Regarding 521 and data service

[Jhenkle]

Hi
Does the Lumia 521 requires data service from T-mobile to work?
I'm planning to get a windows 8 phone for my parents, but they don't even use/have data service at all.

Thanks.

 

[WanderingTraveler]

In one word: no.

Just put a microSIM in it and connect to Wi-Fi if you need internet.

 

[Eric J F]

I'll second what WanderingTraveler said- My wife's 521 doesn't have a data plan so we do everything by WiFi. It works well if you don't need to be constantly connected to the internet.

Just make sure you have T-Mobile disable data on their end, turn off data on each phone (under Settings/Cellular), and I set Data Sense to the minimum, 1Mb per month, just in case there's a glitch and something gets through.