nTelos Wireless to Launch iPhone 4S and iPhone 4 with $50 Discounts on April 20 [Updated: Other Carriers]

[cvaldes]

Mactactic,

After researching ST, I was think about switching over but, I have seen numerous posts online where people say that the ST agreement does not allow streaming data.

Have you ever had any issues streaming radio or video with Straight Talk? If so, no warnings, etc?

habe

I researched Straight Talk extensively and what I understand is that ST may terminate service if your usage behavior negatively affects other ST users. That's a pretty broad and vague definition, however, it could include streaming video if it causes a bottleneck. However, the ST Terms of Service explicitly forbid tethering.

Another note of interest was occasional mention that the ST "unlimited data" isn't really unlimited and if you cross the 2GB threshold, you may receive a nasty note saying that you're a data hog and that you may be cut off.

Naturally, if you are streaming radio or video, you will reach this 2GB level pretty quickly which is probably why some ST users are saying not to stream.

I finally dabbled with the ST service for a month but finally decided to stick with my GoPhone SIM since my cellular usage is so low (about thirty minutes of calls, maybe 120MB of data per month). I'm currently averaging about $15/month in cellular costs. If my usage patterns ever change and I average more than $30 per month in cellular costs, I'll definitely consider switching to ST.

 

[HitchHykr]

I could be wrong– but I don't think they are quite comparing oranges to oranges. The other plans, which are more expensive, allow nationwide calling. A regional operator does not. However, it's becoming increasingly clear that people don't talk on their phones. They use data by messaging and performing lots of other app based tasks. I, for one, barely use the "phone" on my phone– so a regional carrier where you could save $20 a month ($240 a year) might actually make sense.

NTelos also offers nationwide calling, I know because I used to be a customer and my son is still with them until his contract expires this month. I don't know where they are getting those numbers to compare, though. I pay about $27 per additional line for smart-phones @ At&T and for three lines I pay about $160.

 

[sweetbrat]

Pre-iPhone, the plans/rates were much better in the US than elsewhere. However, that has really changed. In addition, I don't understand why you guys accept it.

What would you suggest we do? The choices are to get an expensive plan with decent coverage/speed, get a slightly cheaper plan with worse coverage/speed, or a cheap plan with really bad speed and/or coverage. Those really aren't great options.

 

[HitchHykr]

not really.

you can buy an 4S outright for 629€ and run it for 10€/mo for 24 mo. Actually the 16.99€/mo above it quite good.

or I can buy a S2 for 400€ and use the 16.99€/mo plan.

or I can buy a 50€ dumbphone outright and use the 10€/mo plan.

I don't see why people get excited about a 2.5% savings (front page news at MR?)

2.5% = 50/2000.

I don't know that anyone is really exited about the $50 per se. The important news, and why is in the front page of MR, is a that a new local carrier will offer the iPhone and they will offer the iPhone for $50 cheaper which is highly unusual here in the states. BTW, this local carrier services Arn's hometown, so it sorta hits home....

 

[Tiger8]

shouldn't be more than $15/month (or you should at least have the option for something cheaper).

we have one that's 9.99€/mo including all taxes with no minimum contract time. even the 16.99€/mo is a good deal with 200min/200SMS/500MB per month.

not only that, but you can switch it between whatever device you want to use (iPad/iPhone/surfstick)

you guys get excited about $50 off at the front.

i just don't understand it.

But you have to pay $650 for your iPhone upfront.

 

[acidfast7]

But you have to pay $650 for your iPhone upfront.

If I buy it from Apple (they're roughly 550€ from other parties). Not only that, but it's holds it's value quite on the second-hand market quite well. And I can pop-in/out local SIM cars when I travel.

----------

What would you suggest we do? The choices are to get an expensive plan with decent coverage/speed, get a slightly cheaper plan with worse coverage/speed, or a cheap plan with really bad speed and/or coverage. Those really aren't great options.

3) Do neither. Don't accept a $100/mo plan with great service or a $60/mo plan without good service. Reduce usage and drop a GoPhone SIM in. That way other companies will see that a "pre-paid" SIM market exists and will cater to customers.

 

[walterhpdx]

Come on, Credo!

I'm just waiting for Credo Mobile to get the iPhone now! Come on, Credo! Daddy doesn't want a Google phone!

 

[DaBlakkBear]

How do I break my agreement with AT&T? LMAO...

The only problem with nTelos is that they are a local cell phone service Thats why their unlimited calling and data is $40 a month. I live in VA so I know, they are one of those phone companies that when you screwed up and don't pay your bill with a company like AT&T Verizon, and Sprint and need a cell phone you go to them and they give you one and you pay a $40 deposit. Only problem is when you go out of state to like West Virginia or Maryland or North Carolina, thats when your phone stops working. My ex-girlfriend had a phone with ntelos and she paid $40 for the unlimited calling and data service, well she had to go down to Mississippi for a funeral and soon as she crossed the VA state line into NC her phone stopped working for 4 days until she got back to VA. They could have given her the roaming feature but is the kind of roaming where they charge you $1.29 a minute and that would have required a credit check which she would have epically failed miserably 10x over since she burned her bridges by not paying her bills from sprint and at&t and etc...That is why we say ntelos is you last resort when you got a credit score of 500 and or below....LMAO

 

[Wicked1]

Why call it unlimited data if it has a cap at 5GB? Why not just sell it as a 5GB plan? There 5GB "unlimited" is less then Swedens standard limited which is like 8GB for 20$ a month.

I agree with you, but imagine if everyone who was on Unlimited could use as much as they want, they would kill the network, because if that were the case, I would drop home internet, and use my phone for everything as a WiFi HS.

It will be interesting how AT&T and VZ go about it with Sprint still offering Unlimited even with LTE. Either Sprint will cave in the like all the rest, or maybe the big two will switch and change more for the Unlimted plans?

Say bye bye to T-Mobile though, with no iPhone there is nothing to help them tread water going forward.

nTelos must have paid big $ because it cost Sprint 15.5 Billion over 4 years, and they have a much larger customer base.

 

[HitchHykr]

The only problem with nTelos is that they are a local cell phone service Thats why their unlimited calling and data is $40 a month. I live in VA so I know, they are one of those phone companies that when you screwed up and don't pay your bill with a company like AT&T Verizon, and Sprint and need a cell phone you go to them and they give you one and you pay a $40 deposit. Only problem is when you go out of state to like West Virginia or Maryland or North Carolina, thats when your phone stops working. My ex-girlfriend had a phone with ntelos and she paid $40 for the unlimited calling and data service, well she had to go down to Mississippi for a funeral and soon as she crossed the VA state line into NC her phone stopped working for 4 days until she got back to VA. They could have given her the roaming feature but is the kind of roaming where they charge you $1.29 a minute and that would have required a credit check which she would have epically failed miserably 10x over since she burned her bridges by not paying her bills from sprint and at&t and etc...That is why we say ntelos is you last resort when you got a credit score of 500 and or below....LMAO

I don't know what nTelos you are referring to or how long ago your experience was, maybe you didn't have the right plans or roaming included? but I've had nTelos for a number of years because they were cheaper than other companies. The Nationwide plans mean just that: "Nationwide" I used to travel all over the US for business and never had the issues like you described. They are "regional" but they sublease Verizon's service. Having said that I only have one phone left at nTelos and I'm moving it under my family plan on AT&t at the end of this month, so I'm not shilling for nTelos.

 

[theBB]

It's easy to get a local carrier sim card in other european countries so the call cost come back to normal.

That is not the same service quality. You need to find out which company provides a good deal on data or voice. When you land at an airport at 11pm, all the cell phone stores are going to be closed and you are left with no choice but roaming if you need to use your phone. If the next day is a Sunday in Europe, many shops will not open for another day. If somebody needs to reach you while you are traveling, they need to know your new temporary number and pay for long distance rates. If you need to call home, long distance calling is likely to cost extra. I am not sure about Europe, but there are some countries requiring proof of residency before they sell SIM cards. Sometimes activating a line on a phone purchased abroad requires a waiting period of some hours to some days.

Compared to that, when I arrive in New York or Hawaii, I don't have to research rates or lose time finding a shop to buy a SIM card or notify my friends, family or boss of my new number or worry about long distance rates. It just works. There are quite a few regional and virtual carriers in the US offering much lower rates if you are willing to put up with much smaller "home" areas, long distance calling fees and roaming rates. Most people don't.

 

[DaBlakkBear]

I don't know what nTelos you are referring to or how long ago your experience was, maybe you didn't have the right plans or roaming included? but I've had nTelos for a number of years because they were cheaper than other companies. The Nationwide plans mean just that: "Nationwide" I used to travel all over the US for business and never had the issues like you described. They are "regional" but they sublease Verizon's service. Having said that I only have one phone left at nTelos and I'm moving it under my family plan on AT&t at the end of this month, so I'm not shilling for nTelos.

There is only one nTelos...and I'm glad you are leaving them for AT&T you deserve better Homie no pun intended but if you were my ex-girlfriend and abused credit the way she did then it would have sucked to be you!...LOL

 

[HitchHykr]

There is only one nTelos...and I'm glad you are leaving them for AT&T you deserve better Homie no pun intended but if you were my ex-girlfriend and abused credit the way she did then it would have sucked to be you!...LOL

I'm glad to see that you are open minded and that your one experience applies to the entire universe. That's a sign of a genius!

"My ex-girlfrind had nTelos and she had bad credit THEREFORE everyone in nTelos must have bad credit AND must be female AND were my ex-girfriends!!!!"

 

[acidfast7]

That is not the same service quality. You need to find out which company provides a good deal on data or voice. When you land at an airport at 11pm, all the cell phone stores are going to be closed and you are left with no choice but roaming if you need to use your phone. If the next day is a Sunday in Europe, many shops will not open for another day. If somebody needs to reach you while you are traveling, they need to know your new temporary number and pay for long distance rates. If you need to call home, long distance calling is likely to cost extra. I am not sure about Europe, but there are some countries requiring proof of residency before they sell SIM cards. Sometimes activating a line on a phone purchased abroad requires a waiting period of some hours to some days.

Compared to that, when I arrive in New York or Hawaii, I don't have to research rates or lose time finding a shop to buy a SIM card or notify my friends, family or boss of my new number or worry about long distance rates. It just works. There are quite a few regional and virtual carriers in the US offering much lower rates if you are willing to put up with much smaller "home" areas, long distance calling fees and roaming rates. Most people don't.

Or you can walk into a kiosk, buy a 5€ credit for the local network (for example, 3 which is in UK/Sweden/Denmark/Austria/Italy/etc..), scratch a lottery-like bar, and send an SMS to the number on the card with the 5€ credit code and in 30sec have 5€ credit in the new country with the local network.

Yup, really hard and totally inconvenient.

You really have no idea. At all.

 

[DaBlakkBear]

I'm glad to see that you are open minded and that your one experience applies to the entire universe. That's a sign of a genius!

"My ex-girlfrind had nTelos and she had bad credit THEREFORE everyone in nTelos must have bad credit AND must be female AND were my ex-girfriends!!!!"

Aren't you glad you got rid of her pimpin?

 

[Tiger8]

If I buy it from Apple (they're roughly 550€ from other parties). Not only that, but it's holds it's value quite on the second-hand market quite well. And I can pop-in/out local SIM cars when I travel.

We can do that too; with Sprint and Verizon, we already can pop in local SIM cards when we travel. With AT&T, once you pay for your phone, it is unlocked, so you can do that too.

It is not much different, an iPhone is an iPhone whereever you go, and you have to pay for it. Whether you pay for it upfront, or over the course of 24 months, you are still paying for it.

 

[kironin]

Pre-iPhone, the plans/rates were much better in the US than elsewhere. However, that has really changed. In addition, I don't understand why you guys accept it.

Perhaps because I'm no longer paying about $60/mo for my land line at the same time I was paying for my old RAZR cell phone which I wasn't paying that much less than I am paying for the plan I have now. My costs per month are actually less now than they were before. I don't get what the beef you have anyway since you don't even live here.

 

[DJsteveSD]

sigh

Pre-iPhone, the plans/rates were much better in the US than elsewhere. However, that has really changed. In addition, I don't understand why you guys accept it.

did we have a choice?