Emigrating to the U.S. from the UK

[punitnaker]

I just found out from work that I'll be moving out to Nevada from work early next year. I currently have an iPhone 6 in the UK that is unlocked that I bought from Apple.

Can I use this when we move over and what kind of monthly plans can I expect to pay?

 

[Mrbert]

I looked at the LTE support page at https://www.apple.com/iphone/LTE/ and it doesn't look like the UK iPhone 6 supports the big two LTE networks in the US which are from AT&T and Verizon. You will have service from Sprint but my personal experience of their service is terrible.

If you plan on staying in the US for a few years for work then I suggest getting a Verizon iPhone because they have the most LTE coverage in the U.S. Depending on your data usage you should expect to pay around $70-$100/month on Verizon for 3-6GB/month with unlimited text/voice. AT&T has similar a pricing structure.

If you will be here briefly or don't want to deal with the hassle of buying a new iPhone from over here in the U.S. then bring your phone and see how the Sprint service performs.

 

[TJ82]

Sorry to hear about your move to Nevada.

 

[Azzin]

I just found out from work that I'll be moving out to Nevada from work early next year. I currently have an iPhone 6 in the UK that is unlocked that I bought from Apple.

Can I use this when we move over and what kind of monthly plans can I expect to pay?

I think you'll just ahve to look at who provides (the best) coverage for your area.

I'm in the UK so not an authority, but I'd suggest checking the website for AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile & Sprint (although I think get/have a bad rep for data coverage, from what I've read here on MR.

 

[willmtaylor]

I just found out from work that I'll be moving out to Nevada from work early next year. I currently have an iPhone 6 in the UK that is unlocked that I bought from Apple.

Can I use this when we move over and what kind of monthly plans can I expect to pay?

I think you'll just ahve to look at who provides (the best) coverage for your area.

I'm in the UK so not an authority, but I'd suggest checking the website for AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile & Sprint (although I think get/have a bad rep for data coverage, from what I've read here on MR.

Congrats/sorry about the move (depending on your outlook).

Azzin's advice is sound. Hopefully some folks from Nevada will chime in with the major carriers' coverage there; you might want to put that in your thread title to get their attention.

Just as a heads up, U.S. carriers, are much more expensive, on average, but you get quite a bit more. Painting with VERY broad strokes here: I'd say the average bill for 1 line is $80-$100/mo. (YMMV) and you get unlimited talk, text, and a fair amount of data. While UK SIM plans tend to be cheaper and allocate out small amounts of texts and voice minutes, many U.S. carriers use "unlimited" plans to keep prices high. T-Mobile is being a bit of a market disruptor at the moment, but we'll see how it goes.

Your other choice would be some sort of a pre-paid carrier, such as Cricket, and you could sell your current device, buy a U.S. based iPhone 6 outright, and take it to one of those carriers and only pay around $60/mo.

Hope this helps. Cheers.

 

[d123]

I looked at the LTE support page at https://www.apple.com/iphone/LTE/ and it doesn't look like the UK iPhone 6 supports the big two LTE networks in the US which are from AT&T and Verizon. You will have service from Sprint but my personal experience of their service is terrible.

If you plan on staying in the US for a few years for work then I suggest getting a Verizon iPhone because they have the most LTE coverage in the U.S. Depending on your data usage you should expect to pay around $70-$100/month on Verizon for 3-6GB/month with unlimited text/voice. AT&T has similar a pricing structure.

If you will be here briefly or don't want to deal with the hassle of buying a new iPhone from over here in the U.S. then bring your phone and see how the Sprint service performs.

Where are you seeing that? The UK iPhone 6 appears to cover all the LTE bands in the USA model for AT&T (and have a few extra added).

These are the LTE Bands in the UK model:

1 (2100 MHz)
2 (1900 MHz)
3 (1800 MHz)
4 (AWS)
5 (850 MHz)
7 (2600 MHz)
8 (900 MHz)
13 (700c MHz)
17 (700b MHz)
18 (800 MHz)
19 (800 MHz)
20 (800 DD)
25 (1900 MHz)
26 (800 MHz)
28 (700 APT MHz)
29 (700 de MHz)
38 (TD 2600)
39 (TD 1900)
40 (TD 2300)
41 (TD 2500)

Which ones are missing for AT&T support?

 

[abta1]

It should work on GSM carriers like AT&T and T-Mobile. The ones it won't work on are Verizon and Sprint because they use CDMA I believe.

 

[mtneer]

Network coverage depends a lot on where you end up in Nevada. Vegas/ Reno/ Carson metro areas have coverage from big 4. So, you could choose based on the plans and local coverage at your residence. The secondary cities only have 1 or 2 carriers and sometimes are covered only by regional carriers. If you occasionally visit those areas, the big 4 will let you roam. If you happen to use roaming too often, the parent carrier will drop you (and charge you ETF on the spot I presume). Vast areas of rural Nevada have no cellular coverage whatsoever. If you are in the oil industry or immigrating to be a miner, ranch hand etc. you may find yourself SOL.

 

[Mrbert]

Where are you seeing that? The UK iPhone 6 appears to cover all the LTE bands in the USA model for AT&T (and have a few extra added).

These are the LTE Bands in the UK model:


Which ones are missing for AT&T support?

I looked under "Supported LTE Networks" on the right side of the page. It looked like Apple has not certified the UK models for ATT but it does look like the bands are the same so my mistake. Assuming ATT LTE coverage will work then definitely hop on their network as my extended family has had good results in Nevada up around Reno.

 

[rvancil]

If you already own your phone, just pick up a Cricket sim card and pay the $45(total including taxes) per month...Same towers as AT&T, just a **** load cheaper. My coverage in Nevada was excellent while traveling through last month.

 

[thefredelement]

Your phone will work here. You can use Verizon, AT&T or T-Mobile.

Sprint will not allow you to bring a non Sprint phone onto their network.

(Actually, I'm not sure about Verizon, I know you can use a Verizon SIM in any iPhone but not sure if you can 'bring your own device' to their network' to acquire the SIM in the first place, anyone?)

My g/f is from Germany and she told me she had a hard time with post paid plans (anything requiring a credit check) as she had no credit history, so you may want to also seek out pre-paid variants (also offered by big carriers and smaller ones alike, that'll also let you bring your own phone).

If you're friendly with a co-worker state side, maybe ask if you can get a non-contract line on their account for while you're here?

 

[Night Spring]

(Actually, I'm not sure about Verizon, I know you can use a Verizon SIM in any iPhone but not sure if you can 'bring your own device' to their network' to acquire the SIM in the first place, anyone?)

My understanding is that if you have an active Verizon SIM, you can pop it into an unlocked phone and it will work. However, in order to activate a SIM, you need a Verizon device.

 

[scaredpoet]

If you will be here briefly or don't want to deal with the hassle of buying a new iPhone from over here in the U.S. then bring your phone and see how the Sprint service performs.

FYI, Sprint will not activate any phone that was not sold specifically for use on their network. Doesn't matter if the outside phone is unlocked and perfectly compatible hardware-wise. It's a dumb policy, but it is what it is.

Likewise, they (currently) will not unlock any phones that were purchased through them for domestic (U.S.) use. They pledge to do something about that in late February of 2015, but we'll see if that actually happens.

Also, an iPhone coming from the U.K. likely won't have CDMA capability anyway. This also means Verizon is out.

Based on the above, OP is best off looking at AT&T or T-Mobile first. If their coverage is sub-par, I'd recommend selling the UK iPhone and buying a Verizon model, and going with Verizon. And I don't see any scenario where I would recommend Sprint.

 

[Braddrum]

I just found out from work that I'll be moving out to Nevada from work early next year. I currently have an iPhone 6 in the UK that is unlocked that I bought from Apple.

Can I use this when we move over and what kind of monthly plans can I expect to pay?

I want your job! Desperate for a move to the States.

 

[scaredpoet]

If you already own your phone, just pick up a Cricket sim card and pay the $45(total including taxes) per month...Same towers as AT&T, just a **** load cheaper. My coverage in Nevada was excellent while traveling through last month.

^^ This too, Cricket actually sounds like the best way to go. I would do Cricket myself if it weren't for the fact that they don't have a data plan that's iPad specific (they make you buy a voice/data plan).

 

[sim667]

I want your job! Desperate for a move to the States.

Even nevada?!

 

[JOSE891]

Hey I live in Vegas, you will want to stay away T-Mobile, there coverage is horrible here unless you are gonna live/work by the strip. As other poster said Cricket would be your best option, they use AT&T's network and I haven't any problem with them here. I wish I can say enjoy your time here but I absolutely hate Las Vegas and the people, moving back to California next month.

 

[stasha]

moving to nevada?sorry to hear that sir.