1. #1
    kimmy573
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    is tmobile a good service provider? i wanna use them with my motorola v180 with prepaid service.please lte me know of any pro's and cons


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  2. #2
    roberts1953
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    Re: tmobile prepaid

    First, make sure your v180 is unlocked to work on tmobile prepaid. Cons are that tmobile's prepaid coverage is primarily in cities and major highways, and lacks covergave in many in between rural areas. This is because the prepaid only operates on tmobile native network. It doesn't roam at all, even if there is a GSM signal. You will still be able to call 911 where there is a signal, but that wont do you any good if your car breaks down.

    Another con is that the tmobile to go towers only operate on GSM 1900. If you are in an area with a weak signal you may get dropped calls or no calls indoors. GSM 850 has better indoor penetration, which the prepay doesn't use.

    The pros are numerous, though. First, if you are "in town" then indoor penetration is good. Also, tmobile prepaid offers the most detailed and accurate coverage map of any provider. http://www.t-mobile.com/coverage/prepaid.aspx. So you know "to the street level" if the coverage will work for your needs. Now to the fun stuff, minutes. When you buy a $100 card you get 1000 minutes that are good for a year, and there are no extra fees. $.10/min is about the best rate you can get in prepaid. And the on year expiration is also one of the most gererous. Plus, once you reach the $100 level you have "Gold Rewards" status. This gives bonus minutes with each additional refill. Also, at that point any additional refill cards extend all remaing minutes for another year. That means it will cost a minimum of $10/year to keep our acount active after you reach GR.
    SMS is 10 cents out and FREE in. MMS is 25 cents out and FREE in. Also, you have access to FREE tzones. But it is limited to CNN, ABC news, ESPN, and your account info. News, weather, and scores isn't a lot, but it doesn't cost anything. Tmobile now provides online account access to prepaid customers. Also tmobile's customer service is top notch. Also, tmobile has a huge supply of local numbers. Many prepaid service wont hve a local number available for you, even though they provide service in the area. But tmobile has numbers everywhere.

    To start out service, the cheapest way is to buy a tmobile SIM on ebay. It will cost $6-11 including shipping, and comes with 60-150 starting minutes. Just drop the SIM into your unlocked phone. You can buy the same tmobile SIM at a tmobile store but you will overpay considerably. You can configure your unlocked phone for tmolbile for free on their website, for tzones, SMS, and MMS.

    Overall, if the coverage works for you, you get the best rates and expirations.
    If you travel and need extra coverage I would still use tmobile as a primary phone, but supplement it with www.pagepluscellular.com. This will cost a minimum of $30/year and will give you all of verizon's network (some as expensive roaming). This as an emergency phone is the perfect tandem to tmobles prepaid service.



  3. #3
    kimmy573
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    Re: tmobile prepaid

    thanks!



  4. #4
    beastman223
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    Re: tmobile prepaid

    So once you purchase the Sim Card off ebay and insert it into the unlocked phone, how do you go about getting more minutes? Does the Sim Card come with an automatic T-Mobile account or what?



  5. #5
    Bourn Identity
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    Re: tmobile prepaid

    Quote Originally Posted by beastman223
    So once you purchase the Sim Card off ebay and insert it into the unlocked phone, how do you go about getting more minutes? Does the Sim Card come with an automatic T-Mobile account or what?
    All you will need to do is purchase T-Mobile To Go refill cards to add more minutes to your account. You can find them at Wal-Mart, Target, most T-Mobile Direct/Indirect locations, 7-Eleven, etc.



  6. #6
    beastman223
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    Re: tmobile prepaid

    Is it possible to get an online account if you don't buy the phone/plan/sim card, through the T-Mobile web site?



  7. #7
    BlkBear
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    Re: tmobile prepaid

    Beastman no matter how you do it, walk into store or online, to buy the FIRST prepaid SIM card, you will need the INFORMATION from the first SIM card in front of your eyes to activate it, before you can refill or use mins, and of course the actual prepaid SIM card to put into the phone of course.

    And I think the only way to do that, is to have the information and the FIRST sim card, in your hot little hands.



  8. #8
    Tom95060
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    Re: tmobile prepaid

    Quote Originally Posted by roberts1953
    If you travel and need extra coverage I would still use tmobile as a primary phone, but supplement it with :: Page Plus Cellular: Nationwide Prepaid Cellular ::. This will cost a minimum of $30/year and will give you all of verizon's network (some as expensive roaming). This as an emergency phone is the perfect tandem to tmobles prepaid service.
    Why do you recommend using Pagepluscellular a "supplement" (versus just replacing TMO2GO)? Can you manage both services in the same phone (e.g., the NOKIA 3595 I currently use for TMO2GO)? Tks.



  9. #9
    REparsed
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    Re: tmobile prepaid

    PagePlus is CDMA (Verizon) and T-Mobile is GSM.
    Last edited by REparsed; 05-18-2006 at 10:04 PM.



  10. #10
    Tom95060
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    Re: tmobile prepaid

    Quote Originally Posted by REparsed
    PagePlus is CDMA (Verizon) and T-Mobile is GSM.
    That answers the second question! Thanks. I assume Roberts1953's recommendation to use PagePlus as complement to TMO2GO (versus as a replacement) is that TMO2GO is significantly less expensive when they have the coverage and the cost (and hassle) of an additional phone is a reasonable price to pay for emergency covergage through PagePlus.



  11. #11
    roberts1953
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    Re: tmobile prepaid

    Exactly. If tmobile offers coverage in your area and the majority of places you travel, then they are one of the best prepaids. You can buy a 1 year $100 card for $93 and bring your rate to 9 cents/min. Plus your original balance from your activation will be converted to the low rate of the $100 card.

    The only downside to tmobile prepaid is the lack of rural coverage in some areas. If this is important hen Page Plus as an emergency/backup phone only costs $30/year and has all CDMA coverage, some with expensive roaming, but coverage none the less. If you live in a native Verizon coverage area and only want 1 phone Page Plus is an excellent choice. Better coverage then tmobile, but shorter expirations and a slightly higher per minute rate.



  12. #12
    REparsed
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    Re: tmobile prepaid

    I took the plunge and signed up for T-Mobile ToGo. I was at the Hamvention in Dayton OH this past weekend and T-Mobile had a booth set up. The price was right so I got the Nokia 6010.

    When I got home I checked signal strength in my usual haunts and in most places I have all the bars! Even in the basement of a hundred year old hotel (the place that turns my PagePlus phone into a paper weight, ‘searching for service’) I had full signal strength.



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