Possible move from Verizon to AT&T Questions

[f150fan]

I'm pretty sure I'm about to jump the Verizon ship too. I've been considering this, and the HTC One debacle kickstarted this. It's no longer about the phone, but about a lot of things. Price, service, speed, etc. Also something Ashley Esqueda said on her most recent Techfoolery podcast. This will cost a little more money, just as she said, but to give your money to a carrier that doesn't make both the customer and the OEMs bend over backwards for THEM to make money is a better situation. Also the above mentioned LTE to HSPA handoffs instead of horrible CDMA. Having the ability to buy an international phone or Nexus device and simswap is awesome.
The downside to this is the financial part for me right now. I'm financially fine, however the extra money to swap carriers isn't right there atm. I'm afraid if I don't do it now I'll lose my ambition and anger that's driving me to make a decision that is probably better long term. The question I have to answer is do I really want to sell my Note 8 and be without my goto device at home for 2 weeks. It's tough! Thoughts/opinions?

I'm pretty sure that I am just going to pay my ETF with Verizon and jump to AT&T pretty quick. I have plenty of phones to sell that would cover my costs. I can definitely see where you are coming from with this. I have been there too. I am just sick of CDMA for basically the same reasons as you. I just have to decide on what I want to do about a phone now. There are quite a few good choices right now, which makes it more difficult.

 

[p08757]

Unless Verizon announces some crazy changes to their plans in today's announcement, I'm probably going to jump ship at the end of the year. I'm also waiting on when/if Google announces a new Nexus device. If its about the same price as the Nexus 4 I'm jumping ship to AT&T for sure. I would love to have NO contract and pay less than $400.00 for a new contract free phone every year.

I'm tired of Verizon and their current policy changes.

 

[Scott Kenyon]

I feel so good about switching. It's such an amazing feeling.

Sent from my HTC One using Android Central Forums

 

[f150fan]

I feel so good about switching. It's such an amazing feeling.

Sent from my HTC One using Android Central Forums

I sure hope that it is that way when I switch! Lol. I just wish I could figure out what the hell I want to get for a phone.

 

[f150fan]

Well, I decided that I will go with a month-to-month plan on AT&T and I will start out using the Nexus 4. This way I can always get a HTC One, Optimus G Pro, etc. on contract at a subsidized price later if I choose. I figure that this is the best way for me to go for now and feel out the waters. Thanks for all the replies and help. Now I wait for my true Nexus to arrive. Lol.

 

[JoJoCal19]

Count me in the chorus of users defecting from VZW. Been using them since they were PrimeCo and as of late I'm just disgusted with their blatantly anti-consumer practices and policy changes. All they've done is take away from customers while squeezing us for more money. I'm looking at AT&T off contract, AT&Ts new carrier AIO Wireless, or GoPhone.

 

[natehoy]

Yeah, I know that I won't have LTE, and I am pretty sure that I'm OK with that, for now. I have LTE devices on Verizon and only use it when I think it is necessary, otherwise I just stick to 3G.

To be honest, the real-world difference between HSPA+ and LTE for anything I could possibly think of doing on a metered cell phone plan are... well, basically nonexistent. Verizon LTE tests out (when working WELL) at about 20mbps on my Thunderbolt and averages somewhere around 11-12mbps with some days being closer to 0.5mbps. Their 3G, which I spend most of my actual time in, tests nearer to 1mbps, and is very inconsistent.

Meanwhile, AT&T's HSPA+ "FauxG" tests at about 8-9MBPS pretty consistently, and is available pretty much everywhere I go. I'll take half the speed if I can have it all the time, and I've never run into an application that I'd want to run on a metered plan that requires more than a couple of megabits per second anyway.

My Verizon plan is unlimited, and I'm going to discontinue it when my plan is up and go with a metered AT&T plan. That's the level of difference in real-world speed around these parts.

AT&T's coverage on an already "fast enough" protocol has improved remarkably while Verizon has focused on rolling out "ludicrous speed" and in my experience at the cost of basic reliability.

 

[p08757]

To be honest, the real-world difference between HSPA+ and LTE for anything I could possibly think of doing on a metered cell phone plan are... well, basically nonexistent. Verizon LTE tests out (when working WELL) at about 20mbps on my Thunderbolt and averages somewhere around 11-12mbps with some days being closer to 0.5mbps. Their 3G, which I spend most of my actual time in, tests nearer to 1mbps, and is very inconsistent.

Meanwhile, AT&T's HSPA+ "FauxG" tests at about 8-9MBPS pretty consistently, and is available pretty much everywhere I go. I'll take half the speed if I can have it all the time, and I've never run into an application that I'd want to run on a metered plan that requires more than a couple of megabits per second anyway.

My Verizon plan is unlimited, and I'm going to discontinue it when my plan is up and go with a metered AT&T plan. That's the level of difference in real-world speed around these parts.

AT&T's coverage on an already "fast enough" protocol has improved remarkably while Verizon has focused on rolling out "ludicrous speed" and in my experience at the cost of basic reliability.

I'm finding the same thing in my area. I'm currently "test-driving" a Nexus4 on an AT&T individual plan. Things are looking good for me. I actually have decent reception with AT&T in my office whereas my Verizon service is nonexistent. The real test will be this weekend at my family cottage. Net10 failed me with no data connection out there, but after reviewing several forums and such I discovered that the Net10 AT&T coverage is not as inclusive as a true post paid AT&T account.

If things work as I expect, I will be porting my wife's phone number over to the new AT&T account I set up, and the rest of my family will move over as my Verizon contracts expire.

I really hope this works because I really want to give Verizon the boot!

 

[natehoy]

I discovered that the Net10 AT&T coverage is not as inclusive as a true post paid AT&T account.

Correct. When you are lucky enough to get a Net10/StraightTalk AT&T SIM, you get ONLY AT&T service. They do not honor the roaming arrangements they have in place with other carriers like they do on postpaid accounts.

The same is true on some direct carrier prepaid accounts. When I checked into going T-Mobile prepaid, for example, their coverage maps were VERY different than the postpaid ones, and frustratingly enough the difference was not terribly well-documented.