Hello fellow XDA-ers,
I'll be going to Italy in May and I would like to know if they offer prepaid lines with data packages and international calling. I'm going to be using my HTC Amaze, which i still have to get unlocked. Another question is, would I be getting 2G or 3g/4g speeds with my phone?
Any help or info is definitely appreciated. Thanks in advanced.
Every Op sales data connection with prepaid sim. The average signal is good in cities, where, expecially in open spaces, 3g/4g works well. But if you go away, and reach country, the signal will be very low (sometimes gprs). For international calls, i can't help you
Having been in Poland on prepaid, it's too expensive to call international lol. You'd be better off with a calling card.
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Hey guys i just had a few questions for the nexus one users out there..by the way i am finally giving in and deciding to buy a nexus one!! I waited and waited to see if there were going to be any better phones coming out, but for some reason the nexus one just calls my name, its a perfect phone.
Anyways my dad has current service with at&t (the $60 individual plan) and i am pretty sure he already completed his two year contract. I was thinking of adding a line to his account and purchase a nexus one to use with it. My question was if i were to buy the n1, would there need to be a requirement to establish a new contract?
Also in your personal opinions, is the n1 better on the at&t or t-mobile network?
Thanks i cant wait to get the phone!
jsnplus10 said:
if i were to buy the n1, would there need to be a requirement to establish a new contract?
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No. It's $529... then you just add the line to your service. The only time you would have to start a new contract with the phone is if you opt for the $179 deal through T-Mobile (AT&T doesn't have a deal like that).
Also in your personal opinions, is the n1 better on the at&t or t-mobile network?
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Depends on where you live and what you want.
T-Mobile is the only provider that allows you to have a smart phone on a non-contract plan without requiring you pay for a data package. So if you have steady access to WiFi, it really isn't worth paying extra for data, and using Google Voice for free unlimited texting means that T-Mobile is by far the cheapest non-contract option.
AT&T generally has better overall 3G/coverage nationwide (they certainly do where I live in Utah), but if you go non-contract with them, you still have to pay for data.
T-Mobile is rolling out HSPA+ all over the USA, and people are reporting 6-7mbps speeds. Check out androidforums.com/nexus-one
If I were you, and if data/3G was important, I'd check your local AT&T retailers and have them show you speed tests.
It seems in general ATT nexus users don't have signal issues like the t-mobile nexus users often have. But that's just a general observation. It all depends on your specific area.
Me personally, ATT will have stronger service cause ATT uses 850 and 1900 mhz, where t-mobile uses 1700/2100 mhz. So ATT's 850 is much stronger signal penetration and range. I think this is partially why t-mobile users get that flaky 3g issue. But also ATT 3g has a head start on coverage over t-mobile, so they will catch up eventually.
...and the nexus one would be subject to follow the new data usage rules for at&t right? I think its 250 mb for $15 and 2 gb for $25.
Hmm ok, i do want to go with the cheapest option here and it sounds like if i go ahead and try out t-mobile they will eventually upgrade to hspa+ network...
Does the upgraded network on t-mobile mean that current 3g phones (like the nexus one) would be able to use it?
current tmobile 3g phones (including N1) are already ready for the hspa+
i sell tmo and att (amongst other carriers) i also have both carriers. the high speeds you can get on the tmo hspa+ are nice, but inconsistent.
go AT&T. pay a little more, but have a far better network.
Get T-Mobile service if you can get 3G service where you are.
i would vote for at&t. one of my buddy's using t-mo, and as mentioned before inconsistent with their network
I am on AT&T and T-Mobile gave me a free phone with unlimited free service which I stopped using because the audio quality was horrible and people kept complaining how bad it sounded.
I vote AT&T.
if you travel, tmobile really doesnt work outside metro areas and highways. just food for thought. at&t works in more rural areas as well. I dont have any issues with my at&t nexus, dont know about the tmobile version. Mine is for sale if you are interested, I need the money towards importing a phone at retail. Pm me if you are interested.
Okay thanks for all the help!
Well, my girlfriend and her best friend are going to ireland, and I said I would let her use my captivate since it says" world phone" on boot up. Now, i have never dealt with anything like this, so how would I go about letting her use my cell phone and its full capabilities in ireland? Thanks. And sorry for posting in general! I thought I was in Q and A sorry!
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goob1284 said:
And sorry for posting in general! I thought I was in Q and A sorry!
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Please refer to the these guys
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=276306
I have been overseas with an AT&T Blackberry world phone. When you boot up a phone overseas, it will piggy back onto whatever compatible GSM network is in the area. But keep in mind, you will get charged out the @ass with intl roaming and dialing. It may be a good idea to call up at&t to get on board with an intl plan depending on how long she will be over there. Once you establish a network connection, you should be able to make phone calls, text, and surf the web, should the local network have internet access. At minimal, you will be able to talk and text.
I travel to Europe frequently. I purchase a prepaid sim card for each country. They are good for a year. I buy/recharge them there since they cost half of what they do when purchased in the USA. The advantage is having a country local number with no roaming or LD charges for local calls. Even calling back to North America is less expensive than roaming on AT&T. The handset must not be sim locked. Check it by dialing *#7465625#.
ua549 said:
I travel to Europe frequently. I purchase a prepaid sim card for each country. They are good for a year. I buy/recharge them there since they cost half of what they do when purchased in the USA. The advantage is having a country local number with no roaming or LD charges for local calls. Even calling back to North America is less expensive than roaming on AT&T. The handset must not be sim locked. Check it by dialing *#7465625#.
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I've done this too. But it all depends on how long and how frequent the person will be over there. If she's going just for a two week vacation...getting the phone unlocked and putting in a sim card from a local carrier wouldn't be the way to go.
Captivate is Quad-band GSM (That's "World Phone").. But only Tri-band WCDMA, so no 3G/HSPA in Europe
I think you must put in your internal SDCard a couple of modems, from Europe i9000 900/1700mhz WCDMA, and American 850/1900MHz WCDMA..
When you're in a 900/1700Mhz country, flash with CWM the Europe's modem..
And, in USA, flash the 850/1900MHz modem..
All this, to avoid issues..
If you're going to just use your AT&T SIM card, internation roaming is like $2+/m for voice, $1 per SMS and data is pay per use. So basically, you need a bag of money to support it. Even if you sign up international roaming plan, it has plenty of caveat you need to know (you have to pay at least a month before hand etc.).
SnakeHaveYou said:
Captivate is Quad-band GSM (That's "World Phone").. But only Tri-band WCDMA, so no 3G/HSPA in Europe
I think you must put in your internal SDCard a couple of modems, from Europe i9000 900/1700mhz WCDMA, and American 850/1900MHz WCDMA..
When you're in a 900/1700Mhz country, flash with CWM the Europe's modem..
And, in USA, flash the 850/1900MHz modem..
All this, to avoid issues..
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The Captivate is quad-band GSM and quad-band UTMS. The hardware is limited to GSM850/900/1800/1900 and UMTS 850/900/1900/2100. The Captivate will never do 1700MHz no matter what modem firmware you install on it. Luckily, since most of Europe uses 900Mhz or 2100Mhz for UMTS (3G) anyone who takes a Captivate to Europe should be all set. T-Mobile USA and a few Canadian carriers are the only ones I know of using 1700Mhz.
If you are going to reply to a thread like this, at least look up your data and make sure it is accurate.
Make sure that your girlfriend either uses prepaid SIM cards (then you need to make sure your phone is unlocked first) or you call AT&T and sign up for an international roaming plan & allow international calling on your phone. Without an international plan you will be charged higher rates for her to any phone numbers. Without international calling, she will be unable to dial any numbers except for US numbers. You can cancel the international plan at any time (so you can only pay for an international plan for 1 month instead of the rest of your contract).
Even with an international plan, calling will be very expensive, make sure you are aware of the rates. Also make sure that your girlfriend knows how to make calls, AT&T should explain it to you when you sign up for international. For example, to dial back to the US, she will have to dial 1+ the 10 digit number.
If she can find free wifi hotspots, you can also install a SIP/VoIP application such as Skype, Fring or Nimbuzz which have much cheaper rates. Applications such as these allow for free calling to another Skype/Fring/Numbuzz user and low rates to physical phone numbers (sometimes as low as $.01 per minute).
edit: Oops, I almost forgot, skype only works on Galaxy S phones if you are running Froyo.
nkrick said:
For example, to dial back to the US, she will have to dial 1+ the 10 digit number.
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Wrong. Dial '+1' then area code and phone numbers. Although 1 with area code and phone numbers may work but it depends on how the local carriers handle it.
+ is universal way to tell carriers that there is a country code after it. Country code for US and Canada is 1. Other countries may have 2 or 3 digits country codes.
if you want to use local sim card, make sure your phone is network unlocked.
foxbat121 said:
Wrong. Dial '+1' then area code and phone numbers. Although 1 with area code and phone numbers may work but it depends on how the local carriers handle it.
+ is universal way to tell carriers that there is a country code after it. Country code for US and Canada is 1. Other countries may have 2 or 3 digits country codes.
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Sorry if I caused any confusion. I meant dial 1 "plus" the 10 digit phone number. From China I have not had to use the "+1" but it surely does not hurt to include the "+" in case it is needed.
Is there anyway for me to disable all connections unless its with att? Like eventhough there's roger near by for my cell to never connect not even voice. Would rather have the faintest att signal as I'm going to Niagara
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Odd's are the phone will grab a canadian cell tower, turn on airplane mode and only use wifi.
It will eventually grab a canadian tower, even if you are on the US side. It has happened to me along the canadian and mexican border, although still in the US. What's worse, is that AT&T will not want to take those charges off. If you are gonna be there long, get a canadian pre paid sim, unlock your phone and use that.
Alright. Airplane mode it is then
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http://www.wireless.att.com/learn/international/roaming/affordable-world-packages.jsp
International Roaming when Traveling Outside the U.S.
Feature/Package
AT&T World TravelerSM
Price
$5.99/mo
Details
Get our best roaming rates in more than 100 countries.
• Take wireless service from AT&T with you as you travel to more than 220 countries.
• With AT&T, you can be reached on the same wireless number you use in the U.S.
• Stay in touch with the largest global coverage of any carrier worldwide.*
Compare with standard rates
*The most phones that work in the most countries.
I work along the Mexico border as a Border Patrol Agent and can't get my Note 3 (nor my Note 2 when I had it) to stop picking up the mexico roaming, although I do have decent or great Verizon service in the area. I can only disable the data roaming, not the voice roaming. Is there a way with my rooted phone to force it to not be able to pick up Mexico roaming at all? I'd rather have no service at all than Mexico roaming. PLEASE HELP!!!! I'm about to sell my unlimited data plan with Verizon to go to t-mobile so I don't have this damn problem anymore.
jleason03 said:
I work along the Mexico border as a Border Patrol Agent and can't get my Note 3 (nor my Note 2 when I had it) to stop picking up the mexico roaming, although I do have decent or great Verizon service in the area. I can only disable the data roaming, not the voice roaming. Is there a way with my rooted phone to force it to not be able to pick up Mexico roaming at all? I'd rather have no service at all than Mexico roaming. PLEASE HELP!!!! I'm about to sell my unlimited data plan with Verizon to go to t-mobile so I don't have this damn problem anymore.
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That's something you gotta see with your carrier. I'd suggest you give them a call.
Hi Guys, this is my first post.
I am relocating to N.Y. from Europe for work and i am bringing my Galaxy Note with me of course.
I was not aware of the situation in U.S. with phone carriers and I am only beginning to grasp the things you have to suffer.
Could you please recommend me a plan. I have already contacted sprint and they refused to accept my cell phone. I am currently thinking of getting boost mobile unlimited but i can't find out if my phone is fully compatible with their service.
I have no credit history in U.S.. I would like at least 200' 100sms and a few GBs of data. Some minutes for calling landlines in Europe would also be great.
I would realy appreciate your help, feeling kind of lost in the open sea.
Thanks in advance (if the list is complete it could be a nice sticky), relocated from general section
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from: foxmeister: Your Note will only give you 3G on AT&T or AT&T MVNO
The only GSM carriers (which is what you need for compatiblity with the Note) are AT&T and Tmobile (Verizon and Sprint use CDMA technology which is not compatible with European phones.) Tmobile uses weird frequencies for their 3G and fauxG (HSPA+), so you would only get EDGE speeds with them on your Note. So that pretty much leaves AT&T. They're expensive compared to what you guys have; I'm sure you can find their pricing online.
There are MVNOs which appear to be carriers, but use one of the big four's networks. There are a few that use AT&T's network. One of the MVNOs, Straight Talk, has a plan that's $45 for unlimited talk, sms, and data, but there's a complicated workaround to utilize it on your Note, as they technically only offer it on a couple of their phones.
You have to buy one of their phones "compatible" with that plan (I think you can find them for $99 refurbed), take the sim card out, and put it in your Note. I haven't done this, but I've read that there's a lot more to do in order to utilize HSPA+ speeds. You'll have to search and read for more info, as this is all I know.
In addition to the great info maxh provided, I wanna say that I personally don't trust any of the "unlimited data" plans. They'll cut your data off at the most inopportune time. Classic bait & switch. You're better off with data plans that are hard limited to 2GB or maybe 5GB so you can monitor your own usage.
The Note is kinda new so not enough info is currently available online as to which AT&T MVNO's support it with 3G+ rates. I'm in the same boat as you, actually...
And there's another option. For me, since I carry a bag with me most of the time, I may eventually decide to get a MiFi with the 5GB of 4G "Walmart" plan. I'm waiting a month to see if I'll have to go that route. I ain't spending over $80/mo on voice+data combined even if I have to give up on the Note altogether. There's a limit to how spoiled I allow myself to be.
maxh said:
The only GSM carriers (which is what you need for compatiblity with the Note) are AT&T and Tmobile (Verizon and Sprint use CDMA technology which is not compatible with European phones.) Tmobile uses weird frequencies for their 3G and fauxG (HSPA+), so you would only get EDGE speeds with them on your Note. So that pretty much leaves AT&T. They're expensive compared to what you guys have; I'm sure you can find their pricing online.
.
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Doesn't T-mobile use the same set of 850Hz HSDPA/ HSPA tech that Telstra in Australia uses?
If so then I can tell you that stuff works fine with the note.... Best internet speeds I've ever seen on a phone.
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senectus said:
Doesn't T-mobile use the same set of 850Hz HSDPA/ HSPA tech that Telstra in Australia uses?
If so then I can tell you that stuff works fine with the note.... Best internet speeds I've ever seen on a phone.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk
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T-mobile only 850MHz only on their GSM network (EDGE.) For 3G and 4G (not really 4G as in LTE, but faux G as in HSDPA+) they use the 1700/2100 combo. Both are needed as one is used for upload and the other for download. 2100MHz only on a phone without the 1700 will still leave you with only EDGE speeds on Tmobile.
I will be moving to the US, specifically LA/Pasadena area, at the end of this month and would like to get some opinions on the different cell providers and the plans they offer. I will be bringing my Nexus 5 which I understand is compatible with all major US providers except Verizon. From the research I have done, my top choice is T-Mobile's prepaid $30 unlimited plan (unlimited text, unlimited data up to 5GB, and 100 minutes). I see Virgin Mobile offers a similar prepaid plan with 300 minutes but only 2.5GB data but I have read that T Mobile has better coverage.
And do I need to order a T Mobile prepaid SIM/Activation card online or can I get one at one of their locations??
red_skittles said:
I will be moving to the US, specifically LA/Pasadena area, at the end of this month and would like to get some opinions on the different cell providers and the plans they offer. I will be bringing my Nexus 5 which I understand is compatible with all major US providers except Verizon. From the research I have done, my top choice is T-Mobile's prepaid $30 unlimited plan (unlimited text, unlimited data up to 5GB, and 100 minutes). I see Virgin Mobile offers a similar prepaid plan with 300 minutes but only 2.5GB data but I have read that T Mobile has better coverage.
And do I need to order a T Mobile prepaid SIM/Activation card online or can I get one at one of their locations??
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You can go into a T-Mobile store.
vanessaem said:
You can go into a T-Mobile store.
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Thanks! Can you speak on T Mobile's service/coverage in general? One thing I have seen come up a lot is that their coverage can be rather spotty at times, especially indoors. I'm sure location plays a big part in this and its probably difficult to generalize. A lot of these comments I see are from a year or two ago from before or during their 4G LTE build out, though. Is this still the case? Do you find yourself with no/poor service in areas where there shouldn't be any problem getting a good signal. Other comments I have read say this is also device dependent, with manly the iPhone getting crappy reception on TMos network
red_skittles said:
Thanks! Can you speak on T Mobile's service/coverage in general? One thing I have seen come up a lot is that their coverage can be rather spotty at times, especially indoors. I'm sure location plays a big part in this and its probably difficult to generalize. A lot of these comments I see are from a year or two ago from before or during their 4G LTE build out, though. Is this still the case? Do you find yourself with no/poor service in areas where there shouldn't be any problem getting a good signal. Other comments I have read say this is also device dependent, with manly the iPhone getting crappy reception on TMos network
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Of course it depends on location, the T-Mobile network is great in New York City and I'm assuming in other large cities as well. However, I found that I lose data in more rural areas. Even though I can make phone calls, there's no internet. However, areas in my home where I previously could not get any service with my old cell phone company, I have it now. Again, I can only speak for my area. As for the company as a whole, so far, no problems in dealing with them.
T-Mobile has great service in the city but in more rural areas, like the person above was saying, can be spotty. Over here they are better than Verizon coverage wise.
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