Amazing how my speed is pushing almost 40 today all of a sudden. Still if T-Mobile delivers on the speed when users crowd the price is still a lot better on T-Mobile.
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T-Mobile's iPhone 5 Reviews: LTE Speeds Are Impressive, HD Voice Difference Notable
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Amazing how my speed is pushing almost 40 today all of a sudden. Still if T-Mobile delivers on the speed when users crowd the price is still a lot better on T-Mobile.
I am pay ATT almost $90 a month for 450 mins, no text & unlimited data (5gb).
T mobile's plan would save me money every month with no cap. I will be going the T mobile route once my contract with ATT is up.
That's still a LOT cheaper than AT&T/Verizon/Sprint for unlimited + subsidy. T-Mobile (even WITH the $20) is charging about what I pay AT&T now, but would give me more!
I don't have unlimited anything, and I pay .20 for every text (no text plan), and I'm paying just about $90. (I was grandfathered into a cheaper data plan: today I'd be paying even more than that.)
Plus, I'd love to be able to upgrade my phone every 2.5 years, say, and not pay a half-year of subsidy for nothing.
This article does a good job of explaining what this means.
Apple is upgrading the existing iPhone 5 for all phones going forward. The old iPhone 5 will not take advantage of AWS (Advanced Wireless Services)
Apple Modifying iPhone 5 For T-Mobile Bands, Existing Devices Won’t Have AWS Support
http://www.tmonews.com/2013/03/apple-modifying-iphone-5-for-t-mobile-bands-existing-devices-wont-have-aws-support/
AWS Definition on wiki
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_Wireless_Services
This will have an impact on resale value of "Old" iPhone 5's.
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Not quite. Most people don't switch as often as many techies or groupies do, so phone companies make out like bandits on people paying for the phone long after they've paid the full price of the phone. Also, the way the subsidy is figured out is usu. that they'll divide the price of the phone by 20 months. Because most contracts are for 24 months, they're effectively charging you an extra 4-5% for the phone, even if you buy a new phone after 2 years.
So, in short, yes, it is cheaper, even for those who upgrade every couple of years.
guess I just have a good deal then....
I pay $140 a month for 2 iphone 5's - 450 shard minutes - both unlimited data and texts....
That equates to $70 a month (only bonus would be unlimited voice but don't need it).
That $70 also includes my subsidy, it wouldn't with t-mobile.
I do get an 18% employer discount on ATT, but still.....
This sounds like some kind of firmware tweak that really should have been enabled all along eh? I wonder if the radio is actually different.
Nice Post.
Faster than mine already, but my home is unlimited (or at least my provider has never said anything or throttled me in any way). I even talked with my cable provider (little local company) about this, and we had a bit of a laugh. 4G LTE is faster, but you're typically either capped at such a low level or would pay through the nose for all the data you'd typically use at home that it's not worth trying to use your cellular connection for your home (yet), at least where I am (smallsville, USA).
If you have a good employer discount, then T-Mobile can't really really beat that price - this works better for those without a 20%-ish discount. Plus, T-Mobile's even better once you get to 4 with the subsidy ($180 with unlimited data on all lines) or 5 lines per plan ($210 with unlimited data on all). Add in the subsidy and that's $65/month per line (but with only $100 down instead of $200 for the iPhone 5 on the other carriers) with 4 lines and $62/month per line with 5 lines.
Some people won't have incentive to switch but many others will.
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I'm waiting to find this out as well. Apparently Apple is updating an existing model of iPhone 5 to include AWS support for HSPA+, so presumably you'd at least be able to get 32gb or 64gb directly from Apple starting April 12-- I don't know why T-Mobile wouldn't offer them as well. Maybe it just doesn't fit the narrative of "look, $99 iPhone 5!"
I barely get 15 Mbps down on Verizon's LTE here in Houston. Rare when I get past that.
It is not a firmware update it's a chip-set upgrade and will have an impact on the resale value of the "Old" iPhone 5.
In Northern/Western VA I get usually in the 20's on my G-Nexus, but they certainly have a lot more coverage. I get those speeds in places where the only land line option is 3/1 DSL or dial-up.
I go and see friends/family in southern Mississippi and their home internet comes via satellite with appalling speeds and limits.
Speed-wise, even 3G is impressively quicker than their home internet!
Does anyone know why Verizon's network speeds are slower than those of AT&T or T-Mobile???
I thought Verizon has always been considered the best.
I thought Verizon has always been considered the best.
Those of you with unlimited plans on the two big carriers seem to be forgetting you won't be keeping those for much longer. AT&T and Verizon are bent on selling everyone on their shared plans, obviously, because it makes them a fortune for people who actually use their device.
The difference, T-Mobile is OFFERING .. in the here and now .. UNLIMITED service. You can no longer get that service from the other carriers, and you aren't going to be keeping it either. When your contract is up, the big two are completely welcome to make you switch or find new service.
So, TLDR : T-Mobile = Offering UNLIMITED service now, Verizon/AT&T are long gone and done with unlimited.
The difference, T-Mobile is OFFERING .. in the here and now .. UNLIMITED service. You can no longer get that service from the other carriers, and you aren't going to be keeping it either. When your contract is up, the big two are completely welcome to make you switch or find new service.
So, TLDR : T-Mobile = Offering UNLIMITED service now, Verizon/AT&T are long gone and done with unlimited.
The current iPhone supports AWS LTE - which is where my confusion was as every article is talking about 3G AWS without specifically mentioning it.
I doubt it will affect resale that much as current iPhone 5 users can use both T-Mobile's and AT&T's LTE. You will just need the tweaked phone for t-mobile's places that haven't refarmed 3G to 1900.
Does anyone know why Verizon's network speeds are slower than those of AT&T or T-Mobile???
I thought Verizon has always been considered the best.
I was on their LTE network early on and in least where I live, it slowly went down over the years to about the low 20's where it's been for a while. Makes me think it was just more and more users on the network.