I am curious as to how many of you have 4G phones in use?

I have a Samsung S5 which I am very satisfied with.

It is considered old, but that is not a problem for me.

I have my service with Veri@on, and my plan costs $33.08 per month.

I forgot how much data it has, but I have never run "out".

And my plan is grandfathered in, so my rate will not go up.

Then I was curious as to when 4G might be phased out.

According to the info here, it will be quite a while.

https://www.carritech.com/news/when-will-4g-be-phased-out/

When will 4G be phased out? Shutdown of 4G networks are not expected for another decade at least. Of course, this all depends on the uptake of 5G connections and whether the technology can thrive without 4G altogether.

Andy

Why is it that tornadoes, volcanic explosions, tsunamis are called acts of God.

What about the other days when those events are not occuring?

AK wrote:
> I am curious as to how many of you have 4G phones in use?
>
> I have a Samsung S5 which I am very satisfied with.
>
> It is considered old, but that is not a problem for me.
>
> I have my service with Veri@on, and my plan costs $33.08 per month.
>
> I forgot how much data it has, but I have never run "out".
>
> And my plan is grandfathered in, so my rate will not go up.
>
> Then I was curious as to when 4G might be phased out.
>
> According to the info here, it will be quite a while.
>
> https://www.carritech.com/news/when-will-4g-be-phased-out/
>
> When will 4G be phased out? Shutdown of 4G networks are not expected for another decade at least. Of course, this all depends on the uptake of 5G connections and whether the technology can thrive without 4G altogether.
>
> Andy
>
> Why is it that tornadoes, volcanic explosions, tsunamis are called acts of God.
>
> What about the other days when those events are not occuring?

IMO, it will be a very long time.
5G has great bandwidth but very limited distance.
My employer has several thousand industrial 4G modems in use. I've
installed a few hundred of those. We just went through the 3G phase out
and don't want to do that again. Each modem costs about $1k and install
about $1,500. We monitor fuel tanks and fuel systems and are just one
of many companies. Think of all the refineries, pipe lines, chemical
plants, and environmental equipment... probably millions of 4G modems in
industrial use.
All of us poll the modems at least once per day with a few hundred bytes
of data each way. We don't need 10 gigabyte modems. A 1 megabyte modem
would work just fine. Each phase out means less and less distance. A
2G analog would go for miles. A 3G was good for maybe 8 miles. A 4g is
good for about 5 miles under ideal conditions. A 5G is good for a few
thousand feet. Industry would need billions of 5G repeaters, each
needing electric power. 4G and 5G will likely co-exist for a long time.

On Saturday, December 3, 2022 at 12:31:31 AM UTC-6, Paul in Houston TX wrote:
> AK wrote:
> > I am curious as to how many of you have 4G phones in use?
> >
> > I have a Samsung S5 which I am very satisfied with.
> >
> > It is considered old, but that is not a problem for me.
> >
> > I have my service with Veri@on, and my plan costs $33.08 per month.
> >
> > I forgot how much data it has, but I have never run "out".
> >
> > And my plan is grandfathered in, so my rate will not go up.
> >
> > Then I was curious as to when 4G might be phased out.
> >
> > According to the info here, it will be quite a while.
> >
> > https://www.carritech.com/news/when-will-4g-be-phased-out/
> >
> > When will 4G be phased out? Shutdown of 4G networks are not expected for another decade at least. Of course, this all depends on the uptake of 5G connections and whether the technology can thrive without 4G altogether.
> >
> > Andy
> >
> > Why is it that tornadoes, volcanic explosions, tsunamis are called acts of God.
> >
> > What about the other days when those events are not occuring?
> IMO, it will be a very long time.
> 5G has great bandwidth but very limited distance.
> My employer has several thousand industrial 4G modems in use. I've
> installed a few hundred of those. We just went through the 3G phase out
> and don't want to do that again. Each modem costs about $1k and install
> about $1,500. We monitor fuel tanks and fuel systems and are just one
> of many companies. Think of all the refineries, pipe lines, chemical
> plants, and environmental equipment... probably millions of 4G modems in
> industrial use.
> All of us poll the modems at least once per day with a few hundred bytes
> of data each way. We don't need 10 gigabyte modems. A 1 megabyte modem
> would work just fine. Each phase out means less and less distance. A
> 2G analog would go for miles. A 3G was good for maybe 8 miles. A 4g is
> good for about 5 miles under ideal conditions. A 5G is good for a few
> thousand feet. Industry would need billions of 5G repeaters, each
> needing electric power. 4G and 5G will likely co-exist for a long time.

Thanks for the very interesting info. :-)

Andy

On Saturday, December 3, 2022 at 12:31:31 AM UTC-6, Paul in Houston TX wrote:
> All of us poll the modems at least once per day with a few hundred bytes
> of data each way. We don't need 10 gigabyte modems. A 1 megabyte modem
> would work just fine. Each phase out means less and less distance. A
> 2G analog would go for miles. A 3G was good for maybe 8 miles. A 4g is
> good for about 5 miles under ideal conditions. A 5G is good for a few
> thousand feet. Industry would need billions of 5G repeaters, each
> needing electric power. 4G and 5G will likely co-exist for a long time.

5G is not one thing.

5G is a whole stack of different technologies all under the same label,
many different bands and different protocols.

Some of the 5G systems use the same bands the existing 4G hardware does
but with different protocols. These will have about the same usable
range as 4G did.

Some of them DO use higher frequency bands which allow and require smaller
cells and these systems will be a huge benefit in crowded urban areas. But
you will not see them outside of crowded urban areas.

Telco marketing about 5G has worked very hard to confuse the issue and keep
people from actually understanding what is going on. Telcos talk all the
time about high-band stuff and tiny cells, but in fact this is something
that only a rather small minority of 5G users will experience.
--scott

--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

AK wrote:
> I am curious as to how many of you have 4G phones in use?
>
>

Yes, I hate current phones with 20:9 aspect ratio and notch or hole in
screen. So I still use a Nokia from 2018 until it shits itself.
I install few apps on it, so it still runs well. And I only need the
cheapest plan (4 GB a month).

On 12/2/2022 23:52, AK wrote:
> I am curious as to how many of you have 4G phones in use?
>
> I have a Samsung S5 which I am very satisfied with.
>
> It is considered old, but that is not a problem for me.

I've got you beat by a long shot. I'm still using a circa 20 year old
Nokia 3395 via T-Mobile. That phone is a real trooper.

> I have my service with Veri@on, and my plan costs $33.08 per month.

Is that an old minute-limited post-paid plan? I have a T-Mobile prepaid
plan that costs me 10¢ per minute... sometimes I only pay a dollar per
month, depending on my usage (minimum is $10/year).

> When will 4G be phased out?

I suspect that will be a very long time from now. T-Mobile still
doesn't have a planned turn-down date for their 2G GSM network, even
though AT&T phased it out years ago... apparently, Verizon is turning
down CDMA at the end of this year.

On 12/5/22 6:08 AM, Michael Trew wrote:
> On 12/2/2022 23:52, AK wrote:
>> I am curious as to how many of you have 4G phones in use?
>>
>> I have a Samsung S5 which I am very satisfied with.
>>
>> It is considered old, but that is not a problem for me.
>
> I've got you beat by a long shot. I'm still using a circa 20 year old
> Nokia 3395 via T-Mobile. That phone is a real trooper.
>
>> I have my service with Veri@on, and my plan costs $33.08 per month.
>
> Is that an old minute-limited post-paid plan? I have a T-Mobile prepaid
> plan that costs me 10¢ per minute... sometimes I only pay a dollar per
> month, depending on my usage (minimum is $10/year).

We're lucky. They don't offer that any more, but we're grandfathered
in. I live in fear that they'll cancel it some day.

--
Cheers, Bev
"Tell someone you love them today, because life is short.
But scream it at them in Klingon, because life is also
terrifying and confusing." -- D. Moore

On 12/6/2022 17:51, The Real Bev wrote:
> On 12/5/22 6:08 AM, Michael Trew wrote:
>> On 12/2/2022 23:52, AK wrote:
>>> I am curious as to how many of you have 4G phones in use?
>>>
>>> I have a Samsung S5 which I am very satisfied with.
>>>
>>> It is considered old, but that is not a problem for me.
>>
>> I've got you beat by a long shot. I'm still using a circa 20 year old
>> Nokia 3395 via T-Mobile. That phone is a real trooper.
>>
>>> I have my service with Veri@on, and my plan costs $33.08 per month.
>>
>> Is that an old minute-limited post-paid plan? I have a T-Mobile prepaid
>> plan that costs me 10¢ per minute... sometimes I only pay a dollar per
>> month, depending on my usage (minimum is $10/year).
>
> We're lucky. They don't offer that any more, but we're grandfathered in.
> I live in fear that they'll cancel it some day.

The same pre-paid plan that I have? They used to call it "gold
rewards". I disabled text messaging, since I didn't care to pay a dime
per text. Nothing more than occasional calls on the go -- I've got my
land-line at home, which I prefer.

This T-Mobile plan and grandfathered users likely use so little of their
resources, that I doubt it's going anywhere. It's just a little bit of
extra cash on their bank roll, for essentially no effort on their part.

On 12/7/22 3:08 PM, Michael Trew wrote:
> On 12/6/2022 17:51, The Real Bev wrote:
>> On 12/5/22 6:08 AM, Michael Trew wrote:
>>> On 12/2/2022 23:52, AK wrote:
>>>> I am curious as to how many of you have 4G phones in use?
>>>>
>>>> I have a Samsung S5 which I am very satisfied with.
>>>>
>>>> It is considered old, but that is not a problem for me.
>>>
>>> I've got you beat by a long shot. I'm still using a circa 20 year old
>>> Nokia 3395 via T-Mobile. That phone is a real trooper.
>>>
>>>> I have my service with Veri@on, and my plan costs $33.08 per month.
>>>
>>> Is that an old minute-limited post-paid plan? I have a T-Mobile prepaid
>>> plan that costs me 10¢ per minute... sometimes I only pay a dollar per
>>> month, depending on my usage (minimum is $10/year).
>>
>> We're lucky. They don't offer that any more, but we're grandfathered in.
>> I live in fear that they'll cancel it some day.
>
> The same pre-paid plan that I have? They used to call it "gold
> rewards". I disabled text messaging, since I didn't care to pay a dime
> per text. Nothing more than occasional calls on the go -- I've got my
> land-line at home, which I prefer.

Ooma for the landline. The only text messages I need are those from
companies who insist on texting you a code before they'll trust you to
do something that requires no trustworthiness whatsoever.

For a while I was getting spam calls (problems with immigration
documents [Mandarin] and expiring car warranty), but T-Mobile has an
anti-spam service that 'normal' people can implement by feeding in a
code but WE have to phone T-M customer service and have them do it for
us. It seems to work.

> This T-Mobile plan and grandfathered users likely use so little of their
> resources, that I doubt it's going anywhere. It's just a little bit of
> extra cash on their bank roll, for essentially no effort on their part.

I wonder how many of us there are. "Phone" is the least useful of all
my phone's functions.

--
Cheers, Bev
"What fresh hell is this?" -- Dorothy Parker

On 12/7/2022 19:44, The Real Bev wrote:
> On 12/7/22 3:08 PM, Michael Trew wrote:
>>
>> I've got my land-line at home, which I prefer.
>
> Ooma for the landline. The only text messages I need are those from
> companies who insist on texting you a code before they'll trust you to
> do something that requires no trustworthiness whatsoever.

I have a traditional AT&T land line in Ohio (former Ameritech). It's
now $45/mo after tax for basic unlimited local calling, no long
distance, no features. The price increases are starting to get out of
control. I don't trust VoIP services like MagicJack or Ooma.

>> ...T-Mobile plan and grandfathered users likely use so little of their
>> resources, that I doubt it's going anywhere...
>
> I wonder how many of us there are. "Phone" is the least useful of all my
> phone's functions.

I don't have a smart phone. I'm still milking an ancient Nokia 3395, on
the barely-functional T-Mobile 2G network.

There are a number of people with the old "Gold Rewards" legacy T-mobile
plan on this website, myself (occasionally) included:

https://howardforums.com/forumdisplay.php/343-T-Mobile-prepaid?s=c00a41fa2e72bbff927e6723bead423d

Michael Trew wrote:
> On 12/7/2022 19:44, The Real Bev wrote:
>> On 12/7/22 3:08 PM, Michael Trew wrote:

>
> I have a traditional AT&T land line in Ohio (former Ameritech).  It's
> now $45/mo after tax for basic unlimited local calling, no long
> distance, no features.  The price increases are starting to get out of
> control.  I don't trust VoIP services like MagicJack or Ooma.

I got rid of the ATT landline about 5 years ago for the same cost
reason. ATT kept going up in cost and when it hit $65 for basic service
I had it turned off. I have a Verizon flip phone with unlimited USA
voice calling. Txt, video, picture is unlimited free. It can connect
via wifi for free so it also has free email but I rarely use that. Data
has a 500 meg free limit per month and my usage is 5 megs per month. I
had everything else turned off. My cost is $35 per month including tax.
Calling foreign countries is 10 cents / min so I call friends around
the world for $2 for 20 min each at Christmas. My job requires me to be
on the phone every day for about 3000 minutes per month so the cell
phone is invaluable. I also travel North America for work and when in
Canada or places that don't have cell or wifi I use a small satellite to
wifi to my phone or to the laptop device.

> I don't have a smart phone.  I'm still milking an ancient Nokia 3395, on
> the barely-functional T-Mobile 2G network.
>
> There are a number of people with the old "Gold Rewards" legacy T-mobile
> plan on this website, myself (occasionally) included:
>
> https://howardforums.com/forumdisplay.php/343-T-Mobile-prepaid?s=c00a41fa2e72bbff927e6723bead423d
>

On 12/9/2022 13:23, Paul in Houston TX wrote:
> Michael Trew wrote:
>>
>> I have a traditional AT&T land line in Ohio (former Ameritech). It's
>> now $45/mo after tax for basic unlimited local calling, no long
>> distance, no features. The price increases are starting to get out of
>> control. I don't trust VoIP services like MagicJack or Ooma.
>
> I got rid of the ATT landline about 5 years ago for the same cost
> reason. ATT kept going up in cost and when it hit $65 for basic service
> I had it turned off. I have a Verizon flip phone with unlimited USA
> voice calling. Txt, video, picture is unlimited free. It can connect via
> wifi for free so it also has free email but I rarely use that. Data has
> a 500 meg free limit per month and my usage is 5 megs per month. I had
> everything else turned off. My cost is $35 per month including tax.
> Calling foreign countries is 10 cents / min so I call friends around the
> world for $2 for 20 min each at Christmas.

I normally wouldn't endorse a company by name, but I've been very happy
with TCI long distance, and perhaps it will help soomeone out who's
still over-paying for traditional land-line long distance... especially
if you're taking AT&T's standard offering.

For TCI, US intrastate is 5 cents/min, and taxes/fees are minimal. For
about an hour of usage per month, I pay in the ball-park of $5-ish. I
rarely make international calls, but to Canada is also 5c/m. UK is
maybe 10 c/m... some are much higher, some lower. Mexico is 7c/m I
believe. Rather affordable rates compared to traditional +1 long
distance companies. I opt for paper billing, but they lower the cost by
79 cents/mo if you do paperless billing.

On Friday, December 9, 2022 at 12:23:55 PM UTC-6, Paul in Houston TX wrote:
> Michael Trew wrote:
> > On 12/7/2022 19:44, The Real Bev wrote:
> >> On 12/7/22 3:08 PM, Michael Trew wrote:
>
> >
> > I have a traditional AT&T land line in Ohio (former Ameritech). It's
> > now $45/mo after tax for basic unlimited local calling, no long
> > distance, no features. The price increases are starting to get out of
> > control. I don't trust VoIP services like MagicJack or Ooma.
> I got rid of the ATT landline about 5 years ago for the same cost
> reason. ATT kept going up in cost and when it hit $65 for basic service
> I had it turned off. I have a Verizon flip phone with unlimited USA
> voice calling. Txt, video, picture is unlimited free. It can connect
> via wifi for free so it also has free email but I rarely use that. Data
> has a 500 meg free limit per month and my usage is 5 megs per month. I
> had everything else turned off. My cost is $35 per month including tax.
> Calling foreign countries is 10 cents / min so I call friends around
> the world for $2 for 20 min each at Christmas. My job requires me to be
> on the phone every day for about 3000 minutes per month so the cell
> phone is invaluable. I also travel North America for work and when in
> Canada or places that don't have cell or wifi I use a small satellite to
> wifi to my phone or to the laptop device.
> > I don't have a smart phone. I'm still milking an ancient Nokia 3395, on
> > the barely-functional T-Mobile 2G network.
> >
> > There are a number of people with the old "Gold Rewards" legacy T-mobile
> > plan on this website, myself (occasionally) included:
> >
> > https://howardforums.com/forumdisplay.php/343-T-Mobile-prepaid?s=c00a41fa2e72bbff927e6723bead423d
> >
I got rid of my land line as well.

A couple of advantages I noticed with land lines.

1. They stay up when hurricanes damage cell phone towers
2. They have their own voltage source (48 Volts)

Cell phones are going downhill as far as useful features.

1. Most no longer have a headphone jack
2. Batteries are no longer replaceable by the consumer
3. Same with memory cards

Andy

On 4/2/2023 4:17 AM, AK wrote:
> On Friday, December 9, 2022 at 12:23:55 PM UTC-6, Paul in Houston TX wrote:
>> Michael Trew wrote:
>>> On 12/7/2022 19:44, The Real Bev wrote:
>>>> On 12/7/22 3:08 PM, Michael Trew wrote:
>>
>>>
>>> I have a traditional AT&T land line in Ohio (former Ameritech). It's
>>> now $45/mo after tax for basic unlimited local calling, no long
>>> distance, no features. The price increases are starting to get out of
>>> control. I don't trust VoIP services like MagicJack or Ooma.
>> I got rid of the ATT landline about 5 years ago for the same cost
>> reason. ATT kept going up in cost and when it hit $65 for basic service
>> I had it turned off. I have a Verizon flip phone with unlimited USA
>> voice calling. Txt, video, picture is unlimited free. It can connect
>> via wifi for free so it also has free email but I rarely use that. Data
>> has a 500 meg free limit per month and my usage is 5 megs per month. I
>> had everything else turned off. My cost is $35 per month including tax.
>> Calling foreign countries is 10 cents / min so I call friends around
>> the world for $2 for 20 min each at Christmas. My job requires me to be
>> on the phone every day for about 3000 minutes per month so the cell
>> phone is invaluable. I also travel North America for work and when in
>> Canada or places that don't have cell or wifi I use a small satellite to
>> wifi to my phone or to the laptop device.
>>> I don't have a smart phone. I'm still milking an ancient Nokia 3395, on
>>> the barely-functional T-Mobile 2G network.
>>>
>>> There are a number of people with the old "Gold Rewards" legacy T-mobile
>>> plan on this website, myself (occasionally) included:
>>>
>>> https://howardforums.com/forumdisplay.php/343-T-Mobile-prepaid?s=c00a41fa2e72bbff927e6723bead423d
>>>
> I got rid of my land line as well.
>
> A couple of advantages I noticed with land lines.
>
> 1. They stay up when hurricanes damage cell phone towers
> 2. They have their own voltage source (48 Volts)
>
> Cell phones are going downhill as far as useful features.
>
> 1. Most no longer have a headphone jack
> 2. Batteries are no longer replaceable by the consumer
> 3. Same with memory cards
>
> Andy
>

+1
There's a lot to be said for a redundant separate system.
It's a travesty that the copper lines are being removed.

--
Andrew Muzi
<www.yellowjersey.org/>
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

On 4/2/23 7:25 AM, AMuzi wrote:
> On 4/2/2023 4:17 AM, AK wrote:
>> On Friday, December 9, 2022 at 12:23:55 PM UTC-6, Paul in Houston TX wrote:
>>> Michael Trew wrote:
>>>> On 12/7/2022 19:44, The Real Bev wrote:
>>>>> On 12/7/22 3:08 PM, Michael Trew wrote:
>>>
>>>>
>>>> I have a traditional AT&T land line in Ohio (former Ameritech). It's
>>>> now $45/mo after tax for basic unlimited local calling, no long
>>>> distance, no features. The price increases are starting to get out of
>>>> control. I don't trust VoIP services like MagicJack or Ooma.
>>> I got rid of the ATT landline about 5 years ago for the same cost
>>> reason. ATT kept going up in cost and when it hit $65 for basic service
>>> I had it turned off. I have a Verizon flip phone with unlimited USA
>>> voice calling. Txt, video, picture is unlimited free. It can connect
>>> via wifi for free so it also has free email but I rarely use that. Data
>>> has a 500 meg free limit per month and my usage is 5 megs per month. I
>>> had everything else turned off. My cost is $35 per month including tax.
>>> Calling foreign countries is 10 cents / min so I call friends around
>>> the world for $2 for 20 min each at Christmas. My job requires me to be
>>> on the phone every day for about 3000 minutes per month so the cell
>>> phone is invaluable. I also travel North America for work and when in
>>> Canada or places that don't have cell or wifi I use a small satellite to
>>> wifi to my phone or to the laptop device.
>>>> I don't have a smart phone. I'm still milking an ancient Nokia 3395, on
>>>> the barely-functional T-Mobile 2G network.
>>>>
>>>> There are a number of people with the old "Gold Rewards" legacy T-mobile
>>>> plan on this website, myself (occasionally) included:

$10/year for occasional use is perfect. I live in fear that they will
eliminate this because their bookkeeping costs more than their income
from it.

>>>> https://howardforums.com/forumdisplay.php/343-T-Mobile-prepaid?s=c00a41fa2e72bbff927e6723bead423d
>>>>
>> I got rid of my land line as well.
>>
>> A couple of advantages I noticed with land lines.
>>
>> 1. They stay up when hurricanes damage cell phone towers
>> 2. They have their own voltage source (48 Volts)
>>
>> Cell phones are going downhill as far as useful features.
>>
>> 1. Most no longer have a headphone jack

I bought one of those around-the-neck-with-connected-earbuds bluetooth
things, but they're useless for occasional use. They need recharging
and I can't read the grey-on-black tiny labels on the tiny switches.
Sound was fine, just way too much trouble to use for when I might
actually WANT to use headphones.

>> 2. Batteries are no longer replaceable by the consumer

The battery for my Pixel2 was $14 from ebay. The guy charged me a total
of $60 (including the battery) to replace the battery (roughly half the
cost of the phone itself). After watching the youtube video I decided
NOT to try to do it myself. I watched him while he did it and KNOW that
I made the right decision.

(Hint: If I had an actual workspace I would buy one of those blue pads
with all the little partitions for holding tiny screws etc.)

>> 3. Same with memory cards

I've only used half of the 128GB contained in he phone after 3 years. I
just wish I'd removed the sdcard from the Motorola before the Pixel
cloned it -- it would have made a much cleaner installation.

> There's a lot to be said for a redundant separate system.
> It's a travesty that the copper lines are being removed.

Our lines were put underground a few decades ago. When we had AT&T
fiber installed 2 years ago the guys pulled out the old phone lines
(they left Charter's cable lines, which we're using right now). The old
phone lines were really rotten. We've used VOIP for 10 years and have
had no problems beyond short power outages (City power, not SoCalEdison).

--
Cheers, Bev
"The problem with socialism is that you eventually run
out of other people's money." --Maggie Thatcher

AK wrote:
> On Friday, December 9, 2022 at 12:23:55 PM UTC-6, Paul in Houston TX wrote:
>> Michael Trew wrote:
>>> On 12/7/2022 19:44, The Real Bev wrote:
>>>> On 12/7/22 3:08 PM, Michael Trew wrote:
>>
>>>
>>> I have a traditional AT&T land line in Ohio (former Ameritech). It's
>>> now $45/mo after tax for basic unlimited local calling, no long
>>> distance, no features. The price increases are starting to get out of
>>> control. I don't trust VoIP services like MagicJack or Ooma.
>> I got rid of the ATT landline about 5 years ago for the same cost
>> reason. ATT kept going up in cost and when it hit $65 for basic service
>> I had it turned off. I have a Verizon flip phone with unlimited USA
>> voice calling. Txt, video, picture is unlimited free. It can connect
>> via wifi for free so it also has free email but I rarely use that. Data
>> has a 500 meg free limit per month and my usage is 5 megs per month. I
>> had everything else turned off. My cost is $35 per month including tax.
>> Calling foreign countries is 10 cents / min so I call friends around
>> the world for $2 for 20 min each at Christmas. My job requires me to be
>> on the phone every day for about 3000 minutes per month so the cell
>> phone is invaluable. I also travel North America for work and when in
>> Canada or places that don't have cell or wifi I use a small satellite to
>> wifi to my phone or to the laptop device.
>>> I don't have a smart phone. I'm still milking an ancient Nokia 3395, on
>>> the barely-functional T-Mobile 2G network.
>>>
>>> There are a number of people with the old "Gold Rewards" legacy T-mobile
>>> plan on this website, myself (occasionally) included:
>>>
>>> https://howardforums.com/forumdisplay.php/343-T-Mobile-prepaid?s=c00a41fa2e72bbff927e6723bead423d
>>>
> I got rid of my land line as well.
>
> A couple of advantages I noticed with land lines.
>
> 1. They stay up when hurricanes damage cell phone towers
> 2. They have their own voltage source (48 Volts)
>
> Cell phones are going downhill as far as useful features.
>
> 1. Most no longer have a headphone jack
> 2. Batteries are no longer replaceable by the consumer
> 3. Same with memory cards
>
> Andy

I have a Kyocera Cadence S2720 (Verizon). It works well for my needs.
Wifi is usally off but I turn it on when needed, same for bluetooth.
Email is done via my laptop when at home or in a motel - I do not want
emails while driving. It can do internet but the screen is too small to
be of much use for that. Maps would be nice but I prefer paper print
outs. Electronic maps have been wrong too many times for my comfort.
And besides, if I get lost or want to find a restaurant, etc, it gives
me an excuse to call my son: "Son, I am in Bismark, ND, where is there
a good pizza place?"

I had the opposite problem with land line. Here in Katy the 50 year old
copper lines short out when it rains and only the cell phone works. I'm
too far inland for more than about 60 mph wind.

On 4/2/2023 13:18, The Real Bev wrote:
> Michael Trew wrote:
>>
>> I don't have a smart phone. I'm still milking an ancient Nokia
>> 3395, on the barely-functional T-Mobile 2G network.
>>
>> There are a number of people with the old "Gold Rewards" legacy
>> T-mobile plan on this website, myself (occasionally) included:
>
> $10/year for occasional use is perfect. I live in fear that they will
> eliminate this because their bookkeeping costs more than their income
> from it.

It's possible, but I find it fairly unlikely, since the fraction of
bandwidth that I use cost nothing to T-Mobile to keep on-line. Someone
I know who works for T-Mobile told me recently that all of these old
Legacy Gold plans were migrated to the new billing system several months
ago, so hopefully they will be around to stay. I noticed when the
migration happened, the automated system (when you dial 611) changed,
and it no longer tells me the date my plan expires -- only the minutes
remaining for how much I've paid.

Believe it or not, people sell these plans, the SIM card to go into your
phone, and the number attached to it on eBay for big bucks...

For example: https://www.ebay.com/itm/175157454547

On 4/3/23 7:42 AM, Michael Trew wrote:
> On 4/2/2023 13:18, The Real Bev wrote:
>> Michael Trew wrote:
>>>
>>> I don't have a smart phone. I'm still milking an ancient Nokia
>>> 3395, on the barely-functional T-Mobile 2G network.
>>>
>>> There are a number of people with the old "Gold Rewards" legacy
>>> T-mobile plan on this website, myself (occasionally) included:
>>
>> $10/year for occasional use is perfect. I live in fear that they will
>> eliminate this because their bookkeeping costs more than their income
>> from it.
>
> It's possible, but I find it fairly unlikely, since the fraction of
> bandwidth that I use cost nothing to T-Mobile to keep on-line. Someone
> I know who works for T-Mobile told me recently that all of these old
> Legacy Gold plans were migrated to the new billing system several months
> ago, so hopefully they will be around to stay. I noticed when the
> migration happened, the automated system (when you dial 611) changed,
> and it no longer tells me the date my plan expires -- only the minutes
> remaining for how much I've paid.

#225#
#999#

Can't remember what the first one gives. #999# gives minutes and
dollars remaining.

> Believe it or not, people sell these plans, the SIM card to go into your
> phone, and the number attached to it on eBay for big bucks...

I can believe it. We have two of them. Hubby NEVER uses his so he has
roughly $200 on it. I've got $33. Both due for renewal in September.
We should swap SIMs. There may be some reason that we shouldn't, but I
can't think of what it might be.

> For example: https://www.ebay.com/itm/175157454547

$777. Mind-boggling.

--
Cheers, Bev
"It is never fallacious to properly cite Donald Knuth in
lieu of providing your own argument." --Sun Tzu

On 4/3/2023 17:34, The Real Bev wrote:
> On 4/3/23 7:42 AM, Michael Trew wrote:
>>
>> I noticed when the
>> migration happened, the automated system (when you dial 611) changed,
>> and it no longer tells me the date my plan expires -- only the minutes
>> remaining for how much I've paid.
>
> #225#
> #999#

Thank you. It's unfortunate that they still won't tell me what the
expiration date is, unless I call in and talk to a person.

>> Believe it or not, people sell these plans, the SIM card to go into your
>> phone, and the number attached to it on eBay for big bucks...
>
> I can believe it. We have two of them. Hubby NEVER uses his so he has
> roughly $200 on it. I've got $33. Both due for renewal in September. We
> should swap SIMs. There may be some reason that we shouldn't, but I
> can't think of what it might be.

If I were you, I would swap them until his balance is paid down. The
only draw-back would be that you'd have his phone number, and he'd have
yours. As long as that's not an issue for you, go for it.

>> For example: https://www.ebay.com/itm/175157454547
>
> $777. Mind-boggling.

I use about $5 worth on mine monthly, and I buy enough once per year
shortly before expiration. I actually bought mine on eBay a few years
back (a 2006 account). I paid somewhere in the ball-park of $400 for
it, but it had over $300 on it, which I slowly used. At the time, the
guy with the account negotiated T-Mobile down to 5 cents/minute.

I don't know how he got that 5 cent per minute rate, but I got to enjoy
that until they switched to the new billing system, and they told me
it's 10 cents for everyone now; no exceptions. I wasn't a happy camper,
but I think it's still a good value for how little I use it. I
primarily use my home phone for calls.

On Sunday, April 2, 2023 at 9:25:20 AM UTC-5, AMuzi wrote:
> On 4/2/2023 4:17 AM, AK wrote:
> > On Friday, December 9, 2022 at 12:23:55 PM UTC-6, Paul in Houston TX wrote:
> >> Michael Trew wrote:
> >>> On 12/7/2022 19:44, The Real Bev wrote:
> >>>> On 12/7/22 3:08 PM, Michael Trew wrote:
> >>
> >>>
> >>> I have a traditional AT&T land line in Ohio (former Ameritech). It's
> >>> now $45/mo after tax for basic unlimited local calling, no long
> >>> distance, no features. The price increases are starting to get out of
> >>> control. I don't trust VoIP services like MagicJack or Ooma.
> >> I got rid of the ATT landline about 5 years ago for the same cost
> >> reason. ATT kept going up in cost and when it hit $65 for basic service
> >> I had it turned off. I have a Verizon flip phone with unlimited USA
> >> voice calling. Txt, video, picture is unlimited free. It can connect
> >> via wifi for free so it also has free email but I rarely use that. Data
> >> has a 500 meg free limit per month and my usage is 5 megs per month. I
> >> had everything else turned off. My cost is $35 per month including tax..
> >> Calling foreign countries is 10 cents / min so I call friends around
> >> the world for $2 for 20 min each at Christmas. My job requires me to be
> >> on the phone every day for about 3000 minutes per month so the cell
> >> phone is invaluable. I also travel North America for work and when in
> >> Canada or places that don't have cell or wifi I use a small satellite to
> >> wifi to my phone or to the laptop device.
> >>> I don't have a smart phone. I'm still milking an ancient Nokia 3395, on
> >>> the barely-functional T-Mobile 2G network.
> >>>
> >>> There are a number of people with the old "Gold Rewards" legacy T-mobile
> >>> plan on this website, myself (occasionally) included:
> >>>
> >>> https://howardforums.com/forumdisplay.php/343-T-Mobile-prepaid?s=c00a41fa2e72bbff927e6723bead423d
> >>>
> > I got rid of my land line as well.
> >
> > A couple of advantages I noticed with land lines.
> >
> > 1. They stay up when hurricanes damage cell phone towers
> > 2. They have their own voltage source (48 Volts)
> >
> > Cell phones are going downhill as far as useful features.
> >
> > 1. Most no longer have a headphone jack
> > 2. Batteries are no longer replaceable by the consumer
> > 3. Same with memory cards
> >
> > Andy
> >
> +1
> There's a lot to be said for a redundant separate system.
> It's a travesty that the copper lines are being removed.
>
> --
> Andrew Muzi
> <www.yellowjersey.org/>
> Open every day since 1 April, 1971

I do not think that copper lines are being removed.

There is a station close to me that maintains copper lines.

It is true that less folks are using land lines, but many businesses still do.

Andy

On 10/4/2023 12:00 pm, AK wrote:
> On Sunday, April 2, 2023 at 9:25:20 AM UTC-5, AMuzi wrote:
>> On 4/2/2023 4:17 AM, AK wrote:
>>> On Friday, December 9, 2022 at 12:23:55 PM UTC-6, Paul in Houston TX wrote:
>>>> Michael Trew wrote:
>>>>> On 12/7/2022 19:44, The Real Bev wrote:
>>>>>> On 12/7/22 3:08 PM, Michael Trew wrote:
>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> I have a traditional AT&T land line in Ohio (former Ameritech). It's
>>>>> now $45/mo after tax for basic unlimited local calling, no long
>>>>> distance, no features. The price increases are starting to get out of
>>>>> control. I don't trust VoIP services like MagicJack or Ooma.
>>>> I got rid of the ATT landline about 5 years ago for the same cost
>>>> reason. ATT kept going up in cost and when it hit $65 for basic service
>>>> I had it turned off. I have a Verizon flip phone with unlimited USA
>>>> voice calling. Txt, video, picture is unlimited free. It can connect
>>>> via wifi for free so it also has free email but I rarely use that. Data
>>>> has a 500 meg free limit per month and my usage is 5 megs per month. I
>>>> had everything else turned off. My cost is $35 per month including tax.
>>>> Calling foreign countries is 10 cents / min so I call friends around
>>>> the world for $2 for 20 min each at Christmas. My job requires me to be
>>>> on the phone every day for about 3000 minutes per month so the cell
>>>> phone is invaluable. I also travel North America for work and when in
>>>> Canada or places that don't have cell or wifi I use a small satellite to
>>>> wifi to my phone or to the laptop device.
>>>>> I don't have a smart phone. I'm still milking an ancient Nokia 3395, on
>>>>> the barely-functional T-Mobile 2G network.
>>>>>
>>>>> There are a number of people with the old "Gold Rewards" legacy T-mobile
>>>>> plan on this website, myself (occasionally) included:
>>>>>
>>>>> https://howardforums.com/forumdisplay.php/343-T-Mobile-prepaid?s=c00a41fa2e72bbff927e6723bead423d
>>>>>
>>> I got rid of my land line as well.
>>>
>>> A couple of advantages I noticed with land lines.
>>>
>>> 1. They stay up when hurricanes damage cell phone towers
>>> 2. They have their own voltage source (48 Volts)
>>>
>>> Cell phones are going downhill as far as useful features.
>>>
>>> 1. Most no longer have a headphone jack
>>> 2. Batteries are no longer replaceable by the consumer
>>> 3. Same with memory cards
>>>
>>> Andy
>>>
>> +1
>> There's a lot to be said for a redundant separate system.
>> It's a travesty that the copper lines are being removed.

The copper wires are not being *removed* per se. They are being
disconnected and made redundant however. The NBN was installed in my
area in 2013 and my land line is now connected to that. The NBN was
disconnected at that time and, a few years later, everyone in the area
was given the option of fibre or nothing. So, yes, the copper is still
there but it doesn't do a lot - except corrode away.
>>
>> --
>> Andrew Muzi
>> <www.yellowjersey.org/>
>> Open every day since 1 April, 1971
>
> I do not think that copper lines are being removed.
>
> There is a station close to me that maintains copper lines.
>
> It is true that less folks are using land lines, but many businesses still do.
>
> Andy

Businesses here were given the option a few years back, fibre or nothing.

--
Xeno

Nothing astonishes Noddy so much as common sense and plain dealing.
(with apologies to Ralph Waldo Emerson)

On 4/9/23 8:47 PM, Xeno wrote:
> On 10/4/2023 12:00 pm, AK wrote:
>>
>>> There's a lot to be said for a redundant separate system.
>>> It's a travesty that the copper lines are being removed.
>
> The copper wires are not being *removed* per se. They are being
> disconnected and made redundant however. The NBN was installed in my
> area in 2013 and my land line is now connected to that. The NBN was
> disconnected at that time and, a few years later, everyone in the area
> was given the option of fibre or nothing. So, yes, the copper is still
> there but it doesn't do a lot - except corrode away.

Our lines were put underground a few decades ago, so the copper isn't
all that old. Still, when AT&T ran fiber they pulled out their old
copper and it looked really ratty. So now we have a choice of cable
internet ($40 for 300/20) or AT&Tfiber (was $40 for gigabit up/down; no
idea what it will be when Charter ups its price). VOIP for $6/month
with Ooma.

--
Cheers, Bev
I'm not saying we should kill all the stupid people, I'm just
saying let's remove all the warning labels and let the problem
sort itself out.

On 4/9/2023 22:00, AK wrote:
>
> I do not think that copper lines are being removed.
>
> There is a station close to me that maintains copper lines.
>
> It is true that less folks are using land lines, but many businesses still do.
>
> Andy

That entirely depends on your locale. No copper is being pulled in my
neck of the woods (eastern Ohio, former Ameritech area) -- but I've
heard reports in BellSouth and some other regions that AT&T is pushing
to shut down the copper plant. The copper in my area is getting very
old (most of it is over 50 years), but it's still functional. My land
line is clear and it works well.