T-Mobile to have iPhone 5-ready nano-SIM cards by mid-October - Page 2

For the major carriers, that might be true, but it's definitely worth looking into some of the minor carriers or regional carriers.

Straight Talk is close to t-mobile in price (actually a little lower, especially when you consider t-mobile's data caps if you have a single line and only a bit more if you have multiple lines) and uses the AT&T network - which is better than t-mobile's network.

I'm having a problem finding anyone with the new nano sim. I use Real Networks (good2go) unlimited plan for $55/mo. (iPhone 4s) and plan to get the iPhone 5 unlocked when available, but without availability of the new sim the phone is worthless.

 

I spoke to Real Networks and it was the first inquiry. They checked with their technical dept., but got no answer. Today I spoke to Straight Talk and they had no idea what I was talking about.

 

Anyone have any news about the nano sims other than T Mobile?

Edited by swift93 - 9/15/12 at 8:40am

"When the nano-SIM cards do arrive, subscribers will only be able to operate the iPhone 5 on T-Mobile's 2G EDGE network"

 

Giggle.  Some people must be masochists.  "No, really.  We swear we'll update the network where you live!"

 

AT&T still has only EDGE where I live. In four years, they have only replaced their HSPA north of here with HSPA+ "4G" (hahahahahayeahrighthahaha). So instead of it being dark blue on the map up there and mid blue on the map down here, it just falls off directly from HSPA+ to EDGE.

 

Indeed. AT&T users must be masochists.

T-Mobile USA has serviced iPhone users on its network since the very first iPhone (jailbroken devices plus unlocked handsets purchased internationally). Since the iPhone 4, Apple has sold factory-unlocked USA handsets at full retail price. Apple commenced selling the unlocked, full-retail iPhone 4S about a month after the initial launch (and will likely do so with the iPhone 5). There are literally millions of iPhones on T-Mobile USA's network right now.

Moreover, there are plenty of iPhone 4 and 3GS users who are now off contract and could easily move to T-Mobile USA. With their 1900MHz 3G refarming project, it would be an attractive alternative for many users.
I used this tower yesterday with my iPad 2 and noted download times of 3.0Mbps which is the maximum the device can do.

I will note that I wasn't using an T-Mobile-branded SIM in my iPad, but a Tru SIM, so it appears the 1900MHz 3G refarming is automatically carrying over to MVNOs.

I'm thinking of switching from Straight Talk (AT&T MVNO) to T-Mobile USA's 4G Monthly $30 prepaid plan (100 min. talk, unlimited text, unlimited data/first 5GB at 4G speeds) once T-Mobile USA turns on HSPA+ at the towers that service my town. It would be great to save the fifteen bucks a month. I'd consider trading AT&T's better coverage map for less talk time, more data, and a faster network (restricted mostly to metropolitan areas).

However, I'm sticking with my iPhone 4S, sitting out the iPhone 5.
Edited by cvaldes1831 - 9/15/12 at 9:02am

Straight Talk is making progress. At least they're now aware of the nano-sim:
http://www.straighttalkwirelessforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=6808&t=60823

You might research trimming the nano-sim. At least one company is offering a cutter (http://www.noosyapple.com/cp/html/?80.html). However, the nano-sim has a different thickness, so you'll want to make sure it works before doing it. Here's a discussion of the topic:
http://www.howardforums.com/showthread.php/1776680-Nano-sims

One thing to be aware of (that I hadn't considered) - Straight Talk is license to use AT&T's 3G network, but I doubt if I'll have access to LTE after I upgrade to the iPhone 5 (unless AT&T also licenses the LTE spectrum which doesn't seem to be the case).
Edited by jragosta - 9/15/12 at 10:03am

Thanks for the comments and references.

 

I don't think I'll get LTE, but after trying T mobile's EDGE I moved to Real Networks (AT&T) and they have been very good. The whole problem will eventually cure it self with these prepaid carrier getting nano sims. From what I've read the micro can't be cut down to nano size. 

 

Maybe I shouldn't be in such a hurry for an unlocked iPhone 5 until they are available?

Hmmmm... not so sure about Nano Sim cards being a good move. Yes, it's OK if you stay in one place, but for people who travel internationally or if Apple wants to sell phones elsewhere, having their own "standard" chips (like connectors) can limits their sales.

 

Then again, for Apple, they can fart carrot sticks and people would still buy them.  :P

 

 

The same was true of USB and all the other things Apple used that forced the rest of the industry to come along kicking and screaming.

Availability will be limited at first, but then it won't be a problem - and everyone will benefit from the space savings. To make a phone as thin as the iPhone 5, you need to save every tiny bit of space that you can.

 

Yes, but none of those iPhones use Micro SIMs, which was my point. T-Mobile is wanting to get these new Micro SIMs in stock that will be of limited usefulness for the first two years since they are only needed for the new iPhone 5 model that the majority of people will be buying under a contract restriction with their current carrier.

 

But enough other people have replied to me here to convince me otherwise of the usefulness of such a move.

 

Keep on trucking T-Mobile, and call me when you actually start offering the iPhone for reals.

 

-- 12 year T-Mo user currently off contract

Knowing T-Mobile, they'll charge you ~$45 for the new micro-SIM, the way they do now for the nano-SIM.  Total rip-off--you're basically paying them more money for a smaller piece of plastic.

 

I guess they gotta make up the low cost of their prepaid plans somewhere...

lol you are telling me that Apple couldn't have made an iphone version that works with their GSM? yet they could make a CDMA one for Verizon? Yeah im sure the negative campaigning against the iphone had no influence over that decision.

It is highly unlikely that you will get access to any LTE network through an MVNO in the near future. On a practical level though, LTE coverage - especially with AT&T - is so spotty that some might not figure it's a big deal. And HSPA+ / DC-HSPA are pretty decent. For the price difference, I'm considering sticking with StraightTalk even with an iPhone 5. Regardless of whether I go back to AT&T, I will never get myself into a contract and will stick with unlocked phones. They hold their resale value very well, and selling them each time I do my annual upgrade allows me to recoup a significant part of the original purchase price.

 

The other nice thing with Straight Talk is that Facetime over Cellular works just fine with them.

 

 

Not sure about this robing the least. A company that charges me while breaking connections due to inadeqaute coverage know for years is the service that is honest and not robing? If they provided reliable service I would agree. I do not care about advertisment that they providing 4G (whuich I try to use) if it is only in a few spots and in others device lies while it provides only 3G and many times it has hrd time to fall back to 2G as it is the only what they provide on majority of train commuting passages to NYC.

 

 

Your point is fair, but it applies to all carriers. In Michigan, T-Mobile has better coverage in cities like Detroit than AT&T and Verizon. In Northern Michigan, AT&T has towers, whereas Verizon does not. I will tell you this though. AT&T wants to charge you over $100 bucks for a micro tower for your home if you have poor signal reception there. T-Mobile gives it out for free. 

 

You can do an internet search. T-Mobile 4G stacks up very well against non LTE AT&T 4G, and regular Verizon 3G. 

 

 

T-Mobile's negative advertising against the iPhone isn't effecting Apple's decision to support T-Mobile. What is effecting Apple was AT&T's announcement it wanted to buy T-Mobile. Apple wasn't going to spend millions to make a T-Mobile phone when the future of T-Mobile was in the air. If AT&T's proposed sale went through, AT&T was going to repurpose T-Mobile's spectrum. Now T-Mobile has to play catch up and make the changes to its network.

 

People forget DT (T-Mobile's parent) is one of Apple's biggest European partners. Apple isn't purposely snubbing T-Mobile, it just isn't going to spend money to support the Network. Further, Verizon used to run the worst iPhone sucks ads. Didn't seem to effect Apple from signing Verizon up. 

 

 

Strange. I just walked in the Store and said I wanted one. The representative gave it to me free of charge. Further, if the representative did charge me, the cost is only $10. Check the website. 

 

 

Whether AT&T's network is better than T-Mobile's is totally dependent on what part of the Country you are in. This is subjective, but in Ann Arbor Michigan, I experience far fewer dropped calls on my iPhone than my friend does on his iPhone on AT&T. The same is true in the Detroit area. 

 

Further, unlike AT&T, T-Mobile does not have a true data cap. It has different plans, including an unlimited one. On the plans that have a "cap", T-Mobile doesn't charge you for going over, it merely tethers the speed down to Edge or 3G (if you are on 4G). 

It is highly likely that other handset manufacturers will use the nano SIM. We'll remind you right now that it is an industry standard, not an Apple-exclusive design.

The same thing with the current micro-SIM in the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S. There are plenty of other devices that use the micro-SIM. Regardless of whether or not T-Mobile USA ever gets the iPhone, they will undoubtedly start selling other handsets using the nano-SIM.

It's not like there will be a two-year moratorium on handsets that can use the nano-SIM.

It appears that you are complete denial, but there are actually other manufacturers who make cellular devices.