Re: 5G map

On 4/6/2022 3:10 AM, badgolferman wrote:

<snip>

> I care about the best value over all and that has been T-Mobile for me over
> the past five years or so.

Yes, it’s true that for postpaid service T-Mobile is typically less 
expensive than AT&T or Verizon. T-Mobile also bundles in taxes and fees 
in their advertised prices which can make a very big difference in some 
places with very high tax rates.

OTOH, AT&T and Verizon have prepaid options, both ones they operate and 
MVNOs, that are less costly. T-Mobile MVNOs should be avoided because 
the lack of included roaming makes their coverage much worse than what 
you get on T-Mobile proper. For example, the entire state of Alaska has 
no service on T-Mobile MVNOs like Mint.

Personally, I did have four lines of T-Mobile for a while when I wanted 
their included international roaming SMS, 20 cent per minute voice 
calls, and low-speed international data, for a trip to England and 
Ireland. The voice and SMS worked well in Europe but the data was too 
slow to be useful. When we returned to California it was clear that we 
could not continue with T-Mobile. We had two children away at college, 
and the route to visit them in San Diego and Santa Cruz lacked T-Mobile 
coverage in several areas.

Some people insist that even though they have no T-Mobile coverage at 
home that it doesn’t matter because T-Mobile provided them with a free 
micro-cell that hooks up to their broadband data. Of course these days, 
with Wi-Fi calling, there’s not much need for separate microcells.

I certainly understand the appeal of paying less for a product or 
service, but I’m reminded of the quote: “There is hardly anything in the 
world that someone cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, 
and the people who consider price alone are that person's lawful prey.” 
― Author Unknown