I recently ended my personal wireless contract with Verizon so I could have the freedom to use the phone and network of my choice, without any long term commitments. Verizon offers the best nationwide 4G LTE network, but I rarely needed the kinds of speeds they provided and they didn't support the unlocked phones that I wanted to use.
Over the years I have had service on all the major US carriers including AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon. I have signed multiple contracts and paid thousands of dollars for wireless services, but I have never been loyal to any carrier. Each one has its own benefits, but none of them have really provided a service that I can't get somewhere else, often for less cash.
For the last couple of months I have been using my Straight Talk SIM on AT&T's HSPA+ network. Straight Talk gave me the freedom to choose AT&T's or T-Mobile's network, but I went with AT&T because they offered the HSPA+ bands used by most global phones. This allowed me to freely rotate devices between the global HTC One X, GSM Samsung Galaxy Nexus, and LG Optimus 4X HD.
My favorite thing about pre-paid service is being able to change my network or device at any time with no early termination fees or penalties. AT&T has the best HSPA+ coverage in my home state of Texas, but if T-Mobile comes along and offers me 70% faster download speeds then I would definitely give them a shot at my business.
Starting this month, T-Mobile might actually have the most attractive network and wireless plans of any carrier in the US. Here are five reasons you might want to think about switching to T-Mobile next time your contract is up.
1. Support for unlocked AT&T and global phones
Starting this month, T-Mobile will introduce 4G HSPA+ service on their 1900 MHz spectrum. This means that unlocked AT&T and global smartphones will be able to achieve faster HSPA+ speeds on T-Mobile's network.
