METROPCS Hold up !!!!!

[klester22]

I am so frustrated! Every time I call Metro PCS I get a different answer to the same question. I am in Los Angeles. It seems like several people here have been able to move from T-Mobile to Metro PCS. The only lumia 521 phones that I have found are locked T-Mobile phones (or AT&T). I just got off the phone with Metro PCS advanced technical support and they very clearly stated that they cannot move the locked GSM lumia from T-Mobile to Metro. They said that even though the two companies have merged, they will continue to operate as two separate companies and will not facilitate transfer of phones from one company to the other, so a locked lumia from T-Mobile will be treated like a locked phone from any other provider. Do the people here, who have successfully migrated to Metro from T-Mobile, have unlocked phones? If so, where did you buy it? Thanks!

 

[klester22]

Yep that's correct. If you don't have service with metro then you might have to pay an activation fee plus your first month phone bill. The phone doesn't have to be unlocked because it comes unlocked. I bought my 521 from HSN and just took it in for a sim card.

Hi Camille, I just looked up the Lumia 521 on HSN and it is a 'No Contract' T-Mobile phone, not an unlocked phone. T-Mobile, Metro PCS and the Windows store I went into to look at an actual 521 told me that this phone is still locked to T-Mobile, you just are not required to have a 2 -year contact and can go month-to-month. I am not saying they are right, only that I can not seem to get a clear answer. It seems like many people here have been able to move to Metro PCS, but all three companies are telling me I cannot do this.

 

[mogelijk]

The trick is, you don't need MetroPCS to "transfer" the phone. What you need is a MetroPCS SIM card and to activate it, you can then put that into your Lumia 521 and it should work without issue. It looks like to get a MetroPCS SIM card, you need to get one from a local store. I think they'll care more about you starting a new MetroPCS plan than about your phone, they likely won't even ask as long as the SIM works.

 

[WPhoney]

If they make it too difficult, just sign-up with some other T-Mobile MVNO. I'm sure that many of them do not require unlocking!

• SimpleMobile
• Lycamobile
• Net10
• PTel
• Solavei
• StraightTalk
• GoSmart Mobile

 

[rkin92]

If they make it too difficult, just sign-up with some other T-Mobile MVNO. I'm sure that many of them do not require unlocking!

• SimpleMobile
• Lycamobile
• Net10
• PTel
• Solavei
• StraightTalk
• GoSmart Mobile

Well, the phone will almost work with out unlocking.

You need it unlocked to change the APN settings for the MVNOs, which is what I found out with PTEL. With out changing the APN settings your MMS messages will not work, and internet may be wonky. I ended up swallowing the $50 and switching to T-Mobile because the Customer Service is way better than them (its only 10 dollars month a more for me).

PTEL had reasonable service, however I got alot of dropped calls with them (Could be the phone, I dont have the same issue on T-Mobile). Also they are in the middle of a CDMA to GSM conversion, and porting your number will take a while, along with trying to get in contact with customer service (Took me 3 hours!).

I've heard interesting things about Solavei, from the fact that your payments shrink when people sign up with them to the fact that they are supposedly scanners.

StraightTalk is mixed imo, never used them but Ive heard from friends the customer service is horrible.

 

[klester22]

The trick is, you don't need MetroPCS to "transfer" the phone. What you need is a MetroPCS SIM card and to activate it, you can then put that into your Lumia 521 and it should work without issue. It looks like to get a MetroPCS SIM card, you need to get one from a local store. I think they'll care more about you starting a new MetroPCS plan than about your phone, they likely won't even ask as long as the SIM works.

I've never done anything like this. Until recently, all my phones have been provided by work and were always a Blackberry. So excuse me if I'm asking something that should be obvious. I just want to make sure I understand before I do something wrong and end up with a $120 paperweight. MetroPCS can't make a T-Mobile phone a MetroPCS phone which is what they think I'm asking them when I ask if I can transfer, but, if I buy a No Contract T-Mobile GSM Lumia 521 there is nothing about the phone that would stop me from removing the T-Mobile SIM card and replacing it with a Metro PCS SIM card, making the phone usable on the Metro PCS GSM network (with paid Metro PCS service). I don't have to 'jailbreak' the phone or do anything to it except swap out the SIM. Is that correct? and, the swap doesn't require any warranty-ending action, its just like replacing a memory card?

 

[Corepc]

Why not just pay the extra and go with t-mobile itself. You could avoid the problem of it not working( I know it will work for sure if unlocked) . having to pay for a metro sim(nearly all the 521 comes with sim). Service is the same just 10 more per plan.

 

[AUCLABruin]

The trick is, you don't need MetroPCS to "transfer" the phone. What you need is a MetroPCS SIM card and to activate it, you can then put that into your Lumia 521 and it should work without issue. It looks like to get a MetroPCS SIM card, you need to get one from a local store. I think they'll care more about you starting a new MetroPCS plan than about your phone, they likely won't even ask as long as the SIM works.

They actually have to check if the phone's ESN is valid to activate. They would then put the SIM to see if you get service. You also have to pay a month's service in advance. You can try to use a MetroPCS SIM first to test if one does get service, more than likely an employee has a BYOD phone or SIM for testing if a phone is unlocked.

 

[AUCLABruin]

I also live in the Los Angeles area, and I see the 521 up for sale for $100. It may not be in stores for a few days, but they're coming. Try calling local dealers, especially if you get to know one in person. Having a good connection with one allows for a lot better service.
Quick edit: here's the link http://www.metropcs.com/metro/detail/Nokia_Lumia_521/610214633262#.UhK1dz-nc-E

 

[rc521]

If they make it too difficult, just sign-up with some other T-Mobile MVNO. I'm sure that many of them do not require unlocking!

• SimpleMobile
• Lycamobile
• Net10
• PTel
• Solavei
• StraightTalk
• GoSmart Mobile

Lycamobile requires an unlocked phone. Even though it's considered a T-Mobile MVNO, their service will not work with a phone locked to any carrier, including T-Mobile.

 

[klester22]

Why not just pay the extra and go with t-mobile itself. You could avoid the problem of it not working( I know it will work for sure if unlocked) . having to pay for a metro sim(nearly all the 521 comes with sim). Service is the same just 10 more per plan.

The point of all of this is to save money and add some extra stability to my budget. I have T-Mobile now with a blackberry so I can just stay where I am. If I'm unable to switch to Metro PCS there is no point in changing phones or plans. My plan right now has limited minutes which sometimes lead to overages. I would avoid this at a lower cost per month, plus justify the expense of the new phone with the Metro plan. The new phone would be nice to have as I've returned to college and the blackberry is almost useless in this environment compared to the functionality of the lumia. Still, budget wins out over convenience. That's why I'm spending any time at all trying to make this happen.

 

[camille rodney]

I'm sorry you're having such a hard time getting a clear response. When my phone arrived from HSN I didn't make any changes to it. I went to the store and told them I was just going to be doing a device change with the BYOD program(Bring Your Own Device). I already had service with them. The store rep asked if the phone was unlocked and I said yes it was because I automatically assumed it was unlocked.

 

[WPhoney]

The point of all of this is to save money and add some extra stability to my budget.

I think you are overly concerned. Just buy the phone, then walk into a few MetroPCS stores to activate it. If, every single store gives you a hard time, go home and start calling the MVNOs I listed before. There's no way all of them will demand an unlocked phone. Another thing, you can find unlock codes for most Lumias online....Selling for $5-10. I've seen people selling unlock codes on eBay as well.

So, at the worst scenario, you can unlock your phone for cheap and go to MetroPCS. But do check out the other MVNOs.

 

[mogelijk]

If you haven't bought the phone yet, why not just buy it for $99 from the MetroPCS website? It looks like you don't even need to add a plan for the phone.

 

[WPhoney]

If you haven't bought the phone yet, why not just buy it for $99 from the MetroPCS website? It looks like you don't even need to add a plan for the phone.

Nice find! That's the cheapest 521 I've seen in a while.

 

[WPhoney]

A thing that occurred to me is, does that 521 ship with GDR2? Also, how likely is MetroPCS to keep its 521 updated? :evil:

 

[mogelijk]

I'm fairly sure that there is no difference in the T-Mobile and MetroPCS 521s, even down to the software version. Looking at the upgrade availabilty page on Nokia's website seems to confirm that, it does not show a MetroPCS version of the 521. I believe all the GSM phones will be T-Mobile versions, with the software updates being handled by T-Mobile, as well, particularly in the short term. It will prevent having to have duplicate departments in both companies, and also take some stress of MetroPCS as they will need to continue to support CDMA phones for the next couple of years.

 

[WPhoney]

I'm fairly sure that there is no difference in the T-Mobile and MetroPCS 521s, even down to the software version.

According to the picture on MetroPCS website, their 521 does not have any logo! Neat!

 

[rc521]

According to the picture on MetroPCS website, their 521 does not have any logo! Neat!

My T-Mobile 521 purchased last month from HSN does not have any logos either!

 

[WPhoney]

After spending sometime at the MetroPCS website, reading about their service, I noticed something interesting. Their Unlimited $40 is the same as T-Mobile's Unlimited $50 one. The difference -- and it might be due to semantics -- is in the fact that, after the first 500Mb, T-Mobile will throttle you down to EDGE speeds, whereas MetroPCS says they will only throttle you down to 3G speeds.

Well, technically, EDGE is 2.75G, while HSPA is 3G. I wonder if MetroPCS is purposely fuzzing this issue.... There's a pretty big difference between EDGE and 3G.