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T-Mobile USA Begins Offering Micro-SIMs, Targets iPhone Owners
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But what happens to T-Mobile after the AT&T takeover? They will raise their prices to match AT&Ts and service will certainly suffer from lack of investment. I expect they will simply be absorbed into AT&T within 2 years.
If you were covered by a 2-year contract, as this article suggests, then AT&T, acting as T-Mobile's successor, would also be bound by the terms of that contract. So if they wanted to raise rates, they'd have to give you notice of the change and give you an opportunity to walk away without penalty.
Yeah, that's insane! (Although that was basically what was going on for AT&T with the original iPhone.)
I bet if you sign up for a month-to-month "already have a phone" account, they'll give you a micro-SIM for the account if you ask.
bingo right there. Some Android phones are coming to market that use microSim cards so it is more or less going to happen.
It will take a few years but the changing is going to be forced threw.
If you sign up for month-to-month, then you will not be eligible for any of their new so-called "Value" price plans (announced 2 days ago), so you'll have to use one of their existing (renamed "Classic") price plans instead.
Therefore, you'll generally end up paying more per month, for the same service, than somebody else who opted for a 2-year contract.
Which price plans include the reduced 2G/EDGE speeds past 2 GB of data usage?
Those would be the new "Value" plans.
There are also "Value" plans with 5 GB and 10 GB data tiers, but for a phone that's already limited to EDGE only while operating on T-Mobile, there would never be any incentive for any current-generation iPhone customer to use any plan richer than the 2GB plan, because they wouldn't notice any difference in their service at all when they roll over from 2 GB to 2.01 GB. It would effectively be a truly unlimited EDGE data plan, with zero overages, as far as any iPhone customers were concerned.
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Uhhh...the SIM card should be about 25$, and the service month to month. If T-Mobile has anything more nefarious planned...theyre gonna get a rude awakening from Pissed of Apple-ites like myself (and the other wonderful folks who grace this site)
This is not new
um, is it a slow news day or something?
T-Mobile has been selling Micro SIM cards since November of 2010... as shown by this TMONews.com article: http://bit.ly/nA4VjZ
SO again, why is this news?
um, is it a slow news day or something?
T-Mobile has been selling Micro SIM cards since November of 2010... as shown by this TMONews.com article: http://bit.ly/nA4VjZ
SO again, why is this news?
You beat me to it!
I thought the same thing when I saw this article on the front page of MR. I was in the States two months ago, and was able to buy a prepaid T-Mobile Micro SIM, which I popped into my unlocked iPhone. While Edge is definitely slow, it was good enough for checking email, Googling restaurants, and keeping the Motion GPS Drive app updated during my road trips.
Your best bet would be to wait and see what happens with the iP5.
You also get an I R dum sticker.
the sticker should be about $0.25. They can't cost that much to make.
While there are several good reasons not to live in the U.S., this is not one of them. The only reason we have 2-year contracts is because customers sign them. If people stopped agreeing to these terms and demanded a return to 1-year contracts, they carriers would be forced to comply.
Maybe we should mark all sarcastic and snarky comments with blue text, so people would be less inclined to take it seriously?
Yes, been using an iPhone 3G with T-Mobile for a couple years. $30/month includes 1500 talk/text + 30mb data at EDGE speeds. It's fine for me since all I do is email, sync calendars and contacts, and watch the occasional Youtube video.
And having a prepaid plan for $30/month, while most of my friends are paying $80-$90 makes me giggle like a little girl.
Correct.
http://prepaid-phones.t-mobile.com/prepaid-plans
I'm quite parsimonious with my data usage so haven't gone over. They offer unlimited data on the next tier up for $50.
If you pick up a current iPhone, you'll be stuck at EDGE speeds.
I had two iPhones on T-Mobile for a while, but the jailbreaked phones didn't work flawelessly, plus I really needed and wanted Flash, so I went first with a Galaxy S, then a Vibrant. Frankly, I didn't like either of them, because I hated the buggy Samsung software which they overlay over Android.
Then I got two Google Nexus S (basically the same hardware) and while it is not perfect by any means, it is the best phone I've had (I have not even rooted it).
I hope AT&T is never allowed to complete the takeover -- it would effectively obliterate GSM competition in the US.
I pay about $135 per month for two Nexus S phones on T-Mobile, with no contract. Compare this to the $230+ I used to pay on AT&T for two iPhones, with less minutes and limited SMS.
Plus, at least in my part of LA, T-Mobile's data is almost double the speed of what I used to get on AT&T.
If you go month-to-month, then you'll be using one of their "classic" price plans, and you'll be paying more per month.
If you go on a contract without requiring any equipment subsidy, then you'll be allowed to use one of their "value" price plans, and you'll be paying less per month.
For example, the "Classic" 500 anytime minutes plan costs 39.99. The equivalent "Value" 500 anytime minutes plan costs 34.99. You net a $5 savings per month, in exchange for accepting the 2-year contract up front.
Nothing nefarious about that. Mind you, the fact that they only seem to advertise the 2-year contract option on their website does seem rather suspicious. If you don't want a contract, then you should probably buy the SIM at a brick-and-mortar company store rather than getting it online.
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