4 ms·

$179 no contract android phone that doesn't suck is going to be very tempting, especially now that Straight Talk, Net 10, Virgin Mobile, etc. are starting to ga

$179 no contract android phone that doesn't suck is going to be very tempting, especially now that Straight Talk, Net 10, Virgin Mobile, etc. are starting to gain in popularity in the US.

wsxcde 13y ago
Virgin Mobile sucks. I've been on their network for about 2.5 years now. Coverage is poor and data speed is terrible. The only good thing is that it's cheap but it seems like T-Mobile is cheaper and better. Also, one other thing - their customer service told me that I wouldn't be able to use an unlocked Nexus 4 on their network - so make sure your phone is usable with them before buying one. I myself am planning to get myself either a N5 or a MotoG and switch to T-Mobile.
- mkaziz 13y ago
  I'm a Virgin user, and I testify that it is cheap and has terrible 3G speed. I'm excited to upgrade to the Moto G.
- csmatt 13y ago
  Both my parents were on virgin mobile and my mom couldn't stand it. Dropped calls, text messages that were never received, and there were a lot of dead zones. I switched my plan on t-mobile to a family plan and brought them on. They've been really happy with it so far.
dopamean 13y ago
I'm a long time tmobile customer currently on a prepaid plan. I love it and tell anyone who will listen to switch if they live in a good coverage area.
- gcb0 13y ago
  yeah, if they live in a covered area and do not have expectancy of walking around with their phones. spoken from experience... i'm still enduring it out of longer term view (hope?) but it is though.
gcb0 13y ago
> are starting to gain in popularity in the US. You know this is a joke, right? they all have to lease band from the 2 big ones. The government does not allow them to build a network even if they had the money. The only reason they exist is to scrap the bottom end of the market. the moment the market shifts to them, the 2 big ones will raise their network use prices to the point it is cheaper to use them than the small ones.
- _s 13y ago
  I doubt MVNO's would ever lease bandwidth from the big ones without taking into account their long term growth forecasts - I imagine they've got 5/10/20 year agreements in place with provisions for expansion at fixed rates - it's only if they begin to eat away at their quotas that they may change their fees / structure or and/or purchase more from the original network operator.
- gamblor956 13y ago
  The spectrum sales carried with them severe restrictions on the prices AT&T and Verizon could charge to MVNOs, precisely to prevent that situation.
  - gcb0 13y ago
    they can't even protect us about overcharges on client accounts, what about overseeing that they are providing a decent service to those rented networks? not to mention the good old lowering of their price until they've killed competition, again.
    - gamblor956 13y ago
      They do police overcharges and excess billing; both AT&T and Verizon have paid massive fines for this in the past decade. The agency is not responsible for policing quality of service--that is a function left to the market. Nor does the agency simply get to decide that it will police quality of service--it must be granted that authority by Congress.
- maxsilver 13y ago

$179 no contract android phone that doesn't suck is going to be very tempting, especially now that Straight Talk, Net 10, Virgin Mobile, etc. are starting to gain in popularity in the US.

wsxcde 13y ago

Virgin Mobile sucks. I've been on their network for about 2.5 years now. Coverage is poor and data speed is terrible. The only good thing is that it's cheap but it seems like T-Mobile is cheaper and better. Also, one other thing - their customer service told me that I wouldn't be able to use an unlocked Nexus 4 on their network - so make sure your phone is usable with them before buying one. I myself am planning to get myself either a N5 or a MotoG and switch to T-Mobile.

mkaziz 13y ago
I'm a Virgin user, and I testify that it is cheap and has terrible 3G speed. I'm excited to upgrade to the Moto G.
csmatt 13y ago
Both my parents were on virgin mobile and my mom couldn't stand it. Dropped calls, text messages that were never received, and there were a lot of dead zones. I switched my plan on t-mobile to a family plan and brought them on. They've been really happy with it so far.

dopamean 13y ago

I'm a long time tmobile customer currently on a prepaid plan. I love it and tell anyone who will listen to switch if they live in a good coverage area.

gcb0 13y ago
yeah, if they live in a covered area and do not have expectancy of walking around with their phones. spoken from experience... i'm still enduring it out of longer term view (hope?) but it is though.

gcb0 13y ago

> are starting to gain in popularity in the US. You know this is a joke, right? they all have to lease band from the 2 big ones. The government does not allow them to build a network even if they had the money. The only reason they exist is to scrap the bottom end of the market. the moment the market shifts to them, the 2 big ones will raise their network use prices to the point it is cheaper to use them than the small ones.

_s 13y ago
I doubt MVNO's would ever lease bandwidth from the big ones without taking into account their long term growth forecasts - I imagine they've got 5/10/20 year agreements in place with provisions for expansion at fixed rates - it's only if they begin to eat away at their quotas that they may change their fees / structure or and/or purchase more from the original network operator.
gamblor956 13y ago
The spectrum sales carried with them severe restrictions on the prices AT&T and Verizon could charge to MVNOs, precisely to prevent that situation.
- gcb0 13y ago
  they can't even protect us about overcharges on client accounts, what about overseeing that they are providing a decent service to those rented networks? not to mention the good old lowering of their price until they've killed competition, again.
  - gamblor956 13y ago
    They do police overcharges and excess billing; both AT&T and Verizon have paid massive fines for this in the past decade. The agency is not responsible for policing quality of service--that is a function left to the market. Nor does the agency simply get to decide that it will police quality of service--it must be granted that authority by Congress.
maxsilver 13y ago