Prepaid service: Cingular or T-Mobile?
I wanted to get my Telus LG VX-3200 activated on Verizon, but appearently it's not possible, so I am forced to switch to plan B: My good old unlocked GSM. I live in Canada, but I am very likely to move in the U.S, and I am not familiar with the U.S GSM carriers. I wish to use prepaid service, and I don't really know which carrier is the best. Which provider has the widest network? Which one offers the best service? Which one is the best quality/price ratio? I am to move either in California or in Delaware.
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Go to www.cingular.com and www.t-mobile.com and do your comparisons there! :-)
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That's what I did, and for now T-Mobile has my favor, but I wanted to get the opinion of people who used both network, the experience they had with it, and their personal recommendation
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Cingular prepaid has larger coverage, but T-Mobile prepaid offers more minutes on the dollar.
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Cingular has the widest network between the two companies. Depending on your location it may become hit or miss whether or not you'll be covered by T-Mobile service, while with Cingular you are more likely to find service in either location you find yourself.
As far as prepaid pricing goes, between the two services I believe they are similar. However, Cingular does offer a "pick your plan" option on prepaid in which you do not have to sign a contract and get the benefits that most contractually bound customers recieve.
Depending on where you will move to within those two states, I would say that either company is a viable option for you.
As far as prepaid pricing goes, between the two services I believe they are similar. However, Cingular does offer a "pick your plan" option on prepaid in which you do not have to sign a contract and get the benefits that most contractually bound customers recieve.
Depending on where you will move to within those two states, I would say that either company is a viable option for you.
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Yes, coverage with Cingular seems much better. So be it. I'll go with them.
Oh, on the Cingular page of Phone Scoop, it ways that Cingular is deploying WCDMA, and that pops a question in my mind - will WCDMA still use SIM cards?
Oh, on the Cingular page of Phone Scoop, it ways that Cingular is deploying WCDMA, and that pops a question in my mind - will WCDMA still use SIM cards?
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Yes, WCDMA will still use the SIM card technology. One of the main reasons being that when you are not covered by WCDMA (which will actually be upgraded to an even faster and more capable technology called HSDPA) your phone will fall back onto Cingular's already expansive GSM coverage.
Good luck! 🙂
Good luck! 🙂
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Sorry about the double-post. I realized after posting that posting a question about Cingular in a T-Mobile phone isn't exactly... bright 🙂
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If you move to california, the reception of Cingular and T-mobile in california are about equal.
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No you didn't, you said t-mobile is "hit or miss". You never said they were equal in coverage in California.
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Okay, so you can totally disregard my very last statement in that post? When I said it or miss I was referring to overall coverage (which is what he was inferring about). Then at the end of my post I said:
Depending on where you will move to within those two states, I would say that either company is a viable option for you.
So is that not telling him that in Delaware an California both companies are a good choice? Yeah... 😎
Depending on where you will move to within those two states, I would say that either company is a viable option for you.
So is that not telling him that in Delaware an California both companies are a good choice? Yeah... 😎
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Ruff,
I am thinking of going to Cingular prepaid after my T-Mobile contract expires because my mother has Cingular and the prepaid also has mobile to mobile free calling. If Cingular is swtiching to WCDMA, does this mean that I won't be able to bring my unlocked GSM phone to the Cingular prepaid program?!
Also, will I even be allowed to bring an unlocked phone to prepaid or will I have to purchase an actual go phone? Thank you!
I am thinking of going to Cingular prepaid after my T-Mobile contract expires because my mother has Cingular and the prepaid also has mobile to mobile free calling. If Cingular is swtiching to WCDMA, does this mean that I won't be able to bring my unlocked GSM phone to the Cingular prepaid program?!
Also, will I even be allowed to bring an unlocked phone to prepaid or will I have to purchase an actual go phone? Thank you!
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Cingular's switch to WCDMA isn't going to affect the current GSM footprint, or service offerings. WCDMA won't be deployed widely enough yet to affect Cingular's GSM dependency.
I am positive that you would be able to use your unlocked GSM phone with a Cingular prepaid account, but unfortunately it would be necessary to purchase an actual GoPhone to activate a prepaid account before you could do so.
I am positive that you would be able to use your unlocked GSM phone with a Cingular prepaid account, but unfortunately it would be necessary to purchase an actual GoPhone to activate a prepaid account before you could do so.
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Hmm, so this means that to activate a prepaid account with Cingular, I must purchase a new phone? Mine is an unlocked Nok 3595. Was that a GoPhone? If not, this means that I can't just pop in a Cingular sim and fire up my phone? If that's the case, Hello T-Mobile!
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I'm quite sure the same rule applies to T-Mobile.
To activiate any prepaid account with a wireless copmany, you must firt purchase a "kit" that includes activiation, starter minutes, and a phone.
With non-prepeiad accounts you can certainly bring your phone to Cingular, pop in the SIM, and off you go.
Check with Cingular first to see if you can set up a prepaid account with your existing phone. Maybe you can, and I am just not aware of it.
Good luck! 🙂
To activiate any prepaid account with a wireless copmany, you must firt purchase a "kit" that includes activiation, starter minutes, and a phone.
With non-prepeiad accounts you can certainly bring your phone to Cingular, pop in the SIM, and off you go.
Check with Cingular first to see if you can set up a prepaid account with your existing phone. Maybe you can, and I am just not aware of it.
Good luck! 🙂
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Also, if your reasoning behind wanting a prepaid account is to avoid contracts, you can sign up for a regular plan with Cingular without a contract if you have your own unlocked phone. Your plan won't initially include unlimited M2M (but neither do the prepaid) and you can add it for $9.99 per month if it is beneficial to you (i.e. you know and call other Cingular users). For the same amount of money you would be paying for on a prepaid plan, you get many more minutes on a regular postpaid plan.
I think this may be your best option.
🙂
I think this may be your best option.
🙂
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To tell the truth, the reason why I wanted to go prepaid was because I don't use much minutes - back when I was with a monthly package, more than half of my minutes would just disappear into the void every month. Now with prepaid, usually a $10 bucks card each month is far enough for me. I see on the Cingular website that their smallest monthly package is 450 minutes - hell, I don't even burn 60 every month. But just what exactly is the "rollover" they offer? The reporting of unused minutes to the next month?
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Shadow,
You and I are in the same boat. I am currently on T-Mobile's smallest plan: Basic plan (60 Whenever Minutes, 500 weekend minutes, 19.99 a month) I have not used any of my daytime minutes, I only talk on the weekends. I am going to prepaid because: 1. I can control my costs better, 2. I don't have a contract so I can ditch T-Mobile anytime I want, 3. I don't have to force myself to use all of my minutes every month before they expire, instead I can use my minutes in three months.
Cingular's rollover, takes any remaining daytime minutes you didn't use and they add them to your next month. So on the next month you have your regular minutes, n/w/m2m, and then rollover minutes, which are deducted if you use all of your dayti...
(continues)
You and I are in the same boat. I am currently on T-Mobile's smallest plan: Basic plan (60 Whenever Minutes, 500 weekend minutes, 19.99 a month) I have not used any of my daytime minutes, I only talk on the weekends. I am going to prepaid because: 1. I can control my costs better, 2. I don't have a contract so I can ditch T-Mobile anytime I want, 3. I don't have to force myself to use all of my minutes every month before they expire, instead I can use my minutes in three months.
Cingular's rollover, takes any remaining daytime minutes you didn't use and they add them to your next month. So on the next month you have your regular minutes, n/w/m2m, and then rollover minutes, which are deducted if you use all of your dayti...
(continues)
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It's good to see I'm not the only one thinking this way!
The T-Mobile plan you mention seems interesting, but I see on their website they don't offer rollover. The rollover with Cingular is interesting... but their cheapest plan includes 450 minutes... bloody hell, that's what I use in a complete year! And 5000 minutes for nights/week-ends? 1000 would be likely more thab enough.
Let us switch to the wonderful world of prepaid, and enjoy all the advantages...
The T-Mobile plan you mention seems interesting, but I see on their website they don't offer rollover. The rollover with Cingular is interesting... but their cheapest plan includes 450 minutes... bloody hell, that's what I use in a complete year! And 5000 minutes for nights/week-ends? 1000 would be likely more thab enough.
Let us switch to the wonderful world of prepaid, and enjoy all the advantages...
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