<p>Hey guys, </p>
<p>I'm a readmit. Been living abroad for a few years. Anyways, need a phone, a cheap one that I can get some decent calling done on and maybe texting. </p>
<p>So.. what do you think? Budget is my primary concern here. Nothing fancy, just something simple that works. </p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>I saw that AT&T recently signed an agreement with Cal to improve signal quality inside buildings. Verizon has traditionally been best in California, but AT&T may soon be better on campus.</p>
<p>I’d look into prepaid options, and find one that uses AT&T or Verizon’s network. This might be an option: <a href=“H2O Wireless: Prepaid Unlimited Plans with No Contract”>H2O Wireless: Prepaid Unlimited Plans with No Contract;
<p>For low use, consider a prepaid plan like those described here:</p>
<p>[Prepaid</a> Compare](<a href=“http://www.cellguru.net/prepaid_compare.htm]Prepaid”>Prepaid Compare)</p>
<p>You could try some of the pay-as-you-go type things. (I know virgin mobile is one?) They are usually pretty low quality, but work out cheaper if you’re just looking for just the absolute minimum.</p>
<p>FYI, Virgin Mobile uses Sprint’s network.</p>
<p>Thanks for the responses guys. </p>
<p>So, I have my Nokia phone which I would particularly like to stick with. Anything out there that offers me a SIM I can recharge when needed? It doesn’t seem to make sense for me to have to buy a new phone if I already have one. </p>
<p>Of course, I guess I’ll buy a new phone if I absolutely have to. Sorry for my frugality but I’m funding my own education here, gotta grab the best deal and save as much as I can!</p>
<p>@nick_scheu I’m not really that familiar with the whole cell-phone thing. How do the main providers compare around Cal? (I’m guessing the main ones are Sprint, Verizon, and AT&T?)</p>
<p>Thanks guys. BTW, are there any other forums out there particularly for Cal students?</p>
<p>From my experience, Verizon definitely has the best service out of all of the providers. I always have some sort of reception while my friends on other networks might not, despite standing on the same spot. This has been the case in many areas on/around campus (near the Greek Theater, at the BART station, in certain classrooms/buildings, etc.).</p>
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<p>The main networks are Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint. Many of the others like Page Plus, Virgin Mobile, Trac Fone, etc. resell airtime from these networks, often at cheaper prices than the main networks’ companies. Of the main networks’ companies, Verizon has the reputation of having the best coverage (though not necessarily everywhere), while T-Mobile and Sprint tend to have less expensive plans.</p>
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<p>T-Mobile prepaid [Pay</a> As You Go](<a href=“T-Mobile® Official Site: Get Even More Without Paying More | T-Mobile & Sprint Merged to Give You More”>T-Mobile® Official Site: Get Even More Without Paying More | T-Mobile & Sprint Merged to Give You More). Buy the [SIM</a> card](<a href=“T-Mobile® Official Site: Get Even More Without Paying More | T-Mobile & Sprint Merged to Give You More”>T-Mobile® Official Site: Get Even More Without Paying More | T-Mobile & Sprint Merged to Give You More) for $5, then add $100 to get 1,000 minutes good for a year. Add a $10 refill before the year is up to extend the minutes for another year, etc…</p>
<p>Note that Verizon and Sprint use CDMA phones that do not use SIM cards (other than dual CDMA/GSM phones); AT&T and T-Mobile use GSM phones that use SIM cards. For use in the US, your GSM phone must have the 1900 band, and preferably also the 850 band. In many other countries, the 1800 and 900 bands are used (if your phone is “quad-band”, it has all four GSM bands).</p>
<p>^The T-Mobile offer is pretty good. I used to be with T-Mobile in SoCal and I was quite happy with them, but they have a reputation as being the worst major network. I’m not sure how they are in Berkeley and the Bay Area generally.</p>
<p>T-Mobile and AT&T recently agreed to an expanded roaming agreement after their merger attempt failed, meaning that coverage on both networks should improve over the next few years.</p>
<p>Wow, thanks for the help!</p>
<p>Yeah, so I have an E63, which according to the specs page has the 1900/850 bands. I’m not going to be really using it for data so I don’t think I’ll face too much trouble. </p>
<p>That T-mobile pay as you go plan sounds pretty good. I called 'em up and it sounds like we’re go. Thanks guys!</p>
<p>One other issue to be aware of is that some phones are locked so that they can only be used with the carrier you bought the phone through. This is common with phones bought from a carrier in the US. However, phones bought not through a carrier and without a plan are more likely to be unlocked (and often explicitly say so in advertising).</p>
<p>Locked phones can sometimes be unlocked.</p>