Why Solavei over TMobile?

[kwalla]

Why would people choose Solavei over TMobile?

The biggest reason I can see is if you are signing people up, you can get paid and/or free service... but I am asking from just a typical user point of view.

Is Solavei data/voice traffic equal, in terms of priority, to TMobiles own traffic?

 

[runtmms]

Why would people choose Solavei over TMobile?

The biggest reason I can see is if you are signing people up, you can get paid and/or free service... but I am asking from just a typical user point of view.

Is Solavei data/voice traffic equal, in terms of priority, to TMobiles own traffic?

I would consider myself typical. I'm playing with the referral aspect because at this point I find it entertaining.

I chose Solavei based strictly on the numbers. $49 for unlimited talk/text/data unthrottled for 4GB. T-Mobile wants $60 for 2GB unthrottled prepaid on the same network. (the new "uncarrier" plan give 2.5GB for $60 before taxes.) After taxes I pay ~$55. I also get conditional call forwarding - so I can use GV voicemail , and 2g data roaming in service partner areas. Neither of those are available on the prepaid side of T-Mobile. UnCarrier plans do the call forwarding, and have better roaming. They weren't available when I was making my choice, but I would still choose to pay less for more data.

The priority question is a tricky one. Their are people who swear Solavei gets worse data priority when network traffic is high. Not one of them has been able to show me any sort of actual source or disclosure for this. I asked this question of Solavei, and chased it up through management as much as I could. Every step of the way I was told that with their agreement with T-Mobile, Solavei sims read just like T-Mobile sims and there is no priority difference. So it all comes down to who you believe.

The referral thing is just a bonus, and what Solavei does instead of paying for traditional advertising - it's also optional. I wouldn't have signed up if I didn't think it was my best option before the whole referral thing. For the average person I don't see it as being any different than the various "friends and family" plans, or "calling circles" major carriers have offered in the past.

If you have any other questions, ask away.

 

[kwalla]

I'm on VW today and have grown to love using Google Voice for visual vmail. I believe my setup is that it's my VW phone number, but Google handles the voicemail. I never use my Google number for anything.. I sort of look at it as my super secret spy number. Both numbers ring to my phone. But outgoing calls are my VW number, never my GV number.

Recent threads here have educated me that with the new "unplans" on Tmobile, I can't do this - TMobile doesn't support forwarding, or whatever, to Google Voice.

Question 1:
Does Solavei have a solution for visual voicemail?

I don't need to have GV at all, but I like free visual voicemail to the point that I hardly ever listen to a message, just read the transcript.

Recent threads have also educated me that with an "unplan" there is no data roaming (i.e. there is no fallback/secondary network. For voice, there's AT&T or whatever, but nothing for data)

Question 2:
How does Solavei handle the situation when a person is out of the data network?

Thanks very much for taking the time to answer!

 

[runtmms]

First, I'm not an expert on the "uncarrier" plans vs the prepaid plans from T-Mobile. I know you don't get either data roaming or conditional call forwarding with the prepaid plans, but I believe you get both from the "uncarrier" plans. I think there's some confusion in the forums where people on the prepaid think their plan is now "uncarrier." I don't believe that is the case.

Solavei does support conditional call forwarding, so my phone rings with both my sim number and my GV number, with my setup all voicemails go to my GV voicemail. My GV number is my "home" number using an Obi100.

Solavei has 2g data roaming in service partner areas. These areas are striped on the coverage map. For example, if you look at Kremmling, CO, that is a service partner area where I had 2g. No service means no service, those areas are white on the map, and you aren't going to roam onto anything.

If I missed anything or wasn't clear, let me know.

 

[new optimus]

I have read many people think their data speed is throttled to 15mbs granted thats still good but when people in great coverage area on t mobile report 25+mbs it does seem slower.

Have you or anyone seen this happen?
Also if anyone on this carrier is in a city covered by tmobile lte have you been able to use it?

 

[runtmms]

I haven't been in one of those great coverage areas - so I don't have any first hand experience. Sorry.

 

[new optimus]

ya I figured that from the way you were talking about the coverage in colorado.

I hope other users in better covered areas will stop in.