That AT&T CEO is either dumb or simply lying through his teeth - all cell phone networks in the world are more open then AT&T US. For example you can take any GSM device and use it on any European GSM network by simply inserting a SIM card from that network. A phone can be bound to a SIM card, but said SIM card will always work on other phones. The lockdown in USA is simply medieval.
But, the second argument against AT&T regarding subsidies is their absolutely crap subsidies. For what I paid monthly on AT&T ($40-50) before and a 2-year contract I could easily get a $500 phone free where I currently live. And that moves on a sliding scale so the more you spend the more you save. AT&T doesn't do that.
It's really disturbing how clueless some people are about the history of things.
Here in the US we invested in a non-GSM infrastructure years and years before the Europeans eventually leveraged the clues we gave the world - which happened to be that it's a better idea to go the GSM route.
Now people are kvetching because we think of things before the rest of the world does?
Being a pioneer means taking the risk that you might, one day, be found lying face-down, with an arrow in your back.
I, for one, am proud of our tradition to get shot in the back. It means we're not looking behind us, but rather that we're focused on the future.
-Paul Reiber, President, Silicon Valley Linux Users Group http://svlug.org
I'm pretty sick of the subsidy argument. The subsidies barely exist on anything high end, eBay is cheaper than the contract price. Sure you can get a free phone, but I'll never use a free phone again. I doubt many of us here will. But then what motivation is there not to take the subsidy? You can't get service without a contract anyway, and it's not like they give you a discount somewhere else for not taking their subsidy. Why? Because what they call a $200 subsidy is closer to $70. What everyone should be doing is buying the phone they want, taking the subsidy on whatever phone fetches the best eBay price and turning around and selling it there. But that just seems like a load of crap and a lot more work than one ought have to put in.
What system are you thinking about here? From what I can find GSM actually preceded CDMA with a few years if you are talking about 2G networks. If you are talking about 1G networks NMT preceded AMPS by two years. 0G networks are a bit scattered over the early timeline but are hard to compare since some of them were very limited in almost all respects.
Errr.... Paul Reiber, you might want to check your facts. The "cell" phone was a British invention, originally used for a car-based virtual secretary service. American companies played a big role in the development of mobile phone technology but Europe has had analogue networks as long as the US. That's why Nokia is the biggest manufacturer and why Vodafone is the biggest multi-national carrier.
Brent's right. I think you're best off looking for the slickest deal you can find on a phone for signing a contract (I like going with the Windows Mobile deals on T-mobile phones - check slickdeals.net for more info), then selling the phone after signing the 1 year contract, and taking the money from the sale and buying the cell phone of your choice at the lowest price that can be found. To actually go into a store and sign a contract to get the phone you'd like (esp if you sign a 2 year contract - that last year they're making much more off of you), you're probably getting taken.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Aigarius @ Dec 1st 2007 7:15PM
That AT&T CEO is either dumb or simply lying through his teeth - all cell phone networks in the world are more open then AT&T US. For example you can take any GSM device and use it on any European GSM network by simply inserting a SIM card from that network. A phone can be bound to a SIM card, but said SIM card will always work on other phones. The lockdown in USA is simply medieval.
RC @ Dec 1st 2007 7:20PM
You can get almost any phone unlocked for free and pop in the SIM card of your carrier and it will work.
If you all want to buy phones from AT&T without it being subsidized you better be ready to pay full retail for it.
Jamar @ Dec 1st 2007 8:14PM
You can...
But, the second argument against AT&T regarding subsidies is their absolutely crap subsidies. For what I paid monthly on AT&T ($40-50) before and a 2-year contract I could easily get a $500 phone free where I currently live. And that moves on a sliding scale so the more you spend the more you save. AT&T doesn't do that.
Big Sam @ Dec 1st 2007 8:14PM
RC is right. I used to switch my AT&T sim between my AT&T phone and an unlocked one. Both worked fine.
Paul Reiber @ Dec 1st 2007 10:16PM
It's really disturbing how clueless some people are about the history of things.
Here in the US we invested in a non-GSM infrastructure years and years before the Europeans eventually leveraged the clues we gave the world - which happened to be that it's a better idea to go the GSM route.
Now people are kvetching because we think of things before the rest of the world does?
Being a pioneer means taking the risk that you might, one day, be found lying face-down, with an arrow in your back.
I, for one, am proud of our tradition to get shot in the back. It means we're not looking behind us, but rather that we're focused on the future.
-Paul Reiber,
President, Silicon Valley Linux Users Group
http://svlug.org
Brent @ Dec 1st 2007 9:11PM
I'm pretty sick of the subsidy argument. The subsidies barely exist on anything high end, eBay is cheaper than the contract price. Sure you can get a free phone, but I'll never use a free phone again. I doubt many of us here will. But then what motivation is there not to take the subsidy? You can't get service without a contract anyway, and it's not like they give you a discount somewhere else for not taking their subsidy. Why? Because what they call a $200 subsidy is closer to $70. What everyone should be doing is buying the phone they want, taking the subsidy on whatever phone fetches the best eBay price and turning around and selling it there. But that just seems like a load of crap and a lot more work than one ought have to put in.
lunkwill @ Dec 2nd 2007 5:18AM
@Paul Reibe
What system are you thinking about here? From what I can find GSM actually preceded CDMA with a few years if you are talking about 2G networks. If you are talking about 1G networks NMT preceded AMPS by two years. 0G networks are a bit scattered over the early timeline but are hard to compare since some of them were very limited in almost all respects.
xbit @ Dec 2nd 2007 8:09AM
Errr.... Paul Reiber, you might want to check your facts. The "cell" phone was a British invention, originally used for a car-based virtual secretary service. American companies played a big role in the development of mobile phone technology but Europe has had analogue networks as long as the US. That's why Nokia is the biggest manufacturer and why Vodafone is the biggest multi-national carrier.
Shahryar @ Dec 2nd 2007 1:50PM
Brent's right. I think you're best off looking for the slickest deal you can find on a phone for signing a contract (I like going with the Windows Mobile deals on T-mobile phones - check slickdeals.net for more info), then selling the phone after signing the 1 year contract, and taking the money from the sale and buying the cell phone of your choice at the lowest price that can be found. To actually go into a store and sign a contract to get the phone you'd like (esp if you sign a 2 year contract - that last year they're making much more off of you), you're probably getting taken.