Carrier T-Mobile is Fantastic!

BiggAW · Mar 19, 2014

osofast240sx said:
In what world does T-Mobile not compete with att?? I work for them, they may have the most customers but they certainly not the most efficient. The infrastructure needs a serious overhaul. Att still has way too much copper and coax, not nearly the amount of fiber that verzion and T-Mobile have. Explain how T-Mobile and att networks differ?? I'll wait!

AT&T has the technical ability to poach T-Mobile customers, since they don't care how crappy their network are, they will go wherever is cheapest. But AT&T doesn't want to devalue their network.

T-Mobile doesn't have the ability to poach most AT&T customers, only Verizon does, because those customers actually want to be able to use their phones wherever and whenever they want to.

Seriously? Are you delusional? AT&T and Verizon have similar coverage nationwide, T-Mobile has FAR less. In many areas, they are EDGE, GPRS, or nothing where AT&T and Verizon have LTE or 4G. Even in-between New York and Boston, T-Mobile has huge amounts of EDGE and no service. It's just pathetic. I wouldn't take T-Mobile if it was free. Well, actually I would, but I'd keep paying AT&T too. Can't have too many toys, even if one of them wouldn't work half the time...

All the major carriers have most sites fiber backhauled. The number of sites without enhanced backhaul is going down every year for AT&T. The areas that still have copper don't need the capacity of fiber.

CrimsonKnight said:
5 Billion I believe, and it went to help their LTE buildout. So.. not a bad deal.

$3bn plus spectrum. $5bn is likely the value of the spectrum plus the $3bn in cash.

Truefan31 · Mar 19, 2014

BiggAW said:
AT&T has the technical ability to poach T-Mobile customers, since they don't care how crappy their network are, they will go wherever is cheapest. But AT&T doesn't want to devalue their network.

T-Mobile doesn't have the ability to poach most AT&T customers, only Verizon does, because those customers actually want to be able to use their phones wherever and whenever they want to.

Seriously? Are you delusional? AT&T and Verizon have similar coverage nationwide, T-Mobile has FAR less. In many areas, they are EDGE, GPRS, or nothing where AT&T and Verizon have LTE or 4G. Even in-between New York and Boston, T-Mobile has huge amounts of EDGE and no service. It's just pathetic. I wouldn't take T-Mobile if it was free. Well, actually I would, but I'd keep paying AT&T too. Can't have too many toys, even if one of them wouldn't work half the time...

All the major carriers have most sites fiber backhauled. The number of sites without enhanced backhaul is going down every year for AT&T. The areas that still have copper don't need the capacity of fiber.

$3bn plus spectrum. $5bn is likely the value of the spectrum plus the $3bn in cash.

Really dude why are u in this thread? You're def trolling now. AT&T doesn't want to devalue their network? Lol ok so they don't want too many customers huh lol. I'm glad they consult with you before determining who is good enough to use their service. I bet you're in the board meetings too huh.

Caesars · Mar 19, 2014

Tmobile is setting itself up to be the number 1 provider, great decision after great decision ALL while adding / upgrading customers and coverage, unbelievable job so far by Americas most successful CEO.

2298754 · Mar 20, 2014

Caesars said:
Tmobile is setting itself up to be the number 1 provider, great decision after great decision ALL while adding / upgrading customers and coverage, unbelievable job so far by Americas most successful CEO.

Yeah... good luck with that.

Get back to me when they have VZW/AT&T-like coverage, reliability, and cell grid density. Merely adding LTE to all the EDGE sites now won't their coverage or the density of their cell grid. Since LTE is a weaker/more fragile air-link than EDGE, LTE will be spotty and devices will still prefer the stronger EDGE signal when you're in-between two cell sites (on a highway, for example.)

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BiggAW said:
Seriously? Are you delusional? AT&T and Verizon have similar coverage nationwide, T-Mobile has FAR less. In many areas, they are EDGE, GPRS, or nothing where AT&T and Verizon have LTE or 4G. Even in-between New York and Boston, T-Mobile has huge amounts of EDGE and no service. It's just pathetic. I wouldn't take T-Mobile if it was free

Extend that out to the entire stretch of I-95 (Bangor Maine to FL) down the East Coast. It is 100% HSPA/EVDO on AT&T/VZW. It is almost 95% complete with LTE from AT&T/VZW.

T-Mobile can't even claim 100% EDGE on that stretch because you still experience GPRS holes in the area with the most densely populated states in the nation (RI, MA, NJ, CT, etc.)

The fact of the matter is that I don't hate TMo at all. I am willing to make this claim. The day when they match AT&T/VZW up here in 3G coverage (not even LTE), I'll switch my entire family plan over (and save a decent amount of money). As of right now, they aren't on the same planet. I can't drive from Maine to DC and stream music the entire way on my TMo phone. It just doesn't work.

osofast240sx · Mar 20, 2014

I can go from NYC to DC and stream video and music the entire way on tmobile. There are very few Edge spots along the way. My wife has verzion and there are areas between NYC and DC were the signal gets unusable again very few. Having both T-Mobile and Verzion there is not much of a difference in user experience between the two.

keitarou · Mar 20, 2014

AutoUnion39 said:
Yeah... good luck with that.

Get back to me when they have VZW/AT&T-like coverage, reliability, and cell grid density. Merely adding LTE to all the EDGE sites now won't their coverage or the density of their cell grid. Since LTE is a weaker/more fragile air-link than EDGE, LTE will be spotty and devices will still prefer the stronger EDGE signal when you're in-between two cell sites (on a highway, for example.)

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Extend that out to the entire stretch of I-95 (Bangor Maine to FL) down the East Coast. It is 100% HSPA/EVDO on AT&T/VZW. It is almost 95% complete with LTE from AT&T/VZW.

T-Mobile can't even claim 100% EDGE on that stretch because you still experience GPRS holes in the area with the most densely populated states in the nation (RI, MA, NJ, CT, etc.)

The fact of the matter is that I don't hate TMo at all. I am willing to make this claim. The day when they match AT&T/VZW up here in 3G coverage (not even LTE), I'll switch my entire family plan over (and save a decent amount of money). As of right now, they aren't on the same planet. I can't drive from Maine to DC and stream music the entire way on my TMo phone. It just doesn't work.

Welcome back AutoUnion34!!! How we missed you here in the threads. What you said is exactly what us T-Mobile users have been saying all along. It works great in the area's we use our phones. Sure there are places where we drop to EDGE when we travel the highways but it is a minor inconvenience. But the savings is all worth that. Vzn/AT&T has the greater "coverage" but its pointless if you rarely travel. People like BiggAW should stick with Vzn until T-Mobile upgrades their EDGE this year.

2298754 · Mar 20, 2014

keitarou said:
Vzn/AT&T has the greater "coverage" but its pointless if you rarely travel. People like BiggAW should stick with Vzn until T-Mobile upgrades their EDGE this year.

I live in the same general area that BiggAW does. Me and him are on AT&T for a reason. They are phenomenal in CT, RI, MA, NJ, etc.

The main point I'm trying to make is that merely upgrading EDGE to LTE doesn't solve their coverage problems. The "holes" in their network will be magnified if it's just LTE and EDGE, due to the nature of the LTE airlink. They need to densify their cell-grid nationwide. It simply doesn't match AT&T/VZW.

T-Mobile doesn't provide a consistent experience, even in fully-built out markets. There have been reports on HoFo/TMonews/all over the web of people noticing EDGE/GPRS holes in major metro areas, like Boston, NYC, Dallas, Phily, LA, San Fran, etc.

They need to work on that before hanging up LTE nationwide. Getting as close to 100% HSPA as they can nationwide will provide for a far better network. Adding LTE on top of that will make it even better. Even in the small areas where AT&T doesn't have LTE, they have HSPA. That is perfectly acceptable, but the fact that I can drop down to EDGE in a major city with TMo, is NOT acceptable. The worst part about the experience is that this kills battery life. The iPhone is constantly switching between 2G/HSPA/LTE.

minimo3 · Mar 20, 2014

I'm curious, why would anyone go with T-Mobile instead of Straight Talk ($45 unlimited talk/text, 2GB data) or Aio Wireless ($35 after auto pay for unlimited talk/text/500MB). With the latter you'd get AT&T's network coverage for a lower price? The only reason I can think of is the financing for the handset?

rui no onna · Mar 20, 2014

Caesars said:
Tmobile is setting itself up to be the number 1 provider, great decision after great decision ALL while adding / upgrading customers and coverage, unbelievable job so far by Americas most successful CEO.

If you consider a $20 million net quarter loss successful, yeah sure. Don't get me wrong, I think T-Mobile is taking steps in the right direction. At the very least, I reckon they're now ahead of Sprint. That said, they're going to need to build a lot of infrastructure before they can even go toe to toe with AT&T never mind Verizon.

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minimo3 said:
I'm curious, why would anyone go with T-Mobile instead of Straight Talk ($45 unlimited talk/text, 2GB data) or Aio Wireless ($35 after auto pay for unlimited talk/text/500MB). With the latter you'd get AT&T's network coverage for a lower price? The only reason I can think of is the financing for the handset?

I'm guessing it's for the unlimited data. Besides, there aren't a lot of folks familiar with MVNO's such as AIO. Straight Talk is Walmart so I reckon that's fairly well known to those who frequent Walmart. Even more, how many people know AIO and Straight Talk GSM piggybacks on AT&T's network?

CEmajr · Mar 20, 2014

minimo3 said:
I'm curious, why would anyone go with T-Mobile instead of Straight Talk ($45 unlimited talk/text, 2GB data) or Aio Wireless ($35 after auto pay for unlimited talk/text/500MB). With the latter you'd get AT&T's network coverage for a lower price? The only reason I can think of is the financing for the handset?

Unlimited data, customer service, international roaming, family plans

JackieInCo · Mar 20, 2014

CEmajr said:
Unlimited data, customer service, international roaming, family plans

Nothing beats unlimited data. I'm up to 50GB this month and not one word from them about it.

osofast240sx · Mar 20, 2014

rui no onna said:
If you consider a $20 million net quarter loss successful, yeah sure. Don't get me wrong, I think T-Mobile is taking steps in the right direction. At the very least, I reckon they're now ahead of Sprint. That said, they're going to need to build a lot of infrastructure before they can even go toe to toe with AT&T never mind Verizon.

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I'm guessing it's for the unlimited data. Besides, there aren't a lot of folks familiar with MVNO's such as AIO. Straight Talk is Walmart so I reckon that's fairly well known to those who frequent Walmart. Even more, how many people know AIO and Straight Talk GSM piggybacks on AT&T's network?

unlimited data, extremely fast and consistent LTE speeds, superior customer service and huge savings with multiple lines, five lines for $110 you can't beat that. Almost forgot international use.

keitarou · Mar 20, 2014

AutoUnion39 said:
I live in the same general area that BiggAW does. Me and him are on AT&T for a reason. They are phenomenal in CT, RI, MA, NJ, etc.

The main point I'm trying to make is that merely upgrading EDGE to LTE doesn't solve their coverage problems. The "holes" in their network will be magnified if it's just LTE and EDGE, due to the nature of the LTE airlink. They need to densify their cell-grid nationwide. It simply doesn't match AT&T/VZW.

T-Mobile doesn't provide a consistent experience, even in fully-built out markets. There have been reports on HoFo/TMonews/all over the web of people noticing EDGE/GPRS holes in major metro areas, like Boston, NYC, Dallas, Phily, LA, San Fran, etc.

They need to work on that before hanging up LTE nationwide. Getting as close to 100% HSPA as they can nationwide will provide for a far better network. Adding LTE on top of that will make it even better. Even in the small areas where AT&T doesn't have LTE, they have HSPA. That is perfectly acceptable, but the fact that I can drop down to EDGE in a major city with TMo, is NOT acceptable. The worst part about the experience is that this kills battery life. The iPhone is constantly switching between 2G/HSPA/LTE.

I live in the same area (NYC) and travel in the same places (NJ, CT mostly). Sure there are times when I drop to EDGE/4G when inside of Target and similar stores, it doesn't happen all the time. When I was driving up towards Foxwoods, I dropped to EDGE few times on I-95 but according to Sensorly, it seems like HSPA has been put in place in those areas. I will be traveling to Newport, RI this weekend and will let you know if it really changed. And I don't think they will go from EDGE to LTE, HSPA should be in between. Let's hope they do it the right way. As time passes, T-Mobile will get better as they start making some money to reinvest in their network. And in order to do that, some of us will have to support their cause and live with EDGE once in a while.

I also have Verizon and AT&T for work and are impressed with some areas and not impressed in other areas. You know about Verizon LTE slowdowns, well they are still installing AWS in NYC since I have spots where it is fast and spots it is slow. Same for AT&T. In Manhattan, it is slow. Granted not EDGE speeds but slow. There are holes for every carrier.

Most of the users here use T-Mobile because it works where we live for a great price. Can't say the same thing about Vzn or AT&T. Well AT&T is getting better due to competition. Although BiggAW would suggest that they aren't a direct competitor. In any case, I think you reap the benefit of this direct/indirect competition.

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minimo3 said:
I'm curious, why would anyone go with T-Mobile instead of Straight Talk ($45 unlimited talk/text, 2GB data) or Aio Wireless ($35 after auto pay for unlimited talk/text/500MB). With the latter you'd get AT&T's network coverage for a lower price? The only reason I can think of is the financing for the handset?

For me, it's cheaper when you have multiple lines. T-Mobile has faster LTE compared to AIO.

rui no onna · Mar 20, 2014

osofast240sx said:
unlimited data, extremely fast and consistent LTE speeds, superior customer service and huge savings with multiple lines, five lines for $110 you can't beat that. Almost forgot international use.

I'll grant you the savings and international roaming. However, fast and consistent LTE is highly dependent on location. Where I work, my phone hovers between HSPA and EDGE with T-Mobile ($30 100 min/5GB prepaid plan). I get pretty fast and consistent LTE on the freeway on the way home, though.

Alas, T-Mobile's network just isn't good enough for me to make the switch from AT&T. That said, all of the carriers have holes in their service. I have AT&T for my primary mobile line but keep Verizon on a backup prepaid line ($30/90 days).

mattopotamus · Mar 20, 2014

minimo3 said:
I'm curious, why would anyone go with T-Mobile instead of Straight Talk ($45 unlimited talk/text, 2GB data) or Aio Wireless ($35 after auto pay for unlimited talk/text/500MB). With the latter you'd get AT&T's network coverage for a lower price? The only reason I can think of is the financing for the handset?

phone financing and paying ETF.

parseckadet · Mar 20, 2014

AutoUnion39 said:
The fact of the matter is that I don't hate TMo at all. I am willing to make this claim. The day when they match AT&T/VZW up here in 3G coverage (not even LTE), I'll switch my entire family plan over (and save a decent amount of money). As of right now, they aren't on the same planet. I can't drive from Maine to DC and stream music the entire way on my TMo phone. It just doesn't work.

That's quite a statement coming from you, considering that in the past you've made elitist and even mildly racist statements by claiming that T-Mobile specifically targets their coverage to lower income population centers, and that only those who live in the "ghetto" should even consider them. Are you sure you're willing to lower yourself to such a degree if you were to switch?

keitarou said:
Welcome back AutoUnion34!!! How we missed you here in the threads. What you said is exactly what us T-Mobile users have been saying all along. It works great in the area's we use our phones. Sure there are places where we drop to EDGE when we travel the highways but it is a minor inconvenience. But the savings is all worth that. Vzn/AT&T has the greater "coverage" but its pointless if you rarely travel. People like BiggAW should stick with Vzn until T-Mobile upgrades their EDGE this year.

You're wasting your breath with folks like AutoUnion and BiggAW. We can talk until we're blue in the face about how T-Mobile works great for us, or how their favorite carrier hasn't worked for us. If it doesn't work on one specific street in Boston they'll still insinuate that we're somehow inferior to them and therefore our experiences are less valid than theirs.

Case in point:

BiggAW said:
It's surprising because T-Mobile doesn't really compete with AT&T. The few customers who will switch to a far inferior network for a lower price aren't great customers for AT&T anyways.

This, despite the fact that in this very thread I've cited my own example. I guess somehow the $145/month I had been paying to AT&T for over 5 years was somehow less green or something.

For those who haven't kept up, my house is a black hole for AT&T. My wife and I were unable to make calls without the use of a microcell, and were lied to for over two years about their plans to build a new tower nearby. Since switching to T-Mobile in October we haven't had a single dropped call and we can count on one hand the number of times we haven't had at least HSPA+ service. And before anyone claims that we fall into that group that never travels or leaves home, this includes travel all around the Houston area, Atlanta, Baltimore, Charlotte, Chicago, Colorado Springs, Denver, and Detroit. I'd say that's pretty darn good for a network that's supposedly far inferior.

2298754 · Mar 20, 2014

parseckadet said:
If it doesn't work on one specific street in Boston they'll still insinuate that we're somehow inferior to them and therefore our experiences are less valid than theirs.

- So I guess the entire I-95 stretch (one of the most busy highways in the US BTW) is just one "street" we should choose to ignore because T-Mobile is so great, am I right? Service there isn't important at all! Who cares about mobile data when you're actually out and about!

-T-Mobile claims that their network covers areas where people are the most.

If that is true, then why do the 4 most densely populated states (RI, CT, NJ, MA) still have so much EDGE/GPRS on T-Mobile?

These are just two of the many examples that show their downfalls.

If they aren't far inferior, what are they exactly?

osofast240sx · Mar 20, 2014

parseckadet said:
That's quite a statement coming from you, considering that in the past you've made elitist and even mildly racist statements by claiming that T-Mobile specifically targets their coverage to lower income population centers, and that only those who live in the "ghetto" should even consider them. Are you sure you're willing to lower yourself to such a degree if you were to switch?

You're wasting your breath with folks like AutoUnion and BiggAW. We can talk until we're blue in the face about how T-Mobile works great for us, or how their favorite carrier hasn't worked for us. If it doesn't work on one specific street in Boston they'll still insinuate that we're somehow inferior to them and therefore our experiences are less valid than theirs.

Case in point:

This, despite the fact that in this very thread I've cited my own example. I guess somehow the $145/month I had been paying to AT&T for over 5 years was somehow less green or something.

For those who haven't kept up, my house is a black hole for AT&T. My wife and I were unable to make calls without the use of a microcell, and were lied to for over two years about their plans to build a new tower nearby. Since switching to T-Mobile in October we haven't had a single dropped call and we can count on one hand the number of times we haven't had at least HSPA+ service. And before anyone claims that we fall into that group that never travels or leaves home, this includes travel all around the Houston area, Atlanta, Baltimore, Charlotte, Chicago, Colorado Springs, Denver, and Detroit. I'd say that's pretty darn good for a network that's supposedly far inferior.

Auto Union thinks interstate 95 goes from Bridgeport to Boston and that's it. The fact is T-Mobile is practically flawless on the entire New Jersey Turnpike strip and Pennsylvania Turnpike. This year alone I've been traveling at least five times per month by car and flying at least once a month.

2298754 · Mar 20, 2014

osofast240sx said:
Auto Union thinks interstate 95 goes from Bridgeport to Boston and that's it. The fact is T-Mobile is practically flawless on the entire New Jersey Turnpike strip and Pennsylvania Turnpike. This year alone I've been traveling at least five times per month by car and flying at least once a month.

If you read my previous posts, I made it clear it's the entire I-95 stretch. I'm not cherry-picking parts of it like you to make myself feel better.

Extend that out to the entire stretch of I-95 (Bangor Maine to Miami, FL) down the East Coast. It is 100% HSPA/EVDO on AT&T/VZW. It is almost 95% complete with LTE from AT&T/VZW.

T-Mobile can't even claim 100% EDGE on that stretch because you still experience GPRS holes in the area with the most densely populated states in the nation (RI, MA, NJ, CT, etc.)

You can't even go from Boston to Providence (~50-60 miles on I-95) and expect to have HSPA the entire way. You still encounter spots of EDGE. LTE goes in and out depending on close you are to a given tower.

CEmajr · Mar 20, 2014

He's right about I-95. I don't drive through the northeast very often but I know that Tmobile is mostly EDGE between Jacksonville, FL and Richmond, VA here in the southeast.

Fortunately the coming LTE upgrade will fix 95.

osofast240sx · Mar 20, 2014

CEmajr said:
He's right about I-95. I don't drive through the northeast very often but I know that Tmobile is mostly EDGE between Jacksonville, FL and Richmond, VA here in the southeast.

Fortunately the coming LTE upgrade will fix 95.

I will be testing it this weekend flying to Tampa friday night, then driving to NYC.

parseckadet · Mar 20, 2014

AutoUnion39 said:
- So I guess the entire I-95 stretch (one of the most busy highways in the US BTW) is just one "street" we should choose to ignore because T-Mobile is so great, am I right? Service there isn't important at all! Who cares about mobile data when you're actually out and about!

When did I say I-95? I meant the numerous times in previous posts where you mentioned a street somewhere in Boston. I forget the name of the street.

-T-Mobile claims that their network covers areas where people are the most.

If that is true, then why do the 4 most densely populated states (RI, CT, NJ, MA) still have so much EDGE/GPRS on T-Mobile?

These are just two of the many examples that show their downfalls.

If they aren't far inferior, what are they exactly?

I don't know how this thread turned into one where we attack vague marketing claims for bending the truth. If we're going to play that game, then how about the numerous times Verizon has misrepresented the coverage of their competitors? It's such a common tactic for them that they've faced lawsuits multiple times.

What this thread is really about is people trying to say how happy they are with T-Mobile. Why people like you have a problem with that I have no idea.

redkamel · Mar 20, 2014

All I know is I have had ATT since the iPhone came out and they haven't done a single thing to make my service better (Orange County).

I still have the same reception holes I did in grad school and when I had verizon back in college (early 2000s), and I still get no reception and dropped calls in supermarket or in certain parts of my non-rural commute.

Their plans have gotten worse and more expensive over time, but they won't add features to my grandfathered plans

So where is my money going? heck if I know. Expanding the network somewhere. An upgrade to 4G which is standard (or below standard) in any developed country

I plan on switching when my contract is up. ATT hasn't done anything new for me for 5 years. All they've done is maintain the same coverage and raise rates.

parseckadet · Mar 20, 2014

osofast240sx said:
I will be testing it this weekend flying to Tampa friday night, then driving to NYC.

Please tell me you're either joking or doing this drive for some other reason.

osofast240sx · Mar 20, 2014

parseckadet said:
Please tell me you're either joking or doing this drive for some other reason.

I drive my dad back to NYC every spring.

Carrier T-Mobile is Fantastic!

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