I had no issues with my iPhone 4s on Ting. Have just switched over to iPhone 6s and it seems to be working fine as well.
Zizi, let me explain what I said and why I said it. I'm happy that your 4S worked for you on Ting, I really am. I'm not trying to discredit what worked for you when I stated what I did, though I am left wondering if you activated a Sprint 4s or an AT&T 4s on Ting which is going to have dramatically different outcomes.
However, this isn't just someone whistling out of their arse just to be heard typing these things or just to be a contrarian. It comes from considerable experience and knowledge about actual model numbers of phone makes, the network bands supported, the frequencies those bands are on, and tower density with carriers.
The Verizon iPhone 5 (A1429) handles the following bands:CDMA EV-DO Rev. A and Rev. B (800, 1900, 2100 MHz); UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz); GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz); LTE (Bands 1, 3, 5, 13, 25)
Here's is what T-Mobile uses:GSM/UMTS/HSPA+ (1700/2100, 1900); LTE 2, 4, 12 (700a, 1700 def, 1900)
Here is what AT&T uses:GSM/UMTS/HSPA+ (850, 1900); LTE 2, 4, 12, 17 (700 bc, 1700 abcde, 1900)
This means that the
only band that the Verizon iPhone 5 will receive on T-Mobile is 3G/HSPA+ 1900MHz. Full stop. On AT&T, the phone will get access to both 3G/HSPA+ 850MHz and 1900MHz bands. 1900MHz doesn't really penetrate buildings so much as bounce around walls and through windows like 850Mhz will. The phone will not have LTE access on either carrier, but AT&T's 3G coverage is quite a bit larger and more robust than T-Mobile's. The iPhone notoriously also has some of the worst smartphone antenna designs on the market for years now, which also impacts reception. AT&T's tower density is a smidge higher on the 850MHz end than T-Mobile's 1900MHz coverage, as well. This means better coverage, and more importantly near identical coverage (excuse antenna differences in the phone itself) to what is already expected staying with an AT&T MVNO over T-Mobile switching from the AT&T iPhone 4 (A1332).
It's also a safer bet to recommend the same network that someone's already using. It's a known quantity in service, especially when you're dealing with potentially band limited devices. I don't have a problem with Ting, Ting's been in the guide for years, and Ting is where I landed myself after P'tel shut its doors. However, Ting isn't a great fit for everyone, especially people with potentially larger data habits. The hardware in question emphasizes that reservation in my carrier recommendations. Thus my recommendation to stay away from a T-Mobile MVNO on the Verizon iPhone 5 specifically. It's not that it won't work at all, it's that it won't work nearly as well, and the shortcomings involved have been show stoppers for many, many other older model iPhone users on T-Mobile MVNOs limited to only one (the 1900MHz) service band... especially as T-Mobile has been juggling their 2G, 3G and 4G LTE spectrum coverage the past year and a half or so. Some people can and have lived with that, but it definitely doesn't work for everyone.
Make sense?