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T-Mobile iPhone 5 user near Tampa?

tardman91

tardman91

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Oct 21, 2009
1,170
398
Tampa Area, FL
I was wondering if anyone is using an iPhone 5 in the Tampa, FL area? I want to switch over and use a 5, but wanted to know what kind of data speeds/service people were getting?
Also, has anyone been to a T-Mobile store recently? Do they have iPhone 5's on display in the stores?
 
avanpelt said:
Why not get a Verizon iPhone 5 and get Verizon LTE plus T-Mobile HSPA+ accessibility?
Click to expand...
Because looking over my data usage I am better off paying my Verizon ETF and shelling out for a full price iPhone 5. I ran the numbers and I will still save $1000 over the course of a 2 year contract by going with T-Mobile. I don't need LTE. Verizon 3G has served me perfectly fine, and T-Mobile's "4G" blows that out of the water.
EDIT: Looks like according to the airportal site Tampa does have iPhone 3G coverage. I don't know about where I live though, in west Pasco county. I don't suppose I'm lucky enough that someone on here lives near me and can comment. Looks like I'll have to stop in the T-Mobile store.
 
Last edited:
tardman91 said:
But the data speeds should be about the same on both, right? Because tmobile doesn't have LTE? Anything is better than Verizon's 3G.
Click to expand...

iPhone 5 gets faster data speeds than the 4s because it can use t-mobiles faster hspa+42 while the 4s can only use hspa+14.4.

Both are faster than Verizon 3G.
 
tardman91 said:
I was wondering if anyone is using an iPhone 5 in the Tampa, FL area? I want to switch over and use a 5, but wanted to know what kind of data speeds/service people were getting?
Also, has anyone been to a T-Mobile store recently? Do they have iPhone 5's on display in the stores?
Click to expand...

I live around Tampa area. I have tmobile, i have iphone 5, the only data speeds i got is EDGE. the speed is pretty slow, only and surf web but can't even play youtube video.
 
bcooln said:
I live around Tampa area. I have tmobile, i have iphone 5, the only data speeds i got is EDGE. the speed is pretty slow, only and surf web but can't even play youtube video.
Click to expand...

Well that's a real let down. According to a couple maps I found online there's supposedly some spots near downtown that should have 3G coverage, but I'm about 30 miles from there. I'll swing into a tmobile store today and see if they have any info on the rollout.
 
tardman91 said:
Well that's a real let down. According to a couple maps I found online there's supposedly some spots near downtown that should have 3G coverage, but I'm about 30 miles from there. I'll swing into a tmobile store today and see if they have any info on the rollout.
Click to expand...

trust me, the map is wrong, i have been everywhere in tampa already. all i have is edge. i talk with tmobile, when they trouble shoot with my iphone 5 for not send mms message. They told me to turn off 3G because 3G is not available in Florida that support iphone 5 yet
 
bcooln said:
trust me, the map is wrong, i have been everywhere in tampa already. all i have is edge. i talk with tmobile, when they trouble shoot with my iphone 5 for not send mms message. They told me to turn off 3G because 3G is not available in Florida that support iphone 5 yet
Click to expand...
Hopefully it comes soon. I'll stick with my 4S on Verizon until it does. Thus decreasing my ETF and increasing my savings even more when I finally switch!
 
tardman91 said:
Hopefully it comes soon. I'll stick with my 4S on Verizon until it does. Thus decreasing my ETF and increasing my savings even more when I finally switch!
Click to expand...

yeah, you should wait till beginning of the year. by then iphone 5 price would be cheaper too. right now signal on iphone 5 in tmobile is not that good. so good choice
 
Well the T-Mobile manager confirmed that they don't have 3G iPhone coverage in my area (which is the northern Tampa area for anyone interested). He said that he expected it "some time next year" which hopefully will be more towards the earlier half. Until then I'll stick it out with Verizon. If it's the mid to later half of the year, maybe I can hope for the 5S to be released!
 
tardman91 said:
Well the T-Mobile manager confirmed that they don't have 3G iPhone coverage in my area (which is the northern Tampa area for anyone interested). He said that he expected it "some time next year" which hopefully will be more towards the earlier half. Until then I'll stick it out with Verizon. If it's the mid to later half of the year, maybe I can hope for the 5S to be released!
Click to expand...

I almost switched to T-Mobile because of the lower prices and since AT&T is kind of sucky on voice calls. But stayed with AT&T since I'm a family plan with a group of friends and of the LTE coverage. With T-Mobile's acquisition of MetroPCS, I wonder how their LTE network would be next year, if it will be up and running by then.

I'm also in Tampa area.
 
PsstGreek said:
I almost switched to T-Mobile because of the lower prices and since AT&T is kind of sucky on voice calls. But stayed with AT&T since I'm a family plan with a group of friends and of the LTE coverage. With T-Mobile's acquisition of MetroPCS, I wonder how their LTE network would be next year, if it will be up and running by then.

I'm also in Tampa area.
Click to expand...

I used to have an original iPhone and a 3G on T-Mobile back in the day. Then I made the switch to a Nexus One. I love T-Mobile's coverage and "4G" data speed in my area. I wanted to go back to an iPhone really bad though and went with Verizon. Now I'm switching back to T-Mobile the day their iPhone coverage goes live. I'll save about $60 month. I ran the numbers and by the time I pay my ETF, buy an unlocked iPhone (and a cheap Android one for my wife who couldn't care less as long as she can get her email) and sell our Verizon phones I'll be ahead a little over $1000 over the course of two years. LTE speeds aren't worth that much to me, especially when T-Mobile's "4G" speed is about 5-10 times faster than what I currently get with Verizon.
 
I'm planning on switching to the iPhone 5 and dumping Verizon myself. I figured that we can pair our five with the hidden $30 a month 100 mins Unlimited Data that T-Mobile offers. I barely place any calls a month. So why am I being rapped by Verizon?

I'm over in Clearwater, but work in Tampa. So I've been researching this myself. And curious of their 3G for iphone support is in the Pinellas County area?
 
how can people tolerate Edge/3G speeds? Once you get a taste of LTE it's no going back
 
pnoyblazed said:
how can people tolerate Edge/3G speeds? Once you get a taste of LTE it's no going back
Click to expand...

Well T-Mobiles 3G/HSPA+ coverage is great in the Tampa area, and is about 4x faster than what I get with Verizon 3G (I'm lucky if I get 3mb down, and my brother has a GSII on T-Mo and regularly gets 10+mb down as measured with the speedtest app). I know LTE can be way faster, but if I've been happily getting by with Verizon's 3G coverage I'll be more than happy with T-Mobile's 4x faster 3G coverage.
 
In the past couple of weeks there has been a dramatic change to the TMO 3G coverage in the Tampa / St. Pete area. Downtown Tampa, around the Buc's Stadium and South Tampa are well covered. In St. Pete there is coverage off and on while driving on 275 and downtown St. Pete is well covered. The entire Howard Frankland bridge is covered. Things are improving quickly.

bcooln said:
trust me, the map is wrong, i have been everywhere in tampa already. all i have is edge. i talk with tmobile, when they trouble shoot with my iphone 5 for not send mms message. They told me to turn off 3G because 3G is not available in Florida that support iphone 5 yet
Click to expand...
 
Wasn't there a report recently that T-Mobile may be getting the iPhone?

I'd wait it out and see what happens.
 
jbmoore972 said:
In the past couple of weeks there has been a dramatic change to the TMO 3G coverage in the Tampa / St. Pete area. Downtown Tampa, around the Buc's Stadium and South Tampa are well covered. In St. Pete there is coverage off and on while driving on 275 and downtown St. Pete is well covered. The entire Howard Frankland bridge is covered. Things are improving quickly.
Click to expand...

You have 3G coverage on an iPhone? Have you seen any coverage north of Tampa? I'm in southwest Pasco/north Pinellas most of the time. As soon as they flip the switch in my area I'm dropping Verizon.
 
Well, good news for you! If you haven't already learned, T-Mobile is officially going to sell the iPhone starting in 2013.
 
The sooner the better. I'm ready to make the jump. I have a feeling it won't be for a while though. We don't even have a full rollout of the refarmed 3G yet. I think they won't get the iPhone until they have a good LTE network up and running.
 
I read yesterday that T-Mobile went live with their refarmed network in Tampa. Any users in the area getting the new speeds? How fast are they and how widespread? I'm curious if they creep into southwest Pasco at all. I'm itching to ditch Verizon!
 
tardman91 said:
I read yesterday that T-Mobile went live with their refarmed network in Tampa. Any users in the area getting the new speeds? How fast are they and how widespread? I'm curious if they creep into southwest Pasco at all. I'm itching to ditch Verizon!
Click to expand...

I don't have T-Mobile but they opened their towers in Tampa, St. Pete, Safety Harbor, Clearwater and Vinoy.

If it reaches up to New Port Richey/Trinity, I'll be ready to leave AT&T and pay the etf.
 
PsstGreek said:
I don't have T-Mobile but they opened their towers in Tampa, St. Pete, Safety Harbor, Clearwater and Vinoy.

If it reaches up to New Port Richey/Trinity, I'll be ready to leave AT&T and pay the etf.
Click to expand...

Same thing here. I live in that exact area. I can't wait to drop Verizon. I'll effectively cut my bill in half. I'll save over $1000 over the course of 2 years even with paying my ETF and buying an iPhone outright (and an Android for my wife).
 
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