Posted: 7/31/2013 5:42:50 PM EDT
So, I just got a letter saying my Sprint service will be terminated in September, due to over-roaming back in May/June.  
Since then, I've been growing to like Sprint more, especially now that they're finally rolling out LTE. Anyways, I can either stay on Sprint by opening another line, essentially just by getting a new number with a new 2-year contract and it's requisite phone upgrade, or I can just let this line terminate and move to another service provider... My conundrum is this; I use a lot of data. Like The only other provider with a real unlimited option is T-Mobile... and T-Mobile ain't got the coverage I need, and LTE is much further away then Sprint might be... So, should I suffer through Frawg, Virgin, Ting, or whatever for a year before I switch back to Sprint after I graduate, do I go with T-Mobile and suffer with bad or mediocre service, or do I sign another 2-year contract with Sprint and just count this as a free upgrade opportunity 11 months early? |
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Off network data roaming?
Were you away from your home area for those 2 months? How much data are you talking about? Although Straight Talk offers some phones that use the Sprint network, including an SIII with LTE, I wouldn't go with them because you use a lot of data. ST claims unlimited data, but they will throttle or cut you off for an undefined "excessive" data use. And you can't use a ST branded phone on another network, so you'd be stuck with a $400 brick. If the Sprint coverage in your area is good, try Virgin Mobile. $55 month for unlimited talk & text, 2.5GB of 4G, then when you reach 2.5 GB, throttled to 3G until your month is up. |
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Quoted:
Off network data roaming? Were you away from your home area for those 2 months? How much data are you talking about? Although Straight Talk offers some phones that use the Sprint network, including an SIII with LTE, I wouldn't go with them because you use a lot of data. ST claims unlimited data, but they will throttle or cut you off for an undefined "excessive" data use. And you can't use a ST branded phone on another network, so you'd be stuck with a $400 brick. If the Sprint coverage in your area is good, try Virgin Mobile. $55 month for unlimited talk & text, 2.5GB of 4G, then when you reach 2.5 GB, throttled to 3G until your month is up. Virgin would be perfect... Except for my use of about 1.5GB/week...
As for the 11GB of data roaming... 
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Ok, I got it figured out! I'm switching to Virgin since WiFi is ubiquitous here, so the 2.5GB limit shouldn't be that much of an issue. Just ordered an LG Optimus F3 (Wow! Great specs on that phone) for $190 with shipping, but I'll get a $70 credit on the account once I activate it, so two free months ain't bad! All in all, I'll be saving $45/mo, and the phone will pay for itself in 2.5 months of payments.  The 300 minute limit is a bit disconcerting, as I use about double that. So, I'm going to have all my incoming calls come through an IPKall number to a SIP client, routed through Google Voice, which I'll port my old number to for $20.
Not bad overall... I'm hoping this can last me till May or June once I graduate; I'll know where I'll go after that since hopefully by then, I'll have a job and can pick the best carrier for that locale, plus I'm hoping I can afford another 2-year contract then.
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