Need a cell phone/plan

ucbalumnus
Thu, 22 Dec 2011 11:38:39 +0000

easylife808:

I’m not really that familiar with the whole cell-phone thing. How do the main providers compare around Cal?



The main networks are Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint. Many of the others like Page Plus, Virgin Mobile, Trac Fone, etc. resell airtime from these networks, often at cheaper prices than the main networks’ companies. Of the main networks’ companies, Verizon has the reputation of having the best coverage (though not necessarily everywhere), while T-Mobile and Sprint tend to have less expensive plans.



easylife808:

I have my Nokia phone which I would particularly like to stick with. Anything out there that offers me a SIM I can recharge when needed? It doesn’t seem to make sense for me to have to buy a new phone if I already have one.



T-Mobile prepaid [Pay As You Go](T-Mobile® Official Site: Get Even More Without Paying More | T-Mobile & Sprint Merged to Give You More). Buy the [SIM card](T-Mobile® Official Site: Get Even More Without Paying More | T-Mobile & Sprint Merged to Give You More) for $5, then add $100 to get 1,000 minutes good for a year. Add a $10 refill before the year is up to extend the minutes for another year, etc…

Note that Verizon and Sprint use CDMA phones that do not use SIM cards (other than dual CDMA/GSM phones); AT&T and T-Mobile use GSM phones that use SIM cards. For use in the US, your GSM phone must have the 1900 band, and preferably also the 850 band. In many other countries, the 1800 and 900 bands are used (if your phone is “quad-band”, it has all four GSM bands).