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View Full Version : What Do You Think of T-Mobile?


David McNamee
04-02-2004, 01:00 AM
For the last few months, I've been spending most of my days at a customer that did not provide me with Internet access. I was hurting - I have a very wired lifestyle. Fortunately, I have my MPx200 for checking e-mail and hitting a few needed web sites. If I needed more power, I could connect the MPx200 to my Fujitsu Tablet PC and use it as a modem. Things would work great, right? It worked great until I got the bill. :really mad:

I never want this to happen again, so I'm doing a little shopping. I've got the software (from Microsoft) and the hardware (from Motorola and Fujitsu) that I need to have the connected, productive, and mobile liefestyle - I just need service providers who will enable me. I need plenty of air time, and I need plenty of data. I need to be able to use my MPx200 for direct internet access from the device, and I need to use it occassionaly as a modem. I'm starting to seriously look at T-Mobile. $39.99 for 1000 minutes + $29.99 for unlimited data is way less than I'm paying now. I could throw in HotSpot access and still be saving money. So my question is - what do our readers think of T-Mobile? How's the coverage and how's the service. Has anyone used their MPx200 on the T-Mobile network? How was the experience?

Kris Kumar
04-02-2004, 01:32 AM
I use Compal AR11 or Red-E on T-Mobile

Good
- Customer Support, and Tech Support (found that out when they unlocked my T68i - quick & painless, and also when I had GPRS problem with my smartphone, the level 3 support guys knew what Microsoft Smartphone is, that was a year or more ago, this on a carrier that is yet to carry smartphone)
- Unlimited Internet (no restriction on how you use it. Unlike Verizon, which restricts you from using your phone as modem for the $39.99 unlimited internet)
- Low monthly bills, also Hotspot and mobile bill is combined.
- No bill goof ups.
- International Roaming (Expensive but cheaper & convenient then phone booths abroad)

Bad
- GPRS based not as fast as Verizon's...for phone its fine. But when using the phone as a modem, it is slow. I have VPN'ed into work, accessed mail. It works, but is slow.
- Not too happy with the T-Mobile online Account Management. (They did very recently change website, now you can add or remove features to plan or change plan online.) But they never have updated my online bill on time, I used to receive the paper statement before the online statement :x

Ugly
- Coverage - cant surf (or talk) and drive, even in the city, lots of dropped calls or connection
- Coverage - not as good as Verizon. If you dont move around (city to city), live in the outskirts of a city or travel during weekends (like 30+ miles) outside the city, then you will be fine. Coverage is strong in metros and lousy/nonexistent when outside the city limits.

Why am I on T-Mobile?
Answer : Waiting for Verizon to put out the WM2003 ROM for the i600.

bitbank
04-02-2004, 02:50 AM
I've had all good experiences with T-Mobile. I started with T-Mobile a year and a half ago when I got the MDA PPC phone. Their coverage in South Florida has been excellent and there have been no surprises with the bill. I have their family plan (2-lines) for $59.99 per month along with $19.99 unlimited data plan. I agree that GPRS is slow, but it works pretty reliably. Last week a bought a MPx200 on ebay and unlocked through an internet site and it works great on T-Mobile. The voice quality of the MPx200 is much better than the MDA and its the first smartphone that I actually like. The few times I've had to call customer service, they answered the call promptly and were helpful. They registered my new IMEI number and now I've got 3 phones that I can juggle on that account. I was coming from SprintPCS which had good coverage and good customer service, but I really didn't like the limitations and cost that they imposed on changing phones. GSM is great and I've gotten good coverage at home and when traveling through Los Angeles. I would recommend them without hesitation.

Larry B.

goofy166
04-02-2004, 04:38 AM
I've been using that same T-Mobile plan Jason for about a year with my i-Mate, and its very good. They switch to Cingular here in the SF Bay area, and there are some holes, but then evey carrier has holes. IE and surfing work well, my only complaint is the SMS voice mail notification is flakey. But you can't beat the price.

Luzerman
04-02-2004, 04:39 AM
I think like all of these questions it really depends on where you live. I've used T-Mob, AT&TWS, and SprintPCS pretty extensively in Denver and the DFW area and T-Mob and SprintPCS heavily in Sea-Tac area and Portland.

Like all services T-Mob out performs in some areas while under performing in others.

Overall T-Mob has superior customer service to the pathetic AT&TWS. I loved how I canceled service with AT&TWS and they kept trying to charge me for 5 months afterwards. Each time they would say, "we think we got it fixed. call back next month and wait on hold for 2.5 hours to try again if we screwed it up yet another time." actually I think that's what they were really saying when interpreted through AT&TWS service speak for lets see how long we can do this until he gives up and see if we can keep the money.

From my experience AT&TWS does not have the coverage area or quality of T-Mob.

I have very few problems with talking and driving except in some areas where I always have problems so I know to avoid them when I'm trying to talk and drive.

I've been a passenger in a car while surfing with an attached laptop and for about 80 miles I was able to do work. I experienced no problems other then slow speed.

Using CSD or GPRS for data is SLLLOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWW. I thougth that I could possibly go back to doing that for web access but I was wrong. It is too painful for a broadband addicted person like myself.

I have no problems getting wireless service up in the mountains around Denver or out on the plains.

Overall I like the experience of using my MPx200 on the T-Mobile network.

Peter Wellman
04-02-2004, 05:52 AM
I have used TMobile for 4 months. Coverage has been good. I have the $39.99 month voice plan and unlimited Internet for $19.99 month. I have a Sony Ericsson P900 and use the email a lot, when my tablet pc is not on/with me, or use Bluetooth to link to my Tablet PC. I use three email services that are also registered on TMobile. I use the TMobile alert for messages that come into one of those email services (key business stuff) so I can determine which messages I should download. The other two services the phone collects mail three times a day automatically.
For all of this Tmobile works fine, email download is a little slow but as I have total freedom of movement yet can stay in touch the speed is no problem.
Why do I have a P900? Because I could not get a Microsoft Smartphone that supported writing, which is essential if you do a lot of email, and Bluetooth that gives a cable free modem link to my tablet pc

Janak Parekh
04-02-2004, 06:04 AM
David - T-Mobile has a number of advantages from your viewpoint.

1. It's $19.99 for unlimited GPRS with a voice plan, not $29.99. :D

2. T-Mobile is exclusively 1900MHz, so the MPx200 will access the full T-Mobile network, unlike AT&T or Cingular which have 800MHz coverage in areas. Therefore, the MPx200 will perform leaps and bounds better with T-Mo in areas they cover well.

What you need to make sure is that the coverage is good where you live. I ended up sticking with Verizon despite the lack of phone selection because of their coverage near my house. If it wasn't for that, I'd still be with T-Mobile. GPRS is slower than 1xRTT, but it's also cheaper. :)

--janak

ShivShanks
04-02-2004, 12:13 PM
Hey how come people forgot about this raging discussion about CDMA vs. GSM where the T-Mobile and Verizon coverage maps were compared and contrasted? :D -
http://www.smartphonethoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=5117&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=20

Read that thread and come to your own conclusions about T-Mobile vs Verizon. As far as data on phone goes, *nothing* can come anywhere close to the deal I get from Sprint PCS. *Unlimited* data at 1xRTT 144kbps speeds for $10 a month. Unfortunately there are no WM smartphones offered yet by Sprint so I'm patiently biding my time for one to arrive and using the Palm based Samsung i500 instead which isn't such a bad device in itself. My smartphone bliss would be a CDMA version of the Motorola MPx on Sprint's network.

Hint to Microsoft: You can get a lot of advanced data users towards WM Smartphones if you manage to launch a Smartphone with Sprint PCS. In the meanwhile I'll keep waiting and complaining about it once in while here and on Sprint's forums :)

bitbank
04-02-2004, 03:22 PM
shivshanks,
SprintPCS has many good features, but the thing about us gadget people is that we switch phones often. GSM has the great feature of being able to switch your SIM to any phone any time. I switch between my PPC Phone and my smartphone depending on my needs. I also typically keep my phones less than a year. This freedom comes at the price of slower data speeds on GSM. T-Mobile also has lower costs for me because of the free t-mobile to t-mobile minutes and free nights and weekends.

L.B.

aristoBrat
04-02-2004, 03:43 PM
Hey how come people forgot about this raging discussion about CDMA vs. GSM where the T-Mobile and Verizon coverage maps were compared and contrasted?
David's location says Tampa, FL. T-Mobile's map coverage there looks excellent.

As far as data on phone goes, *nothing* can come anywhere close to the deal I get from Sprint PCS. *Unlimited* data at 1xRTT 144kbps speeds for $10 a month.
Yes, but one of David's requirements is "and I need to use it occassionaly as a modem". It's a violation of Sprint's TOS to use the less-expensive Vision plan as a modem, no? How much would David have to pay on Sprint to be able to do that? Looks like they don't offer an unlimited data plan for modem use, and what they do offer is horribly expensive.

Ainvar
04-02-2004, 03:50 PM
I been with this Tmobile (Voicesteam and Powertel) for a lil over 6 years. Of these 6 years I have kept them even when work wanted me to use attws (shudder), verizon (a bad joke gone even more horriblly wrong) and cingular (bad bad company). I know every company has there good and bad but the good has really out shined the bad with Tmobile. There CS is awesome when it comes to minor things and ofcourse your bill or verifiyiong something on your account. WDG tier 1 and 2 has been a horrible horrible aol experience when it comes to there supported phones. There tier 3 group has been top notch and I can not complain about there knowledge and professional outlook on getting the issue resolved. Now on terms of service I can not complain with it, there is ofcourse the dreaded deadspots and weak area but not as bad os the 3 listed above for me. There low cost plans compared to others makes this deal better all the time. There is dependable the speed is like dialup but if moving is more like 80's dialup.

The biggest gripe I have about the company however is there poor pathetic selection in phones. By the time this company comes out with the phone you did want 5 diffrent phones have since been released that is a step up from the previous one you wanted. If Tmobile would actually sell some fo the phones they sell in Europe over here in the states it would make a smal niche of there customers much happier. I would even pay a little more for that ability.

David McNamee
04-02-2004, 04:03 PM
Thanks for the great feedback, folks! This is why I love the Thoughts community :D

ShivShanks - Haven't forgotten the great CDMA v. GSM discussion. Being that I switch phones frequently with what I do, Verizon and Sprint hold less appeal. Yeah, I know that CDMA is technically superior, but it's VHS v. Beta. I plan on sticking with a GSM provider for now.

Janak - Thanks, I had been wondering about the 1900 v 850 issue.

Kris - If your AR11 works well on T-Mobile, the MPx200 should kick butt!

I'm going to make a few calls this weekend and see about switching. I'll let you know next week if I do it and how it goes. Heck, I might just do it so I can write about phone number portability issues :wink:

rbrome
04-02-2004, 05:32 PM
I'm a happy T-Mobile customer.

But... the downside of T-Mobile is their unfortunate situation with EDGE.

With a smartphone, depending on what you do with it, you'll probably feel the slowness of GPRS. EDGE triples your data rates, making it a perfect complement to smartphones. Smartphones with EDGE are coming, and they'll be great!

When it comes to EDGE, AT&T and Cingular are at an advantage, because all of their GSM equipment is brand new, and therefore easily upgradeable to EDGE. AT&T already has EDGE pretty much nationwide.

But T-Mobile's tower equipment is much older, making EDGE upgrades difficult and expensive. At CTIA, I asked them about their EDGE timeline, and they said they won't launch it until the end of the year, and even then it will only be about 30 markets. They won't have it nationwide until the end of 2005 at the earliest.

So, before you sign a contract with T-Mobile, just understand that in ~9 months, you'll probably be jealous of the lucky ATTWS/Cingular users with spiffy, speedy new EDGE smartphones...

possmann
04-02-2004, 05:55 PM
I have been a loyal T-Mo customer for over three years now. I have looked at several other plans and vendors and keep on coming back to T-Mo. No one can beat the price and the service has always been great. I have used AT&T, Sprint, USCellular and Verizon (mainly through business provided phones) but none beat the deals, the connectivity and the service that T-Mo continues to provide me.

About once a year I go on the "maybe I should switch and get a better deal somewhere else" binge. After spending several days poking around and stoping in to stores I find that for what I want and need no one can beat T-Mo especially after hearing some of the support horror stories about other providers.

cvdbl
04-02-2004, 06:05 PM
Have been a aTMobile customer for 4 years now. overall happy. Their GPRS plan is great from a cost standpoint and fits my need.

I have grown more and more frustrated with their customer service. If you ever have to resolve an issue, some departments are pretty bad. My worst experience was when I migrated another line on my account (number portability) and they migrated it to the wrong line. So we effectively lost our numbers for 10 days (that is how long it took them to resolve). Felt the duration of the resolution was due to incompetence and lousy processes, not a technical issue in itself.

am not in love with them, but the other guys are even worse.

aristoBrat
04-02-2004, 06:28 PM
So, before you sign a contract with T-Mobile, just understand that in ~9 months, you'll probably be jealous of the lucky ATTWS/Cingular users with spiffy, speedy new EDGE smartphones...
Even if ATTWS/Cingular *currently* offered EDGE Smartphones, I'd pass just because of their data prices -- the same reason I passed on Verizon's fast i600 CDMA Smartphone.

Spiffy/speedy is nice, but for a lot of folks, affordable is what matters.

ShivShanks
04-02-2004, 06:46 PM
ShivShanks - Haven't forgotten the great CDMA v. GSM discussion. Being that I switch phones frequently with what I do, Verizon and Sprint hold less appeal. Yeah, I know that CDMA is technically superior, but it's VHS v. Beta.


Well I respect your decision based on the reasons you are giving, and GSM does have the one very big advantage of a SIM card in the US over CDMA (at least for some carriers if not all), however I disagree on your assesment of it being a VHS vs. Betamax kind of issue. Betamax never really took off well against VHS anywhere in the world, however CDMA *is* the dominant cell phone technology in the US. So its not a VHS vs. Betamax issue at all as far as the US is concerned. With Verizon and Sprint growing and one large GSM combine in serious trouble, this will only magnify. Once advanced networks are launched on CDMA it will accelerate even more. So in another 6-12 months I'll come back and hammer down the point even more :twisted:

ShivShanks
04-02-2004, 06:55 PM
Hey how come people forgot about this raging discussion about CDMA vs. GSM where the T-Mobile and Verizon coverage maps were compared and contrasted?
David's location says Tampa, FL. T-Mobile's map coverage there looks excellent.


Well yes, except when he needs to travel around the country :P I'm sure he does quite a bit of that in his position.


As far as data on phone goes, *nothing* can come anywhere close to the deal I get from Sprint PCS. *Unlimited* data at 1xRTT 144kbps speeds for $10 a month.
Yes, but one of David's requirements is "and I need to use it occassionaly as a modem". It's a violation of Sprint's TOS to use the less-expensive Vision plan as a modem, no? How much would David have to pay on Sprint to be able to do that? Looks like they don't offer an unlimited data plan for modem use, and what they do offer is horribly expensive.

Okay I didn't quite see that requirement of his. Then yes T-Mobile might be cheaper. You can though now get $80 a month of unlimited laptop data also from Sprint (You need to be in a business account to get that deal). So yes, it is more expensive in that case but then you'll have a pay a bit more for better quality data rates. Once the 3G networks are rolled in on CDMA then expect this to become a dialup vs broadband kind of issue. Sure many people can get $10-20 dialup access but still millions choose to pay extra for broadband. T-Mobile won't quite have anything to answer that anytime soon. Imagine 500 kbps net access anywhere under the sky (almost). Now that would be true mobility and being unwired :D

Kris Kumar
04-02-2004, 08:18 PM
Kris - If your AR11 works well on T-Mobile, the MPx200 should kick butt!

From what I have heard about MPx200 voice quality and capability to hold on to signal...I sure it will be a lot better phone.

Wish I had won MPx200 at MDC giveways :( They gave away almost 30+ phones. Or if T-Mobile were to come out with the much awaited MPx220.

My problem is I travel a lot. And heavy data/voice user on the mobile phone. (I dont use my home phone) When I switch to Verizon, they will fleece me, but I dont think I have an option :(

David McNamee
04-02-2004, 08:45 PM
So in another 6-12 months I'll come back and hammer down the point even more :twisted:

Looking forward to it :D

palmsolo
04-02-2004, 09:02 PM
I've been a T-Mobile customer now since the T-Mobile Sidekick came out in the fall of 2002 and I just had to have one. I now use the FREE unlimited WAP access with my Nokia 3650, MPx200, and SPV E200 with my $59.99 family shared plan. The free plan won't let you use IM or access most secure sites, but for what I use it for with my PDAs it is adequate and saves me $20 a month. I have used it when traveling on business in LA and Honolulu with a great signal in these areas in addition to Western Washington. I have also used the MPx200 as a modem via a USB cable to my laptop and surfing was adequate.

I do not use my phone much for voice calls and am a serious data hound since I commute in a vanpool an hour each way to and from work. I was using 30 to 40MB of data when I had the unlimited plan and have been happily sending emails and surfing with the free plan for over 3 months now.

bitbank
04-03-2004, 02:24 AM
I also have the 59.99 family plan and am paying $19.99 per month for unlimited data. I really only need email access. I called customer service and asked them about free internet access and they said there is no such thing. Can I cancel my $20 data plan and still get my pop mail?

Thanks,
Larry B.

aristoBrat
04-03-2004, 02:48 AM
Can I cancel my $20 data plan and still get my pop mail?
At this point, yes. T-Mo has a "FREE WAP" plan that allows unlimited access to GPRS so that all of their handsets can pay to download ringtones/wallpapers.

For some reason, they haven't totally locked down the network, so for free, you get unlimited GPRS access to ports 25 (smtp), 80 (WAP/HTML/anything else you can redirect over it, like Messengers), and 110 (pop3) and 143 (imap4).

The reps either don't know this, or are playing dumb. So just tell them that you want "the free WAP that lets me download the ringtones" and they should hook you up. You'll have to set your access point to "wap.voicestream.com" instead of "internet[2,3].voicestream.com", but that's about it.

They haven't officially published a Terms of Service for this, but it's pretty easy to guess that for free they probably don't intend to give away GPRS, but at this point, it works. ;)

bitbank
04-04-2004, 06:35 PM
Thanks aristoBrat,
I cancelled my $20 data service yesterday (the change happened while I was still talking to the customer service person). I switched to wap.voicestream.com and I am still able to surf the web and get email. I also can send mail just fine on their smtp server (myemail.t-mobile.com).

I'm quite pleased with the price and service. However... I did a test of the GPRS speed and it is really really slow. It appears to send about 1K bytes per second from the phone (not sure about the other direction).

Larry B.

Kris Kumar
04-26-2004, 06:04 AM
Here's some more good news for T-Mobile customers...

http://www.smartphonethoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=37935

T-Mobile customers on nationwide plan can roam for free on (select) AT&T networks :-) Ever since AT&T announced roaming on Cingular & T-Mobile, I was expecting this would happen. And now it has come true.

ponch64
04-30-2004, 05:02 AM
I've been using my unlocked mpx200 with T-Mobile for about 4 months now. I get switched because i get 3000 minutes for 49.99, yes 3000 minutes!!! I have yet to unlock the firmware that ATT had installed on the phone so i have not been able to use any data which is why im on this site, im trying to unlock the third band so that i have 900mhz,1800mhz and 1900mhz. DO YOU KNOW HOW TO unlock the firmware? Other than the data issue, the service is great and would probably improve with the 900mhz band