Experience with alternate cell phone carriers?

Karl Shultz · **Posted:** Sun Dec 08, 2013 11:16 pm

With day care bills approaching us, my wife and I are looking for ways to save some money, so I've started considering alternate phone carriers. We're both on old, grandfathered VZW iPhone plans with unlimited data, but both of us have 3G phones, and Kara's is starting to show signs of an imminent demise.

The first one that grabbed my attention was Republic Wireless. Kara and I are both big fans of our iPhones, but I could be convinced to give Android a second chance for the right price.

We have family in Catawba, and Republic's coverage out there seems to be...nothing. But Sprint themselves show coverage out there. So I can't make sense of their roaming policies at all, and there's a lot of conflicting info on the web.

Anyone tried Republic? Or any of the other alternate carriers, like Virgin, Straight Talk, etc?

MikeWhitney · **Joined:** Wed Aug 20, 2003 9:15 pm **Posts:** 4724

A bunch of experiences in this thread: viewtopic.php?f=4&t=13162&hilit=straight+talk

Net is that several people around here have switched to Straight Talk and I haven't heard any complaints. Been on for over a year myself (+Kendra) and like it. We prepay 6 months and pay about $42 per month per phone for "unlimited" (some TOC restrictions on streaming video, last I checked). Should work with any GSM device using a sim card.

There are cheaper options out there for limited usage or other compromises. See http://www.howardforums.com/showwiki.ph ... Comparison

DickRasmussen · **Posted:** Mon Dec 09, 2013 9:50 am

I get this response when entering either of our mobile phone numbers into Straight Talk's availability check tool:

"The Phone Number entered is not found in our records or has an invalid status. Please check the number and try again."

Explanation?

Currently on Verizon.

Thanks,

Dick

MikeWhitney · **Joined:** Wed Aug 20, 2003 9:15 pm **Posts:** 4724

DickRasmussen wrote:

I get this response when entering either of our mobile phone numbers into Straight Talk's availability check tool:

"The Phone Number entered is not found in our records or has an invalid status. Please check the number and try again."

Explanation?

Currently on Verizon.

Thanks,

Dick

I'm not sure what you are trying to do. I only have experience with the SIM program and BYOP with GSM. Process was (1) order SIM, (2) buy phone elsewhere, (3) activate, then (4) transfer number from another carrier.

I would ditch CDMA, it's just such a hassle for a # to be tied directly to the HW by an IMEI #. I love having a SIM that I can pop out of one phone and pop into another myself without having to call customer service and beg.

It all requires starting with a carrier-unlocked, SIM-unlocked phone though. Either the "owning" company has to give you codes to unlock it, or you start with an unlocked phone like the Google Nexus products.

JamesShort · **Posted:** Mon Dec 09, 2013 11:10 am

Karl, you also have to consider things other than just the price of it. Are you willing to save a whopping $10-20/month to find yourself with infrequent data/voice signal and when you do have signal, it's weak/slow? This is the conundrum I hear a lot of people in. They want to save some money and then sacrifice service quality and quantity, and then continue to complain

.

This is my experience generally: in a crowd with a bunch of people on Tmobile, Sprint, AT&T, other provider and people start complaining about weak signal, slow data, 3G or Edge or 1x blah blah blah. I pull out my VZW phone and I have 4G (20-30 down, 5-10 up) and full voice. This situation rarely seems to fail in my experience. Point being is I spend a bit more on service than others (I had my IBM discount for like 2 years after I left and now NetApp's discount is comparable) but I also get more for what I pay it seems. I'm not sure how to quantify price per unit 'service at places I tend to go or in a particularly bad situation where I really need voice/data' unfortunately.

Also, your bad smartphone experience back in the day was not with Android, it was with the hardware (namely the DroidX). Motorola phones have been pretty renowned for flakiness but the DroidX was particularly bad (Laura and I both have one). They (Motorola) also tend to put the most bloatware and 'value add' (read: value drop) on top of the base Android OS. If you start with a Samsung or Nexus device, you will be pleasantly surprised. I'm on my 2nd HTC and they've been great too (Rezound and now One), though I'm pissed because I basically have to play Russian Roulette to unlock the bootloader on my HTC One because VZW told Htcdev.com to remove the ability to unlock the bootloader for this particular phone so rooting it will not be as easy as the Rezound. However, the One has a pretty good base image.

Karl Shultz · **Posted:** Mon Dec 09, 2013 11:21 am

Thanks Mike.

What are you Straight Talk users paying, out of pocket, for a month of service with unlimited everything? We're paying $147.30 per month on Verizon, including all of the mystery fees, taxes, etc. That's for two iPhones, with more text messages than either one of us will ever use, since messages between iPhones don't count, regardless of whether they go through Wifi or cellular.

That also includes an 18% discount I get through NetApp - although it's not entirely clear to me what the discount is calculated against. I feel like I'm fairly good at analyzing data and figuring out what numbers match up to what - but our Verizon bill is impossible to figure out, and I've largely given up trying.

It looks like Straight Talk would be under $100/month. That doesn't seem like a HUGE amount of savings, to give up Verizon's admittedly excellent coverage, even in the middle of nowhere. On the other hand, comparing our current plan against the prepaid offerings might be unfair. It's a grandfathered unlimited data plan and uses two old phones, a 4S (mine) and a 4 (hers).

Andrew Jonell · **Joined:** Mon Mar 23, 2009 6:43 pm **Posts:** 1350

Re: coverage on GSM; AT&T and T-Mobile has great coverage within the Triangle. There are a few deadspots, but we do have access to the latest and greatest wireless in the US (we're usually one of the first rollout markets, thanks IBM, Cisco, etc). But... if you're looking at a GSM based MVNO you have to consider a few variables and what you really value.

- Coverage area
- Handsets
- Price/month
- Carrier flexibility
- International flexibility

For coverage, Verizon is impossible to beat. I'm on AT&T and I get a signal where there's civilization. AFAIK, T-Mobile can be spotty, but it's pretty fast. When going up to VIR, I don't have coverage from when I turn onto NC-86 until I get to VIR.

Handsets: You can get any one you want on Verizon, as long as it's the one that is only available on Verizon. Verizon has the worst selection here, and you're also tied to the IMEI/CDMA functionality. You can buy second hand phones off of eBay, but you are going to need to call up Verizon and do the song and dance to get it to work. GSM phones are plug and play once you have the handset, and you have options like the Google Nexus phones.

The price/month on Verizon is at minimum $70/month for service (not counting discounts), whereas you can get on Straight Talk for $45, or go further down the rabbit hole and get $30/month ones if you start digging and like a personal challenge of only using 100 minutes/month. There are CDMA independent carriers, but I think they all give you Samsung/LG burner phones that have no data attached to it.

Carrier flexibility is largely independent on the handset radios, but there are a number of phones that you can use on both AT&T and T-Mobile with no issue (including their MVNO piggybacks). I would assume that the CDMA phones are the same way, but then you're only able to use either Verizon or Sprint.

International flexibility: CDMA = US, Canada, Brazil, South Korea, and a handful of other countries; GSM = Everywhere else. I don't know how international CDMA works exactly, but I would figure that it would be easier to just buy a burner phone to use overseas. With a GSM phone, you can buy a SIM at the airport with some prepaid minutes + data on it, and plug it into your phone and be good to go. Try not to lose your US SIM card, though.

MikeWhitney · **Joined:** Wed Aug 20, 2003 9:15 pm **Posts:** 4724

Total charge on my CC is $278 for 6 months of service for one phone. So yes, under $100 for 2 phones. $50/mo = $600/year savings.

No complaints about coverage or speeds. Maybe once or twice a year I'll be somewhere with someone who's phone works better. Verizon is admittedly better from what I hear for coverage in the middle of nowhere. So if that's worth $600 to you, you may not want to switch.

Edit to note -- I use a ATT based ST sim, and I came from Sprint. Never been on VZW and feel no need to...

DickRasmussen · **Posted:** Mon Dec 09, 2013 11:49 am

MikeWhitney wrote:

DickRasmussen wrote:

I get this response when entering either of our mobile phone numbers into Straight Talk's availability check tool:

"The Phone Number entered is not found in our records or has an invalid status. Please check the number and try again."

Explanation?

Currently on Verizon.

Thanks,

Dick

I'm not sure what you are trying to do. I only have experience with the SIM program and BYOP with GSM. Process was (1) order SIM, (2) buy phone elsewhere, (3) activate, then (4) transfer number from another carrier.

I would ditch CDMA, it's just such a hassle for a # to be tied directly to the HW by an IMEI #. I love having a SIM that I can pop out of one phone and pop into another myself without having to call customer service and beg.

It all requires starting with a carrier-unlocked, SIM-unlocked phone though. Either the "owning" company has to give you codes to unlock it, or you start with an unlocked phone like the Google Nexus products.

Thanks Mike.

Understood.

Currently we pay Verizon about $92/month with taxes/fees for my Smartphone and Kelly's rarely used feature phone that she will not replace if at all possible (change adverse :lol:

). The plan is a family share 500 minute with 4G (pay for 2G) data on my phone. Per text rate on my phone. None on Kelly's. The second feature phone portion of the bill is $13 including taxes.

The challenge will be to find an overall lower cost prepay solution with a total cost less than currently. Especially considering any future smartphone upgrade.

Thanks,

Chris Halweg · **Posted:** Mon Dec 09, 2013 1:57 pm

We have Republic with 2 of their Defy phones for $43/month with fees etc. If you went with Republic, you would want the MotoX for sure. The Defy is fairly outdated. You could get 3G service for two MotoX's for $50/mon plus fees. If you wanted 4G it would be $80/mon. The nice thing is that you can change your plan twice a month from your phone, so you can change your mind on the go.

After going from VZ to Sprint, I can say coverage is not as good, but you don't pay for roaming minutes, so it's not much of an issue for me unless you you stuck on a very weak Sprint tower. You do get a small amount of roaming data as well.

Other than the cost savings, the best part for me is that I can finally make calls from work on WiFi since no cell penetrates the building to my office. Also at home my cell coverage is weak, so WiFi is also a big help.

If you want flawless service look elsewhere for now. If a few quirks here and there are fine and you want to save money it is an excellent choice. Plus the WiFi calling is great if you are in an area that has spotty cell coverage.

If you decide to go with Republic, you can use my referral and we both will get at $19 credit.
http://referrals.republicwireless.com/a/clk/1wx9l0

Karl Shultz · **Posted:** Mon Dec 09, 2013 2:17 pm

MikeWhitney wrote:

Total charge on my CC is $278 for 6 months of service for one phone. So yes, under $100 for 2 phones. $50/mo = $600/year savings.

No complaints about coverage or speeds. Maybe once or twice a year I'll be somewhere with someone who's phone works better. Verizon is admittedly better from what I hear for coverage in the middle of nowhere. So if that's worth $600 to you, you may not want to switch.

I think that, and what James said, is exactly what we're considering. I imagine an alt carrier would be just fine around here. For the couple times a year that we go to Catawba, or the mountains of Kentucky, or wherever, I'm not sure if any of those will work. Aside from one small pocket on 86 between here and Danville, I've never had Verizon lose signal completely. Maybe we'll see what they come up with when it's time to replace Kara's phone, and reevaluate then.

Scott Johnson · **Posted:** Mon Dec 09, 2013 2:21 pm

Don't do data? however did we survive in the '90s. I remember when we used to keep an atlas in the car.

I've got an iPhone, but forgo data and it costs about $8/month (plus whatever I pay for a used iPhone). ATT network.

In a pinch, I probably can turn data on, but I will have to pay per kb.

Vincent Keene · **Posted:** Mon Dec 09, 2013 2:25 pm

JamesShort wrote:

Karl, you also have to consider things other than just the price of it. Are you willing to save a whopping $10-20/month to find yourself with infrequent data/voice signal and when you do have signal, it's weak/slow? This is the conundrum I hear a lot of people in. They want to save some money and then sacrifice service quality and quantity, and then continue to complain

.

This is where we are. We live in a rural area, and often travel to other rural areas. Verizon's coverage can't be beat. In the places I have to use 3G, it's almost like being on dial-up after experiencing the speed of 4G.

Richard Casto · **Posted:** Mon Dec 09, 2013 3:08 pm

DickRasmussen wrote:

MikeWhitney wrote:

DickRasmussen wrote:

I get this response when entering either of our mobile phone numbers into Straight Talk's availability check tool:

"The Phone Number entered is not found in our records or has an invalid status. Please check the number and try again."

Explanation?

Currently on Verizon.

Thanks,

Dick

I'm not sure what you are trying to do. I only have experience with the SIM program and BYOP with GSM. Process was (1) order SIM, (2) buy phone elsewhere, (3) activate, then (4) transfer number from another carrier.

I would ditch CDMA, it's just such a hassle for a # to be tied directly to the HW by an IMEI #. I love having a SIM that I can pop out of one phone and pop into another myself without having to call customer service and beg.

It all requires starting with a carrier-unlocked, SIM-unlocked phone though. Either the "owning" company has to give you codes to unlock it, or you start with an unlocked phone like the Google Nexus products.

Thanks Mike.

Understood.

Currently we pay Verizon about $92/month with taxes/fees for my Smartphone and Kelly's rarely used feature phone that she will not replace if at all possible (change adverse :lol:

). The plan is a family share 500 minute with 4G (pay for 2G) data on my phone. Per text rate on my phone. None on Kelly's. The second feature phone portion of the bill is $13 including taxes.

The challenge will be to find an overall lower cost prepay solution with a total cost less than currently. Especially considering any future smartphone upgrade.

Thanks,

I am not a phone number porting expert, but I think I have read of people having problems. Is your phone number one you received from Verizon, or was it ported from somewhere else? Do you now the history? If you are adventurous you could try to port the number to Google Voice. When you just link your Google Voice number (your old number) to whatever number your new provider gives you (such as a new ST number). That is what the cool kids are doing (I haven't tried this yet).

Richard

Richard Casto · **Posted:** Mon Dec 09, 2013 3:17 pm

Karl Shultz wrote:

What are you Straight Talk users paying, out of pocket, for a month of service with unlimited everything?

Karl,

I also am with ST. I haven't yet started pre-paying months in advance (like Mike does) to get extra savings. I probably need to do that in the near future. I am pretty much about where you would expect (based upon their advertised prices). The cost savings add up and the lack of contract is very nice. We have four phones with ST. All GSM and unlocked. All on the T-Mobile network.

I really do get the "If you are not on Verizon, you are giving up coverage" thing. I used to be on Verizon a number of years ago. It has been so long ago I don't think I know what I am missing regarding coverage. When I am in/around the Triangle (99% of my living breathing hours) I seem to have coverage. I have zero coverage up NC86 as I drive to VIR. I have zero coverage in many places as I drive through WV. Verizon level of coverage (and price) is not exactly what I need.

Regarding phones, I have never been (and still am not) a phone geek. I currently use a Nexus 4 phone. It is about the third smart phone I have had and it is the best phone I have ever had. My wife has an iPhone 4s. I don't know why, but the iPhone hasn't really appealed to me and I wouldn't trade mine for one. I am about to buy a new Nexus 5 for myself.

Richard

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