Mountain Mama
N. TX
Senior Member
Joined: 03/28/2008
View Profile
|
After reading past posts about the providers that are used by certain Straight Talk phones, I decide to write them also to see if they had an updated list of which phones used which carriers. I also suggested they provide this info on their website.
Their response, which is below, gave me some other questions. If I choose one of their phones that don't use SIM cards, how do I transfer my contact info to this new phone? Also, we've had good success in our limited travels with AT&T, plus we have unlimited mobile to mobile minutes with other AT&T customers which our kids and several of our friends & other family have as well. I understand I would have unlimited talk, etc with the $45 plan, but how does this affect say my DD calling me? Would she use minutes or not when calling me??? I'm thinking she would as Straight Talk is actually a Trac Fone company and not AT&T...Am I correct with my thinking? TIA!
"Please be informed that Straight Talk uses CDMA phones or phones without
SIM cards which are powered by Verizon. However, we have two new
released GSM phones or phones with SIM cards on it which are supported
by T-Mobile and AT&T. A Straight Talk phone will work only in areas
where it has a Verizon, T-Mobile and AT&T tower or carrier supporting
the service. Straight Talk supports nationwide coverage. In addition, we
are still working and improving our products and services. Thank you for
bringing this information to our attention."
2003 Holiday Rambler Alumascape 34RLT
.gif)
|
LARRYAG
Delaware
New Member
Joined: 11/18/2005
View Profile
Good Sam RV Club Member
 Offline
|
If its just contacts your talking about, explore the use of Google and G-Mail. My contacts on my Android phone sync with my Google web account, so the contacts are available for use, or download, from anywhere or just about anything. Should I lose my phone, my contacts are only a click or two away. BTW... you can also store files with your Google account, so you may be able to upload more than your contacts if you have such.
|
WyoTraveler
Powell, WY
Senior Member
Joined: 11/22/2011
View Profile
Good Sam RV Club Member
Offline
|
AT&T is changing over to GSM. Seems GSM is used world wide and CDMA is on a downward trend. Even in the rural areas of Wyoming AT&T switched over to GSM when they bought out Alltel.
2012 Jay Flight 19RD TT/W thermal package
R19 walls, R22 roof, R24 floor
2008 F-250 Ford FX4 6.8L V10/4.10 rear axle
Curt class V hitch
Reese Trunion WD with dual cam
AC6CV/7 ex-W8RUR since 1954
|
Dutch_12078
Great Sacandaga Lake, NY
Senior Member
Joined: 10/07/2008
View Profile
Offline
|
WyoTraveler wrote:AT&T is changing over to GSM. Seems GSM is used world wide and CDMA is on a downward trend. Even in the rural areas of Wyoming AT&T switched over to GSM when they bought out Alltel.
AT&T has been using GSM since back in the Cingular days, so it's nothing new to them. Verizon and Sprint are both heavily invested in CDMA, so I don't think it will be going away anytime soon. Verizon bought Alltel, not AT&T. Verizon did spin off parts of Alltel to AT&T though, to satisfy the anti-trust folks in Washington.
Dutch
1995 Coachmen Catalina 322QBXL
F53 chassis, 460 V8, TST TPMS
Quadra Bigfoot EZ Levelers
2011 Toyota RAV4 4WD/Remco pump
ReadyBrute Elite tow bar/Blue Ox baseplate
|
WyoTraveler
Powell, WY
Senior Member
Joined: 11/22/2011
View Profile
Good Sam RV Club Member
Offline
|
They actually split up Alltel because both AT&T and Verizon were whining monoply holdings. In our area around Cody, WY AT&T bought out Alltel. I like AT&T. It is much better service than we got from Alltel. We don't sign contracts so weren't sure how AT&T was going to treat us. They sent us some real good heavy duty cell phones for free. AT&T put in several new towers so the change over was very slow. We can get cell service now almost all the way to Billings, MT.
|
|
|
Dutch_12078
Great Sacandaga Lake, NY
Senior Member
Joined: 10/07/2008
View Profile
Offline
|
WyoTraveler wrote:They actually split up Alltel because both AT&T and Verizon were whining monoply holdings. In our area around Cody, WY AT&T bought out Alltel. I like AT&T. It is much better service than we got from Alltel. We don't sign contracts so weren't sure how AT&T was going to treat us. They sent us some real good heavy duty cell phones for free. AT&T put in several new towers so the change over was very slow. We can get cell service now almost all the way to Billings, MT.
As I said, "AT&T to Acquire Divestiture Properties from Verizon Wireless".
|
1492
No. Virginia
Senior Member
Joined: 04/08/2005
View Profile
|
WyoTraveler wrote:AT&T is changing over to GSM. Seems GSM is used world wide and CDMA is on a downward trend.
CDMA still has more coverage by area than GSM in the U.S.
|
brobox
Sunny SW. Florida
Senior Member
Joined: 11/18/2003
View Profile
|
WyoTraveler wrote:AT&T is changing over to GSM. Seems GSM is used world wide and CDMA is on a downward trend. Even in the rural areas of Wyoming AT&T switched over to GSM when they bought out Alltel.
Sorry, but that information is 100% incorrect. AT&T has been on GSM since they entered the wireless market many years ago. CDMA is now the largest 4G LTE type phones in use in the US today. Hardly on a downward trend. Both of the new high dollar Motorola and Samsung phones are both CDMA phones.
Chuck
02 Travel Supreme, 2 street side slides
09 Toyota Tacoma 2WD
|
1775
NY
Senior Member
Joined: 09/30/2009
View Profile
Good Sam RV Club Member
|
Transferring your contact info will either have to be done manually entering each one again, or finding a mutual software or website that they both sync contact lists with. Many sync through Outlook and some sync through Google.
As to your question about whether your daughter will spend for minutes to call you on a Straight Talk phone - the answer is yes. While the phone may be on a GSM or a CDMA system, your carrier is not AT&T and it is not Verizon. It is Straight Talk which (yes, you are correct) is a division of Tracfone. The special phone to phone, friends and family, pick five offers apply within the carrier's network only - and not for companies that contract with that carrier to provide their service. In fact, you would not get this even if you went to AT&t for a no contract phone - it is all by the minute on a no contract phone. You are OK if you have unlimited minutes, but if someone calls you who does not have an unlimited minute phone, they are paying for the call.
The Verizon CDMA system is the largest coverage system at the moment in the US. Their coverage is more extensive than the AT&T GSM system (there are a lot of holes on the AT&T map that are covered on the Verizon map). If you are going to get an Android phone (or any smartphone) from Straight Talk you are not on either the AT&T system or the Verizon system - you will be on Sprint's CDMA system which has the least coverage area in the country. Most third-party carriers contract with Sprint for smartphone service for both voice and data. And with Straight Talk or any of the others there is no roaming off of the Sprint network of coverage if you have a phone on that system. For the most extensive voice coverage that you can get, go with a phone on the Verizon map.
Roadtrek 190 Popular 2011
Meryl and Me Hit the Road
|
SidKaye
Mt Dora Florida, Montreal QC for the Summer
Senior Member
Joined: 09/03/2003
View Profile
Offline
|
If your phones have bluetooth, you can transfer contacts that way between phones. If your phones have a data card, that is another way.
Just announced by Straight Talk:
"Use virtually any compatible or unlocked GSM phone with our Straight Talk SIM to get service on the best nationwide networks."
Straight Talk Bring Your Own Phone SIM card $14.99 Free Shipping. $45.00 a month for UNLIMITED everything.
Hooray for Carlos Slim Helu!
Sidney
2003 Dodge Ram 3500 SLT,48RE, 4:10,Cummins HO Diesel,Quad Cab,LWB,SRW,PacBrake,Prodigy, X-Monitor Gauges,Line-X,Bedsaver
2002 Excel,Ltd,30RGW,Hughes Autoformer,Honda Eu1000i, ClearSpot 4G+,
http://www.kayepics.com
|
|
|
