Carrier Choose new iPhone 5S - which carrier ?

[mjoshi123]

I'm at present on Sprint and don't like their service when I compare amount of money I've to pay for my family plan (3 lines) on their network. Also 3G with sprint is slow, although it is improving but not there yet.

I'm planning on moving out of Sprint plan (one of my lines that is up for renewal) to preferably T-Mobile. What is experience of people with T-Mobile in terms of coverage and data speed ? And how much you pay every month on T-Mobile ?

 

[maflynn]

First select which carriers have the best coverage for your area. For me that's VZW and ATT, then see what they have to offer in terms of programs. Again for me VZW beat out ATT.

 

[murano]

I'm at present on Sprint and don't like their service when I compare amount of money I've to pay for my family plan (3 lines) on their network. Also 3G with sprint is slow, although it is improving but not there yet.

I'm planning on moving out of Sprint plan (one of my lines that is up for renewal) to preferably T-Mobile. What is experience of people with T-Mobile in terms of coverage and data speed ? And how much you pay every month on T-Mobile ?

Also, if you are employed or studying in a school check for discounts carriers offer.

 

[Raibyn]

I will never recommend that anyone go with Verizon. Ever. AT&T's network is very quickly catching up to VZW's, and they have better customer service. I personally advise people to look into no contract plans. Many people are scared off by the prospect of paying for the device up front, but you will save money in the long run if you go with something like Straight Talk, T-Mobile, AT&T Go Phone, etc. If T-Mobile has LTE, or even HSPA+, where you work and live, their speeds are usually very good. The problem is if you live outside of the city and are on Edge data. AT&T or an AT&T MVNO will have better coverage, but T-Mobile offers the better plans and rates.

 

[Coleman2010]

Check T-Mobile's coverage in your area. I have T-Mobile and I'm very happy with their coverage. I get LTE at home and work.

 

[JOSE891]

T-Mobile and Verizon suck where I live in Las Vegas, NV. Well thats at School and home only and most places I travel around the city. I recommend getting ATT or Straight Talk or a ATT MVNO. Also Sprint is good in my area so I have a 2ND Virgin Mobile phone that runs on Sprint for back up.

But that just my experience

 

[mjoshi123]

Thanks guys for your input, I understand all coverages are local. And that is reason I'm looking into T-Mobile. They seems to be decent atleast where I live and work.
Also I want to reduce my monthly payments, sick and tired of keep paying this $185 to Sprint every month.

 

[Raibyn]

If T-Mobile coverage is good where you will be spending 99% of your time, I definitely think they are the way to go.

 

[Coleman2010]

Thanks guys for your input, I understand all coverages are local. And that is reason I'm looking into T-Mobile. They seems to be decent atleast where I live and work.
Also I want to reduce my monthly payments, sick and tired of keep paying this $185 to Sprint every month.

T-Mobile offers unlimited data and you can add a tethering plan.

 

[CallOfDuty]

Generally, imo:

If you want coverage, go with AT&T and Verizon. They are generally reliable in almost everywhere. Except Verizon has a slight edge over AT&T.

If you want speed, AT&T offers faster speeds in areas where it has coverage as comparable as Verizon. Although I'd say, the advantage over AT&T here isn't really that significant. With LTE especially on a smartphone, a 30mbps download speed over a 20 mbps download speed isn't really significant in reality.

If you have T-Mobile LTE in your area, it is blazing fast. Considering less people uses T-Mobile LTE in its LTE markets . The same can be applied to Sprint as well, but I found that Sprint's LTE can only reach an average maximum of about 20mbps, while on T-Mobile/AT&T/Verizon I can get past 30 or even 40. Of course, this is just my experience.

If you're budget conscious, T-Mobile or Sprint is fine. Now it all comes down to coverage. In terms of general coverage, both carriers are fine. (NOTE: You DO get coverage with all major carriers, its just the speed) . But when it comes down to speed, Sprint is out of its league. Go with T-Mobile if you want a generally reliable coverage and speed. But don't expect excellent coverage like Verizon or AT&T.

Do not go with Verizon and AT&T if you're budget conscious. They're the most expensive carriers in the market right now. This is of course 'compensated' by their generally excellent coverage and speeds.

Unlimited Data? Go with Sprint, although I am not sure you can tolerate its sluggish speeds in most of its markets without LTE.

Best Value (Not too expensive, average/good coverage and speed etc) currently to me is T-Mobile.

 

[Ramio]

I had t-mobile and ditched them 3 years ago for att and before t-mobile, I had Verizon. T-mobile service is spotty, especially outside the city. Had way too many dropped calls with them, even in the middle of Houston. AT&T has much better coverage and not as many dead spots. Their data speeds are very fast. Got 48mbps with them. Coverage wise Verizon is the best imo. Travelled by car all the way from Houston, TeXas to Arkansas and travelled through some remote areas and never once lost service with Verizon. If you want wide coverage get att or Verizon. You pay more but it's worth it!.

 

[CEmajr]

It's a no brainer to go with tmobile if the coverage is good in your area. They have unlimited data and the data is fast unlike Sprint plus they're service is cheaper than AT&T and Verizon. I would only go to verizon or AT&T if you absolutely have to.