I have wanted to jump to TMob for a while, but network coverage and strength has always been a concern. I am less worried about coverage in rural areas. I live in the city and really do not go rural very often. Has Tmob improved at least to the ATT level (which is what I am on)? If so, I may switch.
Given that you're in a city, coverage should be good, especially if you're in a band 12 "extended range LTE" market with a compatible device. Data speed and reliability would be the only thing to be concerned about I believe. T-Mobile has most cities covered very well but these Uncarrier deals have resulted in a HUGE influx of T-Mobile customers. Good for T-Mobile's $$$ but very bad for the network in *some places and towers*. Congestion in other words. You might see speeds as low as <1mbps down because so many T-Mobile customers are using the network there.
This might not be the case where you are but it's a valid concern. Pick up a prepaid SIM from T-Mobile ($5 from Best-Buy) and test the network for free. You'll need your phone to be unlocked of course, and ideally it should support LTE bands 2/4/12. Once you get the prepaid sim you can simply stick it in your unlocked phone and run UNLIMITED speedtests! You'll be able to see the network type/signal strength like usual. No, the speed is not capped. I got 94mbps in Sandusky, Ohio with an unactivated (no plan purchased, not yet activated) prepaid SIM.
So yeah use this method to test the network and see if T-Mobile is a viable option for you!
Wish they would expand their rural coverage. It is currently a joke.
Yeah it really is unfortunately. It's rapidly getting better and the numbers show that coverage is great (305 million LTE POPs vs Verizon's 310 million) but I think they've just targeted major residential areas and cities to achieve such a high POP count. Maybe it's just the rural areas you and I are in specifically but yeah. It's bad where I am too. "No Service" for about 20-45miles in every direction. This would be AT&T roaming if I bought a plan but that's 200mb of slow 2G data... They wouldn't even let me sign up where I am because of that.
The hour free GoGo is great. Even on a long flight I can catch up on emails, etc. if the tablet plans offer it I would add my iPad.
The free international coverage has been a real cost saver. Oddly enough, even though they limit it 2G I get 3G coverage where I've been. No more buying SIMs and time/data, instead I get texts and emails and can take or make calls at my US number cheaply. I still Skype for long calls but don't miss important business calls.
All this for about half of what ATT charged and my coverage is as good or better than ATT for where I travel. I'm fortunate to have a work BB on ATT if T mobile doesn't have coverage but haven't had to use it; now when work makes the planned switch to the iPhone I'll be able to ditch the BB horrible interface.
They limit your speed to 128kbps. They don't limit you to the 2G network. So you can see 3G, 4G, or LTE on these foreign networks but it still will be limited to 128kbps.
I had tmobile for about a year (dropped them in August 2015) and hated it. I live in a big city and when the reception is good, it is great but that is rare. If you are in a building, forget it. The service is useless.
What phone did you have and what city? If you didn't have a band 12 phone and you're complaining about bad in-building service... Then I'd try again with a band 12 phone. Your particular market may not have band 12, though, so. But still, T-Mo is different everywhere and your particular area may not be tmobiles best unfortunately.
Just wondering what phone you had?
Same. His argument is only valid if they had a band 12 phone (assuming theyre in a band 12 market)
Nope. In San Francisco half the airport you can't even use T-Mobile. I have both TMO and ATT (I do a lot of international travel so for that the free intl data on t-mo is amazing) but their coverage is still bad bad bad. i know they're slowly improving, but they are years behind ATT still in almost everywhere I've had my phone. Funny how my TMO phone works with 5 bars and decent data speed in a remote town in Cambodia, but not in several major US airports, and in many blocks in San Francisco, New York, LA, etc. LOL
I think I've heard that AT&T won't approve T-Mobile to lease out their DAS system to actually get service in there. Not entirely T-Mobile's fault then.
Don't do it. It's a trap.
I'm going to vote desperation as I have been for awhile. Any person who thinks TMO can continue these freebies and gimmicks forever and adding more non stop is kidding themselves.
This is basically bribery in the form of buying customer loyalty and trying more to sway new customers. These brands probably also hoped on in the hopes of more business their way ( Wendys, Dominos which isn't the best pizza anyway , and whoever else they get onboard )
Just because you had a bad experience doesn't mean everybody will have the same.
And also, T-Mobile is growing astronomically as a result of these Uncarrier moves. Yes it's a ploy to get more customers but it isn't really a scam either... And T-Mobile isn't stupid. They won't keep doing these Uncarrier moves if it affects them negatively. Obviously, they haven't affected them adversely at this point so they'll keep doing this to keep gaining more customers/$$$ and to promote competition in the telecommunications industry.
The point is it can't reasonably last.
Eventually 1 or more of the following has to happen:
• T-Mobile customers find reasons to stop buying into the Magenta Kool-Aid
• T-Mobile over spends on these things and it bites em in the butt
• Government actually starts to feel TMO is at risk of becoming a monopoly someday and intervenes
• FCC Finds huge issues big enough to bring the magenta empire down
• The number of people TMO screws or disatifies in some way outweighs the positives at some point ( be it CS issues, Bill issues, signal whatever )
How is this magenta Kool-Aid? If T-Mobile works where you are, there's no wrong in choosing that carrier and getting the perks they offer for less/similar money.
T-Mobile is smart, they aren't going to do these Uncarrier things if there is nothing in it for them. (More customers every time so the Uncarrier moves will pay for themselves)
Lol. We have a duopoly right now, so.
BingeOn certainly is a concern, I agree. But it isn't going to completely kill off T-Mobile just because that gets axed or something.
Every company will have unhappy customers, no matter what. At the moment, T-Mobile seems to have less than the big two, so. And coverage is only going to get better, more and more customers will continue to hop on as T-Mobile expands their network.
Why can't it? As they continue to add subscribers, they'll have more money to provide these freebies while continuing to invest in their network. None of their previous Un-carrier "gimmicks" disappeared (as far as I know). None of the things you listed are going to happen anytime soon, if at all.
Exactly.
