Sprint or Tmobile?

[Wfmets45]

Hi everyone, i've been a member for over a year now and I am also a sponsor. I love this site and everything that Robert does. If it wasn't for him, Sprint would've lost me as a customer. I am very excited for Sprint and their network vision and I am beginning to see the benefits of it now. I am in NYC so the rollout will take a lot longer than other markets to complete but my data speeds have begun to improve and I am very excited for Sprint in the coming years.

 

As many of you know, Tmobile just got rid of contracts and also offer unlimited data. Up until Tmobile announced that they were getting rid of contracts, I had never thought of leaving Sprint. Now that Tmobile got rid of their contracts and now offer the iPhone and are impleting LTE, joining them doesn't seem too bad. I love Sprint and I can't wait till they launch LTE in NYC. My contract ends November 27th of this year and my upgrade is on July 1st. I am debating whether I should wait until my contract ends and jump to Tmobile or upgrade in July and sign on for another 2 years.

 

I feel like I would be betraying this site and Sprint if I join Tmobile. Contracts do suck but at the same time, Sprint is stepping it up. Tmobile will be launching LTE in NYC soon. I don't like that Tmobile will be merging with Metropcs and I think they will begin using the name metropcs which I hate and I hope Dish doesn't buy Sprint.

 

I don't what to do so I am hoping your opinions will lead me to make the right choice come July.

[utiz4321]

A couple of things. One you will pay full price on a phone for tmobile. They allow you to finance the phone using you monthly bill over two years but you end up paying more that if you bought the phone retial at another carrier. You can do no contract with sprint if you are a current customer you pay retail for the phone. If you are set on doing that tmobile offers lower rate plans, but not by much when you factor in the phone subsidies that you for go.

[ericdabbs]

Hi everyone, i've been a member for over a year now and I am also a sponsor. I love this site and everything that Robert does. If it wasn't for him, Sprint would've lost me as a customer. I am very excited for Sprint and their network vision and I am beginning to see the benefits of it now. I am in NYC so the rollout will take a lot longer than other markets to complete but my data speeds have begun to improve and I am very excited for Sprint in the coming years.

 

As many of you know, Tmobile just got rid of contracts and also offer unlimited data. Up until Tmobile announced that they were getting rid of contracts, I had never thought of leaving Sprint. Now that Tmobile got rid of their contracts and now offer the iPhone and are impleting LTE, joining them doesn't seem too bad. I love Sprint and I can't wait till they launch LTE in NYC. My contract ends November 27th of this year and my upgrade is on July 1st. I am debating whether I should wait until my contract ends and jump to Tmobile or upgrade in July and sign on for another 2 years.

 

I feel like I would be betraying this site and Sprint if I join Tmobile. Contracts do suck but at the same time, Sprint is stepping it up. Tmobile will be launching LTE in NYC soon. I don't like that Tmobile will be merging with Metropcs and I think they will begin using the name metropcs which I hate and I hope Dish doesn't buy Sprint.

 

I don't what to do so I am hoping your opinions will lead me to make the right choice come July.

 

I would suggest asking these 2 questions to yourself if this will help make your decision for you.

1. Do you travel a lot where voice and data coverage may become an issue? Sprint is in no way an angel here but with 800 MHz CDMA rolling out soon it will definitely help with voice coverage which will surpass Tmobile and not to mention 800 MHz LTE which will make data coverage more on par with Verizon and ATT for building penetration. Tmobile is great for the urban cities and if that is where you will be most of the time then you should definitely consider Tmobile as an alternative. There is no doubt that Tmobile 3G HSPA+ is way faster and consistent than Sprint 3G so I don't blame you for considering the switch.

 

2. Do you mind paying for the device full retail due to the additional $20/mo device contract which makes it $90/mo for 2 years? Even though Tmobile has gotten rid of service contracts they have replaced them with 2 year device contracts so you will still be shelling out $480 over 2 years. Of course after the 2 years is up, the $20/mo device subsidy goes away and you pay $70/mo of which you will start reaping the benefits.

[JeffDTD]

Are you loving the Iphone4s you have?

 

Do you travel much? The biggest pro with Sprint vs. Tmobile for me has always been the robust roaming available with CDMA vs. GSM. That could be a non-issue in the areas you frequent, but I would strongly encourage you to seek out friends or family who have tmobile and ask if or where they have "no service" issues. For me, a move to Tmobile would mean weaker service inside buildings and huge swaths of "no coverage". Its also great to ask about real world HSPA+ speeds. I know that in some dense markets, they can be just as labored as Sprint's 3G.

 

If your contract ends November 27th, I interpret that to mean you would still have a reduced ETF with Sprint until then. Do you love the Galaxy 4? That would be a solid purchase on either carrier, but if you're gonna go Iphone, I would think you might have a good bit of regret if you jump into a new contract this summer with an Iphone5 and a new release is 2 months out.

 

When evaluating Tmo, also remember that LTE deployment will be exclusive to current HSPA+ areas

 

Also, the T-mobile name isn't going anywhere anytime soon. Expect plenty more pink. The newly formed company may evolve the branding a bit, but they don't have the funds to implement a total makeover nor the justification.

[Wfmets45]

You guys are all making some good points. Should I worry about dish buying Sprint?

[lynyrd65]

Hi everyone, i've been a member for over a year now and I am also a sponsor. I love this site and everything that Robert does. If it wasn't for him, Sprint would've lost me as a customer. I am very excited for Sprint and their network vision and I am beginning to see the benefits of it now. I am in NYC so the rollout will take a lot longer than other markets to complete but my data speeds have begun to improve and I am very excited for Sprint in the coming years.

 

As many of you know, Tmobile just got rid of contracts and also offer unlimited data. Up until Tmobile announced that they were getting rid of contracts, I had never thought of leaving Sprint. Now that Tmobile got rid of their contracts and now offer the iPhone and are impleting LTE, joining them doesn't seem too bad. I love Sprint and I can't wait till they launch LTE in NYC. My contract ends November 27th of this year and my upgrade is on July 1st. I am debating whether I should wait until my contract ends and jump to Tmobile or upgrade in July and sign on for another 2 years.

 

I feel like I would be betraying this site and Sprint if I join Tmobile. Contracts do suck but at the same time, Sprint is stepping it up. Tmobile will be launching LTE in NYC soon. I don't like that Tmobile will be merging with Metropcs and I think they will begin using the name metropcs which I hate and I hope Dish doesn't buy Sprint.

 

I don't what to do so I am hoping your opinions will lead me to make the right choice come July.

 

Why not use both. T-Mobile's $30 a month 5 gig plan can use LTE and you can tether your sprint phone or tablet to it.

 

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2

 

 

[jegillis]

You guys are all making some good points. Should I worry about dish buying Sprint?

 

A decision on the merger should be made well before November.

 

The question to ask in considering the ability to save money is do you keep your phones longer than 2 years? If not you will not see any cost savings.

[ericdabbs]

You guys are all making some good points. Should I worry about dish buying Sprint?

 

i wouldn't worry with the noise related with Dish and Sprint. Its still got a long way to go given that the Sprint/Softbank/Clearwire is way closer to getting FCC approval than a Dish/Sprint deal which would still need to go through that long process. For all we know, Softbank could comeback with a counter offer that would appease the minority shareholders if it came down to it. I think Sprint is waiting to see if the FCC will approve the Softbank/Sprint/Clearwire deal in the first place and get their ducks in order as if it was the only deal on the table and see if they can get shareholder approval for the Softbank deal before entertaining any sort of deal with Dish. It would be foolish for Sprint to advise the FCC to halt its thorough review of the merger just because they may or may not deal with Dish.

[Wfmets45]

 

 

Why not use both. T-Mobile's $30 a month 5 gig plan can use LTE and you can tether your sprint phone or tablet to it.

 

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2

 

I would be spending more money. I currently pay $92.12 a month for a single line with Sprint.

[Wfmets45]

 

 

A decision on the merger should be made well before November.

 

The question to ask in considering the ability to save money is do you keep your phones longer than 2 years? If not you will not see any cost savings.

 

I am very good at taking care of my things. I use my 4S without a case and it's in perfect condition. I've never had to replace the screen or have it repaired so keeping the device for more than 2 years is no problem. I do wish to upgrade and change my phone every two years so I'll probably always end up paying $90 a month with tmobile anyways just like I pay with Sprint.

[Wfmets45]

 

 

i wouldn't worry with the noise related with Dish and Sprint. Its still got a long way to go given that the Sprint/Softbank/Clearwire is way closer to getting FCC approval than a Dish/Sprint deal which would still need to go through that long process. For all we know, Softbank could comeback with a counter offer that would appease the minority shareholders if it came down to it. I think Sprint is waiting to see if the FCC will approve the Softbank/Sprint/Clearwire deal in the first place and get their ducks in order as if it was the only deal on the table and see if they can get shareholder approval for the Softbank deal before entertaining any sort of deal with Dish. It would be foolish for Sprint to advise the FCC to halt its thorough review of the merger just because they may or may not deal with Dish.

 

True what you're saying. I just hope Dish doesn't buy Sprint.

 

Hmmm... I am still not finding the answer I am looking for but you guys all have made great points.

[Wfmets45]

Are you loving the Iphone4s you have?

 

Do you travel much? The biggest pro with Sprint vs. Tmobile for me has always been the robust roaming available with CDMA vs. GSM. That could be a non-issue in the areas you frequent, but I would strongly encourage you to seek out friends or family who have tmobile and ask if or where they have "no service" issues. For me, a move to Tmobile would mean weaker service inside buildings and huge swaths of "no coverage". Its also great to ask about real world HSPA+ speeds. I know that in some dense markets, they can be just as labored as Sprint's 3G.

 

If your contract ends November 27th, I interpret that to mean you would still have a reduced ETF with Sprint until then. Do you love the Galaxy 4? That would be a solid purchase on either carrier, but if you're gonna go Iphone, I would think you might have a good bit of regret if you jump into a new contract this summer with an Iphone5 and a new release is 2 months out.

 

When evaluating Tmo, also remember that LTE deployment will be exclusive to current HSPA+ areas

 

Also, the T-mobile name isn't going anywhere anytime soon. Expect plenty more pink. The newly formed company may evolve the branding a bit, but they don't have the funds to implement a total makeover nor the justification.

 

Although tmobile does have better 3G speeds than Sprint, Sprint is beginning to impress me. I was at the mets game last weekend and it was 6:33pm and I was getting 3G speeds of .70 down with a 103 ping. Near my job, there is a completed NV 3G tower and I get amazing speeds all day. I use wi-fi at work most of the time but at times i'll turn wi-fi off to remind me of what is to come. I get over 1mbps down.

 

I used to be with tmobile a couple of years ago but i left because their prices kept going up and i was paying $70 for 350 mins a month with unlimited texting and I jumped to metropcs which their service sucks, then boost, and finally Sprint for the iPhone 4S. Tmobile also had bad service out of the city. Low signal, dropped calls and I dont know if it still that way but I am pretty sure it has improved.

[ericdabbs]

True what you're saying. I just hope Dish doesn't buy Sprint.

 

Hmmm... I am still not finding the answer I am looking for but you guys all have made great points.

 

You still haven't answered the question which many of us have already asked so far: "what is your highest priority as a wireless customer? Is it voice coverage? Is it data coverage? Is it faster data speeds?"

 

We can't really help you answer your question if all you worry is potential issues outside of your control. It seems like from your previous response that if you moved to Tmobile, financially you wouldn't be any better off than Sprint since you plan to upgrade your device every 2 years. So if its not going to be financially driven, then what is your initial reason for contemplating the move to Tmobile? For me its not adding up because like I said...a move to Tmobile will get your out of a 2 year service contract but you will replace it with a 2 year device contract so either way you are in a contract.

[Wfmets45]

 

 

You still haven't answered the question which many of us have already asked so far: "what is your highest priority as a wireless customer? Is it voice coverage? Is it data coverage? Is it faster data speeds?"

 

We can't really help you answer your question if all you worry is potential issues outside of your control. It seems like from your previous response that if you moved to Tmobile, financially you wouldn't be any better off than Sprint since you plan to upgrade your device every 2 years. So if its not going to be financially driven, then what is your initial reason for contemplating the move to Tmobile? For me its not adding up because like I said...a move to Tmobile will get your out of a 2 year service contract but you will replace it with a 2 year device contract so either way you are in a contract.

Good point, data speeds and data coverage.

[ChadBroChillz]

I was also looking at Tmobile's Uncarrier plans, but I found that Sprint's Unlimited data plan is actually a better value compared to Tmobile's unlimited data plan

 

Over 2 years ( not including taxes and fees)

Sprint: (24 x 80) + 199 = 2119

Tmobile:(24 x 70) + 579 = 2259

 

Even if you switch phones every 12 months, Sprint is the better value over 2 years

Tmobile: 580(phone 1) + 580(phone 2) = 1160

Sprint: 199(phone 1) + 240(ETF for phone 1) + 199(phone 2) + 240(ETF for phone 2) + 240( Difference in monthly cost)= 1118

 

Sprint had Buy out your contract pricing, which was cheaper than paying your ETF. I am not sure if they still have it, but it would have made Sprint even cheaper than Tmobile.

 

 

That was just price, That does not include the fact that Sprint will be deploying LTE on 800Mhz, while Tmobile will be stuck with 2100Mhz/1700Mhz for LTE. This also assumes Sprint keeps the same pricing, I think we will see a curve ball from Sprint once the Softbank deal is complete.

 

I would not worry about the Dish. If Softbank was worried, they could easily outbid dish. Dish is still missing 9 billion from their current offer, plus Dish would have to leverage themselves even more to keep up in a bid war with Softbank. Chaplin from Bloomberg made a good point about Softbank being the better offer currently, they have the capital and expertise to turn Sprint into an actual competitor of the big two.

[Conan Kudo]

I was also looking at Tmobile's Uncarrier plans, but I found that Sprint's Unlimited data plan is actually a better value compared to Tmobile's unlimited data plan

 

Over 2 years ( not including taxes and fees)

Sprint: (24 x 80) + 199 = 2119

Tmobile:(24 x 70) + 579 = 2259

 

Even if you switch phones every 12 months, Sprint is the better value over 2 years

Tmobile: 580(phone 1) + 580(phone 2) = 1160

Sprint: 199(phone 1) + 240(ETF for phone 1) + 199(phone 2) + 240(ETF for phone 2) + 240( Difference in monthly cost)= 1118

 

It's not fair to compare the price for a smartphone and rate plan without including Sprint's lovely premium data device fee, since that is a predictable fee (unlike all the other taxes and fees). Thusly:

Sprint: (24 * $80) + (24 * $10) + $199 = $2359

T-Mobile: (24 * $70) + $579 = $2259

 

That is a $100 difference in T-Mobile's favor.

 

However, the math for swapping phones every 12 months is accurate, and in terms of pure device cost, works out to be slightly cheaper through Sprint. I feel that it is offset by the cost savings in the rate plan, but that is something to consider, too.

 

That does not include the fact that Sprint will be deploying LTE on 800Mhz, while Tmobile will be stuck with 2100Mhz/1700Mhz for LTE. This also assumes Sprint keeps the same pricing, I think we will see a curve ball from Sprint once the Softbank deal is complete.

 

I would not worry about the Dish. If Softbank was worried, they could easily outbid dish. Dish is still missing 9 billion from their current offer, plus Dish would have to leverage themselves even more to keep up in a bid war with Softbank. Chaplin from Bloomberg made a good point about Softbank being the better offer currently, they have the capital and expertise to turn Sprint into an actual competitor of the big two.

 

T-Mobile is almost certainly going to be acquiring 600MHz spectrum in the next two years, and I wouldn't be surprised if T-Mobile may consider going after 700MHz spectrum in the meantime. In any case, T-Mobile's mid-band spectrum (AWS-1, 1.7/2.1GHz) is a standard LTE band supported on a wide range of devices and forces T-Mobile to deploy a fairly dense network (like PCS does for Sprint).

[lynyrd65]

 

It's not fair to compare the price for a smartphone and rate plan without including Sprint's lovely premium data device fee, since that is a predictable fee (unlike all the other taxes and fees). Thusly:

Sprint: (24 * $80) + (24 * $10) + $199 = $2359

T-Mobile: (24 * $70) + $579 = $2259

 

That is a $100 difference in T-Mobile's favor.

 

However, the math for swapping phones every 12 months is accurate, and in terms of pure device cost, works out to be slightly cheaper through Sprint. I feel that it is offset by the cost savings in the rate plan, but that is something to consider, too.

 

 

 

T-Mobile is almost certainly going to be acquiring 600MHz spectrum in the next two years, and I wouldn't be surprised if T-Mobile may consider going after 700MHz spectrum in the meantime. In any case, T-Mobile's mid-band spectrum (AWS-1, 1.7/2.1GHz) is a standard LTE band supported on a wide range of devices and forces T-Mobile to deploy a fairly dense network (like PCS does for Sprint).

 

There is no premium device fee. It's 79.99. It used to be 69.99 base + 10 premium data for smartphones but people complained so now it's 79.99 for all phones.

 

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2

 

 

[ChadBroChillz]

The "Premium Data fee" was already included in my pricing. Sprint's base price is 69.99 + 10 premium data fee. I just rounded to 80 to make it simple. Sprint has recently included the premium data fee in their pricing from the start. They are probably doing it to not confuse customers. My math was not incorrect in that matter.

 

 

[Conan Kudo]

The "Premium Data fee" was already included in my pricing. Sprint's base price is 69.99 + 10 premium data fee. I just rounded to 80 to make it simple. Sprint has recently included the premium data fee in their pricing from the start. They are probably doing it to not confuse customers. My math was not incorrect in that matter.

 

Ahh, I see. Well, then, I guess Sprint is a slightly better value in terms of pure pricing then. That is, of course, if you ignore unlocked phones and used phones. Then T-Mobile can work out to be a better value. Pairing it with a $350 Nexus 4 makes it a better value than Sprint with the Galaxy Nexus.

 

Regardless of pricing, T-Mobile's data network performance is typically much better than Sprint's, so that may tip the scales in favor of T-Mobile.

[lilotimz]

Regardless of pricing, T-Mobile's data network performance is typically much better than Sprint's if you get it, so that may tip the scales in favor of T-Mobile.

 

Had to add that in. 2g Edge is no better than legacy 3G in many cases and is what T-mobile falls back upon if the area don't have LTE. T-mob LTE is an overlay of their existing HSPA+ footprint. If you don't get T-mobile LTE then you probably won't get HSPA+ which mean you get Edge which is a huge shocker in comparison to Network Vision 3g or unburdened legacy 3g sites in the rural.

[milan03]

Keep your Sprint line, get a $30 prepaid plan and test T-Mobile along with Sprint. Test and compare both, and decide yourself.

I'm already seeing Sprint LTE all over Manhattan though, not just Bronx/Harlem/Uptown.

[ChadBroChillz]

 

 

T-Mobile is almost certainly going to be acquiring 600MHz spectrum in the next two years, and I wouldn't be surprised if T-Mobile may consider going after 700MHz spectrum in the meantime. In any case, T-Mobile's mid-band spectrum (AWS-1, 1.7/2.1GHz) is a standard LTE band supported on a wide range of devices and forces T-Mobile to deploy a fairly dense network (like PCS does for Sprint).

 

600Mhz will likely not be a factor until the contract after the current one he is referring to. Maybe if he asks this question again in 2016 or 2017.

 

I do not see Tmobile going after 700Mhz in large amounts. Too many small carriers to get a nationwide band. Maybe they go after 700Mhz Verizon owns, but I think they pass over the 700Mhz and focus on the 600Mhz spectrum. They no longer have a sugar daddy to buy them what they want. Nationwide 600Mhz would be more valuable than pockets of 700Mhz spectrum.

 

800Mhz is still a positive in for Sprint. Cell density can mask the negative, but as soon as you go into a brick building, you are going to wish you had lower band spectrum. I had Tmobile for 1yr+ in Atlanta. It sucks going into a target/walmart and having a nice paperweight in your pocket.

[utiz4321]

80 includes the ten dollar premium data. If you can be ok with calling only 450 min to landlines, on week days between 7am-7pm. For my part I use on average 2 min a month. That is not true for every one though and some people need to be able to call land lines but a lot do not.

[irev210]

I would be spending more money. I currently pay $92.12 a month for a single line with Sprint.

 

One option is the Sprint Seasonal standby. You can put your plan in hibernation for something like 7.99 a month and try another carrier.

 

I was in your exact same situation and as much as I love sprint, T-Mobile has been absolutely solid where I live. All carriers are going to be different, best to just try it out for 30/month and make a better decision. I've been extremely happy with my T-Mobile service. In my area, the DC-HSPA+ is consistently faster than Sprint LTE.

 

It's not fair to compare the price for a smartphone and rate plan without including Sprint's lovely premium data device fee, since that is a predictable fee (unlike all the other taxes and fees). Thusly:

Sprint: (24 * $80) + (24 * $10) + $199 = $2359

T-Mobile: (24 * $70) + $579 = $2259

 

That is a $100 difference in T-Mobile's favor.

 

However, the math for swapping phones every 12 months is accurate, and in terms of pure device cost, works out to be slightly cheaper through Sprint. I feel that it is offset by the cost savings in the rate plan, but that is something to consider, too.

 

 

Your math is off... stop double counting. It's really simple - 80x24 and 70x24. Also, sprint gives people discounts for just about anything (credit union, PTA, etc).

 

 

T-Mobile is almost certainly going to be acquiring 600MHz spectrum in the next two years, and I wouldn't be surprised if T-Mobile may consider going after 700MHz spectrum in the meantime. In any case, T-Mobile's mid-band spectrum (AWS-1, 1.7/2.1GHz) is a standard LTE band supported on a wide range of devices and forces T-Mobile to deploy a fairly dense network (like PCS does for Sprint).

 

This is sort of a moot point. You can easily counter by saying Sprint is going to have LTE on ESMR way before T-Mobile finds, acquires and builds out anything meaningful on sub-1GHz spectrum.

[Wfmets45]

Does anyone think that Sprint will follow in Verizon's footsteps and take the early upgrade at 20 months?