AT&T Mobility Offers Unlimited Prepaid for $60/month--Compare thiswith other Unlimited Prepaid Plans

Todd Allcock wrote:

> Actually no one with any type of authority has confirmed that rumor-
> it's all speculation and hearsay at this point. All anyone knows is
> that T-Mobile is announcing something on October 25th.

You're right, but I'd be willing to bet that it's an unlimited plan of
some sort. They've been upstaged lately by unlimited plans from other
carriers which has hurt their image of a low cost carrier. It almost
sounds like a "Hail Mary" play for T-Mobile which has been hurting lately.

> While I suspect an "everything plan" of some sort is likely, I don't see
> it as a primarily prepaid proposition. T-Mo is struggling with postpaid
> customer acquisition lately, but doing well with prepaid. Offering a
> "killer" prepaid plan, whatever it turns out to be, particularly one
> with data, seems like an industrial-strength stupid idea since it'd have
> the potential to further gut their postpaid business in favor of
> prepaid- not the place T-Mo wants to be at right now.

Yes, it could be postpaid, but OTOH they may also not want to be
subsidizing handsets with a $50 voice/messaging/data plan. Of course it
could be postpaid with not huge subsidies as well.

> Meanwhile, a new MVNO, Simple Mobile <http://www.mysimplemobile.com/>
> that from their coverage maps seems to be using native T-Mo coverage
> only, seems to be signing up dealers in preparation for launch with
> unlimited talk/text for $40/month, with an extra-cost (but as yet
> undefined) data plan component.

Horrible coverage. Looks like it's solely T-Mobile's network. Kind of
fishy too. It's got a domain anonymously registered in Canada and they
only paid for two years for the domain name. No bargain either.

On 2009-10-15, SMS <scharf.steven@geemail.com> wrote:
> The key difference in T-Mobile prepaid is now you can get coverage on
> many GSM systems throughout the country, including (but not not limited
> to) AT&T, if T-Mobile has no network in that area (while AT&T prepaid
> does not allow much of that coverage on the other networks).

Do you know any place where T-Mobile roams on AT&T? I recall thinking
this was the case when I was a T-Mobile postpaid customer, quite
a few years ago, but I've not found a place where I've even been
able to force the phone onto AT&T in recent years. Most recently
I was in 54481, with no T-Mobile anywhere, but AT&T was still telling
my phone to kiss off.

There are at least 20-something GSM operators in the country other
than T-Mobile and AT&T. Maybe T-Mobile built their roaming coverage
from those alone?

Dennis Ferguson

"Dennis Ferguson" <dcferguson@pacbell.net> wrote in message
news:slrnhdepar.4o.dcferguson@akit-ferguson.com...
> On 2009-10-15, SMS <scharf.steven@geemail.com> wrote:
>> The key difference in T-Mobile prepaid is now you can get coverage on
>> many GSM systems throughout the country, including (but not not limited
>> to) AT&T, if T-Mobile has no network in that area (while AT&T prepaid
>> does not allow much of that coverage on the other networks).
>
> Do you know any place where T-Mobile roams on AT&T? I recall thinking
> this was the case when I was a T-Mobile postpaid customer, quite
> a few years ago, but I've not found a place where I've even been
> able to force the phone onto AT&T in recent years. Most recently
> I was in 54481, with no T-Mobile anywhere, but AT&T was still telling
> my phone to kiss off.
>
> There are at least 20-something GSM operators in the country other
> than T-Mobile and AT&T. Maybe T-Mobile built their roaming coverage
> from those alone?

The last place I was able to roam on AT&T with T-Mobile postpaid was just
outside Omaha, NE two or three years ago. (I haven't been back since to
reverify.) While, at the time, T-Mobile didn't sell service in Nebraska
(they still don't, AFAIK) they operate on a few MHz of spectrum in Lincoln
and Omaha to service their customers roaming there. (Which is actually too
bad- native T-Mo coverage in Omaha proper sucks, but they won't let you roam
on anyone else inside the city- go outside the Omaha and Lincoln corridor
and you get to roam on rural GSM carriers with excellent coverage!) I found
myself roaming on AT&T outside the city limits, but inside the Omaha metro
area (if there is such a thing!) Outside the metro, I switched to the
rural carrier (apparently called LongLines Wireless now, but I don't think
that's what the phone's display said way back then.)

On 2009-10-15, SMS <scharf.steven@geemail.com> wrote:
> Todd Allcock wrote:
>> While I suspect an "everything plan" of some sort is likely, I don't see
>> it as a primarily prepaid proposition. T-Mo is struggling with postpaid
>> customer acquisition lately, but doing well with prepaid. Offering a
>> "killer" prepaid plan, whatever it turns out to be, particularly one
>> with data, seems like an industrial-strength stupid idea since it'd have
>> the potential to further gut their postpaid business in favor of
>> prepaid- not the place T-Mo wants to be at right now.
>
> Yes, it could be postpaid, but OTOH they may also not want to be
> subsidizing handsets with a $50 voice/messaging/data plan. Of course it
> could be postpaid with not huge subsidies as well.

I'd note that if a 2 year contract, at any price point they'd
consider selling service at, wasn't by itself worth the price
of the phone subsidy then Verizon wouldn't so regularly go out of
their way to sell me on a new subsidized phone in return for that
contract by sending 1 or 2 emails per month, a text message per
month, a mailed flyer every month or two and offering it every
time I phone customer service. They're going to get the same money
from me whether they subsidize a new phone or not, so their eagerness
to get me to take the subsidy could only reflect the value of my
signature on a 2 year commitment.

T-Mobile has historically had quite high churn rates, and their
dependence on prepaid (which seems to have no effect on their
ARPU, that's quite good) probably doesn't help them. Contracts
are churn-rate-reduction devices, while in an oligopoly price
reductions generally increase churn as your competitors respond
and lots of customers change seats in response to all the action,
so I'd bet that T-Mobile doesn't do anything which doesn't directly
result in more signatures on contracts. I'd also bet Verizon's newly
found love of spam (I've been off contract for years, but this
only started within the last year) also has something to do with
their upward-drifting churn rate. AT&T, with downward-drifting
churn, doesn't seem to care.

Dennis Ferguson

On 2009-10-15, Todd Allcock <elecconnec@AnoOspamL.com> wrote:
>
> "Dennis Ferguson" <dcferguson@pacbell.net> wrote:
>> Do you know any place where T-Mobile roams on AT&T? I recall thinking
>> this was the case when I was a T-Mobile postpaid customer, quite
>> a few years ago, but I've not found a place where I've even been
>> able to force the phone onto AT&T in recent years. Most recently
>> I was in 54481, with no T-Mobile anywhere, but AT&T was still telling
>> my phone to kiss off.
>>
>> There are at least 20-something GSM operators in the country other
>> than T-Mobile and AT&T. Maybe T-Mobile built their roaming coverage
>> from those alone?
>
> The last place I was able to roam on AT&T with T-Mobile postpaid was just
> outside Omaha, NE two or three years ago. (I haven't been back since to
> reverify.) While, at the time, T-Mobile didn't sell service in Nebraska
> (they still don't, AFAIK) they operate on a few MHz of spectrum in Lincoln
> and Omaha to service their customers roaming there. (Which is actually too
> bad- native T-Mo coverage in Omaha proper sucks, but they won't let you roam
> on anyone else inside the city- go outside the Omaha and Lincoln corridor
> and you get to roam on rural GSM carriers with excellent coverage!) I found
> myself roaming on AT&T outside the city limits, but inside the Omaha metro
> area (if there is such a thing!) Outside the metro, I switched to the
> rural carrier (apparently called LongLines Wireless now, but I don't think
> that's what the phone's display said way back then.)

Yes, but remember that Cingular and T-Mobile had that California/New York
agreement which entangled them, and that after the AT&T WS merger
and California network transfer Cingular was spending a lot of money
on roaming on T-Mobile's network until they could get rid of all the
phones and orange SIMs which depended on it. I remember the amount
Cingular was spending was big enough that they listed it separately
in their quarterlies. This is also when I remember T-Mobile roaming
on Cingular.

That agreement ended in 2006 or 2007, though, after which they
straightened out their networks. I'm wondering if their relationship
maybe got a little more frosty after that.

Dennis Ferguson

Dennis Ferguson wrote:
> On 2009-10-15, SMS <scharf.steven@geemail.com> wrote:
>> The key difference in T-Mobile prepaid is now you can get coverage on
>> many GSM systems throughout the country, including (but not not limited
>> to) AT&T, if T-Mobile has no network in that area (while AT&T prepaid
>> does not allow much of that coverage on the other networks).
>
> Do you know any place where T-Mobile roams on AT&T?

I don't have a list of course, but there are a lot of reports of
instances when T-Mobile roams onto AT&T as well as a lot of reports of
when it doesn't roam onto AT&T.

> There are at least 20-something GSM operators in the country other
> than T-Mobile and AT&T. Maybe T-Mobile built their roaming coverage
> from those alone?

Judging from the T-Mobile and AT&T prepaid and postpaid maps, it's clear
that both carriers have roaming agreements with the same smaller
carriers. The difference is whether or not they let prepaid users take
advantage of that roaming. T-Mobile does. AT&T doesn't.

It's going to be very interesting to see what T-Mobile comes up with in
a week or two. From all reports it appears to be "European style
pricing" which means non-outrageously priced unlimited voice and data.
Whether people will put up with no data service outside T-Mobiles native
area remains to be seen.

SMS <scharf.steven@geemail.com> wrote in
news:4ad6b2e2$0$1590$742ec2ed@news.sonic.net:

> You're right, but I'd be willing to bet that it's an unlimited plan of
> some sort. They've been upstaged lately by unlimited plans from other
> carriers which has hurt their image of a low cost carrier. It almost
> sounds like a "Hail Mary" play for T-Mobile which has been hurting
> lately.
>
>

http://www.pagepluscellular.com/Plan...0n%20Text.aspx

Unlimited talk...Unlimited texting...20MB/mo data for email - $39.95 with
no funny business ON VERIZON'S NATIONWIDE SYSTEM!

Coverage map:
http://www.pagepluscellular.com/Why%...age%20Map.aspx

Prepaid - $39.95. No contracts, no gimmicks, works anyplace Verizon/Alltel
has coverage. Noone has matched it anywhere close.

Did I mention only $39.95....$90/mo LESS than Verizon wants for just
unlimited phone calls!

PS - You don't get local Verizon "support", though, standing there lying to
your face. I don't seem to miss them.....
......works great! Why pay ATT so much money for such half-assed service??

--
Larry

Larry wrote:

> Unlimited talk...Unlimited texting...20MB/mo data for email - $39.95 with
> no funny business ON VERIZON'S NATIONWIDE SYSTEM!

Actually I think that their 1200 plan is a much better deal. 1200
minutes, 1200 messages (texts or MMS) and 50MB of data for $29.95).
Personally I don't know many people (well I know 2) that use more than
1200 minutes a month, but that extra 30MB of data on the 1200 plan would
be very useful, as would not using up your data for MMS.

> PS - You don't get local Verizon "support", though, standing there lying to
> your face. I don't seem to miss them.....

What you also don't get is included off-network roaming, it costs extra.
It's still a really good deal as long as you don't spend a lot of time
in non-Verizon coverage areas.

Oh, and those PagePlus prices are the actual prices including taxes and
any fees, while other carriers add tax, government fees, and their own
bogus fees. And you can cut those prices down by another 17.9% if you
purchase the refills in a certain way.

The prices on the PagePlus site are actually not what you have to pay
because PagePlus explicitly states that you can pay for their hybrid
plans with their regular refill cards which are discounted nearly 18%.

Buy the $50 refill card (which has $56 of value) when CallingMart has
one of their periodic 8% off promotions so the $50 ($56 value) card is $46.

17.9% discount:

1200 Plan: $29.95 x 46.00 ÷ 56.00 = 24.60
Unlimited Plan: $39.95 x 46.00 ÷ 56.00 = 32.82

Even without that 8% deal, you can always get an extra 3% off
CallingMart's already discounted rate with coupon code ca3p-1207.

16.0% discount:

1200 Plan: $29.95 x (48.50 * 0.97) ÷ 56.00 = $25.16
Unlimited Plan: $39.95 x (48.50 * 0.97) ÷ 56.00 = $33.56


Alas, some people get so carried away with "free phones" that they can't
see the forest for the trees.

You can also use smart phones on PagePlus without signing up for an
expensive data plan like you have to do on Verizon.

The $50 unlimited everything plan which is supposed to be coming from
T-Mobile next week would be a great deal if they had a better network.

SMS <scharf.steven@geemail.com> wrote in
news:4ad89aba$0$1651$742ec2ed@news.sonic.net:

> Buy the $50 refill card (which has $56 of value) when CallingMart has
> one of their periodic 8% off promotions so the $50 ($56 value) card is
> $46.
>

http://nordicgroup.us/prepaid/pageplus.html
Best info I've seen....5.3c/min with $80 discount card recharge....


--
Larry

Larry wrote:

> http://nordicgroup.us/prepaid/pageplus.html
> Best info I've seen....5.3c/min with $80 discount card recharge....

LOL, I agree. Whoever produced that site must be one of the smartest
people in the world.

SMS <scharf.steven@geemail.com> wrote in news:4ad96f3b$0$1603
$742ec2ed@news.sonic.net:

> Larry wrote:
>
>> http://nordicgroup.us/prepaid/pageplus.html
>> Best info I've seen....5.3c/min with $80 discount card recharge....
>
> LOL, I agree. Whoever produced that site must be one of the smartest
> people in the world.
>

Maybe not the smartest, but easily one of the craftiest....(c;]



--
Larry

Dennis Ferguson wrote:

> Do you know any place where T-Mobile roams on AT&T? I recall thinking
> this was the case when I was a T-Mobile postpaid customer, quite
> a few years ago, but I've not found a place where I've even been
> able to force the phone onto AT&T in recent years.

I found that:

<http://www.t-mobile.com/company/PressReleases_Article.aspx?assetName=Prs_Prs_20040 205&title=AT&T%20Wireless%20and%20T-Mobile%20USA%20Sign%20Airport%20Wi-Fi%20Roaming%20Agreement>
<http://www.t-mobile.com/company/PressReleases_Article.aspx?assetName=Prs_Prs_20011 015&title=Cingular,%20VoiceStream%20to%20Share%20W ireless%20Networks%20in%20New%20York,%20California %20and%20Nevada>
<http://www.t-mobile.com/company/PressReleases_Article.aspx?assetName=Prs_Prs_20040 525&title=T-Mobile%20USA%20to%20End%20Network%20Venture%20with %20Cingular%20and%20Acquire%20California/Nevada%20Network%20and%20Spectrum>
<http://www.t-mobile.com/company/PressReleases_Article.aspx?assetName=Prs_Prs_20030 423&title=T-Mobile%20USA%20and%20AT&T%20Wireless%20Sign%20Roam ing%20Agreement%20Significantly%20Expanding%20GSM/GPRS%20Footprint%20in%20U.S.>

I don't know the current status. I know you are not referring to WiFi.
Starbucks formerly operated by T-Mobile still offer roaming:
<http://www.starbucks.com/customer/faq_qanda.asp?name=customerwifi>

AT&T and Cingular have had GSM-roaming agreements with T-Mobile, that
with Cingular ended some time ago, but I don't find a press release,
maybe that was reported in investor relations of Deutsche Telekom.

T-Mobile Germany has roaming agreements with Alltel, AT&T Wireless,
Dobson, Nextel, Suncom and T-Mobile US. Yes, I know that Suncom is
part of T-Mobile. ;-)

GPRS should work at AT&T, Suncom and T-Mobile, 3G only at AT&T. #-)

Cheers Dirk

Just saw this link. Was sent to me from a guy who knows someone at T-Mobile. You can get unlimited for $50.99 with this crazy discount.

T-Mobile Discounts for New York Employees