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Does T-Mobile really have unlimited data? No catches, gimmicks or limitations?

jackroo

Android Enthusiast
Aug 5, 2012
716
159
I've heard and read a lot about the new plans coming from T-Mobile. My main question is this: are there any limitations on the data? Is there anything like after you use 10gb or something you'll be throttled down to 2G EDGE speeds?

I'm on Sprint now and I average over 10gb each month due to streaming music and YouTube movies etc. I have never experienced any type of throttling. I'm just curious because the T-Mobile plan is $40 cheaper vs what I'm paying now at sprint but I don't want to give up truly unlimited data for a so-called unlimited data plan that truly isn't. I have a two line phone plan.

Thank you to anyone who contributes to this thread.
 
I signed up for unlimited 4g plan when I bought my galaxy S4. Yes, it is unlimited with no throttling. My first month, which ended about a week ago, I used around 25gb of data, all at 4g speed. Still waiting on LTE in my area. :mad:

I've already used about 12gb this month. If you're on a plan like the $30 prepaid plan that comes with 5gb data. You will be throttled after 5gb.
 
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The catch is a lousy network

T-Mobile has been fine for me, much better than Sprint was. However everybody's mileage varies but I had Sprint for a while and it was terrible at my house and the airvana didn't even fix all my problems as the unit had problems. Also with no LTE or WiMax in my area Sprint is stuck on EVDO here and their EVDO network is quite slow. T-Mobile has worked for me better in coverage as well as data speeds than I experienced with Sprint's network.
 
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T-Mobile >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Sprint :D
Hey Super dont know if you have been following lte conversation but here in jax we have tmo closed lte testing going on, I can see the lte connection but it refuses to allow me to connect. Hopefully that means it will be on and functional in the next month or 2.:D
 
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I'm also on Sprint and have been really thinking of moving to T-Mobile around the fall. Their plans are just too hard to pass up. Not that I do it often but the thought of upgrading to a new phone(well after you pay the whole amount off) anytime you want is pretty awesome. I've enjoyed Sprint's unlimited. Now that T-Mobile has the same thing, I'm really thinking of jumping ship lol. The only thing that's worrying me is the coverage. I'm in the NYC/Westchester area. I hear its a mixed bag. But if I can get just decent coverage......I'm in!
 
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I'm also on Sprint and have been really thinking of moving to T-Mobile around the fall. Their plans are just too hard to pass up. Not that I do it often but the thought of upgrading to a new phone(well after you pay the whole amount off) anytime you want is pretty awesome. I've enjoyed Sprint's unlimited. Now that T-Mobile has the same thing, I'm really thinking of jumping ship lol. The only thing that's worrying me is the coverage. I'm in the NYC/Westchester area. I hear its a mixed bag. But if I can get just decent coverage......I'm in!


That's what's holding me back a little bit: this whole "paying the phone off" thing.
 
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That's what's holding me back a little bit: this whole "paying the phone off" thing.
You already do that when you buy a phone subsidized through another carrier. The only differences are that T-Mobile now shows it while other carriers still hide it, and once you pay it off, it comes off your bill on T-Mobile. With other carriers, you continue to pay for it even after your contract ends. However T-Mobile + Nexus 4 straight from Google play is a tough combo to beat. :)

There is one restriction with T-Mobile's truly unlimited, no throttling plan. Tethering isn't included.
 
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You already do that when you buy a phone subsidized through another carrier. The only differences are that T-Mobile now shows it while other carriers still hide it, and once you pay it off, it comes off your bill on T-Mobile. With other carriers, you continue to pay for it even after your contract ends. However T-Mobile + Nexus 4 straight from Google play is a tough combo to beat. :)

There is one restriction with T-Mobile's truly unlimited, no throttling plan. Tethering isn't included.

Actually, tethering is included, it is just limited to 500 MB/month (at least on the no-contract post-paid plans). I believe you can pay to increase the limit on hot spot/tethering.
 
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You already do that when you buy a phone subsidized through another carrier. The only differences are that T-Mobile now shows it while other carriers still hide it, and once you pay it off, it comes off your bill on T-Mobile. With other carriers, you continue to pay for it even after your contract ends. However T-Mobile + Nexus 4 straight from Google play is a tough combo to beat. :)

My thoughts exactly.
 
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I do not see the option to pay extra for hot spot/tethering on the $70 unlimited prepaid plan.
Tethering is not allowed on the prepaid plan.
Change to post paid for tethering.

On a related note: I use WAY more than 500MB of tethering, Yet to see my tethering get throttled/disabled.

EDIT: I called T-Mobile today for unrealted billing issues, I asked them about tethering.
They said "If your pass the 500 MB the tethering will just be cut off"
Or something similar.
This tells me the methods of tethering that I use are not being detected by T-Mobile networks as tethering.
 
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