T-Mobile USA Testing iPhone-Compatible 4G HSPA+ Service at Moscone West

[Mr Bigs]

Value plans are BYOD. I'm talking about once tmobile has finished refarming

If the BYOD happens to be an AT&T iPhone it would be crippled.

 

[onthecouchagain]

Wait a second, does this mean that once it's done, unlocked iPhone 4S' could use Tmobiles HSPA+ speeds, or only their 3G speeds?

 

[rjohnstone]

Wait a second, does this mean that once it's done, unlocked iPhone 4S' could use Tmobiles HSPA+ speeds, or only their 3G speeds?

It's the same network. 3G HSPA and FauxG (4G) HSPA+ run on the same bands. Your devices' radio determines what protocol to use.
The 4S supports 14.4Mbps HSPA+, so it will be able to use T-Mobile's HSPA+ network once the frequency change has been made on the towers.

 

[blue22]

Lots of people would actually like the option of buying an iPhone without being forced to buy an expensive monthly data plan when they spend so much of their time around home or free public Wifi networks.

In other words, T-Mobile is offering a service people want. What a concept for a business!

Hey, I'm with you on all that, but personally I felt I had to bounce after 5 years of enjoying T-mobile's pre-paid plans so I could finally get an iPhone. Maybe on the next go round I'll go Magenta again, but either way I'm actually all for them surviving in the USA market for the greater good of offering better choices to the customer.

"Low minutes"? T-Mo has two $30 prepaid plans:

- 100 minutes, unlimited SMS, 5 GB of 4G data, unlimited 2G data
- 1500 minutes or messages, 30 MB of data

You either get few minutes or few data, not both.

Anyway, I believe overage fees are 10 cents per minute, which means 100 more minutes for $10. That's reasonable. In fact, I would rather get a low minute allotment and be charged a reasonable amount for going over; this means I won't pay for minutes I don't use.

I wasn't aware of that second $30 plan T-Mo is offering, that is new, offered within the past month or so I believe. Here's the fine print for that pre-paid plan (that I bolded) here: "New activations only. Available exclusively in-store at Walmart, on Walmart.com, and T-Mobile.com" Otherwise, yeah, that is a great deal overall, but only 2G/EDGE speeds if used with the iPhone is the only downer.

I think you are mixing up the two $30 plans. (Yes T-Mobile is confusing, but if you find a plan that fits your needs, then you can save a lot of money )

On "$30 Plan 1," which I believe you were looking at offers a bucket of 1500 minutes/text messages and 30mb of data - this plan sucks. It doesn't offer much value IMO. And other prepaid carriers/ MVNOs have better deals.

On "$30 Plan 2," which I was talking about (see the screenshot attached in an above post" you get 100 minutes, unlimited messages, and 5GB of data at full speed (they won't throttle you until after you hit 5GB). That's a great deal! Most people are paying around $30 for simply their 2 or 3 GB data plan on ATT and Verizon! This includes 100 minutes and unlimited messages. Great for some folks who can live with T-Mobile coverages and limited minutes.

Yep. $30 Plan #1 does suck (which I was referring to in my previous post), but $30 Plan #2 is actually a great deal for first time T-mo activations. Like I mentioned in response to the comment just above yours I didn't see that second $30 plan, that is actually something new T-Mobile is offering. It's aggressive and smart on their end. Thanks for being patient in pointing out the plan specifics to me.