If Cricket uses Sprint's network, it will be a very slow data speed and spotty coverage. I have been checking Sprint's data speed using an iPhone app and Sprint is usually the slowest of the Big Three carriers on the iPhone, typically running at under 400 kbps downstream. Still, if they sell unlimited data and minutes at $55/mo. without a contract it might be worth it for a current Sprint or Verizon customer with an iPhone that is out of contract, if Cricket will accept a Verizon or Sprint phone.
The alternative is Straight Talk which uses the AT&T network and is $45 per month for unlimited everything. You can get it at your local Walmart store if you don't want to sign up on their web site.
If Cricket uses Sprint's network, it will be a very slow data speed and spotty coverage. I have been checking Sprint's data speed using an iPhone app and Sprint is usually the slowest of the Big Three carriers on the iPhone, typically running at under 400 kbps downstream. Still, if they sell unlimited data and minutes at $55/mo. without a contract it might be worth it for a current Sprint or Verizon customer with an iPhone that is out of contract, if Cricket will accept a Verizon or Sprint phone.
You can't extrapolate your local and very anecdotal experience to say that all Sprint customers get slow speeds. I average 1.3 to 2.1M which is plenty fast for pretty much anything I want to do even including watching Netflix. Sprint is not only building up their LTE coverage and will cover their entire 3G map with LTE by the end of next year but are also doing a major overhaul of their entire network with new equipment in a project called network vision. The old Nextel frequency of 800Mhz will be repurposed as CDMA and then LTE so Sprint's coverage and speeds will really start improving. I will grant you it may be a bumpy ride for some people while they are upgrading towers in your area but it is not fair to say everyone gets slow speed on Sprint.
I live in Atlanta, which is one of the few cities that has LTE up an running on Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint. When the next iPhone with LTE is released in a few months, only Sprint iPhone customers in Atlanta will be able to enjoy unlimited LTE data. If anyone is curious about Sprint LTE coverage you should check out this website. http://s4gru.com/index.php?/forum/9-network-network-visionlte-deployment/
"cricKet uses their own towers in their native coverage areas, in the expanded coverage they have agreements set up with companies like, Metro PCS, Sprint, Blue grass, and roaming agreements with others.
So if the question is does cricket own/lease it's own towers then yes they do they have their own network. They are not a MVNO of any larger company."
A wireless plan ? using as a phone. While the phone app might be used less than 5% (I'm sure I'm even less than that) the wireless data plan with a smartphones is used quite extensively (especially with iPhones). All your other points I agree with.
I think it really depends on the user. Most of the time, I don't use much data, but I don't want to go without either. As for 5%, if you use your phone four hours a day, 5% of that being phone calls would fit snugly against the limit of your daytime minutes.
Edit: iPod Touch can use iMessage, that much is advertised by Apple. It can also do FaceTime and Skype over WiFi, as shown on Apple's web page on the product.
Our government is paid off to ignore the fact that we're the only country on Earth that forces iPhone users to have data plans and two year contracts.
Where in the world did you hear that? Many countries require data plans and contracts. And even in the countries that offer you a choice between subsidized/contract and unsubsidized/pre-paid, you rarely get a better deal over 2 years by buying it outright for around $800. Here is the contract details for example from Softbank in Japan. http://mb.softbank.jp/mb/iphone_en/event/reserved/price_plan.html
I'm pretty sure iPod Touch can use iMessage. iPad has it. FaceTime is out, I'm pretty sure it's not offered on current models. Skype, not the current models, unless you have a mirror.
What? Of course it has FaceTime… Wait, what are we talking about? Both the iPhone and iPod touch have FaceTime and can use Skype. We're talking about an iPhone where the user stopped paying the prepaid plan.
What? Of course it has FaceTime… Wait, what are we talking about? Both the iPhone and iPod touch have FaceTime and can use Skype. We're talking about an iPhone where the user stopped paying the prepaid plan.
Yeah, I just corrected it. I had forgotten it and found it on the Apple page. You'd have to skip back over a series of four posts to understand that sub-conversation. It's not important.
Our government is paid off to ignore the fact that we're the only country on Earth that forces iPhone users to have data plans and two year contracts.
Patently incorrect about the two-year contract requirement.
Straight Talk "Bring Your Own Phone" SIM card, $45/month no-contract. Unlimited talk, unlimited text, and "unlimited" data (which anecdotally has a soft cap around 2GB followed by an allegedly "you're a data hog" message). Just buy the unlocked retail iPhone 4S at Apple.com for $649 plus the one-time $15 for the SIM card. Your phone will be connecting to AT&T's cellular towers. If you're in an area with HSPA+, you'll have the faster connection. Total cost of ownership over 24 months: $1744
By contrast, here how Cricket breaks down. Partially subsidized handset $500 and $55/month no contract. Total cost of ownership over 24 months: $1820.
And good ol' AT&T? Subsidized handset $199, $36 activation fee, $120/month on a 2-year contract (unlimited talk, unlimited text, 3GB data). Total cost of ownership over 24 months: $3115.
Monthly cost of ownership (over 24 months):
Straight Talk: $72.67
Cricket: $75.83
AT&T: $129.79
You can knock off a couple of bucks a month from Straight Talk if you prepay for several months of service in advance.
Another benefit: the Straight Talk micro SIM works fine in an iPad if you need cellular data in a pinch.
Sadly, AT&T prepaid terms recently changed and they eliminated data packages from the GoPhone Pay As You Go $0.10/min. plan. That was a great option for someone with minimal talking/texting and modest cellular data needs.
…"Bring Your Own Phone" SIM card, $45/month no-contract. Unlimited talk, unlimited text, and "unlimited" data… …iPhone 4S… Your phone will be connecting to AT&T's cellular towers.
They actually allow that? They don't stop you and say, "hey, pay the iPhone plan price"?
Good breakdown. I will add Sprint and Verizon as well over 24 months. (standard pricing without corporate discounts) One nice advantage to big carriers is that corporate discounts as high as 25% can really bring prices down substantially.
For Sprint I used the $79 plan, (unlimited data, unlimited texts, unlimited mobile to mobile, 450 landline M-F starting from 7AM to 7PM)
For Verizon I used $89.99 plan (unlimited texts, 2GB data, no unlimited mobile to mobile except to Verizon, 450 anytime minutes M-F 7AM to 9PM) You can add $20 a month for 900 talk minutes, add $20 for 5GB a month, subtract $10 for 1,000 text plan.
Both are for iPhone 4S-16GB
Sprint $88.83
Verizon $99.78
(For the Verizon unlimited everything except data at 5GB, it works out to $149.78 a month over 2 years)
I should add that Sprint offers full upgrades at 20 months, not sure about Verizon or AT&T. Most phone geeks at least will upgrade at 20 months and some even far earlier than that and not 24 months, so the Cricket deal is really not that great. The only problem with 20 months is my upgrade date is June 1, 2013 so it so close to the 2013 iPhone release I will have a hard time deciding to wait or not. But I guess it would balance out again in 2015.
To be fair, we should be comparing similar service levels, i.e., unlimited talk, unlimited text, and 2-3GB of cellular data since that's what Straight Talk and Cricket offer.
Thus, Sprint would be $199 subsidized handset, $36 activation fee, $110/month for unlimited talk/text/data. Total cost of ownership over 24 months: $2875.
Verizon's costs would be identical to AT&T's.
Note that even if you went with the smallest voice plan on AT&T and Verizon and eliminated texting yet retained 2-3GB of cellular data, you'd still have a monthly cost of ownership of $79.79.
Verizon: $79.79 (450 min. talk, 2GB data, no text plan)
AT&T: $79.79 (450 min. talk, 3GB data, no text plan)
Sprint: $89.79 (450 min. talk, unlimited text/data)
Sprint: $119.79 (unlimited talk/text/data)
Verizon: $129.79 (unlimited talk/text, 2GB data)
AT&T: $129.79 (unlimited talk/text, 3GB data)
It still makes more sense to use Straight Talk since you're basically saving a few bucks off similar cellular data service from Verizon and AT&T, and they're basically tossing in unlimited talk and text.
Note that I'm only comparing currently available cellular plans, not something that someone has been grandfathered into.
The "US"? This is a sign of Apple trying to crack the subscription model of US telecoms.
Our government is paid off to ignore the fact that we're the only country on Earth that forces iPhone users to have data plans and two year contracts.
Among all other phones, obviously, but I don't know the stats of the others.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hudson1
Cricket is hardly the only pay-as-you-go mobile telecom provider out there.
Let me elaborate... I see the fact that you can get iPhones as prepaid in the US as a sign of change:
US has had prepaid before; IPhone can be bought prepaid outside of the US; what's new is that the phone maker that has benefited most from the US subscription model is trying the alternative.
To be fair, we should be comparing similar service levels, i.e., unlimited talk, unlimited text, and 2-3GB of cellular data since that's what Straight Talk and Cricket offer.
Thus, Sprint would be $199 subsidized handset, $36 activation fee, $110/month for unlimited talk/text/data. Total cost of ownership over 24 months: $2875.
Verizon's costs would be identical to AT&T's.
Monthly cost of ownership (over 24 months):
Straight Talk: $72.67
Cricket: $75.83
Sprint: $119.79
AT&T: $129.79
Verizon: $129.79
Not true, Cricket only offers 1GB of data not unlimited like Sprint. I don't know where AI got that 2.3GB figure from, go to Cricket and see for yourself. And Straightalk also in reality only offers 2GB before you get nasty warnings, same as Pageplus. Only Sprint offers truly unlimited data that is also not throttled after a set amount and free from text warnings calling you a data hog threatening to cancel your service.
And as far as voice minutes go, Sprint offers unlimited mobile to mobile minutes on their $79 plan, and also a very generous 7AM to 7PM for anytime to landline vs 6AM to 9PM on other carriers. It would be pretty hard to go over over the 450 landline minutes a month since they are only used 5 days a week between 7AM and 7PM. Even then, there is a 900 minute option for a total of $89 a month. Very few people would need the $110 plan. I barely use 100 of my landline minutes a month but easily pass 2,000 mobile minutes. The vast majority of users would choose the 450 minute option. In fact over 90% of Sprint customers are on this plan.
Comments
Quote:
Originally Posted by daylove22
The first step in the US..In Europe they are all prepaid and the iphone has been selling there for long time.
Well, I see this a sign of the US finally starting to crack the horrible subscription model of the telecoms.
The alternative is Straight Talk which uses the AT&T network and is $45 per month for unlimited everything. You can get it at your local Walmart store if you don't want to sign up on their web site.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DrDoppio
Well, I see this a sign of the US finally starting to crack the horrible subscription model of the telecoms.
The "US"? This is a sign of Apple trying to crack the subscription model of US telecoms.
Our government is paid off to ignore the fact that we're the only country on Earth that forces iPhone users to have data plans and two year contracts.
Among all other phones, obviously, but I don't know the stats of the others.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DrDoppio
Well, I see this a sign of the US finally starting to crack the horrible subscription model of the telecoms.
Cricket is hardly the only pay-as-you-go mobile telecom provider out there.
Quote:
Originally Posted by NJ Analyst
If Cricket uses Sprint's network, it will be a very slow data speed and spotty coverage. I have been checking Sprint's data speed using an iPhone app and Sprint is usually the slowest of the Big Three carriers on the iPhone, typically running at under 400 kbps downstream. Still, if they sell unlimited data and minutes at $55/mo. without a contract it might be worth it for a current Sprint or Verizon customer with an iPhone that is out of contract, if Cricket will accept a Verizon or Sprint phone.
You can't extrapolate your local and very anecdotal experience to say that all Sprint customers get slow speeds. I average 1.3 to 2.1M which is plenty fast for pretty much anything I want to do even including watching Netflix. Sprint is not only building up their LTE coverage and will cover their entire 3G map with LTE by the end of next year but are also doing a major overhaul of their entire network with new equipment in a project called network vision. The old Nextel frequency of 800Mhz will be repurposed as CDMA and then LTE so Sprint's coverage and speeds will really start improving. I will grant you it may be a bumpy ride for some people while they are upgrading towers in your area but it is not fair to say everyone gets slow speed on Sprint.
I live in Atlanta, which is one of the few cities that has LTE up an running on Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint. When the next iPhone with LTE is released in a few months, only Sprint iPhone customers in Atlanta will be able to enjoy unlimited LTE data. If anyone is curious about Sprint LTE coverage you should check out this website. http://s4gru.com/index.php?/forum/9-network-network-visionlte-deployment/
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil
The "US"? This is a sign of Apple trying to crack the subscription model of US telecoms.
Our government is paid off to ignore the fact that we're the only country on Earth that forces iPhone users to have data plans and two year contracts.
Among all other phones, obviously, but I don't know the stats of the others.
That's true. In Canada its 3 years
"cricKet uses their own towers in their native coverage areas, in the expanded coverage they have agreements set up with companies like, Metro PCS, Sprint, Blue grass, and roaming agreements with others.
So if the question is does cricket own/lease it's own towers then yes they do they have their own network. They are not a MVNO of any larger company."
you can use Skype to make calls via wireless N networks
I think it really depends on the user. Most of the time, I don't use much data, but I don't want to go without either. As for 5%, if you use your phone four hours a day, 5% of that being phone calls would fit snugly against the limit of your daytime minutes.
Edit: iPod Touch can use iMessage, that much is advertised by Apple. It can also do FaceTime and Skype over WiFi, as shown on Apple's web page on the product.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil
Our government is paid off to ignore the fact that we're the only country on Earth that forces iPhone users to have data plans and two year contracts.
Where in the world did you hear that? Many countries require data plans and contracts. And even in the countries that offer you a choice between subsidized/contract and unsubsidized/pre-paid, you rarely get a better deal over 2 years by buying it outright for around $800. Here is the contract details for example from Softbank in Japan. http://mb.softbank.jp/mb/iphone_en/event/reserved/price_plan.html
Quote:
Originally Posted by JeffDM
I'm pretty sure iPod Touch can use iMessage. iPad has it. FaceTime is out, I'm pretty sure it's not offered on current models. Skype, not the current models, unless you have a mirror.
What? Of course it has FaceTime… Wait, what are we talking about? Both the iPhone and iPod touch have FaceTime and can use Skype. We're talking about an iPhone where the user stopped paying the prepaid plan.
Yeah, I just corrected it. I had forgotten it and found it on the Apple page. You'd have to skip back over a series of four posts to understand that sub-conversation. It's not important.
Cricket does not offer unlimited data. They reserve the right to slow you down at 1gb. They also have dirt slow speeds.
"http://www.mycricket.com/cell-phone-plans#smartphone-plans"
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil
Our government is paid off to ignore the fact that we're the only country on Earth that forces iPhone users to have data plans and two year contracts.Patently incorrect about the two-year contract requirement.
Straight Talk "Bring Your Own Phone" SIM card, $45/month no-contract. Unlimited talk, unlimited text, and "unlimited" data (which anecdotally has a soft cap around 2GB followed by an allegedly "you're a data hog" message). Just buy the unlocked retail iPhone 4S at Apple.com for $649 plus the one-time $15 for the SIM card. Your phone will be connecting to AT&T's cellular towers. If you're in an area with HSPA+, you'll have the faster connection. Total cost of ownership over 24 months: $1744
By contrast, here how Cricket breaks down. Partially subsidized handset $500 and $55/month no contract. Total cost of ownership over 24 months: $1820.
And good ol' AT&T? Subsidized handset $199, $36 activation fee, $120/month on a 2-year contract (unlimited talk, unlimited text, 3GB data). Total cost of ownership over 24 months: $3115.
Monthly cost of ownership (over 24 months):
Straight Talk: $72.67
Cricket: $75.83
AT&T: $129.79
You can knock off a couple of bucks a month from Straight Talk if you prepay for several months of service in advance.
Another benefit: the Straight Talk micro SIM works fine in an iPad if you need cellular data in a pinch.
Sadly, AT&T prepaid terms recently changed and they eliminated data packages from the GoPhone Pay As You Go $0.10/min. plan. That was a great option for someone with minimal talking/texting and modest cellular data needs.
Quote:
Originally Posted by cvaldes1831
…"Bring Your Own Phone" SIM card, $45/month no-contract. Unlimited talk, unlimited text, and "unlimited" data… …iPhone 4S… Your phone will be connecting to AT&T's cellular towers.
They actually allow that? They don't stop you and say, "hey, pay the iPhone plan price"?
Allow it? The chairman encourages it.
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-02-07/carlos-slim-shows-users-how-to-switch-iphones-away-from-at-t.html
Basically, Straight Talk iPhone users are using AT&T cellular towers at a 44% discount.
Quote:
Originally Posted by cvaldes1831
Monthly cost of ownership (over 24 months):
Straight Talk: $72.67
Cricket: $75.83
AT&T: $129.79
Good breakdown. I will add Sprint and Verizon as well over 24 months. (standard pricing without corporate discounts) One nice advantage to big carriers is that corporate discounts as high as 25% can really bring prices down substantially.
For Sprint I used the $79 plan, (unlimited data, unlimited texts, unlimited mobile to mobile, 450 landline M-F starting from 7AM to 7PM)
For Verizon I used $89.99 plan (unlimited texts, 2GB data, no unlimited mobile to mobile except to Verizon, 450 anytime minutes M-F 7AM to 9PM) You can add $20 a month for 900 talk minutes, add $20 for 5GB a month, subtract $10 for 1,000 text plan.
Both are for iPhone 4S-16GB
Sprint $88.83
Verizon $99.78
(For the Verizon unlimited everything except data at 5GB, it works out to $149.78 a month over 2 years)
I should add that Sprint offers full upgrades at 20 months, not sure about Verizon or AT&T. Most phone geeks at least will upgrade at 20 months and some even far earlier than that and not 24 months, so the Cricket deal is really not that great. The only problem with 20 months is my upgrade date is June 1, 2013 so it so close to the 2013 iPhone release I will have a hard time deciding to wait or not. But I guess it would balance out again in 2015.
To be fair, we should be comparing similar service levels, i.e., unlimited talk, unlimited text, and 2-3GB of cellular data since that's what Straight Talk and Cricket offer.
Thus, Sprint would be $199 subsidized handset, $36 activation fee, $110/month for unlimited talk/text/data. Total cost of ownership over 24 months: $2875.
Verizon's costs would be identical to AT&T's.
Note that even if you went with the smallest voice plan on AT&T and Verizon and eliminated texting yet retained 2-3GB of cellular data, you'd still have a monthly cost of ownership of $79.79.
Here's a more complete table:
Monthly cost of ownership (over 24 months):
Straight Talk: $72.67 (unlimited talk/text, 2GB data)
Cricket: $75.83 (unlimited talk/text, 2.3GB data)
Verizon: $79.79 (450 min. talk, 2GB data, no text plan)
AT&T: $79.79 (450 min. talk, 3GB data, no text plan)
Sprint: $89.79 (450 min. talk, unlimited text/data)
Sprint: $119.79 (unlimited talk/text/data)
Verizon: $129.79 (unlimited talk/text, 2GB data)
AT&T: $129.79 (unlimited talk/text, 3GB data)
It still makes more sense to use Straight Talk since you're basically saving a few bucks off similar cellular data service from Verizon and AT&T, and they're basically tossing in unlimited talk and text.
Note that I'm only comparing currently available cellular plans, not something that someone has been grandfathered into.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil
The "US"? This is a sign of Apple trying to crack the subscription model of US telecoms.
Our government is paid off to ignore the fact that we're the only country on Earth that forces iPhone users to have data plans and two year contracts.
Among all other phones, obviously, but I don't know the stats of the others.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hudson1
Cricket is hardly the only pay-as-you-go mobile telecom provider out there.
Let me elaborate... I see the fact that you can get iPhones as prepaid in the US as a sign of change:
US has had prepaid before; IPhone can be bought prepaid outside of the US; what's new is that the phone maker that has benefited most from the US subscription model is trying the alternative.
Quote:
Originally Posted by cvaldes1831
To be fair, we should be comparing similar service levels, i.e., unlimited talk, unlimited text, and 2-3GB of cellular data since that's what Straight Talk and Cricket offer.
Thus, Sprint would be $199 subsidized handset, $36 activation fee, $110/month for unlimited talk/text/data. Total cost of ownership over 24 months: $2875.
Verizon's costs would be identical to AT&T's.
Monthly cost of ownership (over 24 months):
Straight Talk: $72.67
Cricket: $75.83
Sprint: $119.79
AT&T: $129.79
Verizon: $129.79
Not true, Cricket only offers 1GB of data not unlimited like Sprint. I don't know where AI got that 2.3GB figure from, go to Cricket and see for yourself. And Straightalk also in reality only offers 2GB before you get nasty warnings, same as Pageplus. Only Sprint offers truly unlimited data that is also not throttled after a set amount and free from text warnings calling you a data hog threatening to cancel your service.
And as far as voice minutes go, Sprint offers unlimited mobile to mobile minutes on their $79 plan, and also a very generous 7AM to 7PM for anytime to landline vs 6AM to 9PM on other carriers. It would be pretty hard to go over over the 450 landline minutes a month since they are only used 5 days a week between 7AM and 7PM. Even then, there is a 900 minute option for a total of $89 a month. Very few people would need the $110 plan. I barely use 100 of my landline minutes a month but easily pass 2,000 mobile minutes. The vast majority of users would choose the 450 minute option. In fact over 90% of Sprint customers are on this plan.
Sprint 450 $88.79
900 minute $98.83
unlimited $119.79