yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] LionAR10:
I'm not going to tell you to piss off :) I just don't know about other hardware and frankly, my time budget for this thread is limited to researching the providers, not the hardware. (Watching other forums like Hofo, news websites, scanning the providers sites, etc) I have no idea what other phones are pentaband, or even usable in what/which scenarios.

Personally, I agree with you. This applies to much more than the GN, but it's the GN I have and the GN community I know better than anything else, except perhaps for the Nexus S community, which was my last phone.

I'd like to convince a lot of people to go this way, it would push positive change in the market. But in most of my friends only a select few haven't choked on the first step: Pay real money for a phone. Even when you show them then math they still don't want to open their wallets for that initial outlay. Luckily I don't have to fight that one with the GSM GN .. we all paid real money for it. This idea is much easier once yet get over that very real ... and very large roadblock in people's minds.

edit: And I don't mean to be negative, but if it's not stickied atop the GN:G forum, it's not likely to get that spot in the larger general forums. Frankly I'm just happy this is helping people, stickied or not.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] LionAR10:
Yeah, get the regular ("mini") .. the micro-to-mini adapters sometimes can be a pain and not fit right, or be loose.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] jvrobert:
I agree it would be nice to have information on other phone choices, though I went GNex myself and am very happy. Really need a good, maintained list of penta-band phones now and in the future.

As for 100 minutes, I think it will be enough for me even if I have an off month and need to talk 250 minutes.

Reason is Google voice. I ported my "public" phone number (my previous cell # on Sprint) to Google Voice. I consider my t-mobile prepaid number to be "throw away". I direct Google voice to call my t-mobile phone and it works perfectly.

If I get close to my 100 minutes, I'll switch over to using Groove IP or Talkatone with Google voice, then won't be using talk minutes. For my use 5 gigs is _plenty_ for voice plus my other data needs to I'm good.

Thanks to this forum for turning me onto this, I'm saving money and trying to convince anyone I talk to about cell phones to go the prepaid route.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] martonikaj:
Nice! That's what we like to hear.

---------- Post added at 11:48 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:44 PM ----------

It really should be, though. 20,250 views and 353 replies...

And the thing is, pentaband isn't a requirement for going prepaid, its just an extra feature that gives you more options. There are lots of quadband phones that come unlocked and offer you the ability to move to prepaid. Apple (gasp!) is a great example of a company selling unlocked phones directly online to the US (not a lot of manufacturers do this because of the carriers mostly). I know none of us here would really consider it but there are a lot of our friends/family who want an iPhone. Have them buy a factory unlocked iPhone and pop that Straight Talk SIM in it and they're off to the races.

I think one of the big issues is that Prepaid either gets associated with cheap burner phones or obscure imported European phones. It doesn't have to be that way. You can have a lot of device choice when it comes to Prepaid if you do your research and find the deals.

I could have a Galaxy Nexus on T-Mobile (Walmart) and an iPhone 4S on AT&T (Straight Talk) for the price I was paying for just 1 line of T-Mobile Postpaid if I wanted to. Choices are good!
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] kurtosterhage:
For those of you wanting information on other phones, I asked the site Android and Me to do a buyers guide for prepaid users, because of the huge number of choices, and they said that they would try to have one out this week.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] :
My bad! That's what I get for repling in the middle of the night.

I didn't take it in any negative way shape or form. Like I said: It's your thread, I'm just happy to play in the sandbox. :)

Agreed. Hardware, software, provider.

Very cool. please post when it's done and up.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Cabal_:
Any interest in adding the Net10 SIM plan to the front page? It's the same thing as the Straight Talk BYOP plan (both are Tracfone) but costs $5 more. However, Net10 is sold through a lot of online retailers, and it may be of interest to people who:

- live in a high sales tax state

- don't want to deal with Walmart

- will put in the effort to find Net10 deals/coupons online
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] gadgetluva:
Thanks to martonikaj and LionAR10, I ordered a Galaxy Nexus from Amazon and I went to a local WalMart Express and bought the $30 phone (good backup/loaner) and was up and running. I chose the $30 100min/Unlimited SMS/5GB Data plan and have been enjoying it ever since the last week of February. I evaluated all of the options LionAR10 listed, and concluded that the T-Mobile plan was the best. To be honest, 100min won't be enough for me as I usually use ~300 min total per month, but the extra 200 minutes will only cost me an extra $20/month (roughly based on usage patterns). Given that I have the option to jump up to the $70 unlimited plan, I'm comfortable paying for what I use for now. Plus, my service through Sprint was around $90/month and the VZW service I also trialed would have cost me closer to $100. At the end of the day, I'm still saving money by year's end with the $600 Galaxy Nexus. After about 5 days of evaluating prepaid, I ended up porting my number over from Sprint (no ETF as they agreed to waive it in exchange for my SE4GTSGSII) and have been happy since.

I'm going to be honest - I've always thought prepaid was for "poor" people based on the media and advertisements, and I fully admit to my stupidity and falling prey to ridiculous stereotypes. But going prepaid and getting the phones that I want without the chains associated with contracts is a great feeling. Having other options like Simple Mobile, Straight Talk, etc. is great as well. Here in Chicago, T-Mobile is a vastly superior network to AT&T, and given that the Galaxy Nexus is pentaband and unlocked, I have a wide variety of options going forward.

Thanks again to all in this great community!
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] martonikaj:
Glad it worked out for you. Always good to see a success story.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] ninjames:
So I just want to ask straight-up -- have any of you used Cricket? I know everything is based on where I am, but I still want to generally ask.. Cricket is basically just 3G everything, etc - is it safe to say that something like a t-mobile prepaid or straighttalk prepaid is going to offer me better speeds and better coverage? I drop calls and I have to use inferior phones. I'm just trying to cover my bases before I spend $600. It's a lot of money. This phone is intoxicating.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] martonikaj:
Not sure the trouble is worth it? Any difference in taxes is smaller than the $5 increase in the plan. And you don't have to deal with Walmart, its all handled online. Just like the T-Mobile Prepaid plan is technically from "Walmart" but I never set a foot in a store.

Well it looks like they are the same essentially. They're both part of TracFone Wireless, which explains the similarities. Funny that Net10 is $5 more though. I think the only reason why we'd consider Net10 over Straight Talk is if they had better data offerings (but I bet they're the exact same).

Doing my reading, it looks like Straight Talk may be cheaper because they're an exclusive to Walmart (TracFone and Walmart made a joint venture type deal with Straight Talk), and they probably bargained down prices. But I don't really care who it comes from honestly. I should also point out that buying 3 months of service with Straight Talk saves you $3 per month. Small savings but if you're gonna stick with them its not a bad deal.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] chasesavestheday:
Wow I found this thread by a link in someones signature. Heck i don't even own a GNex yet! I'm really interested in doing this. My AT&T contact just ended last month so I am currently in search for a new device and/or carrier solution. Though the AT&T service has never been that great for me. All in all I think I'm sold on the fact that I can go month to month until I find what works best for me. Really like the idea of the $30 100min TMO plan. Only issue I have at this moment is I need a Google Voice for Dummies class/lecture. I'd really rather keep my current number and use it on other carriers but I'm afraid I don't understand if that is possible. Thanks for any help, and I appreciate all the information!

EDIT: Also where are you guys purchasing your GSM Unlocked Galaxy Nexus from?
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Cabal_:
Not really. Where I am, whether I buy from Walmart or online, the cost including sales tax and 911 fee is $48.50. Compare that to Calling Mart, which already knocks $1 off the $50 Net10 price, and regularly has coupons for 3, 7, or 10% off, with no sales tax. Plus, Straight Talk will only ever be sold at Walmart/Straight Talk's web site.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] ninjames:
Quoting this in case it was missed at the end of the previous page.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] LionAR10:
Cricket is CDMA and therefore not compatible with any of the plans or services discussed in this thread. Because CDMA is built by design to be carrier locked, prepaid on CDMA is very different.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] JCreazy:
I decided to go with Straight Talk just because I don't need much data and 100 minutes is cutting it close. Unforunately, I bought a tmobile phone because I thought I would be using the tmobile plan. Oh well, I hope I can get a good amount of my money back.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] ninjames:
I'm not looking for advice on Cricket. I HAVE Cricket and as I said before, the speeds are terrible and I drop calls. I'm looking for a gentle nudge toward making the decision to drop $600 on a phone and switch to these plans that are unknown and untested by myself.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] JCreazy:
Cricket runs off the Sprint network so if you don't have good Sprint coverage that could be your problem. What service does the majority of the people around you use? About 90% of the people where I live use AT&T because it is the most reliable so getting a AT&T Straight Talk sim would be the way to go in this area.

Edit: Completely off topic but it would be cool if XDA added a Straight Talk logo so we could put it under our names.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] martonikaj:
Well you could have ordered a T-Mobile SIM from Straight Talk... They offer both AT&T and T-Mobile service for the same price.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] reuthermonkey:
While Cricket may roam on Sprint's network, they actually run their own network. They have sharing arrangements with MetroPCS for most markets, and Sprint for nationwide roaming.

to answer ninjajames:

1) Coverage will always vary. Just check their coverage maps. If you're in a 3g/4g, you'll be in good shape.

2) Whether you go with ATT or TMO, your speeds *will* increase. 100kbps isn't fast. It's terribly slow 3g. In fact, 2g "EDGE" data on ATT and TMO will probably still be faster than Cricket's 3g.

But if you're in a native coverage area for Cricket (or MetroPCS, for those who are using that) you'll always be in a 3g-4g coverage area for TMO and ATT.

But really, just check the coverage maps for both carriers.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] LionAR10:
Great idea, I made one. Steal it if you want :)
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] aiinjylls:
This thread has convinced me to switch to Straight Talk (using Simple Mobile)

I think I'm going for the ATT SIM because T-Mobile does NOT allow call forwarding or conference calling on their MVNOs, but ATT does *at least I think* Can anyone confirm? The only thing missing from my contract service is texting to short codes
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] LionAR10:
Conditional call forwarding DOES work on ST ATT ... conferencing and short codes .. I do not know.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] surveyganga:
Yes three way calling (conferencing) works on ATT sim from StraightTalk
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] JCreazy:
I got switched over to ST today. This thread opened up my eyes.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] raiderep:
So I'm sitting here on the sprint fence with my contract coming up June 1st. I am seriously considering my options as the tablet is seeming like my main portable Internet option lately now that I'm in school and I finally have wifi at home and at school. So having a phone that uses much less data than before(used to be my main source with tethering) this is very interesting to me as a viable option to save on my monthly bill. I also use Google voice and can port my number before leaving sprint if I do. I am watching this closely and am hoping for a nudge off the fence. It looks like you guys are saying if I get the gsm Nexus I will have the most options as far as switching if I need to right? I'm searching craigslist daily now so maybe a nudge is all it will take for me to pull the trigger....

Sent from my Nexus S 4G
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] chasesavestheday:
I understand this is in the Galaxy Nexus forum and it is not specifically geared towards hardware, but are there many other devices that are capable of operating on the same frequencies? What about the Nexus S, or any of the other Samsung Galaxy phones? Where are you guys purchasing your gsm unlocked Galaxy Nexus' from?
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] martonikaj:
If you correctly weight the pros and cons for your use-case, it sounds like it'd be a good choice for you. Sound like you've come to terms with Google Voice, and you've decided that you will be able to cut your data usage because of WiFi at home and school. The only thing I'd recommend is that you double check how the AT&T coverages is in your area (I'm assuming you're looking at straight talk) before going. I'm sure you've got a friend or family member that you could compare with.

I think anyone in this thread would happily tell you to use it if you understand all of the caveats associated with it. I can only speak for myself, but I'm extremely happy with my choice.

There are actually not a whole ton of phones that are pentaband. The Nexus S is quadband, with either T-Mobile

or

AT&T HSPA bands. It also doesn't have HSPA+. Some Nokia devices are pentaband, and the new HTC One line (at least the X and S) are pentaband also.

As I noted earlier, if you're going for Straight Talk AT&T, you can always just get a quadband phone with those frequencies. I used the iPhone for example, which is sold factory unlocked from Apple and will work on AT&T flawlessly. You can do it, but you just lose the freedom of switching between AT&T and T-Mobile plans. If T-Mobile comes out with a better plan (or from the start if you want the $30 Walmart plan) you're going to be left in the dark.

I purchased mine from Negri Electronics.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] rubiconjp:
The Nokia Lumia 710 is also a penta-band phone. It was on sale from T-Mobile (in store only) a couple of weeks ago for $200, excellent deal. It is now $349. However it is a Mango phone (WP 7.5).
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] kurtosterhage:
The T-Mobile Lumia 710 isn't pentaband, but the Rogers version is for some reason.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] martonikaj:
Huh? Monthly4G is a pre-paid service.

T-Mobile's No Contract postpaid service was "Even More +" plans. Those are no longer offered.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] afmracer6:
What a great write up! Makes me want to ditch my cdma gnex for a GSM one. Its like living off the grid!
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] chistery:
Can you pay $60 for the High speed unlimited high speed plan and get better 3G speeds?
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] LionAR10:
Yup, only the $40/mo plan is throttled.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] LionAR10:
Some of the providers have shorter length plans, like daily or weekly ones. I don't inventory them here .. but go take a look, you should be able to find them easily.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] rubiconjp:
How much smaller is the coverage of at&t Go phone network versus their post paid coverage? Is the Go network comprised of only at&t towers and not T-Mobile towers thru roaming arrangements?

I'm assuming that towers physically owned by other companies/carriers but at&t leasing them to add their antennas on would be included in their Go network coverage.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] martonikaj:
There should be coverage maps on AT&Ts site. But generally these plans don't have the same roaming options as their big plans.

Sent from my CM7-powered T-Mobile G2
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] LionAR10:
So more info than you probably need ...

AT&T's postpaid coverage adds all the little independent operators of small geographic low population density areas. Think small off-the-road rural towns in the middle of absolute nowhere where the population sign reads less than 200. (That's an over-generalization, but these small market spaces AT&T/TMO never went into becuase the user base is so small it's not economical to install the infrastructure there compared to adding more and better infrastructure in other areas.)

The word "tower" is somewhat of a misnomer. Many wireless companies don't even own the towers they install their equipment on. American Tower (http://www.americantower.com) is one classic example that collocates AT&T, TMO, Sprint, VZW, etc on their physical towers. Just becuase someone's installed their gear on someone else's physical tower does not mean they are going to partner in roaming. Post ATT/TMO merger failure there were rumors that they were going to do the Sprint/VZW thing (Sprint roams on VZW) .. but we'll see if that comes true.

What you can count on is good coverage in cities and along major freeways. If you spend a lot of time in some specific deep-space rural area, you should test it before relying on it. Same even goes for in-city, there are still coverage holes in places... take Vernon Hills, IL for example (It's a northern Chicago bedroom subarb). The city council there has been fighting to keep towers from being built since the 80s. Wireless companies have ringed the very suburban area with towers trying to mitigate the problem, but you still get complete crap reception on ANY carrier there. It pays to know what the wireless looks like for your local area sometimes :)

Added: http://www.antennasearch.com/ One tool for searching FCC records graphically for towers. Just remember, salespeople will go on and on about "poor coverage" on other carriers or even their own prepaid (like one TMO person did to me) .. look at the coverage maps, use antenna search tools, test and verify coverage if you have to .. but frankly, 99% of the time "it just works". I've only had to use the detailed search tools for installing repeaters in very very rural areas. (Think hunting cabins) Longest site-to-tower I've installed in was 22 miles on Alltel in the middle-of-nowhere Wisconsin, that required a good size repeater and a directional antenna aimed exactly right using GPS coords. Nobody's phone worked there before the repeater went in.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] neederishelp:
this has made me consider going to GSM once my Verizon contract ends, but that's in two years lol
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] rubiconjp:
Thanks Lion. Very helpful guide. I will go with Red Pocket. Sold my Jeep Rubicon so no more offroading in the boonies so I think at&t Go coverage should be good enough thru Red Pocket.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] LionAR10:
I miss my XJ, I'd like to get a Wrangler one of these days as a second vehicle. Offroading is a blast! I put a Wilson repeater in my truck just for being out in the woods ...
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] chistery:
You could buy a gophone sim on ebay and then pay $25 for 500mb of data, which may be enough for a few weeks?
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] LionAR10:
I haven't seen anything indicating TMO cancelling the $30 plan ... does anyone have any non-rumor references?
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] bleach168:
Can you port your number to Google Voice if your on T-mobile's monthly 4g plan? I thought GV didn't play well with T-mobile's prepaid service.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] martonikaj:
Just chatted with a CS rep at T-Mobile about the plan (my SIM activation kit is on the way!) and he said nothing that would indicate the plan was on its way out. He said it'd be good to go whenever I wanted to sign up for it.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] reuthermonkey:
TMO is pushing their Value plans now, which are very similar to EM+, except they are still a contract. They have 3 levels of plans basically:

Classic: subsidized phone + 2 year contract

Value: No phone, lower pricing than classic + 2 year contract

Prepaid/Monthly4g: no phone, lower pricing, no contract

Since ATT picked up a ton of coverage from the Alltel divestiture which is now native network, their gophone coverage is substantially better than it used to be.

http://www.wireless.att.com/coverageviewer/#?type=gophone

T-Mobile's prepaid does include most roaming it seems.

http://prepaid-phones.t-mobile.com/prepaid-coverage

Pre-alltel divestiture, ATT and T-Mobile's native networks were about the same size. Thanks to Alltel though, ATT's rural coverage expanded quite a bit. So the fact that GoPhone doesn't allow for ANY roaming, while T-Mobile's prepaid does allow most roaming, essentially means that depending on where you're at, either option is about as good as the other.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] martonikaj:
And? lol my statement was they no longer have post-paid no contract options since they killed EM+. They're trying to either push them to pre-paid or get them on contracts.

I wouldn't say that Value Plans are "very similar to EM+". The big draw of EM+ was no contract. I guess they're similar in the fact that they offer a lower monthly cost because they don't give you a phone subsidy, but it really isn't similar in the way you get tied into them.

I was happy with EM+, and I've never had a contract with T-Mobile before. But I'm kinda surprised I didn't move to a Monthly4G plan earlier because of my disdain towards contracts. I'm really not interested in any 2 year agreements after Sprint f*cked me with my Evo (but thats another story).
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] LionAR10:
This is right, if you want to compare T-Mobile with roaming and T-Mobile with no roaming, compare the T-Mobile Prepaid map with the Simple Mobile map. The Simple map is pure T-Mobile, prepaid TMO is select roaming partners (IE, not the Ma&Pop cell providers with one tower that charges $1.95 a minute). TMO postpaid has even larger coverage, but includes those little providers with the big per-minute charges.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] hotleadsingerguy:
This is a good guide, for specific types of people. It's absolutely not for a majority. A few reasons:

1) I don't have time to change carriers every month. I have a job and obligations and don't have time to shop around every month or spend hours on the phone trying to bribe or guilt people into giving me a better price. At that point I'd rather pay more for stability and not having to worry about it.

2) People hold onto numbers despite them not being important? Obviously you're no longer in the business world if you find this to be true. I can't afford to be changing my number every month (or even every year). I can't just throw the new number on Facebook and hope my professional contacts check it and update my contact info. Keeping the same number is *very* important, and having to port it over to other carriers usually has a fee associated with it. Spending an extra $15-$25 a month just to continuously port over my number seems convoluted and ridiculous. Especially since it also usually knocks your usage out for a day or so (at least incoming calls/texts).

3) It's not that important to me. Saving $30 a month is nice, but enjoying fast internet, full coverage pretty much anywhere in the nation, and free calling to other customers of my carrier is a pretty big deal. I'd rather pay for the convenience.

Then again, we're still being screwed over compared to most other countries. Yes, a vast majority of it is the pure physical size of our country and how spread out we are, but it's still a problem.