Communications & Tech - The ISP, VoIP and Cellphone Superguide

[jawisco]

I live in a rural area with Verizon (cdma) as my only cell option.  Not only that, but half of my state is Roaming on Verizon, so Page Plus is much less desirable (they charge $.29/minute for roaming).

Here is what I did and it works great so far (this is week #2).  Ported my main number to Google Voice.  Bought Obi100 and cordless telephones, and use the Obi through Google Voice - now I have free calls to/from home. 

I then activated my Droid2 on Selectel (no roaming charges) and purchased their $75 yearly card (2000 minutes, 1500 texts) and then purchased (2) $10 flex cards ($.05/MB). 

So - for $95 I have 2000 minutes, 1500 texts, and 400 MB.  Those 400MB are good for 50 emails/day, 25 web pages a day, and 50 short sessions total with Google Maps.  With a few tweaks to my phone (turning off background data and updating only when on WIFI) and being more thoughtful about my usage, I think this will cover my yearly cell phone usage (considering everything I do at home (text, calls, and of course internet) is free over my internet connection).

It is still early, but so far, so good.  Voice quality seems same as cell phone and I am thrilled to have the power of a smartphone with me at such a good price.

[Daley]

I live in a rural area with Verizon (cdma) as my only cell option.  Not only that, but half of my state is Roaming on Verizon, so Page Plus is much less desirable (they charge $.29/minute for roaming).

Here is what I did and it works great so far (this is week #2).  Ported my main number to Google Voice.  Bought Obi100 and cordless telephones, and use the Obi through Google Voice - now I have free calls to/from home. 

I then activated my Droid2 on Selectel (no roaming charges) and purchased their $75 yearly card (2000 minutes, 1500 texts) and then purchased (2) $10 flex cards ($.05/MB). 

So - for $95 I have 2000 minutes, 1500 texts, and 400 MB.  Those 400MB are good for 50 emails/day, 25 web pages a day, and 50 short sessions total with Google Maps.  With a few tweaks to my phone (turning off background data and updating only when on WIFI) and being more thoughtful about my usage, I think this will cover my yearly cell phone usage (considering everything I do at home (text, calls, and of course internet) is free over my internet connection).

It is still early, but so far, so good.  Voice quality seems same as cell phone and I am thrilled to have the power of a smartphone with me at such a good price.

A couple things:

1) It's good that you ported your number over to Google Voice in this carrier scenario, and I'm glad that this setup is working for you.

2) Keep a very close eye on Selectel's overall general health and how cheap/desperate some of the offers become around December 2013-February 2014 to give you an idea on whether you need to potentially move on.

I want to see a viable alternative to Page Plus rise up on the Verizon MVNO end, but that 9 month, 5k subscriber hurdle that Verizon has is a hard bar to clear (just ask TalkForGood). Selectel started reselling service in May of this year IIRC, so you can understand why I'm citing the time-frame that I am. I'm happy that you're supporting them, and I'd like to see them survive, but I'm also torn because I want to recommend people only to stable providers. I'm in a bit of a catch-22 in that regard. I hope your gamble pays off for all of us, though.

Finally, if your Droid2 can take a domestic SIM card and is carrier unlocked... if it comes to it with roaming and you find yourself going over to Page Plus or another newer Verizon MVNO come next year, keep in mind that an Airvoice or P'tel SIM card might help with some of that roaming coverage. Just turn off roaming in settings and have GV forward to both cellular phone numbers and toggle between CDMA/GSM as you need.

[grantmeaname]

Daley's too humble to say it, so I will: he's a freaking fantastic forum contributor that's done this community a lot of good and saved it a lot of money! If you're not familiar with the entire Tech Meshugana network, I summarized all the great work he does in this post.

Thanks for all your hard work, IP!

[arebelspy]

Daley's too humble to say it, so I will: he's a freaking fantastic forum contributor that's done this community a lot of good and saved it a lot of money! If you're not familiar with the entire Tech Meshugana network, I summarized all the great work he does in this post.

Thanks for all your hard work, IP!

Giant +1!

You rock, I.P. Daley!

[Daley]

Grant, Rebel... thank you both for the kindness. The timing was impeccable.

[jawisco]

I live in a rural area with Verizon (cdma) as my only cell option.  Not only that, but half of my state is Roaming on Verizon, so Page Plus is much less desirable (they charge $.29/minute for roaming).

Here is what I did and it works great so far (this is week #2).  Ported my main number to Google Voice.  Bought Obi100 and cordless telephones, and use the Obi through Google Voice - now I have free calls to/from home. 

I then activated my Droid2 on Selectel (no roaming charges) and purchased their $75 yearly card (2000 minutes, 1500 texts) and then purchased (2) $10 flex cards ($.05/MB). 

So - for $95 I have 2000 minutes, 1500 texts, and 400 MB.  Those 400MB are good for 50 emails/day, 25 web pages a day, and 50 short sessions total with Google Maps.  With a few tweaks to my phone (turning off background data and updating only when on WIFI) and being more thoughtful about my usage, I think this will cover my yearly cell phone usage (considering everything I do at home (text, calls, and of course internet) is free over my internet connection).

It is still early, but so far, so good.  Voice quality seems same as cell phone and I am thrilled to have the power of a smartphone with me at such a good price.

A couple things:

1) It's good that you ported your number over to Google Voice in this carrier scenario, and I'm glad that this setup is working for you.

2) Keep a very close eye on Selectel's overall general health and how cheap/desperate some of the offers become around December 2013-February 2014 to give you an idea on whether you need to potentially move on.

I want to see a viable alternative to Page Plus rise up on the Verizon MVNO end, but that 9 month, 5k subscriber hurdle that Verizon has is a hard bar to clear (just ask TalkForGood). Selectel started reselling service in May of this year IIRC, so you can understand why I'm citing the time-frame that I am. I'm happy that you're supporting them, and I'd like to see them survive, but I'm also torn because I want to recommend people only to stable providers. I'm in a bit of a catch-22 in that regard. I hope your gamble pays off for all of us, though.

Finally, if your Droid2 can take a domestic SIM card and is carrier unlocked... if it comes to it with roaming and you find yourself going over to Page Plus or another newer Verizon MVNO come next year, keep in mind that an Airvoice or P'tel SIM card might help with some of that roaming coverage. Just turn off roaming in settings and have GV forward to both cellular phone numbers and toggle between CDMA/GSM as you need.

Thanks, IP.  Your Superguide was where I started and was a big help.  I agree about keeping an eye on Selectel, but that is one great thing about having Google Voice as main number - you can always just get a new carrier and a new number if necessary since almost everyone will just have your GV #.

Good idea with the SIM card for roaming - I unlocked my phone SIM card with Verizon's help before I ported the number out, but I think that is only good for other countries.  I would probably have to do something more serious (but doable) to get unlocked domestically, which I would consider if I had to use Page Plus.

[adam]

Has this made the news anywhere else yet?
http://arstechnica.com/business/2013/08/mobile-startup-offers-unprecedented-plan-500mb-of-data-free-incoming-calls/

On Tuesday, the American mobile phone market took one step closer to looking a bit more like the European or Asian markets: free incoming calls, inexpensive outgoing calls, and a focus on data.

A Canadian startup, TextNow, just launched a new mobile service in the United States. For $18.99 per month, you get 500MB of data, 750 rollover minutes, and unlimited texting and incoming calls. In the US, it’s the norm for both the sending and receiving parties to be charged for a call. But nearly everywhere else in the world, only the person who originated the call actually pays.

“Incoming calls don’t really cost us that much,” Derek Ting, the company’s CEO, told Ars. “Carriers charge you anyway because they can get away with it.”

So what’s the catch? You have to buy one of their older-model Android phones: either a Samsung Nexus S for $89.99 or a Samsung Galaxy S II for $119.99. (Another catch: after the first day of business, the company says it’s sold out.)

TextNow states “everything goes over the Internet (for both texts and calls). It uses your Wi-Fi connection when it is available. When there is no Wi-Fi connection, it uses Sprint's nationwide 3G and 4G network.” (The company is a mobile virtual network operator [MVNO], which means it buys spectrum and tower access from larger mobile carriers.)

“We are moving to a model where in-network calling is completely free and unlimited,” Ting said. “Right now as it currently stands, Wi-Fi to data network handoff does not work, so the call will drop and also vice versa.”

Unfortunately, those of us (like yours truly) who have an unlocked GSM smartphone and would like to try out TextNow can’t do so.

“We do realize there is a huge demand for GSM [bring your own device], but there are no immediate plans [to expand beyond our current offerings],” Ting added. “Despite Sprint being CDMA, they have been the most cooperative for an MVNO in the States.”

Sounds a little like republic wireless with the calling over wifi deal, but its good to see someone else trying I guess.

[Jarvis]

I've been a happy PlatinumTel customer for almost a year now.  Unfortunately, things are going terribly with the service right now. 

PlatinumTel is currently transitioning from CDMA to GSM.  We received instructions on how to do this, which was, basically, ordering new phones and SIM cards (free/heavily discounted).  While we had no problems activating our original phones, we have had nothing but trouble activating our new phones.  Their customer service seems to be completely swamped, so we haven't yet successfully talked to anyone who can help. After following the activation instructions through their website, we received an email that my wife's new phone had been activated.  Unfortunately, all that happened was her old CDMA phone stopped working, and her new GSM phone doesn't work either.  My old phone is still working, so I guess my new phone wasn't even attempted to be activated at all.

Has anyone else been caught up in this situation?  I've gone from a happy Ptel customer to an extremely frustrated customer in the span of a few short weeks, all due to this switch to GSM being handled so poorly.

[Daley]

Has this made the news anywhere else yet?
http://arstechnica.com/business/2013/08/mobile-startup-offers-unprecedented-plan-500mb-of-data-free-incoming-calls/

-snip-

Sounds a little like republic wireless with the calling over wifi deal, but its good to see someone else trying I guess.

As a matter of fact, the post right above your last comment in this thread covered that very topic. :)

[adam]

Whoops.  Usually I'm pretty good about reading everything in this thread, guess I glossed over that one.  Carry on.

[Daley]

I've been a happy PlatinumTel customer for almost a year now.  Unfortunately, things are going terribly with the service right now. 

PlatinumTel is currently transitioning from CDMA to GSM.  We received instructions on how to do this, which was, basically, ordering new phones and SIM cards (free/heavily discounted).  While we had no problems activating our original phones, we have had nothing but trouble activating our new phones.  Their customer service seems to be completely swamped, so we haven't yet successfully talked to anyone who can help. After following the activation instructions through their website, we received an email that my wife's new phone had been activated.  Unfortunately, all that happened was her old CDMA phone stopped working, and her new GSM phone doesn't work either.  My old phone is still working, so I guess my new phone wasn't even attempted to be activated at all.

Has anyone else been caught up in this situation?  I've gone from a happy Ptel customer to an extremely frustrated customer in the span of a few short weeks, all due to this switch to GSM being handled so poorly.

I know the support number's getting swamped currently, and it can't be helped because people like to procrastinate. This is why I had recommended in the past switching sooner than later over to the GSM end of things instead of waiting until the last second (it's also why my wife and I ordered our SIM cards in December and finally activated/migrated nearly six months ago - this wasn't new or unexpected news for the CDMA users, after all)... though I'm sorry for not hammering on this point more recently as the August 25th deadline has loomed for people to switch.

There's a web portal set up specifically for CDMA to GSM customers currently for porting to try and take some of the pressure off the phones, but you'll still have to contact customer support to transfer balance: http://ptelc2g.com/

Can you say it's P'tel's fault for "botching" the transition? Only in that they themselves didn't hammer harder for people who wanted to stay to switch faster than they had, but the switch wasn't a secret, either. I know it's going to be frustrating dealing with them over the next couple weeks, especially if you're caught in the last-minute migration batch, but do keep in mind that you're just as much at fault for this last minute transition crush for not taking advantage of the previous nine months to make the switch already yourselves.

Be patient though, they really are trying to do this right. Do what you can to work with them.

[Jarvis]

While I appreciate the information, I don't appreciate being told I'm "just as much at fault for this last minute transition crush."

I was notified by text message about this transition about one month ago, and prior to that, knew absolutely nothing about the difference between CDMA and GSM (not a smart phone user here, just the basics).  I wasn't notified 9 months ago to make this transition.  In the mean time, I've followed the instructions provided by Ptel, and have ended up in a position where I'm not receiving the service that I've paid for.

[Daley]

While I appreciate the information, I don't appreciate being told I'm "just as much at fault for this last minute transition crush."

I was notified by text message about this transition about one month ago, and prior to that, knew absolutely nothing about the difference between CDMA and GSM (not a smart phone user here, just the basics).  I wasn't notified 9 months ago to make this transition.  In the mean time, I've followed the instructions provided by Ptel, and have ended up in a position where I'm not receiving the service that I've paid for.

First, I'm genuinely sorry that you apparently slid through the cracks and missed any of the prior notifications before last month that went out to customers. Furthermore, I'm sorry that I didn't post weekly a countdown timer for all the remaining P'tel CDMA customers in these forums over the past six months reminding people to switch sooner than later... you'll have to forgive me on that count, however, because I kind of had my hands full with some more pressing matters the past few months. Finally, I'm also sorry that you feel the way you do, but a lack of personal situational awareness doesn't make it purely Platinumtel's fault that you aren't currently receiving the service that you paid for. Apparently I'm in the wrong for pointing this out, however, given how upset you've become for my stating as much.

The inescapable reality of the situation is that it's only the people who hung onto the Sprint service until the last minute that are having this overwhelmed customer support and migration problem, and people who wait until the last minute shouldn't be surprised if things don't go smoothly. Could they have perhaps handled it a bit better? Perhaps, but knowing what's involved on the back-ends of these systems, I think they have and are doing a pretty decent job all things considered. As a fellow long time P'tel customer, I also know that they made the GSM switch announcement in December and had been notifying customers in various forms since January about bringing CDMA service to an end. I even made comments to this end repeatedly in this thread, though I am sorry for not including some sort of notice for existing CDMA customers to switch in the core guide. Even without getting any specific notices, there's still been no shortage of information and clues on their own website and account management portal that a major service change occurred in the middle of December 2012 that should have warranted at least some level of curiosity and investigation by existing customers, but that's human error for you. Speaking of human error, that happens when call volumes go through the roof... and new Airvoice customers dealt with the same thing after MMM's blog post and the flood of new activations. You can't expect these small MVNO's to be able to respond with huge call centers and increased load demands without wait times. It also doesn't change the fact that during normal business periods, their support staff has been top notch. This is the reality of the situation, and nothing is going to change that. No matter where you go, there you are.

I've already given you a dedicated form link for CDMA to GSM transition customers. I've also informed you that you'll still need to contact customer support to get your balance transferred over from the CDMA to GSM end to make your phones work. Call volumes are high, and you'll have to wait if you want to get it corrected... it can't be avoided, because that's the situation you're in. It's no different than getting angry about being stuck in rush-hour traffic.

You've basically got two choices now: be patient and work with them and their constraints to get your service sorted again, or take your business elsewhere. If you still feel so strongly that you've been wronged, then perhaps you should take your business elsewhere.

[Jarvis]

I just want to be clear - I hold no expectations of you to keep me informed.  If I implied that, it wasn't intended.  I haven't been to this specific thread since I originally signed up for Ptel. 

I do think it is Ptel's responsibility to keep me informed.  The first time Ptel informed me about the transition to GSM was last month, I've since followed their directions, and am having a frustrating experience.  You've given your view on the root cause of the situation, which makes sense.  As for the sarcastic apologies and "I told ya so's," I just don't get it.  I'm a normal customer,  not in possession of any advanced information on the subject, sharing my experience.  Maybe most folks aren't having any problems once they receive their new GSM phones, but I am, and thought I would put some feelers out there. 

Thanks for the info, and I agree with your conclusion and the two choices.  I'm hopeful that customer service helps us get our phones connected and things go back to normal.  I've already got the new phones and a balance in each account - I'd much rather stay than go.

[Daley]

As for the sarcastic apologies and "I told ya so's," I just don't get it.

This bit? Right here?

First, I'm genuinely sorry that you apparently slid through the cracks and missed any of the prior notifications before last month that went out to customers. Furthermore, I'm sorry that I didn't post weekly a countdown timer for all the remaining P'tel CDMA customers in these forums over the past six months reminding people to switch sooner than later... you'll have to forgive me on that count, however, because I kind of had my hands full with some more pressing matters the past few months. Finally, I'm also sorry that you feel the way you do, but a lack of personal situational awareness doesn't make it purely Platinumtel's fault that you aren't currently receiving the service that you paid for. Apparently I'm in the wrong for pointing this out, however, given how upset you've become for my stating as much.

Genuine apologies, not sarcasm. You might have pushed hard against my frustration buttons because you came across like I should have been holding everyone's hand and you got angry at me for stating that you are part of a last minute crush on very old transition news, but it was genuine all the same. I still stand by my statement as being factually accurate, but also as a reasonably appropriate statement to make given how public this transition has been made for so long. It may not have had a solid end-date for most of the time, but it was still nearly nine months, and three months longer than original estimates of when they were terminating CDMA service. But I repeat, this wasn't secret advanced knowledge, Platinumtel did not hide this information from their customers!

I'm still genuinely shocked and surprised how you somehow missed this transition news until last month as a customer! GENUINE SHOCK AND SURPRISE, AS GENUINE AS THE APOLOGIES!

[Jarvis]

I've got a few texts over the last month serving as notification and subsequent reminders about the transition.  Once those were received, I used their website, to find further information.  What other methods of communication did Ptel employ, which I subsequently missed, resulting in you being so genuinely shocked?

I won't respond to the rest, as this has touched a nerve quite unexpectedly.  I think I'll just see myself out.

[Daley]

I've got a few texts over the last month serving as notification and subsequent reminders about the transition.  Once those were received, I used their website, to find further information.  What other methods of communication did Ptel employ, which I subsequently missed, resulting in you being so genuinely shocked?

My wife and I both got notifications by text at least in February and I want to say I got something in January as well, and after I migrated to GSM in March, the notices stopped. The GSM transition was all over the website and their support portal since December 2012 and their site overhaul and relaunch. The account management portal's balance and call records stopped working for CDMA customers around late January, IIRC, and I want to say had little blurbs if you bought new credit on the old CDMA phones (I'd like someone else to confirm this last one as I can't recall for certain). There's article dates on numerous sites going as far back as November 2012 talking about end of life support for P'tel CDMA customers in May 2013 with referencing announcements via Facebook. Any time I talked with a rep before my transition, the information had been mentioned. This is why I'm so surprised that you weren't aware of this. They may not have clubbed me over the head, but it was still pretty hard to miss, and was made publicly known for an incredible amount of time.

I am so very sorry that you have somehow missed this information for so long, but it hasn't been some secret that went unannounced up until July 18, 2013.

[Daley]

Re-reading the past few posts between Jarvis and myself, it's pretty clear that there was a breakdown in communication earlier. As someone who is trying to elevate the overall tone in these forums, I should apologize for not choosing better words in a couple of those posts, especially after a couple of my buttons got pressed. This does highlight how difficult text communications can be at times with only inferred tone, and how aware we really should be when we try to communicate in the written language.

[frompa]

Hey IP Daley - I wanted to say thanks for making the daunting task of getting a functional understanding of my phone technology look possible.  I am on the way to switching from my near $100/mo service to very significant savings.  Probably your most useful advice was to research, research, research.  (That, and explaining some of the acronyms...)   I appreciate your willingness to share what you know in a way that holds the door open and empowers others to step through.  THANK YOU!

[prodarwin]

I searched, but havent found anything....

What does everyone think of Yuilop? 

http://yuilop.com/us/

Its wording is a little vague... but as I understand it, it turns data into Phone calls and Texts?  This combined with a cheap data plan would allow for a seamless transition between network data and WiFi?

[Daley]

I searched, but havent found anything....

What does everyone think of Yuilop? 

http://yuilop.com/us/

Its wording is a little vague... but as I understand it, it turns data into Phone calls and Texts?  This combined with a cheap data plan would allow for a seamless transition between network data and WiFi?

It's VoIP packaged in a pretty smartphone application. Same breed of services as Republic, TextNow, Google Voice paired with Talkatone, etc. Same weaknesses, too. SMS gateways with VoIP providers are finally becoming realistic, so all these new services are coming out of the woodwork. I stand by my original claim a year and a half ago: VoIP at home to save money? Good. VoIP as your primary mobile communications platform? Bad.

[Baylor3217]

Continuing to prepare for when my contract expires in October.

As I've stated before, I use this phone as my professional tether.  I use a fair amount of Wifi for data / email so my GB / month hover around 1.6GB.

That said, I'm currently paying about $95 / month with AT&T with 450 anytime minutes, free nights and weekends, mobile to mobile (any carrier), unlimited text messages and umlimited data (grandfathered in).

Why wouldn't Virgin Mobile be a great option for me?  Their unlimited plan is $55 / month and it looks like you get a $70 credit if you sign up for a new plan.  Also, it doesn't appear they have any tricked up minute plans so if i went to the $45 plan (1200 anytime minutes) meaning it appears 1200 is 1200.  Not any free additional minutes after 9pm, etc.

A couple of questions:
1) How would this compare with other options based on my data and text needs?

2) is 1200 anytime only 1200 total?  I can't see anything about nights and weekends or mobile to mobile being "free" on their site

3) ive never used it but being in the dallas fort worth area, it seems the coverage is pretty good

4) when i use wifi, that doesn't count against my data use, correct?

[Daley]

Continuing to prepare for when my contract expires in October.

As I've stated before, I use this phone as my professional tether.  I use a fair amount of Wifi for data / email so my GB / month hover around 1.6GB.

Are we talking usage as a WiFi hotspot here for other devices? After all this time, I'm still having difficulty understanding how corporate email can eat up 1-1.6GB of mobile wireless data a month, even and especially using available WiFi at home and work whenever possible. I've got a fully untamed inbox that hasn't been weeded in nearly a decade, and its entire content fits in less hard drive space uncompressed than you seem to be saying you use for e-mail in one month. You usually don't get those sorts of data numbers on mobile devices without streaming media habits. I'm not trying to be harsh here, I'm just trying to be realistic and understand what's going on. It's hard to help when you provide such vague details about what your actual usage habits are. These are critical questions to know the answers to if you're wanting to find the right solution. Spitballing and vague generalities can be fun, but we're talking about trying to find the right prepaid cellular plan for your needs here.

That said, I'm currently paying about $95 / month with AT&T with 450 anytime minutes, free nights and weekends, mobile to mobile (any carrier), unlimited text messages and umlimited data (grandfathered in).

Why wouldn't Virgin Mobile be a great option for me?  Their unlimited plan is $55 / month and it looks like you get a $70 credit if you sign up for a new plan.  Also, it doesn't appear they have any tricked up minute plans so if i went to the $45 plan (1200 anytime minutes) meaning it appears 1200 is 1200.  Not any free additional minutes after 9pm, etc.

Why would Virgin Mobile be a great option for you? Yes, their wholly "unlimited" plan is $55/month, but nobody needs unlimited anything. Instead of just immediately throwing a marketing buzzword at a problem for your solution, you need to know what you actually need first... otherwise, you're probably just wasting money. How many actual minutes do you use per month in total? Where are most of those minutes used - at work, at home, on the road? How many texts do you send? How much data do you actually need for critical functionality versus convenience/boredom usage? How much of those minutes and that data can be supplemented with separate home VoIP and internet usage? Are you tethering to your phone for data with a tablet or laptop and if so, is it necessary? Have you checked network coverage for your area of usage with all four providers to make sure you'll actually get reception with these MVNOs?

Telling me about your current plan only tells me that you've got the AT&T 450 anytime minute plan on a smartphone, it doesn't tell me what your actual usage is. Prepaid works best with hard facts, so you need to work with some hard numbers when shopping for service because there's no "in network" or "off peak" minutes. You get exactly what you pay for with the exclusion of "unlimited" service, which is vague and nebulous terminology used to exploit people's greediness and is usually couched with data throttling and undisclosed soft usage caps that they can use to terminate your service with. Looking solely at the bottom line in money spent per month for supposedly unmetered service isn't going to do you any favors.

A couple of questions:
1) How would this compare with other options based on my data and text needs?

2) is 1200 anytime only 1200 total?  I can't see anything about nights and weekends or mobile to mobile being "free" on their site

3) ive never used it but being in the dallas fort worth area, it seems the coverage is pretty good

4) when i use wifi, that doesn't count against my data use, correct?

1) You provide some solid info on what those needs actually are, then some comparisons can be made to alternate options.

2) Yes.

3) Given you're in DFW, you've probably got decent coverage from all four carriers in the metroplex, which is good... but usually there's only a couple of those four that provides better than average service. Wireless providers get specific reputations in each metro area. If you've had good AT&T service over the years without a lot of network roaming or dropped calls, they're probably one of the better networks in the area. Keep that in mind. If Sprint has a bad local reputation, it might not be the best choice to go with a Sprint MVNO that doesn't allow for Verizon roaming.

4) That question reads vague as there's no quantifier of what is using the WiFi and from where, especially in context of your claimed data requirements. If your phone is using your home internet connection through WiFi, then no... it does not count against your data usage. If you're talking about using your phone as a WiFi hotspot for other devices, then yes... it does count against your data usage.

All this said, are you aware of the Airvoice pricing changes recently? $40 gets you "unlimited" talk and text with 1GB of data now. Pretty clean swap on your iPhone once you get it unlocked, excuse the network configuration changes.

[Sweet Betsy]

Well I guess I should have been watching this thread lately...we were on Talk for Good until today when our coverage was shut off.  What is the best recommendation for a MVNO running on Verizon.  We have our own phones.  Is Page Plus the best bet right now with the caveat to keep our eye on it? 

BTW...I loved Talk for Good.  I am so sad that they cut us off without any notice. 

[Daley]

Well I guess I should have been watching this thread lately...we were on Talk for Good until today when our coverage was shut off.  What is the best recommendation for a MVNO running on Verizon.  We have our own phones.  Is Page Plus the best bet right now with the caveat to keep our eye on it? 

BTW...I loved Talk for Good.  I am so sad that they cut us off without any notice.

For stability sake, yes... Page Plus is the only Verizon MVNO that's likely to have staying power. A couple folks have mentioned Selectel, but it's possible that they may suffer the same fate as TFG come January-ish of next year given Verizon's MVNO restrictions.

[Baylor3217]

I talk about 1500 min per month. I text about 1,000 texts per month.

I do NOT use my phone as a hot spot so any data is for personal and work. I'm not doing 1.6GB per month of mail but I do a fair amount of email. 1.6 is simply total usage on average per month.

With AT&T I have $20 per month for unlimited mobile to mobile and free nights and weekends after 9p.

That said, the remaining min I use are about 300 per month which is covered by the AT&T 450 min plan.

Hope that helps.

Seems the Gorom unlimited plan may be good for me and cut about $30 off my bill per month.

Continuing to prepare for when my contract expires in October.

As I've stated before, I use this phone as my professional tether.  I use a fair amount of Wifi for data / email so my GB / month hover around 1.6GB.

Are we talking usage as a WiFi hotspot here for other devices? After all this time, I'm still having difficulty understanding how corporate email can eat up 1-1.6GB of mobile wireless data a month, even and especially using available WiFi at home and work whenever possible. I've got a fully untamed inbox that hasn't been weeded in nearly a decade, and its entire content fits in less hard drive space uncompressed than you seem to be saying you use for e-mail in one month. You usually don't get those sorts of data numbers on mobile devices without streaming media habits. I'm not trying to be harsh here, I'm just trying to be realistic and understand what's going on. It's hard to help when you provide such vague details about what your actual usage habits are. These are critical questions to know the answers to if you're wanting to find the right solution. Spitballing and vague generalities can be fun, but we're talking about trying to find the right prepaid cellular plan for your needs here.

That said, I'm currently paying about $95 / month with AT&T with 450 anytime minutes, free nights and weekends, mobile to mobile (any carrier), unlimited text messages and umlimited data (grandfathered in).

Why wouldn't Virgin Mobile be a great option for me?  Their unlimited plan is $55 / month and it looks like you get a $70 credit if you sign up for a new plan.  Also, it doesn't appear they have any tricked up minute plans so if i went to the $45 plan (1200 anytime minutes) meaning it appears 1200 is 1200.  Not any free additional minutes after 9pm, etc.

Why would Virgin Mobile be a great option for you? Yes, their wholly "unlimited" plan is $55/month, but nobody needs unlimited anything. Instead of just immediately throwing a marketing buzzword at a problem for your solution, you need to know what you actually need first... otherwise, you're probably just wasting money. How many actual minutes do you use per month in total? Where are most of those minutes used - at work, at home, on the road? How many texts do you send? How much data do you actually need for critical functionality versus convenience/boredom usage? How much of those minutes and that data can be supplemented with separate home VoIP and internet usage? Are you tethering to your phone for data with a tablet or laptop and if so, is it necessary? Have you checked network coverage for your area of usage with all four providers to make sure you'll actually get reception with these MVNOs?

Telling me about your current plan only tells me that you've got the AT&T 450 anytime minute plan on a smartphone, it doesn't tell me what your actual usage is. Prepaid works best with hard facts, so you need to work with some hard numbers when shopping for service because there's no "in network" or "off peak" minutes. You get exactly what you pay for with the exclusion of "unlimited" service, which is vague and nebulous terminology used to exploit people's greediness and is usually couched with data throttling and undisclosed soft usage caps that they can use to terminate your service with. Looking solely at the bottom line in money spent per month for supposedly unmetered service isn't going to do you any favors.

A couple of questions:
1) How would this compare with other options based on my data and text needs?

2) is 1200 anytime only 1200 total?  I can't see anything about nights and weekends or mobile to mobile being "free" on their site

3) ive never used it but being in the dallas fort worth area, it seems the coverage is pretty good

4) when i use wifi, that doesn't count against my data use, correct?

1) You provide some solid info on what those needs actually are, then some comparisons can be made to alternate options.

2) Yes.

3) Given you're in DFW, you've probably got decent coverage from all four carriers in the metroplex, which is good... but usually there's only a couple of those four that provides better than average service. Wireless providers get specific reputations in each metro area. If you've had good AT&T service over the years without a lot of network roaming or dropped calls, they're probably one of the better networks in the area. Keep that in mind. If Sprint has a bad local reputation, it might not be the best choice to go with a Sprint MVNO that doesn't allow for Verizon roaming.

4) That question reads vague as there's no quantifier of what is using the WiFi and from where, especially in context of your claimed data requirements. If your phone is using your home internet connection through WiFi, then no... it does not count against your data usage. If you're talking about using your phone as a WiFi hotspot for other devices, then yes... it does count against your data usage.

All this said, are you aware of the Airvoice pricing changes recently? $40 gets you "unlimited" talk and text with 1GB of data now. Pretty clean swap on your iPhone once you get it unlocked, excuse the network configuration changes.

[grantmeaname]

I do NOT use my phone as a hot spot so any data is for personal and work. I'm not doing 1.6GB per month of mail but I do a fair amount of email. 1.6 is simply total usage on average per month.

How much of that usage could you trim, though, is the question. How much of it is work, and how much is kitten videos? Do you turn on the wifi when you're at home/work/starbucks?

[arebelspy]

How much of it is work, and how much is kitten videos?

There's a difference?

[girly mustache]

I live in Northern California. Today my daughter and I went to our local police open house - they said that even if I do not have an active landline - if I have a phone plugged in I can call 911 anytime - and that they preferred this to my cell phone. Has anyone else heard this? If so, I'm buying a corded now....

[Baylor3217]

I do NOT use my phone as a hot spot so any data is for personal and work. I'm not doing 1.6GB per month of mail but I do a fair amount of email. 1.6 is simply total usage on average per month.

How much of that usage could you trim, though, is the question. How much of it is work, and how much is kitten videos? Do you turn on the wifi when you're at home/work/starbucks?

I'm sure I could trim some but to what end?

[grantmeaname]

Saving money - isn't that why you're here?

[Daley]

I do NOT use my phone as a hot spot so any data is for personal and work. I'm not doing 1.6GB per month of mail but I do a fair amount of email. 1.6 is simply total usage on average per month.

How much of that usage could you trim, though, is the question. How much of it is work, and how much is kitten videos? Do you turn on the wifi when you're at home/work/starbucks?

I'm sure I could trim some but to what end?

To the endpoint at which you're no longer wasting huge gobs of money on wireless services for usage that could either be avoided through pre-planning or waiting until you're home, thereby not using those expensive wireless services in a location where you're already paying for perfectly serviceable wired data access.

Same deal with your minute usage. It sounds like most of that time on the phone is in the evening and on weekends given your minute plan versus your actual usage. If you're making calls from home, explain to me why you should pay for mobile minute rates?

As to your text usage, I imagine most of that is with only 2-3 people as it is with most others. Finding one of the common ground light-data based SMS replacement apps to use with them will take care of most of those texts.

You offload most of your texting to data, you offload most of your calling to a separate home VoIP solution, and you learn a little data discipline, you aren't going to need a $55 plan, or likely even a $30 plan... you'll likely be able to get everything you need for genuine mobile and work related communications for well under $15 a month with no more than a $10 a month increase in home-based communications costs.

Re-read the first seven posts in this thread a couple more times, then sit down and really look at your usage. The fact that you were giving Republic a good hard look at one time indicates that you seem to only value mobile communications up to about the $20-30 range. Realistically, the only way you're going to get to that point is through some sacrifice of convenience (some behavior modification, self discipline, planning ahead, software complexity, additional hardware, multiple phone numbers, or some combination thereof). Fortunately, all these sacrifices are trivial first world problems, and it looks like your usage footprint is a ripe candidate for saving big with a little extra thought at to what your mobile usage needs really are and a little badass muscle exercising... anything less will basically be letting your job and your smartphone dictate your budget.

[Daley]

I live in Northern California. Today my daughter and I went to our local police open house - they said that even if I do not have an active landline - if I have a phone plugged in I can call 911 anytime - and that they preferred this to my cell phone. Has anyone else heard this? If so, I'm buying a corded now....

Yes I have, but it's not universal and it's not consistent, and its actual availability can depend on everything from the telco to the laws of the state/municipality to the building type being serviced. What they speak of is called a warm dial-tone, and it's the sort of thing where the phone company only switches off pay use phone service for fast reconnects. If you plug a phone into a jack and you get a dial-tone but know you don't have phone service, then you'll be able to dial 911. The PSAP should receive a physical address in these situations where it's provided (just as calls over cell service on most modern cellphones should relay GPS coordinates accurate to between 160-500' via the same e911 service extension that sends that address for both soft connected landlines and for VoIP customers), but they will not be able to call back in the case of disconnection, the same with cell phones that have no active service.

https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news/2009/05/update-about-911-and-disconnected-landlines/index.htm

Just keep in mind that running these call centers isn't cheap, and the 911 emergency service fees you pay goes towards their operation.

[notquitefrugal]

I currently have an iPhone 4 (which is showing its age). I use it for music, web browsing, email, and occasional texting. I use about 100 minutes of voice time per month. I'm considering switching to Ting with an Android device.

Another possibility is replacing it with Google Voice, a (fairly limited) Tracfone with wifi, and an iPod Touch. Has anyone gone this route?

[Daley]

I currently have an iPhone 4 (which is showing its age). I use it for music, web browsing, email, and occasional texting. I use about 100 minutes of voice time per month. I'm considering switching to Ting with an Android device.

Another possibility is replacing it with Google Voice, a (fairly limited) Tracfone with wifi, and an iPod Touch. Has anyone gone this route?

Why are your only options Ting and Tracfone? Ting's a good option if you need Sprint coverage, especially if you're trying to run family plans, but it's hardly the only MVNO out there and there's cheaper pay as you go options on the GSM end of things with a wider handset selection and carrier freedom. Tracfone's support is terrible, their proprietary handsets are doubly terrible, and their billed rates thrice so compared to Airvoice or P'tel where you can choose any carrier unlocked GSM phone you like and that fits your needs.

As to the whole smartphone thing, I've linked it more times than I remember, but that's because it's useful and it will be worth running past you since you're swinging between two extremes on handset choices. Read this.

If you're looking to ditch the iPhone, find a phone that actually fits your needs, and then pair it with a provider that does as well. There's a reason why the first seven posts of the Superguide contains the info it does, so you're not having to go out on a ledge with untried solutions with potentially terrible MVNOs... amongst other things.

[notquitefrugal]

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll take another look at Airvoice. I currently have Straight Talk service for the iPhone, so I'm familiar with the customer service horror stories, although I haven't yet had a bad experience. The iPod + crappy phone option appeals to me because it offers the potential to use the same functions I currently use on my iPhone (contact/calendar/bookmark sync, cached Slacker streaming in the car, same apps, etc.) without needing an iPhone at all. On the other hand, carrying around two devices would be inconvenient.

Tracfone's text messaging rates seem to be lower than Airvoice (0.3 credit vs. $0.10 per text), and that's something I use fairly frequently. Several of the MVNOs, such as Virgin Mobile, are not available in my area, and anything that uses Tmobile service isn't a good option either.

[Daley]

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll take another look at Airvoice. I currently have Straight Talk service for the iPhone, so I'm familiar with the customer service horror stories, although I haven't yet had a bad experience. The iPod + crappy phone option appeals to me because it offers the potential to use the same functions I currently use on my iPhone (contact/calendar/bookmark sync, cached Slacker streaming in the car, same apps, etc.) without needing an iPhone at all. On the other hand, carrying around two devices would be inconvenient.

Tracfone's text messaging rates seem to be lower than Airvoice (0.3 credit vs. $0.10 per text), and that's something I use fairly frequently. Several of the MVNOs, such as Virgin Mobile, are not available in my area, and anything that uses Tmobile service isn't a good option either.

If Virgin's off the table due to no Sprint coverage, that takes Ting off the list as well.

Instead of looking at Airvoice's Pay as You Go plans, you should be looking at their $10 plan, which is technically a monthly plan, but is structured the same way as their pay as you go plans complete with rollover of unused credit. Billing is 2¢/SMS, 4¢/minute, 6¢/MB (recent change) on this plan. Given you can't go cheaper than $10/month with Tracfone anyway, and to get sufficient credit for the usage level you're claiming would easily be closer to $20 without going with a Google Voice middleman (which, you get the service you pay for)...

[geekette]

Question regarding Airvoice and data (for when I go off contract in a few months).  I use very little text/talk, but generally somewhere between 100 and 200meg of cellular data per month - I was hoping the $10 plan plus a cash card for the data could work. 

I may be a little dense, but I'm not sure that works, plus it looks like from their website that the data rates on the $10 plan are still .33/meg rather than the .06 I saw upthread.  Have they still not changed it on their website?

The $40 plan would still save me $25/month though, and I wouldn't have to smack my husband's hand every time he reaches for my phone...

[Daley]

Question regarding Airvoice and data (for when I go off contract in a few months).  I use very little text/talk, but generally somewhere between 100 and 200meg of cellular data per month - I was hoping the $10 plan plus a cash card for the data could work. 

I may be a little dense, but I'm not sure that works, plus it looks like from their website that the data rates on the $10 plan are still .33/meg rather than the .06 I saw upthread.  Have they still not changed it on their website?

The $40 plan would still save me $25/month though, and I wouldn't have to smack my husband's hand every time he reaches for my phone...

Rates on the website aren't updated yet, but users are currently only being billed 6¢/MB. I don't believe you can actually use the $10 cash card with the $10 plan, it's for the Unlimited Talk & Text plans with fixed data availability.

Two questions: 1) Is there any way to make a dent in that data usage by using WiFi or eliminating some services or tweaking data access settings on your device? (If you're running Android, things like auto-updates from the Play Store for apps can eat a lot of data if you don't restrict it to WiFi downloads only, for example.) 2) Is there a specific reason you're going Airvoice? If T-Mobile coverage will work, P'tel has data for 10¢/MB, which isn't terrible (it isn't great either, but again... wireless data is expensive)... that'd run you between $10-20 a month-ish.

[geekette]

Question regarding Airvoice and data (for when I go off contract in a few months).  I use very little text/talk, but generally somewhere between 100 and 200meg of cellular data per month - I was hoping the $10 plan plus a cash card for the data could work. 

I may be a little dense, but I'm not sure that works, plus it looks like from their website that the data rates on the $10 plan are still .33/meg rather than the .06 I saw upthread.  Have they still not changed it on their website?

The $40 plan would still save me $25/month though, and I wouldn't have to smack my husband's hand every time he reaches for my phone...

Rates on the website aren't updated yet, but users are currently only being billed 6¢/MB. I don't believe you can actually use the $10 cash card with the $10 plan, it's for the Unlimited Talk & Text plans with fixed data availability.

Two questions: 1) Is there any way to make a dent in that data usage by using WiFi or eliminating some services or tweaking data access settings on your device? (If you're running Android, things like auto-updates from the Play Store for apps can eat a lot of data if you don't restrict it to WiFi downloads only, for example.) 2) Is there a specific reason you're going Airvoice? If T-Mobile coverage will work, P'tel has data for 10¢/MB, which isn't terrible (it isn't great either, but again... wireless data is expensive)... that'd run you between $10-20 a month-ish.

I've been on AT&T for years and I know it works where I need it, so I wanted to stick with an AT&T vendor. I use wifi all the time at home, but end up using up to 200meg/month when I'm out (when we travel, I've gone over).  To get under 100meg/month, I'd have to hide my iPhone from DH when I'm driving and when we're out.  There's always something he wants to look up.  :: smack ::

So what does the cash card work with? 

[Daley]

I've been on AT&T for years and I know it works where I need it, so I wanted to stick with an AT&T vendor. I use wifi all the time at home, but end up using up to 200meg/month when I'm out (when we travel, I've gone over).  To get under 100meg/month, I'd have to hide my iPhone from DH when I'm driving and when we're out.  There's always something he wants to look up.  :: smack ::

So what does the cash card work with?

My only point that I want to raise with your AT&T vendor choice is OldToyota's experience. When you switch to most of these MVNO's, they're network exclusive. OT had changed plans with T-Mobile after being with them in the same location for nearly a decade to a plan that apparently dropped off-network roaming to AT&T, and she lost her reception at home. In her situation, she was basically paying T-Mobile for AT&T coverage at home, and the inverse can just as easily happen. Just because you're with AT&T doesn't necessarily mean most of your service is being provided by AT&T. Check your phone often in its highest usage locations to make sure you're not roaming off network for service, or just turn off all roaming options in the phone's settings for a couple days to see how the phone fares on AT&T exclusive coverage.

Airvoice's Cash Card is meant for overage use on their Unlimited Talk & Text plans (the plans that start at $30/month).

[geekette]

I checked the maps and T-Mobile's coverage won't work for us. AT&T is everywhere around here, and all the places I can think of that we visit.

I already pulled my mom's and my husband's old flip phones off the family share plan over to Airvoice's PAYG (they're VERY lightly used). They've had no complaints, so I'm hopeful I won't either.

Airvoice's $10/month plan, though, is data still .33/meg?  If you run out, you can just pay another $10 and continue on?  Hard to know these things when their website isn't up to date. I wish I could figure things out from their website without having to bug you for interpretation!

[Daley]

I checked the maps and T-Mobile's coverage won't work for us. AT&T is everywhere around here, and all the places I can think of that we visit.

I already pulled my mom's and my husband's old flip phones off the family share plan over to Airvoice's PAYG (they're VERY lightly used). They've had no complaints, so I'm hopeful I won't either.

Airvoice's $10/month plan, though, is data still .33/meg?  If you run out, you can just pay another $10 and continue on?  Hard to know these things when their website isn't up to date. I wish I could figure things out from their website without having to bug you for interpretation!

Sounds like you're good with AT&T coverage then, I just wanted to make sure and certain.

I know the website says 33¢/MB still, but users are only being billed 6¢/MB. Things are in flux with the website after the current price changes, and there's more pending. If you want to be certain, call and confirm with customer support. And yes, if you run out, you just add another chunk on. Their support's friendly, call and get details on how it'd all work. :)

There's also the option of going with H2O Wireless, but their customer support's really bottomed out. If you can live with that caveat, you can do 5¢/minute and text and 10¢/MB of data on the AT&T network as well.

[geekette]

So it seems from this that the $10/month plan might work, especially if I can just throw another $10 at it if I get close to running out before the end of the month.

I wish their web page were better.  I might have to actually <gasp> call and talk to someone...

[notquitefrugal]

If Virgin's off the table due to no Sprint coverage, that takes Ting off the list as well.

There is a decent amount of Sprint coverage (it looks better if you include their roaming partners--as I understand it, Ting will allow you to roam for voice and texting but not data), but Virgin Mobile doesn't offer service in my area. Oh, well. Tmobile is 2G only in my area, while AT&T is 3G. Thanks for the suggestion--I'm leaning toward the Airvoice $10 monthly plan, assuming the new, lower data rate actually sticks.

[Daley]

If Virgin's off the table due to no Sprint coverage, that takes Ting off the list as well.

There is a decent amount of Sprint coverage (it looks better if you include their roaming partners--as I understand it, Ting will allow you to roam for voice and texting but not data), but Virgin Mobile doesn't offer service in my area. Oh, well. Tmobile is 2G only in my area, while AT&T is 3G. Thanks for the suggestion--I'm leaning toward the Airvoice $10 monthly plan, assuming the new, lower data rate actually sticks.

Yes, Ting does allow voice roaming on Verizon (and US Cellular too, apparently), but if you can't get Virgin coverage in your area, you're likely not going to be able to port your number either, and there may be other usage issues as well. Long story short, if you don't have native Sprint coverage for your home location, Ting should be considered a gamble.

As for the whole 2G/3G thing... EDGE data speeds are plenty fine for email and text communications, and the slower data speed might actually help save some unnecessary data usage as well leading to lower costs. Voice coverage should be a primary consideration, not data, especially at your stated usage levels and budget. Now, if T-Mo's general coverage is weak and spotty, then there's a good reason to avoid it.... but if most of the coverage area is solid but data throughput is only 2G/EDGE, it's only data and text doesn't need much. Oklahoma's a fine example: T-Mo has excellent coverage in the state, but most of the area outside of the major metro areas only have 2G data speeds, but it works fine all the same. Just something to consider.

[Daley]

Attention fellow mustachians!

As of last month, Spot Mobile restructured their pricing and launched a new website. I'm not ready to put them on the official list as I don't have any personal experience with them (yet), but it should be noted that there's really not many negative things floating around about these folks over at HoFo or the greater internet and the folks who have had them in the past seem to like them (mind this is from a review back when they were an AT&T primary reseller, they have since gone primarily to T-Mobile now - there's also not a great deal of positive info, either... they've been one of those under the radar MVNOs for the most part).

They've been around since 2008 (which is good), their ad copy seems to pride themselves on their customer support (which could be a good sign), their terms and conditions are relatively reasonable (excuse the hard-line 60 day inactive cutoff with phone number forfeiture), they have a couple interesting monthly packages of note such as a newer introduced $25/month "unlimited" talk and text plan, and though their PAYG options aren't anything to write home about (much like Airvoice's), they're compensated for by the 90 day airtime windows. The only real downside is that you have to have a carrier unlocked GSM phone going in. For some of the more adventurous out there looking for new service, they might be worth looking into. Their primary benefit for folks should be as a gap-filler on some plan options where P'tel and Airvoice don't quite hit the right numbers for you.

[girly mustache]

I live in Northern California. Today my daughter and I went to our local police open house - they said that even if I do not have an active landline - if I have a phone plugged in I can call 911 anytime - and that they preferred this to my cell phone. Has anyone else heard this? If so, I'm buying a corded now....

Yes I have, but it's not universal and it's not consistent, and its actual availability can depend on everything from the telco to the laws of the state/municipality to the building type being serviced. What they speak of is called a warm dial-tone, and it's the sort of thing where the phone company only switches off pay use phone service for fast reconnects. If you plug a phone into a jack and you get a dial-tone but know you don't have phone service, then you'll be able to dial 911. The PSAP should receive a physical address in these situations where it's provided (just as calls over cell service on most modern cellphones should relay GPS coordinates accurate to between 160-500' via the same e911 service extension that sends that address for both soft connected landlines and for VoIP customers), but they will not be able to call back in the case of disconnection, the same with cell phones that have no active service.

https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news/2009/05/update-about-911-and-disconnected-landlines/index.htm

Just keep in mind that running these call centers isn't cheap, and the 911 emergency service fees you pay goes towards their operation.

Thanks IP!

[frugalman]

Airvoice website has undergone major changes.

Here's a link to their new unlimited plans page https://www.airvoicewireless.com/PlansA.aspx

[Baylor3217]

iPhone 4S on go smart?  Do I have to jailbreak the phoneorreplace a sim?

How is T mobile in DFW?  I've generally heard it sucks. They have a hot chick in their commercials though.