Sprint & T-Mobile Roaming Agreement

[EntrepreneurKid 11]

With Todays announcement that T-Mobile and Sprint are merging, and the announcement of the T-Mobile Sprint Roaming deal that will survive and will last for four years regardless if the merger is completed or not, which is effect immediately as stated in the conference call and the slides made available. So I thought I'd create this to see if anyone has been able to use their Sprint device on T-Mobile roaming yet. And of course if not, once you do, come back here and say you have. Personally I'm not bothering with anything until after the coverage map is updated again, hopefully to reflect the T-Mobile roaming. And of course if you are able to roam onto T-Mobile what kind of speeds are you pulling, and on what device.

Also for those that are unaware, the T-Mobile Sprint Roaming agreement that was announced as part of todays merger announcement is a roaming agreement for Sprint customers to roam onto T-Mobile for 4 years and takes affect immediately, yes right now, regardless if the merger completes or not. Surely it's a stepping stone to integrating the networks by getting Sprint devices that are capable, which according to the conference call is 20 Million Sprint devices ready to be used on the T-Mobile network full time once deal is approved by the regulators and finally completed.

[Cloud121 16]

I'm curious if my HTC M9 will work with T-Mobile roaming, despite being three years old (2015).  If not, no big deal, as picking up the U12 this year so I can take advantage of it then, but in the meantime, would be nice to know.

[EntrepreneurKid 11]

1 minute ago, Cloud121 said:

I'm curious if my HTC M9 will work with T-Mobile roaming, despite being three years old (2015).  If not, no big deal, as picking up the U12 this year so I can take advantage of it then, but in the meantime, would be nice to know.

Chances are for the roaming to work your need to be completely outside of Sprint's network coverage, with your device unable to find a Sprint connection when doing a manual network search. And of course any other networks Sprint might partner with that might receive higher priority over the T-Mobile roaming, basically you got to find that one spot where the only roaming partner is T-Mobile. Good luck, also this is pure speculation based on personal experience when roaming using various carriers, including US Cellular, T-Mobile, Sprint, AT&T and Verizon, I've had a lot of roaming experience, why can't these carriers fill the holes in their coverage.

[MacinJosh 4,096]

2 hours ago, EntrepreneurKid said:

With Todays announcement that T-Mobile and Sprint are merging, and the announcement of the T-Mobile Sprint Roaming deal that will survive and will last for four years regardless if the merger is completed or not, which is effect immediately as stated in the conference call and the slides made available.

Do you have a link to the slides? I've been working all day and haven't had a chance to see much.

[EntrepreneurKid 11]

1 minute ago, MacinJosh said:

Do you have a link to the slides? I've been working all day and haven't had a chance to see much.

Here is the link from the T-Mobile Sprint Merger Conference Call https://allfor5g.com/content/uploads/2018/04/CREATING-ROBUST-COMPETITION-IN-THE-5G-ERA.pdf

And here is the official press release for the T-Mobile Sprint Merger https://allfor5g.com/content/uploads/2018/04/T-MOBILE-AND-SPRINT-TO-COMBINE.pdf

And finally of course you can get additional information and watch a video announcement by Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure and T-Mobile CEO John Legere at allfor5g.com

Also tomorrow (Monday) I expect a lot of news coverage from CNBC and Bloomberg among others, and maybe a few interviews with the CEOs to discuss the merger with the press, not much press wise happening on a Sunday.

[MacinJosh 4,096]

24 minutes ago, EntrepreneurKid said:

Here is the link from the T-Mobile Sprint Merger Conference Call https://allfor5g.com/content/uploads/2018/04/CREATING-ROBUST-COMPETITION-IN-THE-5G-ERA.pdf

Thanks! I coudn't find that on the allfor5g website when I looked a little bit ago.

[JonnygATL 1,325]

I dunno. I kinda love this. It's been a mixed feeling rollercoaster for me but, hey, I like a good show.  Let's grab the damn popcorn, sit back and just see WTF happens (or pray for daylight)! Honestly,  it's really the only choice we have. 

[vryan44 109]

This could be huge.... or it could fail terribly. I'm staying optomistic

[rocketr 84]

They will be most likely updating the PRL to roam on T-Mobile LTE first instead of US Cellular or AT&T for LTE. They will probably need to keep Verizon for 1xRTT roaming. Regardless we will need a new PRL so once we see that let the testing begin :)

[notsrealinc 116]

I thought the PRL is only for CDMA roaming like for Verizon?

I have a Galaxy S7 and I've tried getting it to roam on T-Mobile by putting it in LTE only mode and disabling band 41 and 26 (how do you disable B25?).

I also tried putting it in GSM mode but I'm not sure if it includes LTE. I tried selecting T-Mobile when searching for networks but it wouldn't let me connect.

Edited April 30, 2018 by notsrealinc

[burnout8488 569]

8 minutes ago, notsrealinc said:

I thought the PRL is only for CDMA roaming like for Verizon?

AFAIK, PRL tells the phone what it can roam on regardless of the technology used.

[EntrepreneurKid 11]

5 hours ago, notsrealinc said:

I thought the PRL is only for CDMA roaming like for Verizon?

I have a Galaxy S7 and I've tried getting it to roam on T-Mobile by putting it in LTE only mode and disabling band 41 and 26 (how do you disable B25?).

I also tried putting it in GSM mode but I'm not sure if it includes LTE. I tried selecting T-Mobile when searching for networks but it wouldn't let me connect.

If your able to get any Sprint signal at all the device will refuse to roam. So if you can do a manual network search and Sprint shows up or any preferred roaming partner that might have higher priority than T-Mobile it won't allow the connection to T-Mobile. You basically need to be in that one spot where the only network showing up that is a Sprint roaming partner is T-Mobile. Again this isn't 100% but typically is how roaming works in my experience with roaming on different carriers especially with T-Mobile and US Cellular onto each other and onto Sprint.

[Wireless Junkie 27]

I’m in a 0 Sprint area right now, roaming on Verizon 1X for voice and AT&T LTE for data on an iPhone X with the “latest” PRL. No T-Mobile roaming yet.

[notsrealinc 116]

I got a little further and was able to set the network mode to LTE/GSM. I then did a network search and picked T-Mobile but I got an error that the SIM is not allowed on the selected network.

So LTE roaming isn't activate yet I guess. 

[swintec 394]

tmobile shows up when i do a network scan on my Essential phone but in the network list it shows "T-Mobile (forbidden)"...same thing it shows for verizon and a couple others

[JThorson 1,108]

Same thing on my GS9. Can select T-Mobile and it sits for a few minutes saying registering on T-Mobile but it doesn't give me a connection.

[EntrepreneurKid 11]

8 hours ago, notsrealinc said:

I got a little further and was able to set the network mode to LTE/GSM. I then did a network search and picked T-Mobile but I got an error that the SIM is not allowed on the selected network.

So LTE roaming isn't activate yet I guess. 

In the images you shared you can see Sprint is showing in the list of networks, your device isn't going to let you roam if it can pick up a signal with the home network. Your need to be in a situation where T-Mobile is the only carrier, except maybe AT&T or Verizon that shows up in the network search, and of course your device be updated to allow the roaming onto T-Mobile. While this roaming deal may be affective immediately it may take a little bit, not too long surely, for all capable devices to get the needed update to allow them to roam onto T-Mobile.

 

5 hours ago, JThorson said:

Same thing on my GS9. Can select T-Mobile and it sits for a few minutes saying registering on T-Mobile but it doesn't give me a connection.

If your picking up a Sprint signal it won't let you roam, no device will roam if it can pick up a signal from it's home network, so during a manual network search if Sprint appears, there is no point attempting to connect to T-Mobile as it will refuse and say it is not allowed. It's the same way when T-Mobile devices try roaming onto US Cellular and the same when US Cellular devices try roaming onto T-Mobile or Sprint, if it can locate a signal from the home network, it will refuse to connect to a roaming network even if it is a roaming partner.

 

6 hours ago, swintec said:

tmobile shows up when i do a network scan on my Essential phone but in the network list it shows "T-Mobile (forbidden)"...same thing it shows for verizon and a couple others

If your device shows it's able to get a Sprint signal it won't allow connections to roaming networks. Roaming is for when your outside of the home network, so if your device sees it's able to connect to the home network, it's not going to allow itself to connect to another network regardless if it's a roaming partner. T-Mobile devices won't connect to US Cellular if it can locate a T-Mobile or in the case of Iowa (iWireless) signal and US Cellular devices won't roam onto T-Mobile or Sprint if it can locate a US Cellular signal. So Sprint devices are not going to allow themselves to connect to T-Mobile if there is an available Sprint signal regardless if the signal is weaker then the T-Mobile one.

[Trip 2,844]

5 hours ago, EntrepreneurKid said:

T-Mobile devices won't connect to US Cellular if it can locate a T-Mobile or in the case of Iowa (iWireless) signal and US Cellular devices won't roam onto T-Mobile or Sprint if it can locate a US Cellular signal.

Not sure if you have a US Cellular phone, but on mine, it roams seamlessly onto Sprint LTE even while connected to US Cellular 1X. 

- Trip

[EntrepreneurKid 11]

45 minutes ago, Trip said:

Not sure if you have a US Cellular phone, but on mine, it roams seamlessly onto Sprint LTE even while connected to US Cellular 1X. 

- Trip

Well it's been a while since I've roamed onto Sprint using a US Cellular device but I know with 100% certainty it won't roam on T-Mobile if it can locate US Cellular coverage, and T-Mobile won't roam on US Cellular if it can locate T-Mobile coverage.

[Flompholph 1,216]

You will pretty much never see Tmobile lte unless you are in MT, SD, or ND. That is the only large difference I see.

Like stated above you don't compare sprint LTE to T-Mobile LTE. You compare Sprint 1x(including 800) to T-Mobile LTE.

The only way to force roam is to block the signal until roaming scan starts. Once it starts to roam then it will stay roaming for while.You could try LTE only mode but sprint likes to grip onto it's signal as long as it can even if that means no data throughput.

[Elijah 20]

I wish roaming would kick in sooner, or in areas where Sprint hasn’t brought up LTE. For example, in areas of a Sprint 3g only tower, it should realize there’s LTE signal and kick into that. 

[burnout8488 569]

57 minutes ago, Elijah said:

I wish roaming would kick in sooner, or in areas where Sprint hasn’t brought up LTE. For example, in areas of a Sprint 3g only tower, it should realize there’s LTE signal and kick into that. 

Roaming is only for when there is no native coverage at all from your carrier.

[Wireless Junkie 27]

Still not active today. Just power cycled all our devices and still roaming on Verizon for voice and ATT LTE for data...

[belusnecropolis 1,318]

I have several LTE only embedded radios. These do not have any prl's or "profiles" to update. I ran several tests with them last night. With these I am able to select certain bands and specific blocks in that band.

I tried roaming back and forth with several different service levels and plans. Sprint I tried an Unlimited Freedom business, and one of the byod free plans; with T-Mobile I used a business line and a Tmo one line. I switched APN's (r.ispsn/fast.t-mobile.com) even in the GUI, the radio would not even connect after the changes but I had to make sure. I selected Tmo only bands(2/4/5 here) and Sprint bands(26/25 here). Nothing, nada, no roaming yet. 

[fizzicsguy 56]

5 hours ago, Elijah said:

I wish roaming would kick in sooner, or in areas where Sprint hasn’t brought up LTE. For example, in areas of a Sprint 3g only tower, it should realize there’s LTE signal and kick into that. 

I wish.  I live with a native Sprint 1x800 signal that seems to go on forever, even though I'm surrounded by great Extended LTE. I wish I could use both simultaneously.  In fact, this makes some of the areas on the Sprint coverage map a lie. If the area has Extended LTE available, the coverage map will show that. But if native Sprint 1x is also in the area, you will never connect to that Extended LTE.