Refugee from Sprint seeking new home. Help.

[Dr. Impossible]

We all know the situation with Sprint. I have been with them for almost 10 years and this lack of support for the WP8 and really more for the discontinuation and utter lack of support for my WP7 htc Arrive has me looking to greener tiled pastures. Don't really know which WP8 phone I will be getting as they all are appealing in some way, but Sprint's lack of support is a deal breaker for me.

I just don't know which carrier to go to. I was hoping people here might be able to chime in with experiences as i'm sure there are other Sprint people in the same boat. It's hard to leave my $99 unlimited everything. Is there anything comparable? How's the customer service on other carriers? Sprint's was always excellent. How is the quality of the service?

Thanks

-Doc

 

[HeyCori]

The only other carrier with unlimited plans is T-Mobile. They're in the process of re-farming their towers to work with AT&T's 4G network. Given time, T-Mobile should have a pretty solid infrastructure, but right now they're not the best choice if you travel a lot.

Verizon and AT&T cover much more of the US and I find the price difference between the two is negligible. However, they easily have the most restrictive data caps, made worse by the high price. On the flip side, you have a much higher chance of getting the latest/greatest device on AT&T or Verizon.

In terms of customer service - any given Sunday. I've had nothing but quality service since signing with AT&T and I bet someone else has had nothing but trouble within that same time period.

Some people say pick your carrier first. Others say pick your device. I say do whatever works best for you.

 

[palandri]

Are all carriers available where you are? Nantucket is an island, isn't it?

 

[WasteSomeTime]

Doesn't at&t have the most variety as far as windows phones go?

Sent from my SGH-i677 using Board Express

 

[Dr. Impossible]

Are all carriers available where you are? Nantucket is an island, isn't it?

Thanks for the replies gang. Yes, I do live on an island, but I am starting to spend time in LA for work. Major metro areas like LA are easy coverage-wise, 30 miles out to sea it's trickier. All the 4 majors have service out here with, strangely, Sprint being the best which makes this decision even harder.

I kinda figured that for every one person that praised a particular carrier, there would be one that had a different experience. Customer service and plan is definetly higher on my list, I'll have to bite the bullet on coverage here on Nantucket. I'm also thinking about GSM for flexibility with handsets(maybe that won't matter) for the future.

I was feeling T-Mo's unlimited plan, but the coverage is waaay spottier out here.

Thanks

-Doc

 

[GoodThings2Life]

I'm on AT&T now, because it's the best carrier (network and phone choice) in my area.

Verizon is decent here in Youngstown too, but they're also about $20/month more too.

 

[Mr. MacPhisto]

I've had nothing but good experiences with Verizon. If LTE is your thing, VZW is way out in front there and the only one with the spectrum to ratchet LTE up to 300Mbits in the near future. I've found the prices between AT&T and VZW to be comparable, though VZW's network to be less flaky when it comes to dropping your data connection down from LTE, etc. That's been a persistent problem for AT&T, especially in urban areas where people still stumble into an EDGE pocket here or there.

Overall, though, both are good networks and I expect that both will have good WP8 selection, but both will cap your data. Verizon has been offering a double data plan for those with LTE devices, so the monthly consumption you pay for on 3G is doubled - so a 2GB plan becomes a 4GB plan for the same price. I don't know if AT&T has been doing the same thing.

 

[pjs37]

I would look at the popular services in your area and what is reliable. You can get the best phone in the world but it won't mean much if it won't ever get service where you are all the time.


I have had all three of the big companies you have left so here is my breakdown

Assuming all things are equal:
I did a quick check on a new customer plan with all the carriers just now and here is what I learned:

Vierzon has the most extensive network coverage and LTE coverage out of all the carriers in the US, However, Verizon sticks it to you with the fact all you can get is those horrible Share Everything Plans that even individuals need to get. $110/mo but you get unlimited text and calling for whats that worth I guess...Verizon also only has one windows phone at the moment but rumors are they will be carrying more Windows 8 phones at launch and can expect at least the 820 and possibly 920 and the HTC 8X.

AT&T has a happy middle ground good selection of devices typically but their service can leave something to be desired depending on your location and their LTE network is not that built out yet. And depending on who you talk to they may have lousy customer service (I personally have been lucky and not had issues with their CS reps but I have had to call a few times to straighten out billing errors typically when I have changed my plan) where LTE is on I have found it more reliable than their 3G network. Unlike Verizon they still have individual plans and while they are not the cheapest they do have a lot of flexibility for you and you can get low amounts of minutes if you never call someone and basicaly get a base plan for $90 with 3gb of data access per month and unlimited text. Of course you can add more minutes or dump texting you have that flexibility. They are currently who I use so disclaimer.

T-Mobile they probably have the least service compared to Verizon and AT&T so you need to be careful if you select them in some area however they have very good coverage still and I wouldn't be too concerned. Where they lack coverage often times they have roaming agreements with partners in those areas (no added charges most of the time from my experience when travelling to Alaska who T-Mobile is not supported but has partnerships at) Their plans will be the cheapest. A similar plan to AT&T's 500 minutes and unlimited text but with Unlimited 4G data is about $80/mo obviously like AT&T you can customize it to your needs to a certain degree. They also have a decent selection of smart phones however they Windows Phone selection currently is slim with basically low end window phones. However expect that to change with this generation and I believe they will at least be getting the HTC 8X which is a solid high end Windows Phone. No one knows for sure where Nokia's 920 is going though there is good evidence to show AT&T and Verizon so far but don't count T-Mobile out yet. T-Mobile at least used to have the option that you could pay full price for the phone and get a slightly cheaper monthly bill. I don't know if they still do that but it may be something you are interested in. My wife has T-Mobile and she is very happy with it and will not change.

So there is my brief(?) summary lol. Hope it helps.

 

[palandri]

You mentioned GSM for flexibility. I use GSM specifically because my wife and I go to France a couple of times a year and it's nice to be able pop in a local SIM card when we are there. If you ever go overseas, it's nice to have that option.

 

[pjs37]

You mentioned GSM for flexibility. I use GSM specifically because my wife and I go to France a couple of times a year and it's nice to be able pop in a local SIM card when we are there. If you ever go overseas, it's nice to have that option.

That's a good point to keep in mind (AT&T and T-Mobile operate on the GSM network but just be careful about the frequencies their devices use) though Verizon has gotten a lot more "world" phones than they used to have that will work on GSM networks. Again just check to make sure about the frequencies. Global Phone

 

[Mr. MacPhisto]

Vierzon has the most extensive network coverage and LTE coverage out of all the carriers in the US, However, Verizon sticks it to you with the fact all you can get is those horrible Share Everything Plans that even individuals need to get. $110/mo but you get unlimited text and calling for whats that worth I guess...Verizon also only has one windows phone at the moment but rumors are they will be carrying more Windows 8 phones at launch and can expect at least the 820 and possibly 920 and the HTC 8X.

$110 a month is for 4GB and one device with unlimited calling and texting. With AT&T's individual plan it is $120 for 3GB and $140 for 5GB. Their share plans cost the same as Verizon's. Verizon has just moved to that pricing structure. Now I could do AT&T with only 900 minutes for $10 less per month and that's the only way I'd still get unlimited nights and weekends (there's a cap on the low end plan). So then I'd be at $110 for 1 GB less of data compared to VZW.

If you go to the base 450 minute plan you could get 450min with a cap on nights and weekend calling for $110 a month and 5GB, $90 for 3GB.

In short, the Share Everything plans are not too bad, especially since unlimited talk and text are included. Most people don't need more the 2GB for their phone, so that drops another $10 off the plan price.

And if you've been considering dropping a land line but didn't want to pay for the minutes, well then there may be cost savings there.

AT&T will stop offering individual plans in the future with the proliferation of devices that want cell data access. It's where everything is going. Data prices will also drop as LTE becomes more common as LTE is actually cheaper for the carriers to provide data over.

For anyone that wants to get a WinRT tablet, the Share Everything plans make an awful lot of sense and actually cost less than individual data plans.

 

[snowmutt]

Truthfully, if you like Sprints service and pricing and your families phones and your Arrive is in good shape, my honest suggestion is give it until early 2013 until you make a decision. I have no inside information, but there have been tons of rumors about Sprint getting a HTC and/or Nokia WP8, just not on launch. I would not be surprised to see Sprint just show up fashionably late.

But, I would not blame you at all for moving, and it sounds like you are in areas where dead spots are not a huge issue. I would have jumped on T-Mobile if I could have to save money, but they were not available in my central Illinois area. AT&T will have a great selection of WP's, Verizon will as well. That is a toss up. Both are rumored to have all three Flagships, so you can not go wrong. T-Mobile is said to be getting the ATIV, and an HTC.

If price is the main selling point, T-Mo is the best to go with so long as you research their reception areas. Verizon still seems to be the best in customer satisfaction, and their nationwide network seems to have the least amount of dead spots. But they are the most expensive if only by a few dollars. But that adds up over two years. Both AT&T and Verizon are strong in rural areas, just not the same ones. So ask those who have those carriers where you will be at how they find the performance.

I suggest go with the best carrier for your purposes. The devices will be available.

 

[cckgz4]

I would look at coverage and then price. I'm sorry but I've gotten past the whole unlimited plans because the ones with unlimited have the worst network.

 

[WasteSomeTime]

$110 a month is for 4GB and one device with unlimited calling and texting. With AT&T's individual plan it is $120 for 3GB and $140 for 5GB. Their share plans cost the same as Verizon's. Verizon has just moved to that pricing structure. Now I could do AT&T with only 900 minutes for $10 less per month and that's the only way I'd still get unlimited nights and weekends (there's a cap on the low end plan). So then I'd be at $110 for 1 GB less of data compared to VZW.



If you go to the base 450 minute plan you could get 450min with a cap on nights and weekend calling for $110 a month and 5GB, $90 for 3GB.



In short, the Share Everything plans are not too bad, especially since unlimited talk and text are included. Most people don't need more the 2GB for their phone, so that drops another $10 off the plan price.



And if you've been considering dropping a land line but didn't want to pay for the minutes, well then there may be cost savings there.



AT&T will stop offering individual plans in the future with the proliferation of devices that want cell data access. It's where everything is going. Data prices will also drop as LTE becomes more common as LTE is actually cheaper for the carriers to provide data over.



For anyone that wants to get a WinRT tablet, the Share Everything plans make an awful lot of sense and actually cost less than individual data plans.

2 GB is the bare minimum. Its should be at least 3 GB per user. The average should be 8GB.

Sent from my SGH-i677 using Board Express

 

[Dr. Impossible]

That's a lot to chew on. I'll look into it a bit more, still in a holding pattern for now anyway. 7.8 should satiate me for a while.

To all who replied....

Thanks

-Doc

 

[Coreldan]

Wow, similar contracts you pay 90-120$ for are like max 20€/month in Finland.

That said, we do not get phones any cheaper with contracts, meaning we pretty much end up paying the full retail price for that.

 

[Mr. MacPhisto]

2 GB is the bare minimum. Its should be at least 3 GB per user. The average should be 8GB.

Sent from my SGH-i677 using Board Express

Except it is not.

Verizon's own data indicate the average smartphone user goes through about 1.5GB of data per month.

They track this data constantly and will change their tiering as usage goes up. So when 2GB really does become the bare minimum, expect them to bump the 2GB package price to 4GB.

There also are plans to drop most rates by $20 or more per month for those who move over the VoLTE when it goes live. They will give people on option to stay with CDMA or go VoLTE for voice.

 

[brmiller1976]

Come visit T-Mobile! Try out coverage during a trial... I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at how it is (and the great data speeds with the truly unlimited plans). It gets better -- in 2013, even if you're in an area that has poor/spotty T-Mo coverage, you'll automatically roam on AT&T's network, so you'll never be disconnected.

The best part is the $60/month you'll spend for unlimited everything per line on a family value plan.

As for data metering, don't buy the hype. If "nobody goes above 2 or 4 GB," then the carriers wouldn't have felt the need to impose the caps to begin with.

Come to a carrier with great speeds, unlimited data and low, low prices.