Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Ryth

macrumors 68000
Apr 21, 2011
1,591
157
If you don't talk a lot, T-Mobile prepaid $30 plan is the best value out there.

$30 for 100 minutes, unlimited text and 5GB of 4G data.

T-mobile HSPA+ is faster than ATT LTE in many cases.

$30 per month vs. $100+ per month? easy decision.

Yep...easy call to make.

So many people out there are clueless on how much money they are wasting on their cell phone plans.

Cell phone carriers are one of the only few companies where you have to pay for stuff you don't use where for most other things...you don't buy more till you need to of X item.

It's a total ripoff and if you are near Wi-fi most of the time at work and home, you can get by easily without need of lots of data.

Most people are just addicted to their phones and can't put them down. Never seen so many people with their damn heads in their phones all the time, walking, sitting, eating, etc.

----------

make fun? I wish i can reach out the screen and shake your hand for being a sensible consumer who went for what he/she needs, not for what AT&T or Verizon tells you you need.

I am personally waiting for the official unlocked iPhone 5 to go to t-mobile prepaid or Simple Mobile, their $40 plan seems to be just what I need. and if I don't like them, I go for the next one, no penalties no contracts

Yep...there are still a few of us left that know how badly AT&T and Verizon are ripping off their smart phone users.
 

nickn

macrumors 6502
Jun 17, 2011
386
0
I agree. Especially for the horrendous prices in the american market.

In Germany we got some good prices as well on the e-plus carrier: 15 Euros (around 20 dollars) for 500 mb of data, unlimited texting, and 50 minutes of talk, and good 3G coverage (compatible with iPhone :D).

The United States has some of the best wireless prices around... People here are extmely ignorant however, and basically refuse to search for alternatives. First off, we have a new NVNO known as Republic Wireless, which offers unlimited talk, text, and data for $20 USD a month. Next, we have Sprint based Virgin Mobile, that has plans with 300 minutes, and unlimited text and 4G data for $35 a month, off contact. They also offer good phones such as the Galaxy s2, and iPhone. Finally, we have nationwide T-Mobile, with plans starting off contract at $30 a month with 100 minutes, unlimited text, and unlimited albeit throttled data. Since they are GSM, you can use any phone you want. With these companys and more offering service, you would think they would have plenty of customers, but no. Peeple still get ripped off and stick with the legacy idiots, such as AT&T and Verizon...
 

ComSense

macrumors newbie
Jul 18, 2002
16
13
Bodymore, Murderland, USA
"Slow" T-Mobile

T-Mobile today is Apple circa 1997-98. Made fun of, called "beleaguered" (screw you, by the way, MacDailyNews), written off as an also-ran. Look where Apple is now.

What they both have in common is that while know-nothings make fun of them, they're quietly working behind the scenes on the long-run picture. T-Mobile's laying out not just LTE right now, but LTE-Advanced, so that when they start making it available to customers next year (which isn't far -- it's almost December now), they'll be a step ahead. Just like they were with their HSPA+. One of T-Mobile's problems, which drives me nuts, is that they don't brag enough. What they do right, they do REALLY right.

No, I'm not saying that in a few years, T-Mobile will be the biggest corporation in the world. They're just a cell carrier, and cell carriers aren't sexy the way consumer electronics companies like Apple are. But they WILL be in a much better position, and much more respected, and as with Apple, jackasses will come out of the woodwork pretending they never had anything bad to say about it, EVER.

Oh, and by the way, attached is a screen shot of T-Mobile's "awful" 3G on an iPhone 5. Yeah, I'm really suffering with this AWFUL lack of speed. :D
 

Attachments

  • photo.PNG
    photo.PNG
    431.3 KB · Views: 119

BigRed1

macrumors 6502
Dec 13, 2011
291
63
I thought the Edge speeds were pretty slow years ago, but seemed a lot quicker in the last couple years. I'm in Minneapolis if that makes a difference.
 

dontwalkhand

macrumors 603
Jul 5, 2007
6,368
2,863
Phoenix, AZ
I thought the Edge speeds were pretty slow years ago, but seemed a lot quicker in the last couple years. I'm in Minneapolis if that makes a difference.

More than likely its because the back haul got upgraded, you'll see 3G on that iPhone soon enough, and then LTE!
 

dontwalkhand

macrumors 603
Jul 5, 2007
6,368
2,863
Phoenix, AZ
Noooooo!!!!!! The iPhone has very neagtivly affected Sprint, and the same will happen here. With Apples rediculous several billion dollar contracts, and T-Mobiles limited cash, there could be a huge problem for them... I wish T would use their brain, and tell Apple to **** off.

You're kidding right? Hate the phone or not, the iPhone is one of the reasons why they're bleeding customers. I'm sure that if T-Mobile had the iPhone from the start, they would have beat Sprint by now in terms of customers.

Apple is part of the problem, they need to sell this as a normal phone, there's no reason for all of this annoying special treatment. There is no reason the iPhone deserves its own section in a carrier store, cordoned off from the other phones. There is no reason why any carrier shouldn't be able to pick it up if they wanted to, just like other manufacturers.
 

Macclone

macrumors 6502
Mar 13, 2012
257
0
Anyone who continues to use T-Mobile in this day and age ASTOUNDS me. No LTE? That's just pathetic.

I have HSPA+. 21 download is plenty fast on my phone. 5 gig and free tethering for 30 bucks a month works for me!! Hotspot for my wifi only iPad.
 

ITGuy

macrumors regular
Dec 5, 2005
134
19
Can you get Tmobiles $30 plan on the iPhone 5?

Yes you can. I was already on the Monthly4G $30 100 minute/unlimited texts/5 GB plan on my iPhone 3GS. I purchased an officially unlocked iPhone 5 and T-Mobile moved my service to a nano-SIM card for free.

-ITG
 

Ryth

macrumors 68000
Apr 21, 2011
1,591
157
Please let me buy an unlocked iphone 5 + $30 monthly charge :eek:

Ditto...

=)

Then again, I almost feel like waiting possibly for the 5S since this one is 4 months old already. As always rumors are they could be on a 6 month cycle update now....Sept new # version, April 'S' version.
 

BigRed1

macrumors 6502
Dec 13, 2011
291
63
More than likely its because the back haul got upgraded, you'll see 3G on that iPhone soon enough, and then LTE!

I'm already seeing 3G :)

It definitely makes me happy. LTE won't do anything for me now, though, I'm still happily on a 3GS.
 

ComSense

macrumors newbie
Jul 18, 2002
16
13
Bodymore, Murderland, USA
Anyone who continues to use T-Mobile in this day and age ASTOUNDS me. No LTE? That's just pathetic.

Uh-huh. Have fun supporting those two criminals, AT&T and Verizon, who participated in the NSA's warrantless wiretapping on American citizens, while T-Mobile is on record as saying they declined to participate.

Oh, and see my earlier post (with SpeedTest screenshot) about those "pathetic" T-Mobile speeds. I've been stuck with an iPad on AT&T's alleged "3G" and compare speed tests often. As usual, AT&T is a joke.

We're already getting speeds on 3G (because let's face it, EVERY carrier's so-called "4G" is really just 3G, or at best 3.5G) that are a stone's throw from your LTE speeds. When LTE-A rolls out on T-Mobile in a few months, let's see who's talking about "pathetic" speeds.
 

apollo1444

macrumors 65816
Jul 22, 2011
1,329
27
mexico
this is the T-MOBILE hate thread, too much butthurtness from other people stuck with their contracts with other companies convincing themselves they've got the best solution at the best price... LOL
 

ITGuy

macrumors regular
Dec 5, 2005
134
19
this is the T-MOBILE hate thread, too much butthurtness from other people stuck with their contracts with other companies convincing themselves they've got the best solution at the best price... LOL

I agree with you, LOL. T-Mobile has refarmed their network in my area and I'm loving their dual carrier HSPA+ network with my unlocked iPhone 5. The Monthly4G $30 100 minute/unlimited texts/5 GB plan meets my requirements. I just laugh at my $30 monthly phone bill. :D

-ITG
 

macUser2007

macrumors 68000
May 30, 2007
1,506
203
Anyone who continues to use T-Mobile in this day and age ASTOUNDS me. No LTE? That's just pathetic.

Anyone who does NOT use T-Mobile in this day and age ASTOUNDS me....

I pay about 50% of what I used to pay per month for my two phones (iPhone 5 and Galaxy Nexus).

At least in LA, I also get speed of about 4-5mbs down and about 3mbps up, which is about what I used to get with AT&T and which is what most people with Verizon get around here.

And frankly, speeds much beyond that are sort of irrelevant, as one runs into the limits of the mobile browser/hardware.
 

Tiger8

macrumors 68020
May 23, 2011
2,479
649
Yes you can. I was already on the Monthly4G $30 100 minute/unlimited texts/5 GB plan on my iPhone 3GS. I purchased an officially unlocked iPhone 5 and T-Mobile moved my service to a nano-SIM card for free.

-ITG

Where did you get the unlocked iPhone 5 from? Been waiting for over two months for it. Did you get it shipped from Canada?
 

Inkling

macrumors member
Jul 23, 2006
80
101
Unlock existing iPhones

I'd be delighted enough if T-Mobile worked out an agreement with Apple and AT&T to unlock out-of-contract iPhones, so they can be used on T-Mobile. That should have been part of the merger-fails agreement with AT&T.
 

Trepanator

macrumors newbie
Oct 21, 2008
19
4
Only interesting if the iPhone gets Wi-Fi calling features

Where I live I can't get reliable service indoors without the use of a femtocell. I'm in a city, but the geographical features of the area (hills/canyons) block most of the nearby towers. So right now I'm using Verizon, because their femtocell doesn't incur a monthly fee (a la AT&T). I've looked at T-Mobile but they don't offer femtocells, instead they rely on a Wi-Fi calling feature that has been offered in all of their android smartphones. Hopefully this will mean that Wi-Fi calling will be added to the iPhone in some fashion-- if that is the case I will be switching carriers soon.
 

apfeljonas

macrumors regular
Nov 28, 2012
151
0
Germany
The United States has some of the best wireless prices around... People here are extmely ignorant however, and basically refuse to search for alternatives. First off, we have a new NVNO known as Republic Wireless, which offers unlimited talk, text, and data for $20 USD a month. Next, we have Sprint based Virgin Mobile, that has plans with 300 minutes, and unlimited text and 4G data for $35 a month, off contact. They also offer good phones such as the Galaxy s2, and iPhone. Finally, we have nationwide T-Mobile, with plans starting off contract at $30 a month with 100 minutes, unlimited text, and unlimited albeit throttled data. Since they are GSM, you can use any phone you want. With these companys and more offering service, you would think they would have plenty of customers, but no. Peeple still get ripped off and stick with the legacy idiots, such as AT&T and Verizon...

I disagree on one part only: Republic Wireless basically makes you use an annoying midrange android. Although for the prices, you can't beat it. When I used to live in the US a couple months back, I used Virgin Mobile...I was still on their $25 plan, although I had a Samsung Intercept (awful phone). However, with them offering the iPhone 4S and probably soon the iPhone 5, they are an unbeatable deal. Unfortunately though, as you said, they are largely ignored because most people still unneccesarily overpay. Most customer probably don;t even know they don't need unlimited talk when they are really just using 200 minutes a month :/.
 

bankshot

macrumors 65816
Jan 23, 2003
1,367
416
Southern California
Nice! I can have an iPhone with T-Mobile's crappy network!

Yup. That's definitely the case around me in southern California. Not only did I put up with 2G on my iPhone for the past two years, but they must be horrifically oversubscribed here because I was getting average speeds around 30kbps. :eek: As 3G started popping up the last month or so, I'd get 100-200kbps with occasional lucky spikes to 1Mbps before getting bumped back to 2G. Woohoo? :rolleyes:

Unless they offer a hardware model that supports T-Mobile's alternative 3G/HSPA+ frequencies, this isn't a very good deal for many people; and that's not going to happen. Even with full support of all T-Mobile frequencies, I question how good service would be since they're clearly way over capacity here on 2G and 3G.

We made the switch to iPhone 5 on Verizon about a week ago - holy cow, what a difference! :eek::D:cool: I'm routinely getting speeds of 10-20Mbps, with my fastest so far at 46Mbps. :D I'd make an analogy about switching from a slow modem to modern broadband, but that's literally what it's been like. Coverage was the other issue (plenty of "No Service" at home and at my desk at work), waaaay better on Verizon.

I loved the low prices on T-Mobile, but I got sick of waiting for decent coverage and speed. I'm sure it's great in other areas, but not near me. On Verizon, we're paying a little less than $25/month more per phone - totally worth it.
 

Jeffythequick

macrumors newbie
Nov 28, 2012
5
0
I loved the low prices on T-Mobile, but I got sick of waiting for decent coverage and speed. I'm sure it's great in other areas, but not near me. On Verizon, we're paying a little less than $25/month more per phone - totally worth it.

I did manage to split it both ways with me hoping that T-Mobile does well. I love competition in the marketplace, especially with the benefit to me, the consumer!
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.