From today's Fierce Wireless:
TracFone's Straight Talk service provided a few more details on its newly launched Apple iPhone service. The company said that it does not limit subscribers' data usage at a specific threshold; instead, it evaluates customers' data intake on a case-by-case basis and will throttle the speeds of those users who the company deems to be consuming too much data.
On its website, Straight Talk claims its iPhone plans can save users up to $950 a year in service fees.
A Straight Talk spokesperson told FierceWireless that "continuous video streaming" and other data-heavy services could cause a user to consume too much data, in which case the company would contact the user and warn them of a possible slowdown in their data speeds. The spokesperson, who declined to be named due to company policy, wasn't immediately available to provide details, including Straight Talk's terms of service.
The news is notable considering Straight Talk was rumored to throttle iPhone users' data speeds after a 2 GB per month limit. However, the company's spokesperson said Straight Talk does not have a specific usage cap, and instead will throttle the speeds of "excessive" data users in order to provide quality service to its entire customer base. The spokesperson repeatedly pointed out that the vast majority of Straight Talk's users are pleased with the service and that most wouldn't run afoul of the company's data monitoring.
Straight Talk isn't the only wireless company to employ this kind of case-by-case approach to throttling. Clearwire in 2010 announced a network management system that allows the company to selectively throttle the data speeds of heavy data users.
The Straight Talk spokesperson also confirmed to FierceWireless that Straight Talk does not support the iPhone's "Personal Hotspot" function. The service allows iPhone users to broadcast a Wi-Fi connection from their phone, thereby connecting other devices like laptops and tablets to their iPhone's cellular Internet connection. Such scenarios can chew through a significant amount of data, and most MVNOs do not support personal hotspots.
However, there remain questions about Straight Talk's iPhone service. The company's spokesperson could not immediately say whether the company's iPhone 5 is able to connect to LTE networks. Support for LTE was a major feature Apple trumpeted in announcing the iPhone 5 last year.
América Móvil's U.S. MVNO TracFone Wireless announced earlier this month that its Straight Talk brand would sell Apple's iPhone, including the LTE-capable iPhone 5, coupled with unlimited talking, texting and data starting at $45 per month--significantly cheaper than what other carriers charge. Although neither company would confirm the relationship, Verizon Wireless likely provides service to Straight Talk's iPhones. Last week, Straight Talk announced it would also support existing GSM iPhones that users port to the service.
The Straight Talk spokesperson also confirmed that the company's iPhone financing plans, supplied by Straight Talk retail partner Walmart, are only available on the 16 GB iPhone 5 and the 8 GB iPhone 4. The financing plans allow Walmart shoppers to pay for the devices in monthly installments of $25.
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
AT&T Buys Alltel
Atlantic Tele-Network announced today that they are selling their Alltel wireless network and customers to AT&T. We had hoped this day would not come, but if it did, the sale would be to a smaller company. The new Alltel had a number of advantages and customers were lucky to still have them as a choice in their six-state service area. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough.
The biggest disappointment is that Alltel was allowed to survive just to keep Verizon from being too dominant from its purchase of the old Alltel network. Instead, AT&T will become that much more dominant in rural areas of the US. Atlantic Tele-Network make a good effort to make Alltel a viable competitor, but with declining subscriber numbers, a sale looked inevitable. We had hoped that it would have been to anybody but the Top 4. After AT&T's failed purchse of T-Mobile, this purchase seems like chump change. A quick glance at Alltel vs. AT&T coverage shows there's little reason for the FCC or DOJ to object to the purchase. If any spinoffs are required, who could buy them? Verizon? We will have come full circle. Hopefully, they could keep a few of the sites in the Comnnet Wireless family, if they survive.
Alltel was still one of the Top 10 carriers in the US and their fate may be shared with some of the other lower-top 10 companies like Cincinnati Bell, C Spire and even US Cellular. Sadly, these 3 carriers also happen to dominate the top of our Mountain Wireless Ratings. We do not dislike AT&T, we just don't like losing customer choice. As our US networks get bigger, our wireless experience gets worse. But hey, you get a new phone!
The biggest disappointment is that Alltel was allowed to survive just to keep Verizon from being too dominant from its purchase of the old Alltel network. Instead, AT&T will become that much more dominant in rural areas of the US. Atlantic Tele-Network make a good effort to make Alltel a viable competitor, but with declining subscriber numbers, a sale looked inevitable. We had hoped that it would have been to anybody but the Top 4. After AT&T's failed purchse of T-Mobile, this purchase seems like chump change. A quick glance at Alltel vs. AT&T coverage shows there's little reason for the FCC or DOJ to object to the purchase. If any spinoffs are required, who could buy them? Verizon? We will have come full circle. Hopefully, they could keep a few of the sites in the Comnnet Wireless family, if they survive.
Alltel was still one of the Top 10 carriers in the US and their fate may be shared with some of the other lower-top 10 companies like Cincinnati Bell, C Spire and even US Cellular. Sadly, these 3 carriers also happen to dominate the top of our Mountain Wireless Ratings. We do not dislike AT&T, we just don't like losing customer choice. As our US networks get bigger, our wireless experience gets worse. But hey, you get a new phone!
Friday, January 18, 2013
Prepaid & Taxes
As we get more of our wireless products from Prepaid sources, more gotchas pop up. The most frustrating unforeseen circumstance is Taxes. There was a time when a $50 prepaid refill cost only $50, any taxes or fees were covered by the Prepaid provider. Now those extra charges appear on some of the Prepaid costs. When I buy a prepaid phone from a retailer like Wal-Mart or Target, I pay the usual sales taxes, but I am now also charged fees that presumably go toward local 911 services. OK, I'm good with supporting my own community.
The next charge that seems a bit of a surprise is the taxes and fees that are added to our Straight Talk (and supposedly all the TracFone-related companies) monthly unlimited plan. With an online refill (Straight Talk calls it "buying a service plan"), they add taxes and 911 fees that adds about $3.83 to the $45 Unlimited plan. I'm OK with that, too. Then comes the final checkout which appears as a nice round $50 charge. Wait. Where did the extra $1.17 go? Other fees? Extra profit? A donation to the Red Cross?
The big picture is this is still a savings over postpaid charges from the large wireless carriers, but after a number of nickles and dimes, much less so. What raises our rankles even more are the lack of such extra charges from some of the other Prepaid providers. Our favorite T-Mobile Prepaid plan, $30 for 5Gb & 100 minutes, is still only $30. Even further consideration goes to those Prepaid refills that are available for as much as 10% off, such as those on AT&T GoPhone from our own Mountain Prepaid site.
Of course all this can change at any time and there are indeed a number of strategies to avoid those extra and "mystery" charges (like switching services or where you buy your refills). We'll try to keep you on top of who is charging extra across our various web sites and how it affects your Prepaid costs. It's now about telling the good guys from the bad guys. Oh, and saving money.
The next charge that seems a bit of a surprise is the taxes and fees that are added to our Straight Talk (and supposedly all the TracFone-related companies) monthly unlimited plan. With an online refill (Straight Talk calls it "buying a service plan"), they add taxes and 911 fees that adds about $3.83 to the $45 Unlimited plan. I'm OK with that, too. Then comes the final checkout which appears as a nice round $50 charge. Wait. Where did the extra $1.17 go? Other fees? Extra profit? A donation to the Red Cross?
The big picture is this is still a savings over postpaid charges from the large wireless carriers, but after a number of nickles and dimes, much less so. What raises our rankles even more are the lack of such extra charges from some of the other Prepaid providers. Our favorite T-Mobile Prepaid plan, $30 for 5Gb & 100 minutes, is still only $30. Even further consideration goes to those Prepaid refills that are available for as much as 10% off, such as those on AT&T GoPhone from our own Mountain Prepaid site.
Of course all this can change at any time and there are indeed a number of strategies to avoid those extra and "mystery" charges (like switching services or where you buy your refills). We'll try to keep you on top of who is charging extra across our various web sites and how it affects your Prepaid costs. It's now about telling the good guys from the bad guys. Oh, and saving money.
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Now the Sites Go Mobile
Last month much of our time was spent using mobile wireless on the road and less here online. This month it's our web sites that are going mobile. We took quite a bit of time evaluating if and how we could add mobile-optimized sites to our network of wireless web sites. Some sites just don't lend themselves to the smaller screen but we have converted some of those that do. The sites that are now available for mobile are:
Next, look for our continued experiences with our prepaid calling and data plans.
- The UnWired Home
- Mexico Cellular
- Moose Wireless
- Wireless Noise (This Page!)
Next, look for our continued experiences with our prepaid calling and data plans.
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
You Already Paid for a New Phone
Are you closing in on the end of your wireless contract? If you decide not to get a new phone on that 2 year anniversary, you're paying for it anyway! Postpaid wireless subscribers pay a phone subsidy each month, in addition to paying for their network usage. You might sit there and say 'Hah, I don't need a new phone, I'll show that wireless company and keep the old one.' Yes, you no longer have a contract, but you're still paying for that old phone.
Recently, T-Mobile joined the ranks of wireless providers who charge for your phone and don't roll it into a monthly subsidy. Prepaid phone services have charged for their new phones and users still save money with their lower monthly rates. It seems hard to believe you can pay over $200 cash for a new smart phone and still save with a cheaper service from T-Mobile, Straight Talk or even TracFone. Remember, switching doesn't mean you'll lose your phone number.
So, what about those of us who really don't want to get rid of our old phone but also don't want to keep paying for it month after month? The best way is to switch to prepaid. With an AT&T phone you can just replace the SIM. With a Verizon Wireless phone you could switch to their own Prepaid Plans or one that uses Verizon phones, like Page Plus. Or, you can just get the phone you're already paying for. You won't save any money, but a 2-year-old phone is quite a relic. If you didn't get one for Christmas, now the time, right?
The biggest gotcha is if you must also add a new, and much more expensive, data plan. In that case, make the switch!
Recently, T-Mobile joined the ranks of wireless providers who charge for your phone and don't roll it into a monthly subsidy. Prepaid phone services have charged for their new phones and users still save money with their lower monthly rates. It seems hard to believe you can pay over $200 cash for a new smart phone and still save with a cheaper service from T-Mobile, Straight Talk or even TracFone. Remember, switching doesn't mean you'll lose your phone number.
So, what about those of us who really don't want to get rid of our old phone but also don't want to keep paying for it month after month? The best way is to switch to prepaid. With an AT&T phone you can just replace the SIM. With a Verizon Wireless phone you could switch to their own Prepaid Plans or one that uses Verizon phones, like Page Plus. Or, you can just get the phone you're already paying for. You won't save any money, but a 2-year-old phone is quite a relic. If you didn't get one for Christmas, now the time, right?
The biggest gotcha is if you must also add a new, and much more expensive, data plan. In that case, make the switch!
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Straight Talk Road Trips
We have been roaming the SW US lately and have added Straight Talk (ST) to our phones. There are several options among ST services. We chose the Bring Your Own Phone (BYOP) plan. Our trips have been from Denver to Dallas, Salt Lake City, Grand Canyon and Kansas City.
Generally, I can say that ST stays with your "Home" network and will not roam as long as you are within that network's service area. If, for example, your ST/AT&T phone gets no coverage in an urban area, it will not seek a roaming partner...they appear to be geographically restricted. When you are out of that carrier's coverage area, the normal TracFone roaming agreements apply. More specifically, when I lose coverage, like in rural Colorado east of Denver, my ST/AT&T SIM switches to Commnet Wireless and not to the usable T-Mobile signal.
In other locations, like the I-25-Colorado/New Mexico border and in Utah outside of Moab, the phone immediately picks up AT&T. In other areas, an ST phone might switch more readily to the smaller local carrier, but will eventually return to the "Home" network as soon as the phone finds it. In these roaming areas data is Edge speed or higher. Most of these roaming variables are affected by the timing of inquiries by the phone.
The black hole on our trips is when GSM coverage is provided by Verizon on the ex-Alltel GSM sites, which will eventually go away. Hopefully, someone will fill these with new GSM coverage. It's the only places where I found no data available. The longest stretch is US 64 from Raton, NM to Dalhart, TX.
In northwest Texas off the Interstates, all GSM phones jump around quite a bit, roaming on AT&T more than others, but I will assume other roaming partners, include Verizon/ex-Alltel which provides a voice/text-only service. Data was really variable. The good news is that the "Home" networks are more built out each year.
On average, the ST phones give us coverage in all places. If you were to switch from a Verizon phone to a Straight Talk phone, you would still get your calls. If you were to choose one of their single-network phones, the story is much different. Even with a ST/Verizon phone, the idea of being limited to one network is a concern.
We have added a complete report on all of the America Movil networks which includes Straight Talk, TracFone, Net10, SIMple Mobile and the new Telcel America.
Generally, I can say that ST stays with your "Home" network and will not roam as long as you are within that network's service area. If, for example, your ST/AT&T phone gets no coverage in an urban area, it will not seek a roaming partner...they appear to be geographically restricted. When you are out of that carrier's coverage area, the normal TracFone roaming agreements apply. More specifically, when I lose coverage, like in rural Colorado east of Denver, my ST/AT&T SIM switches to Commnet Wireless and not to the usable T-Mobile signal.
In other locations, like the I-25-Colorado/New Mexico border and in Utah outside of Moab, the phone immediately picks up AT&T. In other areas, an ST phone might switch more readily to the smaller local carrier, but will eventually return to the "Home" network as soon as the phone finds it. In these roaming areas data is Edge speed or higher. Most of these roaming variables are affected by the timing of inquiries by the phone.
The black hole on our trips is when GSM coverage is provided by Verizon on the ex-Alltel GSM sites, which will eventually go away. Hopefully, someone will fill these with new GSM coverage. It's the only places where I found no data available. The longest stretch is US 64 from Raton, NM to Dalhart, TX.
In northwest Texas off the Interstates, all GSM phones jump around quite a bit, roaming on AT&T more than others, but I will assume other roaming partners, include Verizon/ex-Alltel which provides a voice/text-only service. Data was really variable. The good news is that the "Home" networks are more built out each year.
On average, the ST phones give us coverage in all places. If you were to switch from a Verizon phone to a Straight Talk phone, you would still get your calls. If you were to choose one of their single-network phones, the story is much different. Even with a ST/Verizon phone, the idea of being limited to one network is a concern.
We have added a complete report on all of the America Movil networks which includes Straight Talk, TracFone, Net10, SIMple Mobile and the new Telcel America.
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Back From the Road
I disappeared for a few weeks as the family and I traveled across parts of the western US. While I'm gone, Scott decided to jump on those of us who have chosen to go prepaid. He says we're gonna lose coverage. Well, most of what he says is true, but the coverage 'problem' is a bit overblown.
After our return from roaming across rural Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas, I can say there are a few alternatives that will keep your from losing coverage when moving to prepaid. The biggest surprise was the AT&T GoPhone. When you lose AT&T coverage, that's it...no roaming. The T-Mobile prepaid phone was far more useful with almost as much off-network roaming available as T-Mobile postpaid plans. We'll talk about CDMA-based phones later.
The real stars were the Straight Talk and Net10 'Bring Your Own Phone' plans that kept some kind of coverage virtually everywhere. Like the AT&T and T-Mobile networks they are based on, Data coverage was best on the home network, but there were far more roaming possibilities on Straight Talk and T-Mobile. Critics say the Straight Talk/Net10 coverage maps are too optimistic, but I found them spot on. That's a good thing.
The low lights are that rural data networks are still hopelessly slow, and once our Straight Talk phone 'forgot' that it is supposed to roam on AT&T (a reboot fixed that). Then there's the issue of GSM roaming on Verizon Wireless. Yes, there are parts of the old Alltel GSM network still supported by Verizon. There is no Data and there's a end date for this coverage that needs to be addressed by the GSM community soon or there will be a loss of service.
We are putting together a full report on the TracFone, Straight Talk and Net10 coverage capabilities and how they may be a good choice for your conversion to cheaper prepaid service.
After our return from roaming across rural Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas, I can say there are a few alternatives that will keep your from losing coverage when moving to prepaid. The biggest surprise was the AT&T GoPhone. When you lose AT&T coverage, that's it...no roaming. The T-Mobile prepaid phone was far more useful with almost as much off-network roaming available as T-Mobile postpaid plans. We'll talk about CDMA-based phones later.
The real stars were the Straight Talk and Net10 'Bring Your Own Phone' plans that kept some kind of coverage virtually everywhere. Like the AT&T and T-Mobile networks they are based on, Data coverage was best on the home network, but there were far more roaming possibilities on Straight Talk and T-Mobile. Critics say the Straight Talk/Net10 coverage maps are too optimistic, but I found them spot on. That's a good thing.
The low lights are that rural data networks are still hopelessly slow, and once our Straight Talk phone 'forgot' that it is supposed to roam on AT&T (a reboot fixed that). Then there's the issue of GSM roaming on Verizon Wireless. Yes, there are parts of the old Alltel GSM network still supported by Verizon. There is no Data and there's a end date for this coverage that needs to be addressed by the GSM community soon or there will be a loss of service.
We are putting together a full report on the TracFone, Straight Talk and Net10 coverage capabilities and how they may be a good choice for your conversion to cheaper prepaid service.
Monday, November 12, 2012
Go Prepaid & Lose Coverage?
I have been watching the process of BillRadio and a number of others who advocate switching to Prepaid wireless to save money. What are you guys thinking? This web site for years has been focused on getting the maximum cellular coverage and most moves to prepaid are taking a trip in the opposite direction! Go from AT&T postpaid to GoPhone and you'll be cutting yourself off from coverage in thousands of locations. Here in New Mexico, I spent almost as much time roaming on Commnet Wireless as I did on AT&T. I didn't know what good service was until I switched to Alltel, and found even better service when I was transferred to Verizon Wireless.
I know that Bill Radio is making a reluctant move from Verizon to AT&T with the idea that doubling what he pays to Verizon just isn't worth it. At least he found out T-Mobile won't cut it for him. Bill and I agreed long ago that AT&T's Ratings belong below those of Sprint and a handful of other smaller carriers. I believe there will come a day when he returns to admit his mistake. For years he has been claiming that AT&T's coverage ranks third, at best.
I understand that some of you east of the Mississippi wonder what I'm talking about. AT&T in the west suffers from a whole lot of no coverage that was improved with the acquisition of some of those Alltel properties. But if you switch to an AT&T prepaid plan, you're losing nearly the entire state of Nebraska, just to name one hole! Who is willing to do that in this technology-dependant world? Well, apparently anybody who is willing to give up their all-encompassing postpaid accounts that work almost everywhere in the US, including T-Mobile! Yes, there are some exceptions and the TracFone family of services claim service in as many places, but a scan of various forums reveal complaints about their coverage as well.
Another group I haven't heard from are those who went with Sprint to gain unlimited data, but give up that service while roaming. At least their phone can make calls while roaming, something GoPhone and some AT&T MVNO users can't do. When I lost AT&T coverage right up the street from downtown Santa Fe, I gave thanks for the ability to roam on T-Mobile. Yes, T-Mobile prepaid is a better choice there. But, come on. Are you willing to give up coverage? Oh, you're saving money? How's that working out for you?
I know that Bill Radio is making a reluctant move from Verizon to AT&T with the idea that doubling what he pays to Verizon just isn't worth it. At least he found out T-Mobile won't cut it for him. Bill and I agreed long ago that AT&T's Ratings belong below those of Sprint and a handful of other smaller carriers. I believe there will come a day when he returns to admit his mistake. For years he has been claiming that AT&T's coverage ranks third, at best.
I understand that some of you east of the Mississippi wonder what I'm talking about. AT&T in the west suffers from a whole lot of no coverage that was improved with the acquisition of some of those Alltel properties. But if you switch to an AT&T prepaid plan, you're losing nearly the entire state of Nebraska, just to name one hole! Who is willing to do that in this technology-dependant world? Well, apparently anybody who is willing to give up their all-encompassing postpaid accounts that work almost everywhere in the US, including T-Mobile! Yes, there are some exceptions and the TracFone family of services claim service in as many places, but a scan of various forums reveal complaints about their coverage as well.
Another group I haven't heard from are those who went with Sprint to gain unlimited data, but give up that service while roaming. At least their phone can make calls while roaming, something GoPhone and some AT&T MVNO users can't do. When I lost AT&T coverage right up the street from downtown Santa Fe, I gave thanks for the ability to roam on T-Mobile. Yes, T-Mobile prepaid is a better choice there. But, come on. Are you willing to give up coverage? Oh, you're saving money? How's that working out for you?
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