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Overall my experience with this carrier is very positive. Their network modernization program is working, and the old 2G network is disappearing, replaced with blistering fast LTE fed by fiber. Definitely go with T-Mobile if they have coverage in your area that meets your needs. |Billing & CS| Customer Support is getting better but still is poor at handling unusual situations. If you are unsatisfied with any interaction with support the higher level CSR's are more than willing to credit your account for any trouble. Credits can range from $15 all the way up to $250 in my experience (this credit entirely has to do with a long-delayed order of new phones, not service/billing). Customer Service is also unwilling to work with individual lines to resolve issues, you must be the main account holder. Does not matter if you have names on the account, its a restrictive policy. AT&T was more flexible in this regard. As for usage billing there are no overages if you go over your data limit. We have 1gb per line. The penalty is throttling you down to EDGE-like speeds, still usable. I rarely go over. |Network| What used to be "that old 1990's EDGE network" is disappearing fast. The network refarm has been a success and I entirely believe Neville Ray (CTO) that all EDGE towers will have LTE overbuilt by the end of this year. The LTE is blistering fast with consistent low pingtimes. Your going to want a current T-Mobile device (or a phone with full support of the bands TMUS uses) to take advantage of the network, if you come on board with a device that can only do AT&T's 3G bands your not going to even see the whole network. In urban areas EDGE has been replaced with 3G, but the more rural towers have gone straight to LTE with EDGE for legacy/voice/SMS. To put it short, when I started 3G or Faux-G was a rarity in 2012. By 2015 their network has totally transformed. Signal has gotten more reliable and consistent. Calls are clearer and dont drop as often. The neglect during the mid-late 2000's has been repaired, and the shiny new network gleams. The one caveat of the current T-Mobile network is hand off between towers in more sparse areas. Calls tend to drop between rural towers as they are spaced far enough that a call handover will fail, but you will regain reception momentarily. This is not a problem in more dense suburban or urban environments. |Local Upgrades| T-Mobile has been going back and adding new antennas to sites they previously upgraded to LTE in order to take advantage of AWS spectrum that is unused. My local tower is getting upgrades right now, and I look forward to the improved coverage and speed. |Speed| Data is blistering fast for cellular, with good latency under 100ms. The LTE speed varies, on the re-farmed EDGE towers the speed will max out at 30mbps during idle times, but on urban towers the speeds can be as high as 100mbps with the right phone. Their higher than normal tower density in coverage areas due to the short range of AWS reduces tower congestion and it shows. EDGE, where it still is the only option (almost gone) has deteriorated to the point that it barely works for email or navigation. |Conclusion| T-MUS is really challenging the norm of the US wireless market. Having no overage fees, free international roaming, unlimited music (with certain services), and Wifi Calling really polish the edges of this offering. The pricing is great for 4 lines. If the coverage in your area is sufficient, give them a try. The savings are worth it! 10/10 would use network again Attachments: member for 11.8 years, 5519 visits, last login: a few hours ago updated 7.7 years ago
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