The end of AT&T...Verizon iPhone

[krash]

Yey, iPhone moving to another crappy network...

It will be nice to see Android devices kill the iPhone

wait..... So if AT&T is crappy, and Verizon is crappy, what do you consider a good network? Cricket?

TBH, I lost interest in the iPhone after this whole Android explosion. We'll see what happens when I get my Incredible in the mail....... Verizon says it should ship before I'm 30.

[Jesda]

BOOST MOBILE

WHERE U AT

[MinisterofDOOM]

I'm excited that T-mobile is FINALLY getting a high-end android device this month. I'll probably pick up a Galaxy S soon. Hello Quake III mobile.

[Razi]

America needs some more Korean and Japanese phones.

[HashiriyaS14]

America needs some more Korean and Japanese phones.

What we need is 1seg.

[Razi]

Watching TV ftw.
People on the subway are either watching TV on their phones, reading something, or doing nothing.

[krash]

BOOST MOBILE

WHERE U AT

THE WHOLE CITY BEHIND US, WHOOOOOOOO

[RicerX]

LMAO at Verizon being a crappy network. Sorry, but while T-Mobile may have decent coverage in major metropolitan areas, they'll never get enough market share to generate the revenue necessary to support a network worthy of facing Verizon OR AT&T head-on. T-Mobile is attractive because it's cheap and has subscribers because of such. But keep in mind - TMo is just now getting around to deploying 3G across its entire footprint, while companies like Verizon and Sprint are adopting and testing 4G/LTE technology. TMo has always been one step behind with technology and always will be as long as powerhouses like Verizon and AT&T exist. Unfortunately, the best T-Mobile phone I ever had came from Europe and not a T-Mobile store. Their selection of phones is TERRIBLE - lots of Fisher Price "My First Cellphone"s. Name one phone that T-Mobile carries that holds a candle to a Droid X or an iPhone that no one else carries.

[infinitgkid]

BOOST MOBILE

WHERE U AT

THE WHOLE CITY BEHIND US, WHOOOOOOOO

Idk, I can see where people are coming from when they say they don't like AT&T. But, I haven't had any problems with the service that would make me shout "hallelujah" upon finding out that the iPhone 4 is going to Verizon. I'm currently in a town that seems like the middle of nowhere (compared to where I'm from) and there is no 3G coverage out here. Do I have any complaints? No. The phone works, I have access to all of its features with reasonable speed. I guess I'm just being old fashioned (I'm not even 21 yet ) and content/accepting of the service I've chosen. I mean, it could just be me because I'm just a college student who could go a week without his phone and it not matter, plus I don't have that high of a demand from my network as all of you who are business people and such.

If and when the iPhone goes to Verizon, I may switch back when my contract is up but I'm in no hurry.

I do have some questions though:
-Is there going to be a single data plan that will cover for all the iPhone features? If not, how much will it cost?
-Will there be a possiblity of transfering existing iPhone users from AT&T to Verizon and how much would that cost?
-Will the phone software change at all? (In regards to Verizon's Vcast/Rhapsody vs. iTunes)

But like I said, I'm going to patiently wait it out and see where things go; ya know... do my research.

[MinisterofDOOM]

I do have some questions though:
-Is there going to be a single data plan that will cover for all the iPhone features? If not, how much will it cost?
-Will there be a possiblity of transfering existing iPhone users from AT&T to Verizon and how much would that cost?
-Will the phone software change at all? (In regards to Verizon's Vcast/Rhapsody vs. iTunes)

1: Like AT&T, Verizon is idiotically (and greedily) dropping their unlimited data plans for tiered limited data plans. Bastards. But as for the iPhone's "features" being supported...it doesn't work like that. You have a voice plan, you have a data plan, that's it. There's nothing iPhone-specific about the plans. They might charge some garbage "premium device" fees like Sprint does with the EVO, but what I'm getting at is if you get a data plan, your iPhone is "supported."

2: No. Verizon is CDMA, AT&T is GSM. Not only are the two technologies incompatible, but Verizon phones do not use SIM cards, while AT&T phones do. There will have to be network-related and radio hardware changes for the Verizon iphone.

3: No way in Hell. Apple would never allow it. The iPhone ownership/user experience will have to be identical or Apple would never go for it.

[infinitgkid]

2: No. Verizon is CDMA, AT&T is GSM. Not only are the two technologies incompatible, but Verizon phones do not use SIM cards, while AT&T phones do. There will have to be network-related and radio hardware changes for the Verizon iphone.

Oh man, well I got a 2 year contract when I got my iPhone 4. I'm sure by time that is up there will be something new on the market and I guess at that time I'll pick what carrier I want to go with.

[Alfador]

"Bloomberg cites multiple anonymous sources who claim Verizon"

blah blah

The amount of crap on this out there is just absurd. No point in even paying attention to anything that comes from "anonymous sources" yet.

[Urabus GodofTraction]

LMAO at Verizon being a crappy network. Sorry, but while T-Mobile may have decent coverage in major metropolitan areas, they'll never get enough market share to generate the revenue necessary to support a network worthy of facing Verizon OR AT&T head-on. T-Mobile is attractive because it's cheap and has subscribers because of such. But keep in mind - TMo is just now getting around to deploying 3G across its entire footprint, while companies like Verizon and Sprint are adopting and testing 4G/LTE technology. TMo has always been one step behind with technology and always will be as long as powerhouses like Verizon and AT&T exist. Unfortunately, the best T-Mobile phone I ever had came from Europe and not a T-Mobile store. Their selection of phones is TERRIBLE - lots of Fisher Price "My First Cellphone"s. Name one phone that T-Mobile carries that holds a candle to a Droid X or an iPhone that no one else carries.

I think AT&T stopped carrying the Nexus One, making that T-mobile specific.

[RicerX]

LMAO at Verizon being a crappy network. Sorry, but while T-Mobile may have decent coverage in major metropolitan areas, they'll never get enough market share to generate the revenue necessary to support a network worthy of facing Verizon OR AT&T head-on. T-Mobile is attractive because it's cheap and has subscribers because of such. But keep in mind - TMo is just now getting around to deploying 3G across its entire footprint, while companies like Verizon and Sprint are adopting and testing 4G/LTE technology. TMo has always been one step behind with technology and always will be as long as powerhouses like Verizon and AT&T exist. Unfortunately, the best T-Mobile phone I ever had came from Europe and not a T-Mobile store. Their selection of phones is TERRIBLE - lots of Fisher Price "My First Cellphone"s. Name one phone that T-Mobile carries that holds a candle to a Droid X or an iPhone that no one else carries.

I think AT&T stopped carrying the Nexus One, making that T-mobile specific.

The Nexus One wasn't really marketed by google as a carrier specific phone at all. When preorders started, you could buy them straight from Google. It was never tailored for T-Mobile, but rather to any GSM/WCDMA/HSPA network. T-Mobile just happens to be the only other GSM/WCDMA/HSPA in the US besides AT&T, but abroad, there are SEVERAL others, especially in Europe. The Nexus One is definitely an oddball device, so you could really argue either way on this one. But it's definitely not exclusive to T-Mobile.

[fiznowler]

I have an iphone 3g. I have had it since a couple months after they came out. I really don't have any intentions of switching to another phone. Everything just works. It doesn't mess up or lock up ever. I did however get pissed off enough at the att s*** customer service to pay to cancel contract. I am jailbroke and on tmobile now. I did the no contract thing with unlimited texts and internet and more minutes for a ton less than att was charging. I am not opposed to a droid but to say the iphone sux is just incorrect. I hate what apple fanboy s*** is out there. I bought the iphone for its capabilities and the fact it was on the network i was using at the time. I am by no means an apple fan but the phone does what i want it to do and that is all i can ask for.

[RCA]

No reception issues here...

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=694TX2lQ7Uo[/youtube]

[MinisterofDOOM]

Their selection of phones is TERRIBLE - lots of Fisher Price "My First Cellphone"s. Name one phone that T-Mobile carries that holds a candle to a Droid X or an iPhone that no one else carries.

Yeah, T-mobile's official phone selection sucks. Especially for smartphones.
That's going to start changing very soon, though.
T-mo is getting the Galaxy S (It'll be called the Vibrant under its T-mobile branding, though) in a couple weeks. The Galaxy S is THE top of the food chain in Android devices at the moment.
And it is also suspected that T-mobile will also be getting what will likely be the first Android 3.0 phone, the HTC Vision, which is purported to be powered by a dual core 800mhz processor. That phone is expected to arrive this winter.

[PoorManQ45]

LMAO at Verizon being a crappy network. Sorry, but while T-Mobile may have decent coverage in major metropolitan areas, they'll never get enough market share to generate the revenue necessary to support a network worthy of facing Verizon OR AT&T head-on. T-Mobile is attractive because it's cheap and has subscribers because of such. But keep in mind - TMo is just now getting around to deploying 3G across its entire footprint, while companies like Verizon and Sprint are adopting and testing 4G/LTE technology. TMo has always been one step behind with technology and always will be as long as powerhouses like Verizon and AT&T exist. Unfortunately, the best T-Mobile phone I ever had came from Europe and not a T-Mobile store. Their selection of phones is TERRIBLE - lots of Fisher Price "My First Cellphone"s. Name one phone that T-Mobile carries that holds a candle to a Droid X or an iPhone that no one else carries.

I find this humorous.

Federal law requires that all providers share their towers and allow other providers to connect through them.

Everyone has close to the same coverage...

[RicerX]

I find this humorous.

Federal law requires that all providers share their towers and allow other providers to connect through them.

Everyone has close to the same coverage...

I find this even more humorous.

It is true that celltowers must provide e911 capabilites for all phones sold in the US approved under the FCC. However, it is very much NOT true that everyone has close to the same coverage if you're dialing any number other than 911.

[PoorManQ45]

I find this humorous.

Federal law requires that all providers share their towers and allow other providers to connect through them.

Everyone has close to the same coverage...

I find this even more humorous.

It is true that celltowers must provide e911 capabilites for all phones sold in the US approved under the FCC. However, it is very much NOT true that everyone has close to the same coverage if you're dialing any number other than 911.

Ugh... It is called roaming. All service providers have agreements with each other to allow the usage of one service on another, and not for only emergency calls.

[RicerX]

Ugh... Roaming is only provisioned for carriers that share the same radio technology. Verizon can't roam on AT&T. T-Mobile can't roam on Sprint.

Google CDMA vs. GSM architecture. Wonder why Verizon doesn't offer international service when AT&T does? Because the rest of the world uses GSM and not CDMA. If you notice REALLY closely, BBs on VZW are starting to be released with BOTH GSM and CDMA radios inside. They don't have roaming agreements active because, even though hybrid BBs are available with VZW, 20% of the phones that they offer are still exclusively based on CDMA/EV-DO. Therefore, they don't spend the money on those roaming agreements. Even if they carried 100% GSM/CDMA phones, roaming agreements usually only work when there's something for the other party involved. In the case of T-Mobile, for example - they carry ZERO phones with a CDMA radio in them. Therefore, they CANNOT roam on VZW. Which brings us back to our original math - T-Mobile /= VZW. The end.

[PoorManQ45]

Due to the federal mandate that emergency services be offered to everyone regardless of the service provider, every tower will work.

Interestingly enough, in Northern Wisconsin the only tower around our cottage is a Verizon operated tower a mile or two away. They utilize CDMA. I have Tmobile, a GSM provider. I can connect to their tower just fine

If you want to explain that I would love to hear it.

[RicerX]

You're arguing in circles now. Original argument stands - coverage footprint is not the same - it varies from carrier to carrier.

Just because the tower is owned/operated by Verizon does not necessarily mean it's a CDMA tower. Does your phone display "Verizon" on its screen? Probably not. AT&T actually owns a lot of the GSM infrastructure in the US (they purchased bellsouth, who owned a lot of the towers), but rights to some of their towers have been auctioned off as mandated by the FCC. So several other local carriers, or even bigger carriers like T-Mobile, actually have rights to use them as home towers, but AT&T is still getting paid to operate and maintain them.

Bottom line - your GSM T-Mobile phone is NOT utilizing a CDMA signal.

The federal mandate you're talking about doesn't make each tower a radio signal free-for-all. Each tower is based on one technology. They employ adapters for the opposite technology to meet e911 requirements, but only a small amount of bandwidth is allotted for that. The tower owner regulates it for emergency purposes, but locks out casual users if there is not a roaming agreement present. Federal regulations didn't just magically make the technologies merge together. I mean - just because OBD-II became required in 1996 doesn't mean that your 1992 Q45 magically upgraded its plug underneath the steering wheel.

[PoorManQ45]

Just because the tower is owned/operated by Verizon does not necessarily mean it's a CDMA tower. Does your phone display "Verizon" on its screen? Probably not. AT&T actually owns a lot of the GSM infrastructure in the US (they purchased bellsouth, who owned a lot of the towers), but rights to some of their towers have been auctioned off as mandated by the FCC. So several other local carriers, or even bigger carriers like T-Mobile, actually have rights to use them as home towers, but AT&T is still getting paid to operate and maintain them.

That makes sense

[Travisty]

I was pretty certain that ATT had exclusive rights to the iphone for another 2 years, but who knows.

[szh]

I find this humorous.

Federal law requires that all providers share their towers and allow other providers to connect through them.

Everyone has close to the same coverage...

Absolutely not true at all.

Nowadays, most (not all) towers are owned by independent tower operators. Who then rent/lease the site to the carriers. They are under no obligation to sign everybody.

Most importantly, a given carrier can only provide service in a location if they have the spectrum rights to do so. No spectrum, no tower, no service. The arrangements are done by roaming agreements in that case.

Z

[PoorManQ45]

Good explanation.

Do you mind visiting the Kindle thread and looking at my question/statement on the first page?

[szh]

Interestingly enough, in Northern Wisconsin the only tower around our cottage is a Verizon operated tower a mile or two away. They utilize CDMA. I have Tmobile, a GSM provider. I can connect to their tower just fine

If you want to explain that I would love to hear it.

A GSM phone will NOT ever work on a CDMA base system.

Fundamental differences in technology. What you are implying simply cannot be done - period. No ifs, ands or buts about it.

It is far more likely that the tower you are referring to is owned by an independent tower operator who is providing space to both Verizon and T-Mobile for their base stations. Equally likely, if you are in the boonies, that the T-Mobile phone is actually running on an AT&T base station through roaming agreements. Next time you are in the area, check the operator who is displayed on the phone.

Z

[PoorManQ45]

Next time you are in the area, check the operator who is displayed on the phone.

Z

I understand the differences in the technology. I didn't know about the independent operators though.

[Jesda]

Blackberry connects to all of the above.