[Q] 4G, Prepaid?

Dmw017 · Nov 2, 2011

So I had a Droid 3 on Verizon on a prepaid line ($95 for 450 talk, unlimited text, and unlimited data) but that was 3G.
With the gNexi coming out, I was wondering if I would even be able to use it's 4g capabilities on my prepaid line? I'm obviously going to buy it at full-retail price but will the 4G even work or will I be stuck on 3G all the time?

I can't do contracts...

Should I wait for T-Mobile to get it and use their 4G prepaid instead?

martonikaj · Nov 2, 2011

I'm unsure if VZW has a LTE prepay service. That's something you have to look into separately. My guess is they don't. Unless they explicitly say that your prepay covers LTE I would expect to only get 3G.

As far as switching to a different carrier no one can tell you which is better. Its all about where you will use the phone and its your call.

clearym · Nov 2, 2011

I just did an online chat with a VZW rep, here it is:

Please hold for a Verizon Wireless sales representative to assist you with your order. Thank you for your patience.
You are now chatting with 'Kiara'
Kiara: Hello. Thank you for visiting our chat service. May I help you with your order today?
You: I was wondering if 4G phones like the Droid Bionic are eligible for the Prepaid Smartphone plans???
Kiara: I do apologize for the inconvenience, although the Bionic is not able to be pre paid
You: Are their any 4G phones available for the Prepaid plans?
You: And/or can you tell me if there are any plans to offer any???
Kiara: I do apologize although at this time there are not
You: Ok, thank you for your help

So, looks like you can't, at this time, use a 4G phone on their prepaid plans.

I currently have a Nexus S on T-mobile's $30 month prepaid plan (100 mins, unl. text, unl. data*throttled after 5GB), and I love it but I don't use my phone much for calls... I plan on getting the Galaxy Nexus and using it on this plan once it's available.

Dmw017 · Nov 3, 2011

Yeah it looks like I'll have to wait for the galaxy nexus to drop on TMobile

WoW this sucksss.... It probably won't even come out until late December...

Maybe I should just import? No idea how it works but I want my nexus asap

Sent from the parietal lobe of your cerebral cortex.

ruthlesset · Nov 3, 2011

Dmw017 said:
Yeah it looks like I'll have to wait for the galaxy nexus to drop on TMobile
WoW this sucksss.... It probably won't even come out until late December...

Maybe I should just import? No idea how it works but I want my nexus asap

Sent from the parietal lobe of your cerebral cortex.

Look on the bright side... t-mo plans are cheaper than Verizon. So you'll save money if you switch. But then again tmo reception around your area would play a big role too.

Dmw017 · Nov 3, 2011

ruthlesset said:
Look on the bright side... t-mo plans are cheaper than Verizon. So you'll save money if you switch. But then again tmo reception around your area would play a big role too.

Yeah I looked into it and Tmobile is way better than Verizon. I live in NYC so reception shouldnt be a problem at all. Now I'm just trying to figure out if I should import the 16GB model or wait for the 32GB US model :/ bleh ... I wonder when Tmobile will be getting it

martonikaj · Nov 3, 2011

Dmw017 said:
Yeah it looks like I'll have to wait for the galaxy nexus to drop on TMobile
WoW this sucksss.... It probably won't even come out until late December...

Maybe I should just import? No idea how it works but I want my nexus asap

If you have T-mo service in the area then its sooo much better. Just wait, don't import. You'll probably have to buy it unlocked (probably best buy, just like Nexus S) but you'll be better off for it. You don't want to sign a 2year for a Nexus on VZW and get blocked tethering and crap on it.

---------- Post added at 07:13 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:12 PM ----------

Dmw017 said:
Yeah I looked into it and Tmobile is way better than Verizon. I live in NYC so reception shouldnt be a problem at all. Now I'm just trying to figure out if I should import the 16GB model or wait for the 32GB US model :/ bleh ... I wonder when Tmobile will be getting it

its all up in the air. As I said above ^, they might not "get it" officially at all. Might have to buy unlocked from Google/Best Buy.

But the winner is that the T-mo plans can be as low as 1/2 the price of VZW.

Dmw017 · Nov 3, 2011

martonikaj said:
its all up in the air. As I said above ^, they might not "get it" officially at all. Might have to buy unlocked from Google/Best Buy.

But the winner is that the T-mo plans can be as low as 1/2 the price of VZW.

Actually they have a $30 Prepaid plan with 100talk/unlimited text/ and unlimited data (5gb of 4G) -- available only on new line activation.

Btw can you clarify the "unlocked from google/best buy" part? Would I still have to use a sim card if Tmobile wont officially sell it

martonikaj · Nov 3, 2011

Dmw017 said:
Actually they have a $30 Prepaid plan with 100talk/unlimited text/ and unlimited data (5gb of 4G) -- available only on new line activation.

yea their prepay options are pretty epic. 100min is a bit low for most though. I was just referring to their postpay options that are pretty cheap too. I've looked into moving from my EM+ no-contract plan to a prepay lately actually.

Btw can you clarify the "unlocked from google/best buy" part? Would I still have to use a sim card if Tmobile wont officially sell it

Well if you want my opinion I think they'll end up just selling it exactly like they did with the Nexus S. They sold it online, and they offered it via Best Buy unlocked. You'd buy the phone, then buy your service and get a SIM card from AT&T or T-mobile (or Simple Mobile, or whatever) separately and plug it in. The GN is pentaband HSPA+ and will work with pretty much any SIM in the world.

Chirality · Nov 3, 2011

Dmw017 said:
Yeah I looked into it and Tmobile is way better than Verizon. I live in NYC so reception shouldnt be a problem at all. Now I'm just trying to figure out if I should import the 16GB model or wait for the 32GB US model :/ bleh ... I wonder when Tmobile will be getting it

Speaking from personal experience, the problem with T-Mobile in NYC is that as soon as you are a few feet below ground level, you lose signal. When you can get 5 bars, it's great, T-Mobile probably has the least congested network of anyone, and you enjoy superb 3/4G speeds. But you will be frustrated by how spotty the coverage is. Go 20 miles North to Westchester or 20 miles east to LI and you'll often find yourself exiting buildings to get a signal.

Dmw017 · Nov 7, 2011

Chirality said:
Speaking from personal experience, the problem with T-Mobile in NYC is that as soon as you are a few feet below ground level, you lose signal. When you can get 5 bars, it's great, T-Mobile probably has the least congested network of anyone, and you enjoy superb 3/4G speeds. But you will be frustrated by how spotty the coverage is. Go 20 miles North to Westchester or 20 miles east to LI and you'll often find yourself exiting buildings to get a signal.

Lol that's alright I don't leave the city anyways. What I am wondering is what happens when you deplete your limited use of the 4g data (I'll get 5gb). Someone told me that you get bumped down to EDGE(2G) speeds, but I thought you only go down to 3G.

Sent from the parietal lobe of your cerebral cortex.

martonikaj · Nov 7, 2011

Dmw017 said:
Lol that's alright I don't leave the city anyways. What I am wondering is what happens when you deplete your limited use of the 4g data (I'll get 5gb). Someone told me that you get bumped down to EDGE(2G) speeds, but I thought you only go down to 3G.

Sent from the parietal lobe of your cerebral cortex.

As I (and many others) explained in the other thread about T-mobile:

- You get 5GB of data, that's 4g/3g/2g.
- Once you use all 5GB in a month, you get throttled.
- Throttled speeds are in the range of what EDGE is, even though your phone still says "3G" up in the status bar.
- Once your billing period ends, you get a new 5GB batch of data.

There's no discerning between 4G and 3G by T-mobile. HSPA+ is just a fast version of T-mobile's 3G network. Its not separate.

robertlawson225 · Nov 8, 2011

Just curious has any one looked into metroPCS they say they allow any cdma phone on their network and they have lte. There speeds may not be the greatest and not the best coverage but the price is spot on and unlimited!

martonikaj · Nov 8, 2011

robertlawson225 said:
Just curious has any one looked into metroPCS they say they allow any cdma phone on their network and they have lte. There speeds may not be the greatest and not the best coverage but the price is spot on and unlimited!

Don't think it'll work. You'd have to unlock it somehow, and even then I think theres going to be inconsistencies with the LTE frequencies they use, etc.

robertlawson225 · Nov 8, 2011

martonikaj said:
Don't think it'll work. You'd have to unlock it somehow, and even then I think theres going to be inconsistencies with the LTE frequencies they use, etc.

I thought that all nexus devices where unlocked developer phones. also i just talked to metroPCS and they did say hardware wise any cdma ohone will work and so will the LTE but, there might be a problem with software incompatibilities. but if that is true i would think our fellow xda members would figure out how to fix any software problems

martonikaj · Nov 8, 2011

robertlawson225 said:
I thought that all nexus devices where unlocked developer phones. also i just talked to metroPCS and they did say hardware wise any cdma ohone will work and so will the LTE but, there might be a problem with software incompatibilities. but if that is true i would think our fellow xda members would figure out how to fix any software problems

It won't be unlocked from the factory because 1) its CDMA/LTE with VZW specific bands, and 2) its being made to order for Verizon to subsidize it (which means they will SURELY dictate that its locked).

The Nexus devices have historically been sold full price without a carrier subsidy (and therefore are unlocked) because google wants them to be used anywhere in the world with any SIM card. This is different because there are carriers involved from the start (and the device is CDMA).

Also, I'm pretty sure the LTE won't be interoperable between the two carriers. Verizon will have their own proprietary network stack for use with their LTE service, and it uses slightly different frequencies from other carriers for LTE, specifically so that their devices won't be interoperable with other networks. They want you to buy a VZW phone and stay on VZW (dirty play, but that's how they roll).

Hope that clarifies things a little bit. Now no one knows for sure how much of the issues can be fixed with new firmware flashes, so I guess we'll see when it comes out. For example I know a lot of people use Sprint and Verizon phones with different custom firmware to run on networks like Virgin, Boost, and Cricket in order to cut down the monthly bill.

robertlawson225 · Nov 8, 2011

martonikaj said:
It won't be unlocked from the factory because 1) its CDMA/LTE with VZW specific bands, and 2) its being made to order for Verizon to subsidize it (which means they will SURELY dictate that its locked).

The Nexus devices have historically been sold full price without a carrier subsidy (and therefore are unlocked) because google wants them to be used anywhere in the world with any SIM card. This is different because there are carriers involved from the start (and the device is CDMA).

Also, I'm pretty sure the LTE won't be interoperable between the two carriers. Verizon will have their own proprietary network stack for use with their LTE service, and it uses slightly different frequencies from other carriers for LTE, specifically so that their devices won't be interoperable with other networks. They want you to buy a VZW phone and stay on VZW (dirty play, but that's how they roll).

Hope that clarifies things a little bit. Now no one knows for sure how much of the issues can be fixed with new firmware flashes, so I guess we'll see when it comes out. For example I know a lot of people use Sprint and Verizon phones with different custom firmware to run on networks like Virgin, Boost, and Cricket in order to cut down the monthly bill.

well lets just hope some one out there can figure out how to make a phone like this run on a reasonabale priced carrier well other than t-mobile

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[Q] 4G, Prepaid?

Dmw017

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martonikaj

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clearym

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Dmw017

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ruthlesset

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Dmw017

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martonikaj

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Dmw017

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martonikaj

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Chirality

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Dmw017

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martonikaj

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robertlawson225

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martonikaj

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robertlawson225

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martonikaj

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robertlawson225

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