either, but I am open to that as long as it’s legal in the state of PA. Thoughts/suggestions?

 

[Jaysus]

1SaleADay has the Nokia 900 on sale for $220. It's a GSM phone.

geez, that sounds like a great deal. Anyone have experience with that phone?

 

[Keerock]

 

[(HULK)]

Hulk, I could use some advice. I have a Samsung Galaxy S2 through T-Mobile. My contract is not up until Feb 2014 (signed a 2 year deal like a dummy). My grandfathered plan for 1500 minutes + unlimited data + 400 texts works to $85/mo total after taxes/etc. Not a terrible deal for what I get but I don’t need all of that. Frankly I’d be fine with 250-500 minutes + 1-2GB data (I mostly use wireless) + unlimited text would be nice. I do not like T-Mobile. They are awful in my area (Philly burbs). Dropped calls, 4G doesn’t always work, sometimes I don’t even get the “E” coverage. My wife has iphone via AT&T and wherever we go she has coverage, but me not even close. I think it may be worth it to break my contract with T-Mobile and get a cheap monthly plan with a new provider who has better reliability. I have little clue what jailbroken or unlocked mean or how to go about doing either, but I am open to that as long as it’s legal in the state of PA. Thoughts/suggestions?

Port your cell's number to Google Voice. Call T-mobile and tell them that you're leaving your contract and that you want to make sure your phone is unlocked. I'm pretty sure nothing more is required, but maybe I'm wrong. I bought my phone unlocked in the first place, so I have no experience in the area directly.With that ammount of data, pretty much every plan includes unlimited texts so you'll get that. Here is what you're looking at, all on AT&T's network:Straight Talk: $45 unlimited minutes/texts, unlimited data but they typically throttle you after 2 GB, youtube/pandora and similar apps violate TOS, crummy customer service, no roaming, so no reception if you are outside of AT&T coverage. Also, AT&T sim cards are currently hard to come by.Net10 Wireless: $45 unlimited minutes/texts, unlimited data but they typically throttle you after 1.5 GB, youtube/pandora and similar apps violate TOS, no idea on customer service but same parent company as Straight Talk, Net10 does have roaming and they have AT&T sim cards in stock.Then you have 3 companies offering the following, all offering unlimited calls, texts, and 2GB of data at $60:Black Wireless: Roaming w/ charge onlyH2O Wireless: Free RoamingSkyview Wireless: Roaming w/ charge, throttled from HSPA+ to 3G after 500MBs of use.None of these guys are offering LTE, but that doesn't matter for your current phone.

 

[Jaysus]

I do not like T-Mobile. They are awful in my area (Philly burbs). Dropped calls, 4G doesn’t always work, sometimes I don’t even get the “E” coverage. My wife has iphone via AT&T and wherever we go she has coverage, but me not even close.

Where at? I am thinking of switching my wife to T-mobile... she spends a fair amount of time in DelCo when visiting family.

 

[coyote5]

Are there any MVNOs using US Cellular's network?

 

[(HULK)]

I do not like T-Mobile. They are awful in my area (Philly burbs). Dropped calls, 4G doesn’t always work, sometimes I don’t even get the “E” coverage. My wife has iphone via AT&T and wherever we go she has coverage, but me not even close.

Where at? I am thinking of switching my wife to T-mobile... she spends a fair amount of time in DelCo when visiting family.

I put in the zip code for the Philly zoo and got this result:

Carrier Avg. Rating No. of Reviews Towers Coverage Map --------------------------------------------------------------------------------1. Verizon 3.5 26 Towers Map 2. T-Mobile 2.65 34 Towers Map 3. Sprint 2.31 16 Towers Map 4. AT&T 2 37 Towers Map

Seems opposite of what your results are. What is your zipcode?

 

[(HULK)]

Are there any MVNOs using US Cellular's network?

Not directly. Sprint uses it in some areas, and I'm not sure if they resell that to their MVNOs or not.

 

[The Hank]

Anyone have a tmobile phone they arent using anymore? PM me and we can talk shop.

 

[(HULK)]

I'm thinking about creating a site to give away free Solavei sim cards. Can buy them bulk for 2.50 per sim, versus $9 for individual sign ups. Downsides?

 

[Keerock]

Anyone have a tmobile phone they arent using anymore? PM me and we can talk shop.

I'm looking for an AT&T phone... anyone?