Switching Wireless Carriers to Save Money: Anyone Doing It?

[Jason Dunn]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.pcworld.com/resource/article/0,aid,125006,pg,1,RSS,RSS,00.asp' target='_blank'>http://www.pcworld.com/resource/art...,RSS,RSS,00.asp</a><br /><br /></div><i>"Last week, I offered advice for existing wireless customers on getting the best price for a new smart phone. One option I didn't mention is switching service providers, and that's what I ended up doing. I switched from Cingular to Sprint when I wanted to upgrade to a Palm Treo 650 but not pay the full price. I'll explore that option this week. Why did I make the switch? I had a couple reasons...So I paid $300 for a Treo 650 from Sprint. Given that I was still under contract with Cingular, however, that carrier hit me with a $150 early termination fee. Thus, I paid a total of $450 for the Treo 650, which is $75 more than what I'd pay if I'd stayed with Cingular."</i><br /><br />The author goes on to say that by switching to Sprint and the $10 a month plan for web/email, he'll save in the long run. Have any of you switched wireless carriers to save money? Or do the devices available on a certain network lure you away? In this case the Treo was available on all the networks, but with Windows Mobile devices that's often not the case - if you want the Treo 700w, you're going with Verizon.

[Tony Rylow]

I recently switched from cingular to tmobile. without notifying me cingular had extended my contract for another year. after fighting with them they agreed to let me cancel. I immediately called tmobile and got an mda for 350. the next day I had a brand new pda phone and my number ported over.

[kiwi]

Well in Canada, we dont have number portibility so a LOT of people dont change carriers. I Also need a GSM handset so I can take my phone to NZ with me easier and slip in a pay as you go SIM.. that only leaves 2 carriers.. Rogers and FIDO - and infact "Robbers" own's FIDO anyway.

Canadians get screwed for Cell phone solutions

[jmulder]

I recently switched from cingular to tmobile. without notifying me cingular had extended my contract for another year. after fighting with them they agreed to let me cancel. I immediately called tmobile and got an mda for 350. the next day I had a brand new pda phone and my number ported over.

I went the other way 3 years ago...from T-Mobile to AT&amp;T. T-Mobile wanted to charge me $400 for a SonyEricsson T60. This was before the upgrade plans most carriers have now and T-Mobile would not budge. So I went to AT&amp;T and got the T60 for $100. Been with them/Cingular ever since.

[Damion Chaplin]

Much like the author of the article, I find Cingular's coverage and service in the SF Bay Area to be less-than-perfect. So, yes, I have been tempted many times in the past.

At one point I called Cingular and complained that I wasn't getting my voice mails until hours (once even a day) later. Their response? Congestion. Congestion?! This is really one of the areas where they should be sure to allow enough bandwidth. I mean, I would speculate at least half a million people in the Bay Area have Cingular.

The problem is, I just can't be sure which carrier is better. Sure some might save me money, but when I asked my friends, family and coworkers about their carriers I discovered NO ONE is happy or satisfied with their cell carrier. Everyone I asked said "[insert carrier here] Sucks!" So I stick with Cingular, mostly due to inertia...

[EDIT]: According to Wikipedia, the population of the SF Bay Area is over 7 Million, so I would have to raise my specution of how many people here use Cingular by quite a bit...

[Raphael Salgado]

As most of you already know, I switched carriers to save my sanity. Sure I was getting a 17% monthly discount on my bill, was only paying $19.99 a month (before discount) for unlimited data and messaging, but no matter what device I had, I couldn't get a decent EDGE connection. And when I did, it often stuttered and cut out many times I needed it most.

With the money I received for my GSM phone, I am able to pay off the three ETFs on my Cingular account and cover a portion of the Verizon XV6700. I'm paying $44.99 for the EVDO connection, but the speed is so good, I haven't turned on its Wi-Fi module more than once since I bought it (and that was just to make sure it authenticated to my router!).

No regrets. In retrospect, I should have tried to sell of my contract (like via www.CellTradeUSA.com) since I was grandfathered into the Unlimited Media Works package that no longer exists the way I originally got it... unlimited data, unlimited messaging, $19.99 a month.

[hewlpac]

Well, it seems switching is the best way to save money. I started with AT&amp;T moons ago with a company plan that was cheap $15/mo but offered few minutes and zip data... Went to T-Mobile about 3 years ago for a SE T610 to connect with my PDA via BT. Worked great and was $20/ mo for unlimited data and about 60 minutes call time(slow but good enough for casual surfing) Phone was heavily discounted at the time and served me well. This past December switched to Sprint and opted to stay with two devices as the 6700 was too boxy and expensive at the time and the treo did not have EVDO (though I was tempted by the treo for its size and function). Went with the Samsung a900 and have 500 min and unlimited data for $26/mo with taxes. Great with ORB for streaming and pretty quick surfing via my PDA or on the phone. I am sure there are many others that switch more often, especially if paid for by employers or written off.

[C Sammet]

Two years ago February switched from Sprint to Verizon got a good deal on the I700 and unlimited data. Then the coverage became spotty and some additional charges cropped up with the data service. Next thing I know my 2 year contract is expiring and I am looking at spending another $299 to get the 6700 with Verizon and my bill was going to still be about $170 per month for the same service. I look at Cingular and the 8125. Good PDA/Phone, I can get my phone and my wife's with almost the same number of minutes per month for $89 and add $40 for the unlimited data, so I am looking at a monthly bill around $130. A savings per month of $40. Add to that the 8125 was $250 plus another $50 rebate and I can handle those savings. Granted the 130K Edge connection is not the same as the 180K EDVO, but the 8125 battery lasts 2 days versus the one day I was getting with the I700 and for some the half day with the 6700. Since the difference in speed isn't that big of a deal and I no longer have to put up with Verizon and their desire to disable features all the time I can live with a difference of 50K per second.

So for each time I have moved I have saved more than if I had remained with the same carrier. You would think these carriers would work on customer loyalty more.

[Raphael Salgado]

I really don't know where people are getting the "130K EDGE" and "180K EVDO" numbers. Heck, I even used it myself before I actually tried EVDO.

When I did multiple 600k speed tests at www.dslreports.com/mspeed, I used the Cingular 8125 inside their own store and got an average of 67-71Kbps throughput on its EDGE network. I ran the same test multiple times on my Verizon XV6700 in their store and got anywhere between 677Kbps to 840Kbps. Doesn't sound like a 50K difference to me, but more like a 10x difference. ;)

[lanwarrior]

I really don't know where people are getting the "130K EDGE" and "180K EVDO" numbers. Heck, I even used it myself before I actually tried EVDO.

When I did multiple 600k speed tests at www.dslreports.com/mspeed, I used the Cingular 8125 inside their own store and got an average of 67-71Kbps throughput on its EDGE network. I ran the same test multiple times on my Verizon XV6700 in their store and got anywhere between 677Kbps to 840Kbps. Doesn't sound like a 50K difference to me, but more like a 10x difference. ;)

I do. I am getting between 90 - 130K on EDGE. I don't use DSL Test report, but I monitor using IP Dashboard that shows the speed real-time. Not that EDGE speed is "burst" speed, so that doesn't mean I am getting 130K consistently. The speed shots up when I am downloading large data, like CNN.com.

Either way, it fit my need:
1. Download weather data (through Fizz Weather) only use 20-30K, but the data is small so it's bearable
2. Accessing graphics heavy page uses the high speed connection (90 - 130K).
3. Terminal Service via VPN is OK, but definitely not having a DSL speed.

I'll try to get a screenshot of IP Dashboard while accessing a webpage and post it here later.

[MG]

The problem is, I just can't be sure which carrier is better. Sure some might save me money, but when I asked my friends, family and coworkers about their carriers I discovered NO ONE is happy or satisfied with their cell carrier. Everyone I asked said "[insert carrier here] Sucks!" So I stick with Cingular, mostly due to inertia...

Consumer Reports routinely tests carriers. Verizon wins, hands down in EVERY region of the country. They would be your best bet for service, granted they ain't cheap, but you always get through.

I don't have a data plan on my i730 (I DO have WM5 on it!8O ) but wifi works when I need it so there is no need to spend the $45/mo.

But I do know EDGE is no match for EVDO, absolutely no comparison

Mark

[scottb]

I have been happy with my Verizon service. I tried Cingular a while back and that's when I realized I don't have much of a choice. Verizon and Alltel are really the only ones that are dependable in my neighborhood. I could not make a call from inside my house with Cingular. It seems most of my neighbors have VZW or Alltel, except perhaps the ones who use their phones while standing in their driveway! :)

[mmidgley]

I started with Sprint back around '95 when there were no contracts. I later switched to Verizon, just for better pricing. I was in no way dissatisfied with Sprint, just found better pricing. About a year ago I changed to Cingular for the same reason (more voice minutes, rollover, business account discount, etc). The other reason I switched to Cingular (knowing EDGE would not be as good as EVDO) was that I could get a reasonably priced bluetooth capable phone (and not crippled bluetooth verizon style!). I also maxed out their referral benefit. It was definitely financially worth it even paying verizon an ETF.

The downside was that service at my work location was perfect, but then dropped to nothing...and stayed that way for 239 days in 2005. Carriers seem to have a taboo about talking about towers, other than admitting that they exist, somewhere. It took a lot of fighting with phone support to get NO information for months (the good news was this helped me save more money as I put in a BBB claim and Cingular, although not required, was nice enough to credit my account several months worth). The bottom line was that they needed a new tower, and they knew it. They planned it and put it up, but refused to ever tell me about the process. I only found out about it by talking to a subcontractor actually hanging the antenna on a tower (physical tower is owned by Sprint). I told a representative in the "Office of the President" about the tower before he knew about it! Cingular does NOT talk to itself about its own product!

m.

[maximum360]

I made the swtich back in December of last year from Verizon to Sprint.

I was able to sell my XV6600 to a friend (who was willing to pick up the last month on my contract for $300). With Verizon I had the $60 family share plan with 400 minutes split between us (we don't make a lot of calls on the cell during peak hours) + unlimited data plan for $45.

When I moved to sprint the cost was $420 for the PPC6700 plus another new phone for the wife (this was a good thing since her phone was a real clunker and the battery no longer held a charge). I got the same family share plan but with Sprint I got an extra hundred minutes and have the option of adding another line for free. Also, the unlimited data plan is only $15 with Sprint. So more or less, it only costs me $120 to get two brand new phones, and a cheaper plan, and in some ways better service. (At my previous residence I almost never had a cell phone signal with Verizon, but Sprint has pretty much been rock solid everywhere.) The only downside is that as of now, Verizon is the only option for wireless data in the Metro system...that is until they start to roam data as well (I hope).

:mrgreen:

[Kacey Green]

I went from sprint to T-mobile for three reasons: Service, Tech Friendliness (CDMA doesn't allow for all the geeky stuff you get with GSM for the casual geek), lastly price.

[scottb]

I went from sprint to T-mobile for three reasons: Service, Tech Friendliness (CDMA doesn't allow for all the geeky stuff you get with GSM for the casual geek), lastly price.

What geeky stuff does CDMA technology prevent you from getting?

[PiatekHS]

Maybe this is one area we are better off in the UK - here many people switch at the end of every 12 month contract and take their number with them. It is (relatively) easy and quick and we can get WM5 devices cheaply if not FOC e.g. Wizard FOC, Universal ~£100, etc.

Only two out of 4 providers use SIM locks.

To stop/minimise this, most providers now offer even better deals on 18 or 24 month contracts.

[C Sammet]

I really don't know where people are getting the "130K EDGE" and "180K EVDO" numbers. Heck, I even used it myself before I actually tried EVDO.

When I did multiple 600k speed tests at www.dslreports.com/mspeed, I used the Cingular 8125 inside their own store and got an average of 67-71Kbps throughput on its EDGE network. I ran the same test multiple times on my Verizon XV6700 in their store and got anywhere between 677Kbps to 840Kbps. Doesn't sound like a 50K difference to me, but more like a 10x difference. ;)

I can understand your quandry since if you live where you are getting good EDVO coverage I am sure it has an impact. Here in the Midwest with rolling hills Verizon's coverage was spotty most of the time except when you were in the middle of a large city and then it depended on which city since most of them had large dead spots.

I did used the same speed tests between an EDVO 6700 in the verizon store and my 8125 at my home. The numbers I reported were the average with the highest number actually being slightly above them. For instance 1 of the EDVO tests did attain a 200K and one of the EDGE numbers did make it to 140K. If you are truely getting 600 to 800K then I say I wish we had the same results everywhere. Even then for me the speed wouldn't be as big an issue as time I get on a single charge.

I just took a cross country trip to Oakland and for a whole days trip and the next day I never had to plug in once to charge. This even though I had 5 minute pulls of emails, watched 3 movies, and played 2-3 hours of poker on it. It may not have the fastest processor or the fastest data connect, but it does last and for me that was more important. Also for my area the numbers still reflect what I could expect and as such the difference in speed compared to price. As always YMMV.

[C Sammet]

The problem is, I just can't be sure which carrier is better. Sure some might save me money, but when I asked my friends, family and coworkers about their carriers I discovered NO ONE is happy or satisfied with their cell carrier. Everyone I asked said "[insert carrier here] Sucks!" So I stick with Cingular, mostly due to inertia...

Consumer Reports routinely tests carriers. Verizon wins, hands down in EVERY region of the country. They would be your best bet for service, granted they ain't cheap, but you always get through.

I don't have a data plan on my i730 (I DO have WM5 on it!8O ) but wifi works when I need it so there is no need to spend the $45/mo.

But I do know EDGE is no match for EVDO, absolutely no comparison

Mark

When Consumer Reports comes out each year I am amazed at where they choose to test. If I lived closer to Chicago then it would be far more valid to me. Problem is I can only speak to my Verizon experience around the midwest from Cincy to Louisville to Indie to St Louis to Nashville to West Virginia to North Carolina and other parts too numerous to list. In all of these places Verizon was fine if I was near a large city, but even then I would find large dead spots where I got little or no signal. Additionally another shortcoming was the issue with voicemail notification. When I went through these dead areas or was in an outter laying area with no signal and then came back to where there was signal I rarely got notification of voicemail left when my phone was out of range. Oh on ocassion it worked, but 7 times out of 10 it didn't. Add to this issues with placing calls in some cities and then having the line go dead after a lengthy wait. Then having to redial multiple times before it finally actually did go through. I had two years of this fun and frankly Verizon may work wonders for folks in large cities who don't venture into the hinterland, but for my business and personal use it wasn't that great. Of course neither was Sprint whom I had before Verizon. I went to Cingular and so far it has been fine, but it has only been 2 months and time will tell.

All of this plus not that impressive of EDVO speeds around here and a much higher price made Verizon a bad deal here. Of course as I have said above YMMV.

[Damion Chaplin]

Consumer Reports routinely tests carriers. Verizon wins, hands down in EVERY region of the country. They would be your best bet for service, granted they ain't cheap, but you always get through. I don't have a data plan on my i730 (I DO have WM5 on it!8O ) but wifi works when I need it so there is no need to spend the $45/mo. But I do know EDGE is no match for EVDO, absolutely no comparison

That's certainly true: EDGE is no match for EVDO.
I guess there are a few other reasons I'm still with Cingular. I really like the SIM architecture that allows me to use any SIM phone I want by just swapping cards. I've been a Cingular customer since they bought out PacBell Wireless in '98, which gives me a bit of weight to throw around when I'm on the phone with them (I've mentioned this before). I also just bought a K-JAM for a bit of money, and it's a GSM-only phone (and I intend on keeping it for a while).

Not only is Verizon usually ranked the best at providing customer service, Cingular is usually ranked lowest in customer service. The problem is, aside from random technology glitches, Cingular has not given me bad service. The other problem is I have two coworkers with Verizon and they also experience lost voicemails, dropped calls etc. So I have to take CR's report with a grain of salt; experiences vary widely from individual to individual and plan to plan...

And so, with Cingular I stay, at least for the moment. :roll:

[mightymission]

In my case it wasn't about cost but customer service. I had been with Sprint since '98 after switching from Pacific Bell Wireless (now Cingular) beccause of phone selection and when I relocated to a new state Sprint claimed they had to "re-provision" my account to get a new phone number and area code which they didn't bother to tell me caused a 1 yr contract to kick in on that date. :twisted: It was only when they committed their 10th major mistake on my billing and I threatened to cancel that I was told about the 1yr contract for having my area code change. Obviously I was upset over their lack of ethics and paid the ETF just to get away from Sprint who has a reputation for terrible cusotmer service. I landed with T-Mobile after researching my needs with all the carriers offerings for the first time since getting my first cell phone in 1996. Have been with them ever since mostly because of the great customer service. IMO phones will come and go but having a great customer care team to go to when those inevitable problems arise is invaluable to me since I rely on my cell as my bussiness communication tool.

[aristoBrat]

I switched from:

T-Mobile
$39.99 = 600 A/T minutes
$19.00 = unlimited EDGE data
--------
$59.98

to

Sprint's SERO plan (http://www.sprint.com/sero)
$30.00 = 500 A/T minutes
$00.00 = unlimited EVDO data included
$00.00 = Sprint M2M included
--------
$30.00

[alanjrobertson]

Maybe this is one area we are better off in the UK - here many people switch at the end of every 12 month contract and take their number with them. It is (relatively) easy and quick and we can get WM5 devices cheaply if not FOC e.g. Wizard FOC, Universal ~£100, etc.

Only two out of 4 providers use SIM locks.

To stop/minimise this, most providers now offer even better deals on 18 or 24 month contracts. Yep, it's great that we're able to do that. Lots of offers for voice calls too - free phone, 12 months free line rental and about 200 mins/month of Xnet calls for free! OK not the best phones in those deals, but I used one of those deals to get a Moto L6 for free (my main phone is a SonyEricsson K750i) and use the Bluetooth &amp; GPRS to get on the web.

Unfortunately the USA &amp; Canada seem much better off on getting great data plans than we are - best on offer is Orange PAYG - £1/day for unlimited GPRS but you need to re-request this through their automated line each day you want it and speeds aren't exactly the best. EDGE is gradually being rolled out though which is promising.

Cheers

Alan

[scottb]

[snip...]
Unfortunately the USA &amp; Canada seem much better off on getting great data plans than we are - best on offer is Orange PAYG - £1/day for unlimited GPRS but you need to re-request this through their automated line each day you want it and speeds aren't exactly the best. EDGE is gradually being rolled out though which is promising.

Cheers

Alan

Isn't there is T-Mobile data plan for £7.50 that offers unlimited Web?

[Mark Johnson]

I was just looking into data plans this week so I find this thread very interesting. It's a bit confusing, however, to try an piece together a "price comparison" summary.

I'm looking for a plan that has an unlimited amount of data, but not necessarily the highest data speed. I don't really need "mobile broadband" as I've got broadband coming out of my ears most of the day, I just would like to have a moderate speed connection so I can do some "light surfing" from my notebook when I'm on the road. But I don't want a capped plan because of the "what if I need to download a driver, etc" scenario.

So a couple of you guys said you'd gotten something like this for $20/month, but I can't find any plans like that. So far I'm just finding $70/month "mobile broadband" plans which is way overkill for me. There's no chance I'd want those.

There are just too many "free WiFi" coffee shops around Southern California these days for that to make sense. (I've been really pleased to see in the last year or so just how many retail places like Diedrich's Coffee that are now offering free WiFi as a "don't go to Starbucks" response. It's working in my case. I never go to Starbucks anymore, just places like It's A Grind or Diedrich's that give you a free hour or whatever with your ice-blended mocha.)

Anyway, I'd still like a $20/month data plan that isn't extremely fast, but would let me pull over and check my email from wherever instead of driving 5 minutes to my nearest WiFi Mooching Point. Any suggestions?

When I called Verizon, they basically said: "we only offer Mobile Broadbad which is faster." It's like if American Airlines just decided one day that they would no longer have coach class, just first class.

Yes I want to fly to Tahiti, but only up to a certain price. If the fare's above that price, I'm not going to Tahiti at all, I don't care if the seats are leather. Sheesh, when will the carriers learn?

[alanjrobertson]

Isn't there is T-Mobile data plan for £7.50 that offers unlimited Web? It sounds likes there's restrictions on the basic £7.50 plan - it can't be used with data cards/laptops/modems. However there's apparently a slightly more expensive plan that DOES allow it to be used with them. This 'Pro' version has a 2GB cap but includes 3G access!

More info from this thread on uk.telecom.mobile (http://groups.google.com/group/uk.telecom.mobile/browse_thread/thread/fb6ccbc46e3d96a8/a27dd0df003de011)

That's definitely more promising than I first thought and sounds pretty decent price-wise :D

[Kacey Green]

I went from sprint to T-mobile for three reasons: Service, Tech Friendliness (CDMA doesn't allow for all the geeky stuff you get with GSM for the casual geek), lastly price.

What geeky stuff does CDMA technology prevent you from getting?
At the time of the switch, a bluetooth phone that wasn't crippled and didn't cost too much. I got my first bluetooh phone from T-mo and it was only like 60 extra (i don't remember the exact cost) T-Mobile has support staff second only to my bank. Very friendly and eager to help, not transfer you everywhere or hang up.

[aristoBrat]

I'm looking for a plan that has an unlimited amount of data, but not necessarily the highest data speed. I don't really need "mobile broadband" as I've got broadband coming out of my ears most of the day, I just would like to have a moderate speed connection so I can do some "light surfing" from my notebook when I'm on the road.
The cheapest plan where it isn't a violation of the terms of service to use it with your laptop is T-Mobile's $29.99/month plan (if you have voice server with them, $49.99/month if you don't).

If you don't mind playing in the gray area with other carriers, many don't stop you from using their less expensive data plans for your laptop, but if they do catch you, you could be subject to paying by the KB. For example, a lot of people are tethering with the PPC-6700 on Sprint for $15.00/month.

[C Sammet]

I'm looking for a plan that has an unlimited amount of data, but not necessarily the highest data speed. I don't really need "mobile broadband" as I've got broadband coming out of my ears most of the day, I just would like to have a moderate speed connection so I can do some "light surfing" from my notebook when I'm on the road.
The cheapest plan where it isn't a violation of the terms of service to use it with your laptop is T-Mobile's $29.99/month plan (if you have voice server with them, $49.99/month if you don't).

If you don't mind playing in the gray area with other carriers, many don't stop you from using their less expensive data plans for your laptop, but if they do catch you, you could be subject to paying by the KB. For example, a lot of people are tethering with the PPC-6700 on Sprint for $15.00/month.

I have Cingular Unlimited Data and they included directions for teathering and even a connection configuration for it. Are they gray area about this? Not sure if it is important to me since I no longer have a laptop, but just curious.

[aristoBrat]

IIRC, you can tether with the Cingular Unlimited Data plan. It's not one of their cheaper plans (i.e. MEdia Net).