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[Dichotomy]

Hey All,

New MMM reader here but I am in love with this site.  I have been scouring the wireless plan information and am about to pull the trigger on a Ting account and finally release myself from ATT.

A few weeks ago there was a great article comparing home internet providers... but now I simply cannot find it.

Any advice?

Best,  JM

[Daley]

Question:

Are you switching to Ting because of MMM specifically namechecking them or are you switching to Ting instead of an AT&T or T-Mobile GSM based MVNO where you can use your existing handset because you ran the numbers and saw a substantial savings, even with the purchase of new hardware?

Before you proceed further, have you read the guide yet? It covers not just cellular service, but internet, home phone and entertainment as well as a touch of philosophy in approach as well.

[Dichotomy]

THE GUIDE... that was it!!!

Thank you!!

I am switching to Ting because I have checked out all the plans listed and I think that best fits our needs.  We currently have cell and home internet with ATT and it is killing us.

[Daley]

Glad to get you back to the guide and happy to hear it's of use to you. :)

I am switching to Ting because I have checked out all the plans listed and I think that best fits our needs.  We currently have cell and home internet with ATT and it is killing us.

The reason why I asked if Ting was really the right solution for you is because from an equivalence standpoint, Ting and Consumer Cellular don't have a very deep gulf in pricing for the bucket sizes available between them since AT&T dropped their wholesale rates last year. The additional line costs do mount up faster with CC than Ting, so that should be considered, but still check. Make sure you re-run the GSM numbers from a couple providers against Ting before switching, and if your ROI between them when you factor handset switching costs hits anywhere above 18-24 months and the savings gap isn't much more than maybe $10-15 a month, it might just be worth it to stick with the equipment and network you already have. It'd be a far easier transition as you'd mostly just get your phones unlocked and drop in a new SIM card with the migration. No reception map changes, just business as usual... but cheaper.

[Chuck]

If I have AT&T service currently, on a GSM iPhone... can I switch to Ting? My GF has it and loves it.

Not threadjacking I swears it! Just thought I'd ask while people were mentioning it...

[Daley]

If I have AT&T service currently, on a GSM iPhone... can I switch to Ting? My GF has it and loves it.

Not threadjacking I swears it! Just thought I'd ask while people were mentioning it...

AT&T & T-Mobile (and their MVNOs such as Airvoice, P'tel, Consumer Cellular) = GSM network and phones
Verizon & Sprint (and their MVNOs such as Ting, Page Plus, EcoMobile) = CDMA network and phones

CDMA and GSM are not compatible networks.

Things get murkier going into 4G LTE bands, but for the sake of simplicity and argument, you can't take GSM phones to CDMA providers. You have to buy new handsets to make the transition. Sometimes you can take CDMA phones that support 4G LTE (or are CDMA+GSM world phones) to GSM providers, but not always and not reliably.

The cheapest MVNO migration is to usually stick with an MVNO that uses the same network you were on in the first place as then you can just switch SIM cards or migrate carriers. There are exceptions to this rule as with everything, but that's where the value of the guide comes in.