yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] jswede:
All I'm saying is that if you look around there are some pretty solid stories regarding throttling and termination for high data use. You don't have to look very hard to find situations where SIMple Mobile has flat out told people that data is truly unlimited, but bandwidth saturation is not (other message boards). These issues with SIMple tend to happen after streaming or high bandwidth tethering.

Do I like this? No. But most of us here make some minor compromises in our data usage to get ridiculously cheap service.

If you really just want to complain about SIMple, I think it would do more good if you called SIMple, the FCC, the Better Business Bureau, or do a credit card chargeback if/when they terminate you.

No one should hesitate to make a chargeback against the prepaid services if they are terminated for excessive use. I have a 6 month Straight Talk plan right now and I'm not at all worried because I charged it to my credit card. The services might think about changing their policies if we fight back in the best way we can, with our credit cards.

I think that if anyone wants to get into fighting back, that belongs in a different thread. This thread is really just for information and to help others who are just getting started with prepaid.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] abrcrmdl23:
Hey does anybody know if I have a locked att phone can I just use it on straight talk or do I need to unlock it to accept the straight talk sim even though it uses att towers?
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Mr.Mischief:
If you're using an AT&T Straight Talk sim, the phone doesn't need to be unlocked.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] funziebear:
Good luck ordering a att sim they pulled them from straight talk :/ I use the att one its not so bad I cut a regular size one to fit in my note message me if you might want it all ud have to do is buy time and chage the number on it I have like 2 weeks left on it then I'm done I signed a contract with my old man and mom

http://www.talkandroid.com/149593-straight-talk-no-longer-offering-att-compatible-sims/
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Zepius:
just use net10

buy the sim off amazon and use calling mart for refills. dont have to pay sales tax and they are exactly the same service.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] funziebear:
Seem like soon the att will be gone eBay still has a few att straight talk ones but dizzam they are like 40 bucks, net ten ones are cheaper but monthly is also 5 bucks more hahaha just saying, I'm no longer gonna be using prepay as my pops got a few business lines thru T-Mobile, 150 for 3 lines on unlimited

Sent from my SGH-T889
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] fham:
Just got word that Walmart is offering ATT compatible Straight Talk SIMs for $14.96 + $3.97 shipping

See here: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Straight-Talk-Post-Paid-SIM-AT-T-Bring-Your-Own-Phone-Card/21550824?wmlspartner=NKa3hZyYoHA&sourceid=03131448160543386443&affillinktype=10&veh=aff

Also on the same webpage are bundles being offered for 30 day service for the same ATT SIM cards.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] grayson73:
I'm with Straight Talk T-Mobile and I seem to have roamed to AT&T.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] rubiconjp:
I think ST T-Mo voice-roams on AT&T network only. No data roaming.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] tnizzle:
Straight Talk ATT capped at 1.5 gb soon?

Net10 just announced those on the att sim unlimited plan will now be capped at 1.5 gb starting March 1st. You can go to their direct website to see the detail.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] krazykeyur:
New plans from TMobile (under the name GoSmart Mobile)

$30 - Unlimited Minutes + Unlimited Text

$35 - Unlimited Minutes + Unlimited Text + Unlimited (?) 2G Web

$45 - Unlimited Minutes + Unlimited Text + 5GB 3G Web (2G afterwards)

https://www.gosmartmobile.com/compare-prepaid-cell-phone-plans

Seems like the $35 plan is a direct competitor to the Simple Mobile $40 plan.. but $5 a month cheaper.. and perhaps not capped at 119 kpbs.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Zepius:
since you cant post links: https://net10data.com/
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] rubiconjp:
How often this card goes on sale for $220? Is this deal available elsewhere also? I looked on EBay but no luck.

I got it but friends also want to do same now... :good:
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] jswede:
PLEASE HELP A WHITEHOUSE PETITION!

I've created a petition to fix the issues with existing wireless contract business models by enacting regulations to clarify the way we pay for wireless service. I need 150 signatures before this becomes public. Please share this with everyone you know, please sign it, and please share on Facebook and Google+

I'm still very anti-contract (not in one), but I think contracts could be a lot more fair and clear on the true costs.

http://wh.gov/vNKH

---------- Post added at 11:45 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:43 AM ----------

You need to setup a Camelizer (Chrome extension) price watch to catch it. It doesn't last long.

At one point I was seeing it every 1-3 days. Lately it seems less frequent and I haven't seen it since I last posted about it.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] n2d551:
Petition sounds good, however the thing everyone needs for true oyo cell service is available whitespace. Just Google that & fcc. The cell companies ie pirates, are spending millions lobbying against this & Google & Microsoft are pushing it. If it goes our way, everyone could have free cell service ie voip & wireless data anywhere! Petition that! It'll kill the pirates
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] jordanishere:
Simple mobile, they don't do a cap (at least I never experienced one) but they do throttle you as soon as you do anything besides browse web pages or use Pandora.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] sarkozy:
Nothing is ever "free."
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] n2d551:
Point well taken. You'd still have to buy a phone to work with the scenario
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] jswede:
The point is that someone has to provide the infrastructure, thus there will be a cost. No one will provide whitespace data service for free if they have to invest billions in a large network. However, greater capacity is a good thing for us because it can theoretically drive down prices.

Even if it were free, we all pay for it somehow. Advertisement or taxes are both plausible ways of paying for whitespace data that may appear free.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] rubiconjp:
There's a saying that "When you think you are getting something for free, you are the product being sold."
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] player911:
I know this is the semi wrong forum but right topic. I have a GNex which is why I'm here and got me thinking.

THIS IS NOT FOR ME however... but for my wife's iPhone 4.

She's unlocked. She only has unlimited minutes now. Looking for something cheap. She has AT&T now and while good coverage, can't make a call half the time. I think the towers are over crowded.

Looking into Simple Mobile for Tmo or anything Tmo that is cheap. I had Tmo here and service was great.

There is Net10, Walmart T-Mobile Family, Simple, StraightTalk, etc

Any recommendations. We live in a big city, Cincinnati Oh, so I'm thinking it should pick up 3G now that they added the new cellular frequency.

Buying cards locally would also prove good.

Any recommendations? Anyone have any feedback with an iPhone4 on tmo?
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Zepius:
net10 and straight talk are the same company with the same coverage. i'm currently on net10 and have great coverage. they did however just put a limit on data with 1.5GB
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] post-mortem:
I believe GoSmart Mobile is also T-Mobile. Be aware, however, that their idea of high speed is a bit misleading.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] player911:
Straighttalks website is confusing. Has 3 options CDMA, Unlocked, or T-Mobile Compatible. Clicking any seems to take me to the same page, neither offer a micro sim. I already cut her AT&T similar down to a micro but would like to order one without having to cut it down manually.

Either option matter on an unlocked iP4?
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] jordanishere:
Really? It says you get 5 gigs at 3g speeds right on their website. I actually think this sounds pretty strait forward.

A company who misleads people would be simple mobile. Simple mobile is misleading because they say "unlimited" but have a cap.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] jswede:
I looked around for 1900 MHz in Cincinnati and couldn't find a news release on it. I could be wrong, but I don't think 1900 MHz HSPA+ is available on T-Mobile for you (yet). That means you'll only get 2g if you use the iPhone with T-Mobile.

If you can still manage to find a Straight Talk or Net10 sim for AT&T (look around, I bought 3 Net10 AT&T sims on eBay for $1 ea last week), that's your best bet. Your service will be then same quality you're getting now, but cheaper.

Sorry, but if you're having service trouble in your area you need to look at other carriers. It might not hurt to talk to ATT and make sure everything is setup correctly with your service. A Nexus phone instead of the iphone would allow your wife to easily use either T-Mobile or ATT.

As far as cutting sims, just get a sim cutter. They're only a few bucks on eBay or Amazon. I cut sims for my friends all the time and it's no big deal :)

Welcome to prepaid!

---------- Post added at 07:14 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:05 AM ----------

FWIW

Just so there's fair coverage of SIMple, I've used them and have put a couple friends on the service. GREAT experience with them in Minneapolis, MN area.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Zepius:
http://www.amazon.com/Net10-Micro-S...id=1361798759&sr=8-1&keywords=net10+micro+sim
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] post-mortem:
Most people consider "high-speed" mobile data to be 4G, at least. GoSmart is calling 3G "high-speed," and their lower-priced unlimited data plan is 2G. That makes it harder to compare their plans directly to those of other companies.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] jswede:
I think the whole 4G vs. 3G discussion is quite misleading. For example, we all know that HSPA+ can be far slower that HSDPA depending on congestion and the backhaul for the towers. Actually, HSPA+ is technically only 3G and most certainly not 4G, but that's just marketing anyway. HSPA+ certainly does provide "4G Speed," even though that's a very subjective statement.

What we really need is real world side-by-side speed test comparisons between GoSmart and T-Mobile proper. I wish these companies would advertise maximum available download speeds instead of 2G, 3G, and 4G.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] post-mortem:
+1

Instead, we get promised unlimited* mobile data!!

* Unlimited mobile data means your mobile data connection will be limited, throttled, and capped.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] jordanishere:
I'm sure go smart is faster than sprints non lte data speed.

Its up to consumers to educate themselves when comparing plans. The reason companies can get away with this is the cause the average customer doesn't care. My girlfriend uses simple mobile and it's fine for her. She didn't even realize that they changed her 40 dollar plan to a high speed plan for the first 250 megabytes. Most people don't really care.

Here on XDA, we care a bit too much :)
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] jswede:
I agree with you, but the providers should be more upfront and give concrete information to make the education reasonably easy. Even if the speeds are in the fine print. By saying "4G" "3G" or "2G" it allows them to change it at any time without notice since they are not concrete values.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] jordanishere:
They probably would if your average consumer cared, but nobody cares.

That was my point in the post you quoted.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] jswede:
What other reasonable way should the average consumer use to educate themselves? If the average consumer doesn't care about download speeds, then why do the broadband providers brag about their speeds in Mbps instead of just saying Docsis 3?

Point being, plenty of people do care about the actual speeds so that they can compare the level of service to expect. Granted, on a phone the speed doesn't matter at a certain point (for me, beyond 1 mbps doesn't matter), but plenty of people have an understanding of relative meanings of data speed and care about what it is.

It's completely reasonable to expect some transparency in this regard. Actually, I would imagine this is why the ITU tried (arguably failed) to set standards on what constitutes 4G in the EU.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] jlczl:
Care......to a certain degree. Most people just care as far as fast, faster, fastest (2G, 3G, 4G). Beyond that most people don't sweat the details.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] phoenixfriend:
I was on straight talk att with my captivate and coverage was the same as with att. The starter kit with sims was $55 at walmart and hat 2 att sims 2 tmo sims and 2 net10 sims. One regular and one micro each. I decided I needed a note 2 and went with tmobile contract. Unlimited is unlimited too. 3.5gigs in less than 3 weeks. Best speed so far is 13.89mbps and 41.4mbps on wifi thats only up to 30mbps. So I imagine the speeds with straight talk tmo would be comparable. Ive not seen anyone using straight talk tmobile to know if tjeyre the same with the data as with the att sim. Shouldnt be as hard as my unlimted plan is only $20 a month.

Note 2, yeah son!
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] jswede:
How are you getting an unlimited plan for $20/mo? Share the wealth! :)
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] scoobdude:
Notice he said T-Mobile contract. It's only 20 per line for unlimited data on their value plan. This does not include text or minutes. Still a price competitive option if you ask me
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] phoenixfriend:
Actually its 119 for 1000 minutes unlimited text and 4g internet for 2 phones. Not bad if you ask me. 149 gets you unlimted talk text and web for 2 phones. Though their ph I ne pricing is different. They dont give you a contract price. They give you a contract down payment price and finance the rest. So we pay an additional $20 per phone each month and 7.99 for insurance. I only mentioned it because I thought maybe straight talk tmobile wouldnt hassle you as much about data because of the pricing of tmobiles contract unlimited data plan.

Note 2, yeah son!
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] sarkar1990:
Man.. I wish I could set up something similar in my country (India). I have unlimited 3g. But then the call minutes are very expensive.

\\\
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] ttabbal:
If your 3g is reliable enough, you can try voip. Or if you have wifi available, it can be a good way to get cheaper/free calls.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Hemidroids:
Discount Straight Talk

CrazyGameTime.com has the $45 plan for $43 no tax of fee's.

I was buying direct from straight talk and it was coming out to $49

Easy $6 saved.

http://www.crazygametime.com/item/straight-talk-prepaid-airtime-refill-pin-us-45-30-day/
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] colonelcack:
So I've been using Solavei for a while now, and they've been alright. But I need true unlimited data, because I have no internet options at my new apartment. Will be using it to permanently tether. So I'm going to switch to T-Mobile's $70 truly unlimited plan (can't really beat unlimited internet access for $20 extra to what I'm already paying a month!). I know they don't "support" tethering, but I haven't had any issues using a user agent switcher on my browser before unless they added more methods of tethering detection recently...anyone know or is currently doing this?

How do I go about porting my number? I've never ported before. Can I do it on my last day of service with Solavei? Can I just walk into a T-Mobile store and have it all done then and there or is there something I need to call Solavei and have them do on their end first?

Thanks.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] phoenixfriend:
I ported my straight talk number to tmobile. All you need is your account number and the phone number. They can do it for you in store. Though im not sure about the prepaid side. If your going contract remember their phones are paid like verizon or att. You make a diwn payment then finance the rest. No interest. For my wifes and my note 2s we pay 40 extra per month.

Note 2, yeah son!
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] nibrwr:
You can port to prepaid in the store. Like the above post mentioned, you need your Solavei account number and password/PIN. Port took 10 minutes, but the rep said it could take up to a day, depends on Solavei.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Reuven007:
It's important to remember that your Solavei account must be in good standing to port away. Do not cancel it before the port took place.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] jswede:
You should always start the port at least a few days ahead of time. IMHO, a week before the end is best in order to ensure no issues.

Make sure you port to Google Voice so you never have to port again.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] dbarracuda:
If you port to Google voice, remember you wont be able to send/receive MMS.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] jswede:
Fortunately, having a smartphone means your have email, which is mostly superior to MMS.

But, I do receive MMS on my g-voice, it just goes to my email instead.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] colonelcack:
Everything worked fine. Took about two hours for the port. Now enjoying unlimited 4G tethering...already blew through about 2GB in less than a day :D
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] jordanishere:
I am also using this plan. There's no way I could ever switch to something with a caped or throttled data limit.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Mr.Mischief:
Stay away from H2o's $60 plan. They throttle to 120kbps after 500mb. Sucks because I'm traveling this month and my phone will be a primary source of internet.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] laur3n.newm4n:
I'm I just not looking in the right place, or is the AT&T SIM not an option through Straight Talk anymore? When I go to their website to shop for SIMs, TMobile is the only SIM they show me.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Dynotrick:
The ATT SIM is only available from walmart.com right now, when they have it in stock. good luck!
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] laur3n.newm4n:
Thank you. I did a Google search and found out that they're not offering new ones. I am not looking to switch until October-ish, so I was doing research now. Hopefully by then I can still find them places. People are selling them for like $150+ on eBay! Ridiculous.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] chrismcnally:
I can no longer find the T-Mobile 30 dollar for 100 minutes and 2 Gig of data (or is it 5)? Can someone post a link? All I find is the unlimited talk text and web plans. Thanks

EDIT: It was impossible to find, but when I started my activation process, the 100 minute, 30 dollar 5 gig plan was an option. So I am all set. I also added the 15 dollar tethering. Since I was paying 45 dollars to StraightTalk for their low quality AT&T service (at least here in NYC), I don't mind paying for using my tablet, at least for this month. I'm sure on this site I can find a way to get the tethering for free though.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Pkt_Lnt:
This one? 4th one down.

http://prepaid-phones.t-mobile.com/monthly-4g-plans
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Reuven007:
With this plan you do not need to add the $15 tethering... It's included!
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Mr.Mischief:
The last time I was on that plan, tethering wasn't included.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Reuven007:
I am on this plan now. The $30, $50 and $60 plans all include tethering. Not available on the $70 plan.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] colonelcack:
Sure it is on the $70 plan... That's what I'm using right now in place of a home Internet connection. So far I've used 70GB in two weeks. No problems. Just make sure you use a user agent switcher on your browser and you'll be fine
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] jswede:
Tethering is not officially supported on the $70 plan, because they want to avoid the congestion caused by excessive use. If they determine that you're tethering, it would be grounds for immediate termination, possibly even blacklisting your phone. Too risky IMHO.

If you want unlimited data for home, just get Comcast (cap is currently suspended and will likely be bumped up to 350 GB), DSL, or Clear. You'll get better and more convenient service than tethering.

Freedompop and Virgin also have some pretty interesting mobile broadband plans, although they're not truly unlimited.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] colonelcack:
Can't get comcast or dsl. No drop. And clearwire is slower than the speeds I get tethering. Has anyone actually reported being blacklisted? I've never heard any cases. Not too worried tbh
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] dccoh:
I'm sure you know this but the $70 unlimited is not meant to replace your home internet which is one of the reasons for removing the hotspot feature from it (that and abusing the service).

You stated later in your thread that you don't have an ISP available to you where you currently live. That isn't a free ticket to do something illegal or because you think "well others are doing it". Enough people abusing the system is factored in when the rest of us gets shafted. You obviously know its wrong or you wouldnt go out of your trouble to change your pc's browsers' user agent.

If you are in dire need of internet why not just use the $60 plan and use that hotspot feature? If you state (which I anticipate) that 2 gb is no where near enough well change your online habits. Start using coffee houses and other free wifi locations while you are out on errands to help curb your bandwidth consumption. It's called making sacrifices and we all have to do it at one point depending on our situations.

It can be done because I do it. I'm currently in a situation where I cannot get an actually ISP right now. I use the Tmobile $60 (hotspot included of course) plan and use about 1.4gig or so a month.

Too bad "My Tmobile" doesnt use usernames instead of phone #'s to login so that Tmobile could find out who you are and set you on the right plan that has hotspot included just to help you make a good decision :)
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] xdp:
So I've been loving Google Voice + Straight Talk for almost a year now, but after seeing what happened with Reader and the lack of updates for awhile now I'm really worried that Google's going to kill Voice. We have to wait and see what happens with this Babble/unified messenger that might come out at I/O. If GV texting is not a part of that, I'll be worried it won't last much longer.

The idea of the service is incredible - phone number and texting completely free of any carrier. Add proper WiFi calling and you have complete cell service with ONLY an internet connection. Millions of possibilities with Google Fiber, ubiquitous public WiFi, data-only cell plans, etc. The answer is to build it and grow it, not kill it.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] jswede:
FWIW, I don't think Google would ever think of killing Google Voice. It has been extremely successful and I've heard about them looking to monitor your phone calls to further personalize advertising. Seems like a great marketing idea, if your customers will accept it. Google would be insanely foolish to throw away that opportunity. I think it's most likely that they will continue to develop the service.

Even if hell froze over and Google Voice were shuttered, there are many other forwarding services out there. Only downside is that other forwarding services cost money. I think the most likely situation is that Google would eventually charge a small fee for Google Voice. They keep extending the "free" calls to US and Canada period, indicating to me that they're trying to keep the door open on the possibility of charging a fee.

I totally agree with native wifi calling being desperately needed. There is GroveIP and Talkatone, but I just don't care for them. I want something that's 100% integrated into my dialer. My dream is to come home, turn off my mobile voice/data connection, and simply use my insanely fast wifi. Then I'd get perfect reception in my basement and it'd be completely transparent. I think the biggest thing holding this back is likely Google's relationships with existing carriers. But, that issue could change in a heartbeat if some of the about their cooperation on LTE deployment with Dish Network ends up being true. Google could really make a dent in the existing wireless market if they have the balls to go head to head with the big four.