Cell phone coverage East Coast

[caltexflanc]

There some MVNO's on Verizon, particularly in the America Movil (Carlos Slim) family, like Page Plus, as well as independents like Red Pocket. Verizon is late to the party on their own prepaid offerings, and rather than go the second brand route (ala MetroPCS, Boost/Virgin and Cricket) are beginning to open prepaid-centric Verizon branded stores in neighborhoods they'd never put a post-paid store, primarily using resellers. Their problem is that the budget consumer doesn't roam outside of their immediate neighborhood, let alone metro area... so why not use T-Mobile or Sprint if it's cheaper?

I have a few clients in the midst of all of the above. There are now more cellphones than people in the US (not uncommon in other countries either), so it's a dog fight. Low average revenue per number "internet of things" applications such as the connected car and remote industrial monitoring and "smart city" applications are big growth areas.

The standards for 5G just got agreed on the other day, and will begin to be commercialized in a year or so, setting off another battle. The frontier there will be competing with the cable companies and local phone providers (and in some areas satellite) for the fixed internet market.

 

[Benthic2]

I know this thread is more about reception than speed, but if you're noticing slower speeds on iPhones, its because Apple is intentionally slowing down its older phones, like the 7, 6, 6S, and the SE.

 

[BandB]

I know this thread is more about reception than speed, but if you're noticing slower speeds on iPhones, its because Apple is intentionally slowing down its older phones, like the 7, 6, 6S, and the SE.

Yes, and lawsuits already underway. They will be forced to reverse course. Apple's stated reason is to reduce battery usage as they claim using current speeds would eat up battery time on old phones to the point people would really be upset. Those going after Apple say it's nothing but a trick to force people to upgrade.

 

[catalinajack]

That shows how it all varies by location and use. In South Florida, all services are great so Sprint is very popular based on price and equal service. Boost and Virgin then follow along with 5 for $100 and $35 and such and then T-Mobile was booming but slowed down by Sprint lowering prices, now picking up a lot of seniors with their plan while Metro's $30 plans doing great.

Straight Talk and Walmart selling heavily to seniors. I'm still shocked Cricket doesn't take off with $30 plans but ATT just waited too long to push to the reseller market. Verizon the only one not owning other brands.

And the one to watch I believe still is Google. Project FI is lousy today but the concept is most interesting if they ever really get serious about it.

No, US Cellular has excellent coverage here in terms of service, just no coverage in terms of stores and recognition.

Project Fi? Lousy? Not in our experience. I have Verizon, wife has Fi. We have yet to travel anywhere where we didn't have coverage at the same time. Plus, if you are an international traveler, Project Fi is seemless, that is, the charges remain exactly the same, no roaming charges, no surcharges, no special access charges.

 

[catalinajack]

Yes, and lawsuits already underway. They will be forced to reverse course. Apple's stated reason is to reduce battery usage as they claim using current speeds would eat up battery time on old phones to the point people would really be upset. Those going after Apple say it's nothing but a trick to force people to upgrade.

Apple products have always been highly overpriced in my opinion. I have never been impressed with I-phones as compared to any current Android product.

 

[ranger58sb]

There some MVNO's on Verizon, particularly in the America Movil (Carlos Slim) family, like Page Plus, as well as independents like Red Pocket. Verizon is late to the party on their own prepaid offerings, and rather than go the second brand route (ala MetroPCS, Boost/Virgin and Cricket) are beginning to open prepaid-centric Verizon branded stores in neighborhoods they'd never put a post-paid store, primarily using resellers. Their problem is that the budget consumer doesn't roam outside of their immediate neighborhood, let alone metro area... so why not use T-Mobile or Sprint if it's cheaper?

Do any of the pre-paid and/or less expensive retailers support both GSM and CDMA?

We keep one phone on AT&T and another on VZ, specifically because of coverage issue, holes, etc., originally here on the Chesapeake but also for "in general" boat travel. It's much better here now than it was in '95 or so (for example), but we still find dead spots with one or the other phone. And have seen the dead spots in coastal NC and SC during our current ride... And having both GSM and CDMA phones very useful...

But at the same time, we don't much talk on the things, so we have a bazillion "minutes" (or would do, if they rolled) and no real need for two bazillion dollar monthly bills...

-Chris

 

[danderer]

Apple's stated reason is to reduce battery usage as they claim using current speeds would eat up battery time on old phones to the point people would really be upset.

That isn't what Apple said. What they said was:

Lithium-ion batteries become less capable of supplying peak current demands when in cold conditions, have a low battery charge or as they age over time, which can result in the device unexpectedly shutting down to protect its electronic components.

Last year we released a feature for iPhone 6, iPhone 6s and iPhone SE to smooth out the instantaneous peaks only when needed to prevent the device from unexpectedly shutting down during these conditions.

If you take them at their word -- and I have no reason not to -- the intent is not to extend battery time (as in "runs for X hours on a charge") but rather to limit the peak current draw on older batteries. If an old battery can't supply the instantaneous draw requested the device may well reboot.

To bring this back to boating I've seen several electronics manufacturers, when dealing with issues of their systems spontaneously rebooting, emphasize the need for the installation to provide clean, adequate power. Inadequate power = reboot, phone or MFD.

 

[BandB]

Project Fi? Lousy? Not in our experience. I have Verizon, wife has Fi. We have yet to travel anywhere where we didn't have coverage at the same time. Plus, if you are an international traveler, Project Fi is seemless, that is, the charges remain exactly the same, no roaming charges, no surcharges, no special access charges.

I said lousy at the present but the concept may still have potential. Yes, like everything, we had to test it. We were not impressed. We also didn't find it completely seamless. Did lose calls occasionally when switching left the tower of one carrier and picked up another carrier. A bit like when we use to have the early editions of Sprint Airave because we couldn't get a good signal inside our home. Well, when we'd arrive home, pull into the garage, if we were on a call, we'd lose it, not a seamless switch so never made a call when about to leave home either. Current versions have corrected that.

 

[BandB]

Apple products have always been highly overpriced in my opinion. I have never been impressed with I-phones as compared to any current Android product.

It's not much different than computers, switching not advised. When Samsung owners decide to try an iPhone they are nearly always disappointed. They don't get excited about what they gain, the new features, just disappointed over what they lose and often very upset over having to pay for apps. I would imagine those switching from iPhones to Samsungs feel much the same although I haven't heard it as much, likely because they're hooked and won't switch.

While I find fans of different products to be committed to what they have, I find fans of iProducts to be somewhat blindly addicted and lacking knowledge about Android and Windows and Chrome and Samsung and LG and all the rest. I was talking to someone recently who was talking about what he didn't like about Windows. I asked what version. The last experience they had with Windows was version 3.1.

 

[caltexflanc]

Do any of the pre-paid and/or less expensive retailers support both GSM and CDMA?

We keep one phone on AT&T and another on VZ, specifically because of coverage issue, holes, etc., originally here on the Chesapeake but also for "in general" boat travel. It's much better here now than it was in '95 or so (for example), but we still find dead spots with one or the other phone. And have seen the dead spots in coastal NC and SC during our current ride... And having both GSM and CDMA phones very useful...

Not sure what you mean, but the Trac Fone family of brands have offerings using each carrier network, as do other MVNOs like Red Pocket. Some of the new Motorola international unlocked phones, with two SIM slots, will take a GSM SIm as well as a Verizon SIM. Or the US version like sold on Amazon Prime, with a single SIM slot, you keep one SIM in your wallet and switch them out when need be, doesn't take but a minute. The whole CDMA/GSM thing is slowly disappearing as an issue, as the carriers switch to voice over LTE, and users opt for apps like SKype which use the data network. Slide an ATT SIM into a verizon iPhone sometime, it'll probably work, all newer Verizon phones are unlocked, network wise.

Someday, phones will come with a built in "Universal SIM" access to all networks built in, similar to what Apple does now on its iPads, where you select your carrier. At some point, someone like Google or Apple will do this on phones, and everyday you will be to conduct an "auction" amongst the carriers for who gets your business that day, which you can base on rate or coverage. Then threads like this one will become obsolete.

 

[Larry M]

Do any of the pre-paid and/or less expensive retailers support both GSM and CDMA?

-Chris

We have an unlocked Moto 4G plus and we use prepaid plans. I was just in Costco the other day and they had the unlocked Moto 5G plus for $159. It looks like it'll work.

https://www.costco.com/Moto-G5-Plus-Unlocked.product.100360682.html

CDMA (850, 850+,1900 MHz)
GSM/GPRS/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
UMTS/HSPA+ (850, 900, 1700, 1900, 2100 MHz)
4G LTE (B1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 25, 26, 38, 41, 66)

 

[caltexflanc]

We have an unlocked Moto 4G plus and we use prepaid plans. I was just in Costco the other day and they had the unlocked Moto 5G plus for $159. It looks like it'll work.

https://www.costco.com/Moto-G5-Plus-Unlocked.product.100360682.html

CDMA (850, 850+,1900 MHz)
GSM/GPRS/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
UMTS/HSPA+ (850, 900, 1700, 1900, 2100 MHz)
4G LTE (B1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 25, 26, 38, 41, 66)

Yes, it does work. I have one of those models, very nice phone and terrific value. It is a single SIM unit so if to switch you have to open the little SIM tray with a pin or the little tool provided and switch out. Then a small bit of reconfiguring and restart and voila!

I originally got it to check out the "Amazon Prime" version and find myself using it 80% of the time.

 

[caltexflanc]

Not sure what you mean, but the Trac Fone family of brands have offerings using each carrier network, as do other MVNOs like Red Pocket. Some of the new Motorola international unlocked phones, with two SIM slots, will take a GSM SIm as well as a Verizon SIM. Or the US version like sold on Amazon Prime, with a single SIM slot, you keep one SIM in your wallet and switch them out when need be, doesn't take but a minute. The whole CDMA/GSM thing is slowly disappearing as an issue, as the carriers switch to voice over LTE, and users opt for apps like SKype which use the data network. Slide an ATT SIM into a verizon iPhone sometime, it'll probably work, all newer Verizon phones are unlocked, network wise.

Someday, phones will come with a built in "Universal SIM" access to all networks built in, similar to what Apple does now on its iPads, where you select your carrier. At some point, someone like Google or Apple will do this on phones, and everyday you will be to conduct an "auction" amongst the carriers for who gets your business that day, which you can base on rate or coverage. Then threads like this one will become obsolete.

I was just talking to the head tech of a client of mine and he advised me that the international dual SIM Motos he'd seen, including the dual sim version g5plus, are NOT Verizon compatible.

 

[ranger58sb]

Not sure what you mean, but the Trac Fone family of brands have offerings using each carrier network, as do other MVNOs like Red Pocket. Some of the new Motorola international unlocked phones, with two SIM slots, will take a GSM SIm as well as a Verizon SIM. Or the US version like sold on Amazon Prime, with a single SIM slot, you keep one SIM in your wallet and switch them out when need be, doesn't take but a minute. The whole CDMA/GSM thing is slowly disappearing as an issue, as the carriers switch to voice over LTE, and users opt for apps like SKype which use the data network. Slide an ATT SIM into a verizon iPhone sometime, it'll probably work, all newer Verizon phones are unlocked, network wise.

Someday, phones will come with a built in "Universal SIM" access to all networks built in, similar to what Apple does now on its iPads, where you select your carrier. At some point, someone like Google or Apple will do this on phones, and everyday you will be to conduct an "auction" amongst the carriers for who gets your business that day, which you can base on rate or coverage. Then threads like this one will become obsolete.

I probably wasn't clear...

We have two (Samsung Galaxy 5) phones, one on AT&T and one on Verizon, therefore two separate contracts. What I'm wondering is if there's a way to make that one contract with one company, using these two existing phones (at least for a good while)... still being able to use one phone or the other when we're in Europe or the islands or wherever.

And ideally to reduce our monthly cost by about half or whatever.

Most of the contract offers I see seem like good deals for families with at least two kids who all yak on the phone a lot, browse endlessly, and stream mega-movies every three minutes. We don't have those pesky young encumbrances, and we don't yak/stream/browse much.

-Chris

 

[knotheadcharters]

I sail as a Merchant Mariner and most of us use T-Mobile as there International coverage and charges beats the crap out of any other carrier. I have seen signal as far as 20NM of the coast. I saw that in Iceland, England, Scotland, South Korea and the Philippines. No enhanced signal boosters. I don't sail off the East coast but that is what I have experienced.

 

[caltexflanc]

I probably wasn't clear...

We have two (Samsung Galaxy 5) phones, one on AT&T and one on Verizon, therefore two separate contracts. What I'm wondering is if there's a way to make that one contract with one company, using these two existing phones (at least for a good while)... still being able to use one phone or the other when we're in Europe or the islands or wherever.

And ideally to reduce our monthly cost by about half or whatever.

Most of the contract offers I see seem like good deals for families with at least two kids who all yak on the phone a lot, browse endlessly, and stream mega-movies every three minutes. We don't have those pesky young encumbrances, and we don't yak/stream/browse much.

-Chris

Don't get a contract, use pre-paid plans instead.

Or just go with one carrier and carry a spare phone for use as needed.

For instance, we use ATT as our main carrier. They have a feature you can add to any of your lines that extends your US contract terms to the foreign country you are in, IF you use your phone on a particular day. Costs 10 bucks for each day you use it. I always have a spare phone or two with me. We lost one of our phones in Italy. I went to a nearby cell store and bought a Vodafone SIM for about 25 bucks that had more than enough minutes and data for the rest of the trip including some minutes for calls to the US. So each of us had a cell phone still.

On other trips, I've carried an unlocked dual SIM phone, with my ATT SIM in one slot and a local SIM (Orange, Telefonica, whoever) in the other. Gave me a local number for colleagues and friends to call. The variations these days are endless depending on what your needs are.

 

[ranger58sb]

Don't get a contract, use pre-paid plans instead.

Sure, that would be OK. Are there companies that can handle both of our current GSM and our CDMA phones?

Barring water damage or some such, we usually get about 10 years out of a cell phone... and these are only about 2-3 years old each...

-Chris

 

[BandB]

Sure, that would be OK. Are there companies that can handle both of our current GSM and our CDMA phones?

Barring water damage or some such, we usually get about 10 years out of a cell phone... and these are only about 2-3 years old each...

-Chris

You are really bad for business. lol. You don't realize that you're supposed to trade and move up every 2-3 years? You're right about the lives of them but that's not the way most people do it.

 

[catalinajack]

I was just talking to the head tech of a client of mine and he advised me that the international dual SIM Motos he'd seen, including the dual sim version g5plus, are NOT Verizon compatible.

Not true, at least as to my unlocked US version LG G6. I just switched from AT&T to Verizon. Worked just fine. My wife has a Moto x4 for her Google Fi service that will also work on Verizon and AT&T. There are plenty of Android options now available such that one no longer must be locked to a specific carrier.

 

[ranger58sb]

You are really bad for business. lol. You don't realize that you're supposed to trade and move up every 2-3 years? You're right about the lives of them but that's not the way most people do it.

Our computers usually last 10-15 years or so, too...



-Chris

 

[caltexflanc]

Not true, at least as to my unlocked US version LG G6. I just switched from AT&T to Verizon. Worked just fine. My wife has a Moto x4 for her Google Fi service that will also work on Verizon and AT&T. There are plenty of Android options now available such that one no longer must be locked to a specific carrier.

I should have made it clearer than I already did that if you have VoLTE it will probably work. I haven't used a Moto Google Fiber. I'll have to take a look at one.