Your take on T-Mobile $30 Prepaid plan (100 min, unlimited text, 5GB of 4G data)

[BiggieFats]

Originally Posted by DollaTwentyFive

Maybe I missed this - but out of curiosity:

What is the per minute rate over 100 mins?

10¢ a min.

[EbookReader]

Originally Posted by Marrakas

I can't find this plan on their website. Is it something that's coming soon or?

It's right here

http://prepaid-phones.t-mobile.com/monthly-4g-plans

100 minutes
Unlimited Text
Unlimited*
*First 5GB at up to 4G speeds

New activations only. Available exclusively in-store at Walmart, on Walmart.com, and T-Mobile.com.


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If you have a T-Mobile® phone that needs to be activated, or an unlocked GSM phone you want to use on the T-Mobile network, you can get a SIM Card, choose a plan, and slip the SIM Card into your phone.

[isephmusic]

someone please tell me if i have to unlock my iphone 5 for this since i bought it on contract on AT&T, (my dad did; then sold it to me)

[blackhand1001]

Its a great deal but your really much better off using it with an unlocked galaxy nexus or nexus 4 as they support t mobiles entire network and not just a small portion of it.

[andyx3x]

Originally Posted by dinggus

Not trying to hate, but what's wrong with StraightTalk?

$45 = unlimited talk, text, data.

Nothing at all.

If you're an iPhone user, it's currently the best deal out there at the moment.

[KoukiFC3S]

Originally Posted by isephmusic

someone please tell me if i have to unlock my iphone 5 for this since i bought it on contract on AT&T, (my dad did; then sold it to me)

Yes you need to unlock it. Good thing it, it's only like $5 on ebay.

[isephmusic]

do you guys know of a way to supplement the low ammount of minutes in this plan with calls using wifi or data ? googlevoice gave me a random number to use and porting cost 20 bucks defeating the purpose of saving

[araje]

I heard that straight talk charges a huge activation fee for the first month to the time of 20 $ or so. It's just hear say but this is news to me that they work over AT&T network. I thought they were over tmobile backend.

If its AT&T and if I have a factory unlocked iPhone 5 bought from apple itself then I should be getting LTE right?

[Applejuiced]

Originally Posted by araje

I heard that straight talk charges a huge activation fee for the first month to the time of 20 $ or so. It's just hear say but this is news to me that they work over AT&T network. I thought they were over tmobile backend.

If its AT&T and if I have a factory unlocked iPhone 5 bought from apple itself then I should be getting LTE right?

Yes, it works off AT&T's towers.
And NO, you will not get LTE since straight talk doesnt offer that.
Just hspa+ 3G.

[dinggus]

I don't care for LTE. I happy browsing on 3G.

[Marrakas]

So I finally got my problems solved and now I have a signal. Here's the T-mobile "4G" speeds in my area.

I'm thinking 1 month and I'm out.

[EbookReader]

Originally Posted by Marrakas

So I finally got my problems solved and now I have a signal. Here's the T-mobile "4G" speeds in my area.

I'm thinking 1 month and I'm out.

ouch at the "Edge" speed

[RotaryP7]

Too bad only Walmart sells that plan. Don't know why TMO stores don't have that offer. They have all the other plans except that one.

[upnorth85]

Yup, no point making a nice phone such as an iPhone 5 a brick on T-Mobile's horrendous 3G network running on 1900 MHz. Unfortunately you will find most current iPhone users went in knowing it is an Edge network and are happy to see a 3G sign on their iPhone now and then. I hope Apple does not partner with T-mobile unless their 3G network is ready. The worse part is even though T-mobile advertises for people to dump AT&T they refuse to show any 3G coverage maps. They have since a few days fraudulently added 3G/4G on the network coverage page giving a false sense of 3G coverage. Earlier it was 4G only data coverage maps. If the toothless tiger called FCC was not run by political hacks and compliant and servile beauracrats they would have dragged T-mobile kicking and screaming to put up 3G coverage maps before they claimed the city is now for 3G.

Keep us informed if you do decide to dump T-mobile. I have put my iPhone 5 away for some time due to non stop Edge coverage in a refarmed city of Minneaplis. Liar CTO Neville needs to provide a network coverage maps rather than claiming it is refarmed with 20 towers out of 400 or so.

Originally Posted by Marrakas

So I finally got my problems solved and now I have a signal. Here's the T-mobile "4G" speeds in my area.

I'm thinking 1 month and I'm out.

[bjb.butler]

Originally Posted by isephmusic

I'm going to try it in January see how I do with a VoIP service like google voice for calls so I don't use my minutes . I called and asked how the 4g was here in jersey and the map shows I'm very well covered including voice and data . The only other place I go is NYC an of course that covered fine . For 30$ I went and got the 1$ micro sim on the website and the guy told me to put it in a blackberry cut it then insert Ito iPhone 5 and should work ... Haha not much to loose but damn so I want a thirty dollar monthly bill

Google Voice isn't VoIP...

[Marrakas]

Originally Posted by upnorth85

Keep us informed if you do decide to dump T-mobile. I have put my iPhone 5 away for some time due to non stop Edge coverage in a refarmed city of Minneaplis. Liar CTO Neville needs to provide a network coverage maps rather than claiming it is refarmed with 20 towers out of 400 or so.

I will. And I will also have to reconsider my previous statement of dropping them after just 1 month since there's hard to find another provider at a prepaid reasonable price. (I guess straight talk is the only one who's close, and even so it's still 50% more expensive)

Since I also have a verizon ipad with LTE it takes care of most my mobile internet needs, so the edge thing ain't that important at the moment, but I won't stay on with t-mobile too long if edge is all they can offer in my area. We will see. I won't demand 4G, but 3G is the minimum to be able to surf without tearing your hair out.

Originally Posted by RotaryP7

Too bad only Walmart sells that plan. Don't know why TMO stores don't have that offer. They have all the other plans except that one.

You can buy any prepaid phone and you will have access to that plan online, atleast that's what I did. Got to choose when I activated the sim on their website.

[smitty303]

Originally Posted by RotaryP7

Too bad only Walmart sells that plan. Don't know why TMO stores don't have that offer. They have all the other plans except that one.

Not true. You can sign up without Walmart. All I did was order a sim from the tmobile website for $0.99 with free shipping. Then, simply follow the instructions on the tmobile website for monthly4g prepaid activation, and choose the $30 plan with 100 minutes. It's really simple.

It is true that tmobile stores don't offer this plan. They only have the 1500 minute $30 plan. You have to go through the tmobile website.

I've only been on the plan for about a week so far. In the southern suburbs of Denver, I only get edge coverage. But, I did notice that a few nights in a row, I happened to catch my signal change to 3G on my iphone 4 for a few minutes, then change back to edge. This happened a few times about the same time of night. I also noticed that the service was dropping in and out during the same period of time. I'm guessing it was tmobile working on some refarm near my house. Since then, I've traveled back to Ohio for Christmas, and experienced 3G signal at midway airport in Chicago while waiting on the Tarmac. Then again at the Cleveland airport in concourse C, but only briefly before it changed to edge. I did experience 3G again near one of the malls, but after entering the building, it changed to edge and even lost signal altogether deep in the store.

So, I'm still experimenting. Edge coverage is slow, but I'm hoping things improve near home (Denver) enough that I will be worth it. Edge isn't so bad for email, it just takes a bit more patience. But for large downloads, it's too slow. Also, I'm a bit worried about total loss of signal in buildings. Not sure that's is exclusively a tmobile thing, though.

[sweetdevil]

Originally Posted by andyx3x

I've had this plan on my iPhone 4S, now 5, since last July. I absolutely love it but fully expect T-Mobile to get rid of it once the iPhone fully comes on board.

My guess is they will probably move up to something like $50 monthly for unlimited talk, text and 2gb's of data.

I'm planning to take this for my new unlocked iphone 5...How do I get this plan? It says that u can activate it only for T-mobile phones...Also do you get 4 G speed on your iphone 5 with this connection or atleast 3 g ???

[EbookReader]

Originally Posted by sweetdevil

I'm planning to take this for my new unlocked iphone 5...How do I get this plan? It says that u can activate it only for T-mobile phones...Also do you get 4 G speed on your iphone 5 with this connection or atleast 3 g ???

4G/3G speed is only available right now for 100 million people. So depending on your area, you might not have it yet. But T-mobile stated that they should have 200 million covered by the end of 2013.

Just google T-Mobile 1900Mhz.



T-Mobile customers will now experience improvements in areas including:
Atlanta, including the surrounding cities of: Roswell, Alpharetta, Marietta, Covington and Conyers
Seattle, including the surrounding areas of: Lynwood, Bothell, Mill Creek, Edmonds, Redmond, Kirkland, Woodinville, Bellevue, Issaquah, Sammamish, Kenmore, Mercer Island, North Bend, SeaTac, Burien, Tukwila, Renton, and Lake Stevens
Minneapolis, including the nearby cities of: St. Paul and St. Cloud
Additional Bay Area cites include: Fairfield, Monterey, Napa, Petaluma, Salinas, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa and Vallejo.

T-Mobile network advancements also continue in additional areas including Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, the New York metro area, Philadelphia, and San Diego. Customers in parts of these metro areas are already experiencing improved coverage and unlocked iPhone “speed sightings” on T-Mobile’s 4G network.

*Internal tests of unlocked iPhone 4S devices running over 4G (HSPA+) on our 1900 MHz network recorded on average 70% faster download speeds than iPhone 4S devices on AT&T’s network.


Baltimore, Houston, Kansas City, Las Vegas and Washington D.C. -- users in the following locations will experience improved coverage and speeds, and should start seeing HSPA+ speeds on unlocked AT&T-compatible devices:

Phoenix, AZ: including Tempe, Scottsdale, Glendale, Peoria, Paradise Valley, Surprise and Ahwatukee
Mesa, AZ: including Chandler and Gilbert
Tucson, AZ: including South Tucson, Marana, and Vail
Silicon Valley: including Cupertino, Sunnyvale, Mountain View, Santa Clara, San Jose
Oakland, CA
San Francisco, CA
Stockton, CA
Modesto, CA
Miami, FL: including Coral Gables and Miami Beach
Fort Lauderdale, FL: including Hollywood


As for activation, walmart or order straight from t-mobile website

You can sign up without Walmart. All I did was order a sim from the tmobile website for $0.99 with free shipping. Then, simply follow the instructions on the tmobile website for monthly4g prepaid activation, and choose the $30 plan with 100 minutes. It's really simple.

[2Turbo]

Originally Posted by blackhand1001

Its a great deal but your really much better off using it with an unlocked galaxy nexus or nexus 4 as they support t mobiles entire network and not just a small portion of it.

Does that mean faster data speed than iphone?

[AutoUnion39]

Those TMobile press releases are complete crap.

I'm in the Boston area and have a TMO pre-paid SIM laying around. They aren't done refarming at all. I go in and out of PCS HSPA+ on my unlocked S3 all over town.

Why would anyone subject themselves to that crap, when you can get StraightTalk, where AT&T has a very very good HSPA+ network and their coverage isn't like swiss cheese?

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Originally Posted by 2Turbo

Does that mean faster data speed than iphone?

Yes, because it would support T-Mobile's AWS HSPA+ Band, but again, pretty stupid because T-Mobile only has 3G in metro areas and adjacent suburbs. Even if you travel a little, your predominant data speeds will be EDGE.

StraightTalk offers nationwide HSPA+ speeds on AT&T and you can use any AT&T 3G phone.

[blackhand1001]

Originally Posted by 2Turbo

Does that mean faster data speed than iphone?

Yes significantly faster. On most of tmobiles network (99% of it) the iPhone can only use 2g edge. The galaxy nexus and nexus 4 can use t mobile 3g and 4g on the entire network. The have 3g and 4g mostly everywhere. Just not a band the iPhone can use.

[AutoUnion39]

Originally Posted by blackhand1001

Yes significantly faster. On most of tmobiles network (99% of it) the iPhone can only use 2g edge. The galaxy nexus and nexus 4 can use t mobile 3g and 4g on the entire network. The have 3g and 4g mostly everywhere. Just not a band the iPhone can use.

This is false. Their network is still predominantly 2G.

[blackhand1001]

Originally Posted by AutoUnion39

This is false. Their network is still predominantly 2G.

I don't even have t mobile (verizon) but I know that they have a pretty large 3g/4g network. I live on the East coast. It only has horrendous coverage if you are using a phone that isn't supported on their network like an iphone. Use a pentaband hspa+ phone and its fine.

http://www.t-mobile.com/coverage/pcc.aspx/

[AutoUnion39]

Originally Posted by blackhand1001

I don't even have t mobile (verizon) but I know that they have a pretty large 3g/4g network. I live on the East coast. It only has horrendous coverage if you are using a phone that isn't supported on their network like an iphone. Use a pentaband hspa+ phone and its fine.

http://www.t-mobile.com/coverage/pcc.aspx/

Start zooming in and you'll realize how pathetic their 3G coverage really is.

Here's an example:

According to this zoom level: all of the dark green = 3G



Now zoom in, one increment: where'd all the 3G go? Only the green is 3G, rest of it is 2G



Now look at AT&T: ALL of it is 3G and some areas already have LTE. AT&T has more area covered with LTE in Maine than T-Mobile does 3G.



I could do this for the state of Mass also. I am willing to bet there is more LTE coverage by AT&T/VZW than there is 3G by TMo.

The commercials with the hot girl on the motorcycle is pure crap. Their network is basically 2G everywhere, not 3G.