Differences between UK and US carriers.

[Geoponic]

Okay, so I have T-mobile UK and Pay

 

[lekky]

You need to include how much you paid for your phone (I assume Free like me).

We get much better deals than the US I think.

 

[IOWA]

I pay 110 after tax and a 25% discount... 2 lines unlimited everything, including text mms talk time net ptt bis (the later two my phone doesn't use/need but its offered).and a few other things. Keep in mind that's with a few negotiated loyalty perks as well, so average joe has nowhere near this deal. I also get upgrades every year, subsidized of course, and I paid 30 bucks for my moment. My other line(my fiance) is a samsung instinct. Oh, and I can add a line at any time with all the goodies for an extra 15/mo. Up to 5 lines.

Just have to add this... I've heard, the reason eurasia has good deals and more coverage is bc of a few reasons. While in the states we had. A vast, robust buildout of legacy landlines, you did not,( in many locations) and it was actually cheaper to buildout a cellular network than invest in new copper landlines and such. (Keep in mind as your up to date now, this took place in early 90s) secondly, eurasia doesn't have as many geographical 'roadblocks' as the states. Keep in mind this is part rumor and part speculation. Feel free to add.

Oh and to the op, its HSDPA, and HSDPA is 3G, so your not on one or the other, bc its all 3G.

Also... prices are falling considerably... there are several prepaid options that are all you can eat that range from 30$ - $50 for text/voice and.$40 - $75$ for text/voice/web. Now keep in mind you must purchase the phone outright, and the highest end phone would be a low end blackberry, also the coverage isn't the greatest.

 

[Geoponic]

Oh and to the op, its HSDPA, and HSDPA is 3G, so your not on one or the other, bc its all 3G.

Wrong. HSPDA is enhanced 3G giving 7.2 and 14.0 Mbit/s.
It is not simply 3G as for one the phone wouldn't bother making the Chane from '3G' to 'H' AND there is a by FAR considerable difference in speed, so much so that 3G seems too slow for me.

Also, i didn't understand a word of your post.

I only asked for the plan you're on and how much it cost
(along with the initial price too)

 

[TheBrit]

IOWA, I can't speak for other European countries but in the UK we *did* have a comprehensive phone network and still do. The scenario you describe sounds more like Africa.

Geoponic, IOWA did say what his plan cost. I suggest you read again.

 

[IOWA]

Wrong. HSPDA is enhanced 3G giving 7.2 and 14.0 Mbit/s.
It is not simply 3G as for one the phone wouldn't bother making the Chane from '3G' to 'H' AND there is a by FAR considerable difference in speed, so much so that 3G seems too slow for me.

Also, i didn't understand a word of your post.

I only asked for the plan you're on and how much it cost
(along with the initial price too)

Ok geo.. its HSDPA, NOT HSPDA, and regardless of speed it is still considered 3G. Evdo rev B achieves those same speeds, if not greater. and I don't understand where "H" doesn't make any sense. Read up of the 3GPP and 3GPP2 standards for more information.

And brit.. thanks for the input! I should have mentioned UK and other more developed nations with decent to good economies kept up... I was more or less refering to places that couldn't keep up... but more info is appreciated.

 

[lekky]

Please don't argue over naming, we call it HSDPA to distinguish what speed we are getting. Saying I'm not on 3G, i'm on HSDPA is a perfectly fine thing to say.

 

[IOWA]

Please don't argue over naming, we call it HSDPA to distinguish what speed we are getting. Saying I'm not on 3G, i'm on HSDPA is a perfectly fine thing to say.

No, it is not. EDGE is not considered 3G, only HSDPA/UMTS is.

 

[lekky]

No, it is not. EDGE is not considered 3G, only HSDPA/UMTS is.

Of course it is. My phone gives me G, 3G and H symbols. So why is it wrong to say "I'm on G/3G/H". People know what those mean, what speeds they represent.

 

[TheBrit]

Data speeds (in Europe):

2G = G = GPRS = s-l-o-w
2.5G = E = EDGE = slow
3G = ...3G = medium
3.5G = H = HSDPA = fast
4G = Wimax? = faster

 

[IOWA]

Thank you brit. Calling edge 3g is funnier than someone saying and iphone can make phone calls

 

[nDrg]

UK here. I pay

 

[miamicanes]

I pay Sprint (US) $66.91/month (total charged to my credit card including taxes) for 500 'anytime' minutes, free nights ("night" = 7pm-6am), free weekends, free mobile-to-mobile (any carrier), free roaming anyplace in America where Sprint doesn't exist (I have yet to find one, but I guess they exist somewhere), unlimited text & MMS, and "unlimited" data (which really means "no hard limit, but if you make a habit out of exceeding 5gb/month, we reserve the right to let you out of your contract & dump you as a customer if you don't agree to substantially higher rates"). I paid $179.99 for the phone (total price, including taxes) with 2-year contract.

I used to pay $15/month extra for the right to openly tether, but when I bought my new phone, they told me I couldn't add tethering. So I rooted, and now I tether without paying them a cent. Hey, if they don't want a free $15 monthly windfall for something I do anyway, I'm not going to hold a gun to their head...

 

[Mr. Yuck]

US here.
Verizon, $220 per month for 4 lines, (that includes all taxes/fees). 1200 anytime minutes, unlimited night and weekend minutes. Data plans w/ unlimited internet on my Droid and the wife's HTC. Unlimited texting/pics on all phones.
I paid $199 for my phone. I think the wife's was the same, or close to it. The other 2 phonws were free w/ the 2 yr contract.

Do you guys in the UK get a lot of taxes/fees tacked on to your bill?

 

[IOWA]

US here.
Verizon, $220 per month for 4 lines, (that includes all taxes/fees). 1200 anytime minutes, unlimited night and weekend minutes. Data plans w/ unlimited internet on my Droid and the wife's HTC. Unlimited texting/pics on all phones.
I paid $199 for my phone. I think the wife's was the same, or close to it. The other 2 phonws were free w/ the 2 yr contract.

Do you guys in the UK get a lot of taxes/fees tacked on to your bill?

Wow... your getting hosed.....

If I added 2 lines to my plan, id have unlimited everything on all lines, which is considerably more than what your getting... plus it would be about 70 per month cheaper.....

 

[IOWA]

After realizing my comparison was a bit unfair due to my loyalty perks....
Here's a more fair comparision

Sprints plan
4 lines all with the following
1500 anytime min
Free nights and weekends at 7pm
Unlimited data
Unlimited sms gps mms everything else etc etc
Full phone upgrade every year instead of two years.
Unlimited mobile to mobile ( meaning ANY mobile, not just sprints network)
169.167 before tax.

Now I know taxes vary by location... so even with a very high tax of 14%,
It comes out to 193.76...

Which is still 26 bucks a month cheaper... with a lot more features.... more anytime mintues better nights and weekends, unlimited net on both lines, and don't forget m2m.

Over the course of your contract your paying over 624 bucks more for less service.... may make you rethink that verizon thing.

Now also keep in mind sprint doest cripple their devices like verizon does... and employer discounts are very easy to get with sprint. Pretty much all ljaw enforcement, and all large companis get some sort of discount.

 

[Mr. Yuck]

Not that easy for me Iowa. I was an Alltel customer before they purchased Verizon. Why was I with the company who had all the cool phones......3-4 years after everyone else?! Because it was the only carrier who worked well where I live. AT&T has finally placed a new tower, and you can receive a signal. My friends with T-mobile do well away from my house, but I live in a bit of a dip, and T-mobile doesn't work well either. Honestly have never tried Sprint. May have to give that a try. Does Sprint allow 30 day trials with their phones?
On the bright side my wife deducts our bill as a business expense since my daughter and I both work for her periodically.

 

[IOWA]

Not that easy for me Iowa. I was an Alltel customer before they purchased Verizon. Why was I with the company who had all the cool phones......3-4 years after everyone else?! Because it was the only carrier who worked well where I live. AT&T has finally placed a new tower, and you can receive a signal. My friends with T-mobile do well away from my house, but I live in a bit of a dip, and T-mobile doesn't work well either. Honestly have never tried Sprint. May have to give that a try. Does Sprint allow 30 day trials with their phones?
On the bright side my wife deducts our bill as a business expense since my daughter and I both work for her periodically.

Ahhhh I see. I actually liked Alltel. Truth be told, Verizon's coiverage wasnt half of what it was before they bought Alltel. And Alltels pricing wasnt bad either.