35USC101

Fortunately, Sprint isn't doing this....

Leave it to AT&T to do what they always do... "SIM becomes dedicated".... That's a nice way of saying SIM becomes "locked".

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AT&T Locking Apple Interchangeable SIMs in iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3

http://www.macrumors.com/2014/10/24/att-apple-sim/

"According to user reports in the MacRumors forums and on Twitter, however, AT&T is not supporting this interchangeability and is locking the SIM included with cellular models of the iPad Air 2 and Retina iPad mini 3 after it is used with an AT&T plan."

AT&T appears to be the only participating carrier that is locking the Apple SIM to its network. T-Mobile's John Legere has indicated that T-Mobile's process does not lock a customer in to T-Mobile, which appears to be confirmed by Apple's support document, and Sprint's process also seems to leave the Apple SIM unlocked and able to be used with other carrier plans. Verizon, the fourth major carrier in the United States, did not opt to allow the Apple SIM to work with its network.

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http://support.apple.com/kb/HT6499

Choose a cellular data plan with your Apple SIM installed

Apple SIM gives you the flexibility to choose from a variety of short and long term cellular data plans from select carriers, right from your iPad Air 2 or iPad mini 3. The carriers you can choose vary by country, whether you've purchased your iPad from a carrier retail location, and whether you've already previously signed up for a cellular data plan.

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Come on over AT&T people... we have Spark (on the iPad Air 2 anyway), and you deserve better than this kind of BS treatment.

Sprint's 'iPhone for Life' plan to offer annual upgrades

http://www.cnet.com/news/sprints-iphone-for-life-program-to-offer-annual-upgrade/

http://www.phonedog.com/2014/10/24/sprint-iphone-for-life-program-adding-12-month-lease-option/

Starting November 14, Sprint will offer a 12-month lease option with its iPhone for Life plan. The monthly lease charge for the iPhone 6 will start at $30, while the iPhone 6 Plus will start at $35. Here’s the full pricing breakdown:

• iPhone 6 16GB: $30 per month
• iPhone 6 64GB: $35 per month
• iPhone 6 128GB: $40 per month
• iPhone 6 Plus 16GB: $35 per month
• iPhone 6 Plus 64GB: $40 per month
• iPhone 6 Plus 128GB: $45 per month

Sprint will also add the iPhone 5s to its iPhone for Life offering on November 14. The 16GB model will cost $18 per month for 24 months, the 32GB unit will be $21 per month for 24 months and the top-end 64GB version will be $24 per month.

The rate plan remains the same: $50 per month for Unlimited Talk, Text and Data

I won't be surprised if their will be an "IPad for life program" same deal and criteria as the iPhone 6

I wrote Marcelo to suggest this program a week ago.... We'll see soon I hope!

Now that the iPad Air 2 has Band 41 support for Spark, hopefully Marcelo has some revised tablet data plans to introduce.

Yeah, the iPad Mini 3 is a letdown. No Spark? What's up with that? Guess it didn't make the cut-off in the design stage.

The Apple TV is still rocking a single core A5.... Jeezus... Not even a peep from them. Sad.

I'd assume they won't create a plan like that simply because tablets aren't upgraded on the same cycle as cellphones. But it'd be interesting to see if Sprint releases new, cheaper tablet data plans with the Spark enabled iPads.

 

Sprint has been in a nice cycle of releasing faster devices, with more ability to suck down data, at lower and lower prices. It's been great for the consumer lately.

Perhaps Sprint could change the equation on that and encourage people to upgrade more frequently to a new iPad for the right value proposition.

Sprint's tablet data plans definitely need to be revamped. There's nothing about the pricing/tiers that makes them stand out relative to the competition, which is something they can't afford to do right now.

Hope the new iPads support LTE Band 41 for Spark. (The current models do not: https://www.apple.com/ipad-air/specs/ and https://www.apple.com/ipad-mini/specs/)

It bodes well that the iPhone 6/6 Plus support it.

Maybe Sprint will do an "iPad for Life" Program to match the "iPhone for Life" one....

You have to utilize the IOS field test mode screens to look at the info. 

Thank you. I wasn't sure if there was an app of some kind to do this on iOS.

Agreed... Wrong thread!

Wrong thread? I'm in NW Washington DC. I have an iPhone 6.

I think I'm picking up Spark because I'm getting speeds of 40.70 Mbps down/9.15 Mbps up with a latency of 45ms.

However, I have no idea what LTE band it is. So I'm here asking what tools people are using so they can tell what band they're on.

If you can help with this, I'd appreciate it. If not, then what thread should I be asking this question in?

What app/tool are you all using for an iPhone 6 to see network/band information? Thanks.

Just trying to get oriented as a new member. Don't even know what I'm supposed to look for!

Apple/Sprint negotiated this new plan... Very interesting news....

http://www.cnet.com/news/sprint-ceo-tries-to-get-back-in-the-game-with-apples-iphone-6/

CUPERTINO, Calif. -- On his first day as CEO of Sprint, Marcelo Claure didn't spend his time greeting employees in the company's Kansas headquarters. Instead, he traveled to Cupertino to meet with Apple CEO Tim Cook.

Sprint didn't start offering the iPhone until the fourth generation of the device -- the iPhone 4S in October 2011 -- and Claure was determined Sprint would be at the front of the pack this time around. So he asked Cook for a meeting.

......

The two CEOs struck a deal for Sprint to offer the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus at Sprint with new, specially priced, unlimited data plans. For $50, buyers of the iPhone 6 models will get unlimited data, voice, and text. By comparison, Sprint's cheapest plan for individuals currently costs $60.

Downtown San Francisco didn't show LTE coverage on Sprint's maps until the September 4th revision... And San Francisco is on that launched list...

DC shows LTE coverage on the same map revision, but DC isn't on the launched cities list.

Strange...

Sprint's coverage map (updated September 4, 2014) shows LTE coverage in DC....

http://coverage.sprint.com/IMPACT.jsp?

However, DC is not included on the launched LTE markets list...

http://newsroom.sprint.com/news-releases/4glte-launchedmarkets.htm

Why would that be?

Looks like Sprint updated their coverage maps for DC... As of September 4th, Sprint now shows LTE in DC... No spark yet, but hopefully coming soon.

Hooray!

"iphone for life"

 

https://www.sprint.com/landings/iphone/index.html?ECID=SM:FB:P:AppleUnlimited:09092014

Wow... That's pretty cool....

"iphone for life"

 

https://www.sprint.com/landings/iphone/index.html?ECID=SM:FB:P:AppleUnlimited:09092014

I thought the new individual plan was $60/month.... Why does it say $50/month here?

Based on that, it looks like the Sprint model would be usable on Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile, if unlocked. Verizon may decide to block iPhones from other networks. The new laws only prohibit the originating network from blocking it's use on another. It does not require other networks to accept it, though.

 

However, Tmo and AT&T will likely happily accept them and give you a SIM card for it after you pay off your Sprint contract. But I wouldn't be shocked if Apple requires them not to accept iPhones from other providers. It would be a way to get them to buy yet another iPhone at the next provider.

 

So it may turn out an unlocked iPhone from any carrier is not usable on ANY other network, even after unlocked. We will have to see what happens when people try.

 

Robert

Good point. I wonder if the inclusion of VoLTE plays any role in whether an unlocked phone from another carrier (like Sprint/T-Mobile/AT&T) can be used on Verizon.... as CDMA provisioning won't be the limiting factor. Same goes for moving an unlocked phone to Sprint...

Thoughts?

It should be unlockable after device subsidy is paid off, according to the new laws.  The new iPhones cannot be exempt from this.

 

However, we are not sure which GSM bands the Sprint model will support since it is an international version and not sharing the same model with North American GSM carriers.

 

Robert

Can't we tell from this? http://www.apple.com/iphone-6/specs/

Wait so does the phone support band 41?!?! sorry I just got off work and I have to head somewhere. Don't have time to rematch the keynote or read this thread in its entirety

Yes.

iPhone 6

Model A1586

iPhone 6 Plus

Model A1524

United States

C-Spire

Sprint

US Cellular

1 (2100 MHz) 2 (1900 MHz) 3 (1800 MHz) 4 (AWS) 5 (850 MHz) 7 (2600 MHz) 8 (900 MHz) 13 (700c MHz) 17 (700b MHz) 18 (800 MHz) 19 (800 MHz) 20 (800 DD) 25 (1900 MHz) 26 (800 MHz) 28 (700 APT MHz) 29 (700 de MHz) 38 (TD 2600) 39 (TD 1900) 40 (TD 2300) 41 (TD 2500)

Given the new unlock rules after paying off subsidies, a Verizon or AT&T customer could move their phone to Sprint if it was the same model.  Crafty bastards.

 

Robert

What's going to happen given Sprint's new unlocking policy? Will it be possible to unlock iPhone 6 for usage on domestic GSM carriers or will we have to wait for iPhone 6S?

http://www.sprint.com/legal/unlocking_policy.html

I've been told by another carrier that Sprint needs to unlock my SIM slot in order to use my phone on the other carrier's network.

For eligible devices, Sprint will unlock the SIM slot, to the extent that a device SIM slot is capable of being unlocked. It is important to note that not all devices are capable of being unlocked, often because of the manufacturers' device designs, and that even for those devices capable of being unlocked, not all device functionality may be capable of being unlocked. Specifically, devices manufactured with a SIM slot within the past three years (including, but not limited to, all Apple iPhone devices), cannot be unlocked to accept a different domestic carrier's SIM for use on another domestic carrier's network. Sprint has no technological process available to do this. In accordance with Sprint's voluntary commitment contained within CTIA's Consumer Code for Wireless Service ("Unlocking Commitment"), Sprint is working to ensure that all devices developed and launched on or after February 11, 2015, are capable of being unlocked domestically.

It doesn't support it.  However, WiFi calling could possibly be done with a software update in the future.  And Sprint VoLTE will not really be out and about until around the time the iPhone 6s and 6s+ are being announced.

 

Robert

So is VoLTE dependent on Network Vision being completed with LTE overlaid? I just want to understand what's different about T-Mobile's network such that they would be the initial launch partner (with AT&T and Verizon also listed)

That's great news about Band 41.

What about Sprint supporting VoLTE and Wi-Fi Calling on the iPhone 6 & 6 Plus? Will it happen?

Would be great to have simultaneous voice/data...