Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

switching from AT&T to T-Mobile

mentaluproar

mentaluproar

macrumors 68000
Original poster
May 25, 2010
1,844
298
Ohio, USA
I love coverage with AT&T, but the call quality is generally pretty bad and I hate their pricing. If I just pay the ETF and unlock my iPhone 4S, I can go to T-mobile and spend half of what I am with AT&T. In this area, I know a few people with the iPhone 5 that get great coverage. My concern is while I know data will be slower on my 4S than the 5 when I switch to T-mobile, how will voice coverage be? Will it be identical?
 
mentaluproar said:
I love coverage with AT&T, but the call quality is generally pretty bad and I hate their pricing. If I just pay the ETF and unlock my iPhone 4S, I can go to T-mobile and spend half of what I am with AT&T. In this area, I know a few people with the iPhone 5 that get great coverage. My concern is while I know data will be slower on my 4S than the 5 when I switch to T-mobile, how will voice coverage be? Will it be identical?
Click to expand...

T-Mobile has the fastest 3G/"4G" network of all the carriers in most areas, but their overall coverage (including voice coverage) is severely lacking in rural areas.

I would look at the coverage maps to see if the area you live in and the areas you frequent have coverage before switching.


Also this app is pretty handy for comparing all 4 carriers in your area:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/coverage/id388815949?mt=8
 
I understand, but assuming the area I want coverage in has good reception on an iphone 5, would I still get that with my old 4S?
 
mentaluproar said:
I love coverage with AT&T, but the call quality is generally pretty bad and I hate their pricing. If I just pay the ETF and unlock my iPhone 4S, I can go to T-mobile and spend half of what I am with AT&T. In this area, I know a few people with the iPhone 5 that get great coverage. My concern is while I know data will be slower on my 4S than the 5 when I switch to T-mobile, how will voice coverage be? Will it be identical?
Click to expand...
You'll have Voice/Edge everywhere an iPhone 5 does.

You won't have LTE.

You won't have 4G where TMo is using 1700 MHz spectrum.
4S only supports TMo refarmed 1900MHz 4G areas.
 
JoshGlzBrk said:
Your iPhone 4S will have the same voice capabilities as an iPhone 5.
Click to expand...

You will have the same voice capabilities as the 5. But the get the full experience you will need a T-Mobile iPhone 5 or a unlocked version with the AWS band.
 
OP, if you value coverage and a usable phone everywhere then AT&T and VZW are your only choices. Too many switch to TMo and Sprint thinking cheaper is better, but the reality is that TMo can't even remotely provide as reliable of service as the big two.
 
AutoUnion39 said:
OP, if you value coverage and a usable phone everywhere then AT&T and VZW are your only choices. Too many switch to TMo and Sprint thinking cheaper is better, but the reality is that TMo can't even remotely provide as reliable of service as the big two.
Click to expand...

This is true. I made the switch and sometimes I regret it, but I refuse to go back to paying what I was.
 
djransom said:
This is true. I made the switch and sometimes I regret it, but I refuse to go back to paying what I was.
Click to expand...

Valid point. If you can get away with it, its alright, but if you travel a lot, etc, you have to pay the upcharge because all that EDGE is ridiculous

Anyone who claims that they have never seen EDGE on TMobile is either full of it or they don't leave their house.
 
Last edited:
AutoUnion39 said:
Valid point. If you can get away with it, its alright, but if you travel a lot, etc, you have to pay the upcharge because all that EDGE is ridiculous

Anyone who claims that they have never seen EDGE on TMobile is either full of it or they don't leave their house.
Click to expand...

I've definitely seen it and the speed is very frustrating when I've seen it like to the point where I say forget it and put my phone down.
 
mentaluproar said:
I love coverage with AT&T, but the call quality is generally pretty bad and I hate their pricing. If I just pay the ETF and unlock my iPhone 4S, I can go to T-mobile and spend half of what I am with AT&T. In this area, I know a few people with the iPhone 5 that get great coverage. My concern is while I know data will be slower on my 4S than the 5 when I switch to T-mobile, how will voice coverage be? Will it be identical?
Click to expand...

I dont know what your paying now but AT&T has the $60 GoPhone Prepaid plan...you can get refills from callingmart.com for as low as $54/month...with their 10% off coupons.

it gives you:
- Unlimited Talk + Texting (Incl International)
- Unlimited MMS
- 2GB Data (HSPA+ LTE - if you had iPhone 5)
- Visual Voicemail


doesnt get better then that...
 
AutoUnion39 said:
Anyone who claims that they have never seen EDGE on TMobile is either full of it or they don't leave their house.
Click to expand...

Heck, I even see EDGE on AT&T sometimes right here in Cingular's home town.

----------
Satnam1989 said:
doesnt get better then that...
Click to expand...

That's fine if you're single... :)

Price differences are a lot more substantial when you get into five line family plan and don't upgrade every line to a brand new phone every two years.
 
I don't travel much. I live in akron, parents in massillon, and college in north canton ohio. T-mobile should be adequate for me, but I figured my phone would fall back to 3G, not edge.
 
mentaluproar said:
I don't travel much. I live in akron, parents in massillon, and college in north canton ohio. T-mobile should be adequate for me, but I figured my phone would fall back to 3G, not edge.
Click to expand...

Nope it can fall back to Edge. It's happen to me a few times, but I deal with it because it's a trade off. Cheaper service that gets me by vs paying a premium for service.
 
AutoUnion39 said:
Valid point. If you can get away with it, its alright, but if you travel a lot, etc, you have to pay the upcharge because all that EDGE is ridiculous

Anyone who claims that they have never seen EDGE on TMobile is either full of it or they don't leave their house.
Click to expand...

Show me one place in this thread where someone made that claim. BTW, I constantly see my 4S drop to EDGE on AT&T in my house and elsewhere. And I live in the 5th largest metropolitan area in the country. AT&T is no panacea of wonderful coverage as you constantly claim it to be.
 
parseckadet said:
Show me one place in this thread where someone made that claim. BTW, I constantly see my 4S drop to EDGE on AT&T in my house and elsewhere. And I live in the 5th largest metropolitan area in the country. AT&T is no panacea of wonderful coverage as you constantly claim it to be.
Click to expand...

There's a difference between getting edge in low signal situations like a building and being stuck on EDGE outside top metro areas. Plus major highways and such, where AT&T and VZW have no problem putting up LTE. But I'm sure you don't understand the difference anyways. Why bother even trying to argue.
 
Having 3G while driving through West Virginia isn't worth the handicapped data plans that AT&T offers. I'm fine with Tmobile.
 
mentaluproar said:
I don't travel much. I live in akron, parents in massillon, and college in north canton ohio. T-mobile should be adequate for me, but I figured my phone would fall back to 3G, not edge.
Click to expand...

I work in Akron, perfect lte everywhere I go. As for canton... I'll find out this weekend.
 
AutoUnion39 said:
OP, if you value coverage and a usable phone everywhere then AT&T and VZW are your only choices. Too many switch to TMo and Sprint thinking cheaper is better, but the reality is that TMo can't even remotely provide as reliable of service as the big two.
Click to expand...

Agreed, I switched to T-Mobile for the cheaper price and had decent coverage around where I lived and thought it was awesome. Then I spent a weekend traveling and half the time I had zero coverage and many missed calls. As soon as I got back home I ported back to AT&T. I'll gladly pay the extra $20 a month for much better service.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back