Ask a AT&T Rep!

[jglowe74]

It's tough. When you activate your iPhone there is a way to post date the porting process but it doens't work all the time the way it's supposed to. It's better just to wait.

thanks for the head's up PostalUT. i'll try to be patient for another couple weeks.

so hard though...

 

[Limegrntaln]

3 weeks left on your other bill?? Am I missing something? Port the number and let the Tmobile phone sit, your paying the last bill anyway, why do you even need to use the Tmobile phone?

 

[ericUT]

3 weeks left on your other bill?? Am I missing something? Port the number and let the Tmobile phone sit, your paying the last bill anyway, why do you even need to use the Tmobile phone?

Once the port is complete, the T-Mobile account is automatically cancelled. So if there is time left on the contract, even if it's only 3 weeks, you can still be charged the ETF.

 

[jglowe74]

Once the port is complete, the T-Mobile account is automatically cancelled. So if there is time left on the contract, even if it's only 3 weeks, you can still be charged the ETF.

and that's exactly what i'm trying to avoid paying. plus, my wife is going to have to stick with Big Red because she just got a new phone in November 08. so she's stuck with them. i, however, am done august 1st. i just don't want to do anything to screw up her account.

and i get to take my state employee discount with me over to AT&T. tee hee

 

[phazeplant]

i don't own an iPhone yet, but plan to in the very immediate future. just a few things i haven't been able to find a definitive answer on: i read that at&t is seeking out iPhone users who aren't using the approved data plans and adding it to their accounts. my question is can at&t only recognize regular locked at&t iPhones on unapproved data plans or can they still find you even if your iPhone is unlocked & jailbroken? also, if they can't recognize the unlocked/jailbroken iPhones, does it still work on the 3G network? ideally, i'd like to be on the at&t network since i've found out that the t mobile network doesn't support 3G speeds for the iPhone. my plan was to get a Pick Your Plan go phone with unlimited data and just take the sim out of the go phone and put it in my new iPhone. Thank you so much for any help, i know i want an iPhone but if at&t is gonna force me on their required data plan no thx, i'll just go to t mobile.

 

[Finables]

Is AT&T ever going to provide service in all NYC subway stations and subway cars? 3G doesn't work, no texts while riding the subways, what's with that? Does Verizon or Sprint have a lock on subways and tunnels in NYC? I mean I see folks on their phones and can hear the voice of a person on the other end and it makes me a bit jealous!

 

[ericUT]

i don't own an iPhone yet, but plan to in the very immediate future. just a few things i haven't been able to find a definitive answer on: i read that at&t is seeking out iPhone users who aren't using the approved data plans and adding it to their accounts. my question is can at&t only recognize regular locked at&t iPhones on unapproved data plans or can they still find you even if your iPhone is unlocked & jailbroken? also, if they can't recognize the unlocked/jailbroken iPhones, does it still work on the 3G network? ideally, i'd like to be on the at&t network since i've found out that the t mobile network doesn't support 3G speeds for the iPhone. my plan was to get a Pick Your Plan go phone with unlimited data and just take the sim out of the go phone and put it in my new iPhone. Thank you so much for any help, i know i want an iPhone but if at&t is gonna force me on their required data plan no thx, i'll just go to t mobile.

You will not be able to activate any iphone locked or unlocked officially on a pick your plan account with the exception of the 2G. Unlocking the phone does not hide the IMEI and other device information from AT&T. In addition, NO pre-paid plans will give you access to the 3G network. They will always switch you over to EDGE which is the same speed you would be using on T-Mobile. The only way to use the iPhone 3G or 3Gs with 3G is to have a regular postpaid AT&T account with the proper data plan. If you're concerned about cost, T-mobile would be the best option since most pre-paid plans from any carrier cost way more than postpaid in many instances plus you can get unlimited data plans that aren't available for gophones If the credit check is the issue, go ahead and pay the deposit and it will help boost your credit or activate the account in a buddy's name.

 

[ericUT]

Is AT&T ever going to provide service in all NYC subway stations and subway cars? 3G doesn't work, no texts while riding the subways, what's with that? Does Verizon or Sprint have a lock on subways and tunnels in NYC? I mean I see folks on their phones and can hear the voice of a person on the other end and it makes me a bit jealous!

I wish I knew more about this because I hear it on the internet sometimes. My undertstanding is that in the NYC area, Sprint and Verizon are able to provide coverage in subways because a) one of the CDMA carriers may have an agreement with the transit authority to put repeaters in the tunnels and b) the 850 MHz band is being used by the CDMA carriers in the NYC area. The 850 band reaches much farther into buildings and tunnels than the 1900 band which is what AT&T is using in that area.

In short, I'm not sure at all. I defeinitely feel for you. And I know AT&T is always striving for bettwe coverage. Perhaps if the rumor that AT&T is turning on the 850 3G band are true, you will see some improved signal quality.

 

[jglowe74]

3GS backorder?

was wondering as an AT&T rep, do you (or anyone else on TiPb) know the (general) status of the 3GS as far as availability in 'most' AT&T stores right now? i am in bloomington-normal IL and will be purchasing on august 1st (date my verizon contract expires). however, i'm wondering if i need to pre-order my 32gb white 3gs so it will arrive by august 1st.

would prefer to purchase iPhone in AT&T store (since closese Apple store is over 2 hours away) over ordering online. plus it seems easier to get a new account activated and everything ported over right there in the store vs. doing it from home.

just wanting to get my ducks in a row, so to speak. thanks for your help.

 

[racedog]

I've just been with AT&T for a week but I am having a serious problem with the way I was signed up. I called AT&T to ask when they would be moving into my area. According to the coverage map there is no service in my area now, but a sales rep at a kiosk told me that it would be coming here no later than the end of September and I was calling to verify the info because we were having issues with Sprint.

The sales rep I reached at AT&T by phone told me that I could sign up now. I told her that I didn't live in a coverage area and she said that I would have coverage but I would have to use an address in a coverage area. In fact, she told me that she would put in the address of the post office in the town about 20 miles east of us that does have coverage as our home address (HER SUGGESTION, NOT MINE). So, that is what she did and then when she asked for an address to send the iphone I gave her our address. The AT&T system wouldn't accept it so she asked for an address in the AT&T coverage area. My wife's cousin lives about 40 miles east and is in a coverage area so I gave her that address and I told her that is what I was doing. In fact, she asked if we knew someone there so we could use their address.

The whole deal made me nervous and I asked her if AT&T would see that the majority of calls were roaming. She said that there is no more roaming and they wouldn't care. I went ahead with the deal, the phone arrived and it works just fine. I was pleased so last Saturday my wife and I took a LONG drive to the closest Apple store and signed her up and bought an Iphone for her. They just added it on to the address showing on the account, they never checked a driver's license or other address verifying ID.

So, now am I going to get screwed and in a couple of months get a letter from AT&T saying you lied and adios! I was totally upfront with the AT&T wireless sales rep that I talked to on the phone. I even questioned if what she was doing was ok and I told her that I didn't want a nasty surprise on down the line. She reassured me over and over that there was no more roaming and that I would be fine.

The obvious question is: will I be fine until AT&T coverage reaches us. Will we be fine even if we are not in a native coverage area within two or three months?

I would rather find out that either we're ok or we need to move on while we are still under 30 days and can return the phones and find another carrier. I'm hoping we can stay, we like the Iphones, the service is working just fine, even though we are probably actually using T-Mobile in our local area.

R

 

[phazeplant]

You will not be able to activate any iphone locked or unlocked officially on a pick your plan account with the exception of the 2G. Unlocking the phone does not hide the IMEI and other device information from AT&T. In addition, NO pre-paid plans will give you access to the 3G network. They will always switch you over to EDGE which is the same speed you would be using on T-Mobile. The only way to use the iPhone 3G or 3Gs with 3G is to have a regular postpaid AT&T account with the proper data plan. If you're concerned about cost, T-mobile would be the best option since most pre-paid plans from any carrier cost way more than postpaid in many instances plus you can get unlimited data plans that aren't available for gophones If the credit check is the issue, go ahead and pay the deposit and it will help boost your credit or activate the account in a buddy's name.

Thanks a lot for the help, I now have all the info i need to figure out what i want to do. My sister works for at&t here in minneapolis (not sales, revenue assurance i think it is) so i'll probably just go ahead and see if i can get an account with a discount through her, or just save the money for the deposit and open my own. Thanks again mate!

 

[anon(4671651)]

Ive been experiencing some 3G and edge problems in chicago. I know i should have full reception but sometimes it evens goes all the way to the "O" symbol, and everything, including safari and streaming apps/sites, take much longer to load than they normally do. Ive been a long time att customer, so ive been loyal and dont feel like its worth switching over because everything else works fine. But it does get annoying, even in wrigley field during a game it showed the o symbol.

 

[blakejackson]

Ok guys, sorry that its been so long since I have posted here. I recently had a baby who was born with a pretty serious heart disease, so i have spent quite a bit of time with that, in and out of hospitals. Obviously, this has given me less time to do this. Anyways, baby is fine now, so I'll resume answering questions when I can. I noticed that there is already a fair amount of good info being passed around, so rather than read through 14 pages of questions and trying to answer them all, I will be happy to answer pm's when I can. Thanks for being patient with me!

 

[blakejackson]

as for the o symbol during a game, that is probably because 20,000 people are all using data on the same single tower at the same time. I have experienced this myself. We all know how spotty the network can be in congested areas such as Chicago during peak times. Have you had your sim card replaced?

 

[Alli]

Sorry to hear you've had such a hard time, Blake. Hopefully things will be more than fine from here on out for baby and family.

Don't worry about answering questions!

 

[big9erfan]

Ive been experiencing some 3G and edge problems in chicago. I know i should have full reception but sometimes it evens goes all the way to the "O" symbol, and everything, including safari and streaming apps/sites, take much longer to load than they normally do. Ive been a long time att customer, so ive been loyal and dont feel like its worth switching over because everything else works fine. But it does get annoying, even in wrigley field during a game it showed the o symbol.

I had a little something like this at an Incubus concert recently. I couldn't connect to the internet for the life of me. Phone calls and texts went through but data was all but lost. I attributed it to 18000 people all connecting to the network(s) around and clogging things up. Thankfully this is a very isolated situation for me

 

[big9erfan]

Ok guys, sorry that its been so long since I have posted here. I recently had a baby who was born with a pretty serious heart disease, so i have spent quite a bit of time with that, in and out of hospitals. Obviously, this has given me less time to do this. Anyways, baby is fine now, so I'll resume answering questions when I can. I noticed that there is already a fair amount of good info being passed around, so rather than read through 14 pages of questions and trying to answer them all, I will be happy to answer pm's when I can. Thanks for being patient with me!

Congrats on the kiddo and glad the baby is ok now

 

[JustinHorn]

Glad to hear everything worked out ok with the little one!

So now hopefully you can light a fire over there at at&t and get the people some MMS & tether so the US doesn't have to look so technology deficient to the rest of the world

 

[ericUT]

as for the o symbol during a game, that is probably because 20,000 people are all using data on the same single tower at the same time. I have experienced this myself. We all know how spotty the network can be in congested areas such as Chicago during peak times. Have you had your sim card replaced?

Agreed. If you ever see the o symbol, just forget about data. GPRS is slower than sin. I've heard the network in chicago is not up to snuff so this doesn't surprise me.

 

[Finables]

I wish I knew more about this because I hear it on the internet sometimes. My undertstanding is that in the NYC area, Sprint and Verizon are able to provide coverage in subways because a) one of the CDMA carriers may have an agreement with the transit authority to put repeaters in the tunnels and b) the 850 MHz band is being used by the CDMA carriers in the NYC area. The 850 band reaches much farther into buildings and tunnels than the 1900 band which is what AT&T is using in that area.

In short, I'm not sure at all. I defeinitely feel for you. And I know AT&T is always striving for bettwe coverage. Perhaps if the rumor that AT&T is turning on the 850 3G band are true, you will see some improved signal quality.

Thanks for taking the time to answer my post. I totally forgot that Verizon & Sprint were CDMA networks, that point alone pretty much explains the issue. But I guess iin my opinion it sort of would be a smart idea on a safety level for all cell providers to have access to service underground. I sure hope that the 850 rumor is true and happens soon! (maybe when MMS messages go live?-- I can dream!)