Old plan/phone and new GSM plan

I was hoping someone had a suggestion for me. My wife and I are on an
older non-gsm plan. We want to move to a new GSM plan that is more
expensive than the one we have now. My wife "qualifies" for a new
free GSM compatible phone, but I do not becuase I got a new phone only
a year ago. So, they are saying I will have to pay full price for a
new phone (my old v60 is not GSM compatible).
To cancel the contract I will have to pay $150. Do you think I am
better off 1. buying a new phone at full price, 2. Canceling the
contract, paying $150, and going to a different provider? or 3.
Canceling the contract, paying the $150, and going back to cingular
for a new plan and free (or cheap) phones?

Jack

In article <5f928b21.0404260728.5c552e5f@posting.google.com >,
jack.stewart@tyson.com says...
> I was hoping someone had a suggestion for me. My wife and I are on an
> older non-gsm plan. We want to move to a new GSM plan that is more
> expensive than the one we have now. My wife "qualifies" for a new
> free GSM compatible phone, but I do not becuase I got a new phone only
> a year ago. So, they are saying I will have to pay full price for a
> new phone (my old v60 is not GSM compatible).
> To cancel the contract I will have to pay $150. Do you think I am
> better off 1. buying a new phone at full price, 2. Canceling the
> contract, paying $150, and going to a different provider? or 3.
> Canceling the contract, paying the $150, and going back to cingular
> for a new plan and free (or cheap) phones?
>
> Jack
>
If you could wait a little longer, probability is that Cingular will be
offering free GSM phones to everyone on an old tdma plan--regardless of
how new a phone they have--as an "incentive" to switch to the GSM plans.
Let "them" come to you instead of you going to them. When--people
originally said about 6 months after the gsm conversion was done. What
are you "gaining" in switching to a new more-expensive plan now--besides
phones with a next-to-useless camera built in? At least in DFW the new
GSM stuff is still having some problems--noticable "echos" (sometimes so
bad you have to hang up and call back) and random drops in signal
strength.
--
Jud
Dallas TX USA

The echo problem is not just in DFW, it is pretty much all the 850 mhz GSM
conversion markets w/Cingular. That's why I cancelled my Cingular service
and stayed w/ my Sprint PCS service. Also the SIM card fried itself and I
wasn't going to pay the $25 for a new SIM card. Paid the $150 ETFee with 9
months left on my contract ($450). GSM is a joke, that's why WCDMA is
already being planned for a GSM overlay in the near future.

Chris

"Jud Hardcastle" <l5i5changethistodash5rbo@xemaps.removethis.com> wrote in
message news:MPG.1af6f0bdf37a800989749@news.dallas.sbcglob al.net...
> In article <5f928b21.0404260728.5c552e5f@posting.google.com >,
> jack.stewart@tyson.com says...
> > I was hoping someone had a suggestion for me. My wife and I are on an
> > older non-gsm plan. We want to move to a new GSM plan that is more
> > expensive than the one we have now. My wife "qualifies" for a new
> > free GSM compatible phone, but I do not becuase I got a new phone only
> > a year ago. So, they are saying I will have to pay full price for a
> > new phone (my old v60 is not GSM compatible).
> > To cancel the contract I will have to pay $150. Do you think I am
> > better off 1. buying a new phone at full price, 2. Canceling the
> > contract, paying $150, and going to a different provider? or 3.
> > Canceling the contract, paying the $150, and going back to cingular
> > for a new plan and free (or cheap) phones?
> >
> > Jack
> >
> If you could wait a little longer, probability is that Cingular will be
> offering free GSM phones to everyone on an old tdma plan--regardless of
> how new a phone they have--as an "incentive" to switch to the GSM plans.
> Let "them" come to you instead of you going to them. When--people
> originally said about 6 months after the gsm conversion was done. What
> are you "gaining" in switching to a new more-expensive plan now--besides
> phones with a next-to-useless camera built in? At least in DFW the new
> GSM stuff is still having some problems--noticable "echos" (sometimes so
> bad you have to hang up and call back) and random drops in signal
> strength.
> --
> Jud
> Dallas TX USA

"Jack" <jack.stewart@tyson.com> wrote in message
news:5f928b21.0404260728.5c552e5f@posting.google.c om...
> I was hoping someone had a suggestion for me. My wife and I are on an
> older non-gsm plan. We want to move to a new GSM plan that is more
> expensive than the one we have now. My wife "qualifies" for a new
> free GSM compatible phone, but I do not becuase I got a new phone only
> a year ago. So, they are saying I will have to pay full price for a
> new phone (my old v60 is not GSM compatible).
> To cancel the contract I will have to pay $150. Do you think I am
> better off 1. buying a new phone at full price, 2. Canceling the
> contract, paying $150, and going to a different provider? or 3.
> Canceling the contract, paying the $150, and going back to cingular
> for a new plan and free (or cheap) phones?
>
> Jack

How about number 4:

Buy a brand new GSM phone off ebay for about 1/2 price of full retail (less,
maybe). Then walk into the nearest cingular store with both old phones plus
your new phone you got off ebay, and walk out with two brand new gsm phones
on the Cingular Nation GSM plan. You might have to buy a sim card for both
new phones, but those are cheap. Cingular told me they'd send me a sim card
for free if I wanted to activate a phone I already own on Cingular. But
that was a deal offered to me over the phone, it might not apply at a
cingular retail store.

I'd suggest you look for a Nokia 3595 or Motorola T720. Both of those are
good, reliable and SHOULD be cheap on ebay. Try to get a brand new one that
was actually branded for cingular . . . or make sure the phone you get is
GSM, and unlocked. -Dave

I agree with Jud.

Why pay to 'upgragde' to a more expensive plan. Stay with the older,
cheaper plan.


"Jud Hardcastle" <l5i5changethistodash5rbo@xemaps.removethis.com> wrote in
message news:MPG.1af6f0bdf37a800989749@news.dallas.sbcglob al.net...
> In article <5f928b21.0404260728.5c552e5f@posting.google.com >,
> jack.stewart@tyson.com says...
> > I was hoping someone had a suggestion for me. My wife and I are on an
> > older non-gsm plan. We want to move to a new GSM plan that is more
> > expensive than the one we have now. My wife "qualifies" for a new
> > free GSM compatible phone, but I do not becuase I got a new phone only
> > a year ago. So, they are saying I will have to pay full price for a
> > new phone (my old v60 is not GSM compatible).
> > To cancel the contract I will have to pay $150. Do you think I am
> > better off 1. buying a new phone at full price, 2. Canceling the
> > contract, paying $150, and going to a different provider? or 3.
> > Canceling the contract, paying the $150, and going back to cingular
> > for a new plan and free (or cheap) phones?
> >
> > Jack
> >
> If you could wait a little longer, probability is that Cingular will be
> offering free GSM phones to everyone on an old tdma plan--regardless of
> how new a phone they have--as an "incentive" to switch to the GSM plans.
> Let "them" come to you instead of you going to them. When--people
> originally said about 6 months after the gsm conversion was done. What
> are you "gaining" in switching to a new more-expensive plan now--besides
> phones with a next-to-useless camera built in? At least in DFW the new
> GSM stuff is still having some problems--noticable "echos" (sometimes so
> bad you have to hang up and call back) and random drops in signal
> strength.
> --
> Jud
> Dallas TX USA

"Richie" <richie@pacbell.net> wrote in message
news:Mufjc.1852$T73.108@newssvr27.news.prodigy.com ...
> I agree with Jud.
>
> Why pay to 'upgragde' to a more expensive plan. Stay with the older,
> cheaper plan.
>
>

It depends on how you use the phone. If you upgrade to a more expensive
nation plan, you could actually save a ton on roaming charges. That is,
they drop to zero. -Dave

> GSM is a joke, that's why WCDMA is
> already being planned for a GSM overlay in the near future.

Will WCDMA phones incorporate SIM cards?