UA Fan

I guess like with the airlines we might soon have the "Big 3":

http://www.theverge.com/2013/12/13/5...mobile-in-2014

I just moved to their Unlimited plan.

uastarflyer

These two have lesser networks but from consumer point if view are being innovative in their feature offerings.

Sadly I think this one would pass Fed review

us2

This is seriously gruesome news for T-Mobile customers. I dumped Sprint years ago over poor customer service and will dump T-Mobile if Sprint buys them. Fortunately, I'm out of contract with them, so a move should be easy.

I don't see the logic of this move given that they operate on completely different technologies, IIRC.

DenverBrian

I've been with Sprint since 1998. Generally abysmal customer service, but if things work (and they generally do these days), you really don't interface with customer service very much. And in return, you do get truly unlimited data.

Sprint's biggest issue for 2014 is the too-slow rollout of 4G LTE to take advantage of all that unlimited data.

I could switch to Verizon and get exceptional coverage and better customer service, but I'd probably pay $100 more a month for the data.

SirFlysALot

Data at Sprint is very slow even on LTE. I have them because of the unlimited phone and data. I can easily use 1200 minutes on conference calls.

Customer Service is spotty. It can be either good or bad. Often on the same day.

UA Fan

Didn't expect so many comments on their customer service, which mirrors my impression.

Lurker1999

T-mobile is a really good international travel option right now given their unlimited text and throttled web access. I switched off Sprint because I got tired of needing a GSM phone every time I got on a plane. I can't imagine a merged company would maintain both cellular technologies.

UA Fan

That was something that drew me as well. What do you mean by throtled?

docbert

T-Mobiles unlimited international data is 128kbps only. See http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trave...-coverage.html for more details

nkedel

Indeed, although it was only a little over a year that I finally ditched Sprint. Unless the present business model of T-Mobile carries over, I'm gone as soon as my contract is up.

Except for the newer LTE, yeah.

One could hope at the non-LTE end of things, they kill the Sprint CDMA network (which is not that strong, and depends on voice roaming agreements with Verizon in many areas) and move over to a UMTS one on the Sprint PCS band network.

This isn't entirely implausible; T-Mobile has been transitioning towers acquired from MetroPCS in some areas, and AFAICT is planning in the remaining MetroPCS markets.

Basically, though, it's a business model question; if they keep the present T-Mobile moves towards low cost and openness, they might do a lot better with the bigger network behind them.

If they follow the Sprint "let's outdo even Vz on lock-in" (even Vz kept SIMs for LTE; Sprint ditched them) then they're pretty well just going to produce something less than the sum of its parts.

Also available with T-mobile, as long as you're not tethering, for a heck of a lot less, and in major metro-areas, with much better speeds.

The down side is by far the worst data coverage once you're outside their strong areas.

...and poor data speeds where LTE is available. When Sprint first rolled out LTE around here, T-Mobile HSPA+ beat it, let alone any of the other three carriers' LTE.

Unlimited 128kbps (2.5G speeds, basically, whether or not the actual signal is limited to an EDGE connection or not) is sufficient for email, IM, and light use of mapping applications.

The cost to pay for a temporary data package is a LOT lower than most other companies data roaming, as well -- although often pricier than acquiring a local SIM.

sonofzeus

Some interesting analysis here:

http://www.howardforums.com/showthre...Mobile-in-2014

We have been TMO customers for many years. They're the lesser evil among so many unacceptable alternatives. If Sprint + TMOUSA , then Tracfone + FreedomPop.

lowfareair

It is a horrible thought for consumers; if you want to see how only 3 major carriers would operate in the US, look at the Canadian market. Hint: It sucks.

Dubai Stu

I seriously hope that this doesn't happen. Sprint has historically been one of the worst options for international. I have ATT iPhone International and have consistently what would happen if I was sun-setted. TMobile's offerings made me exhale and I actually figured that my phone bill savings would be significant enough that it would actually be in my interest. If I got their business plan with 2.x gigs of tethering data, I could drop my Verizon iPad plan for two, etc and go get their small business plan for two at $50 a handset and be done and pocket close to two hundred a month.

glennaa11

The incompatible networks does make it a head-scratcher. How will they resolve that?

As long as I can keep my T-Mo $30/month (100 talk minutes, "unlimited" data/text) plan that's all I care about.

Letitride3c

We just ditched CDMA/Big Red & got 2 Nexus 5 without contracts, mostly for its GSM world phone features with HSPA+ and 4G/LTE - these D820's by LG will work on Sprint's network ... YES. We are covered if & when they merge - no worries about selling the devices in the near future.

Oh, yes - that $30 T-Mo prepaid plan with unlimited text, 5GB 4G/LTE data and 100 mobile minutes every 30 days is a best kept secret, for new activations online only.