NEW The $45 Cellular Trifecta

[wardmundy]

Introducing the $45 Cellular Trifecta – Nerd Vittles

nerdvittles.com

 

[dghundt]

Wonderful article Ward! Thank you.
I'm baffled how third parties sell services on the major carriers for less. Wonder how long these companies or deals last. I guess as long as I can port my number, it matters not.

 

[wardmundy]

Article has been updated to include satellite connectivity options.

 

[wardmundy]

Lots of interesting comments about this on Reddit as well.

Compare the Features & Pricing of all Prepaid Cell Plans here.

 

[wardmundy]

Data Prioritization Table -- Translation: "Will my cellphone work at a football game?"

 

[wardmundy]

BEWARE: The Total Wireless Bait-And-Switch SCAM

 

[kenn10]

I'm glad I've stuck with US Mobile. They sometimes inflate the greatness of an offer but they do not scheme and cheat to raise what you are paying.

 

[dallas]

Over here Mobile services don't have the Universal Service Obligations that were attached to the PSTN. They are treated as a commercial retail market. Now that the PSTN is no more we no longer have the level of service we once enjoyed.

Decisions on which carrier you use should be made on coverage vs convenience vs how much you are prepared to pay for that coverage and convenience.

 

[Samot]

Now that the PSTN is no more we no longer have the level of service we once enjoyed

You no longer have the Public Switched Telephone Network? How do you make calls between carriers?

 

[dallas]

You no longer have the Public Switched Telephone Network? How do you make calls between carriers?

When the government introduced the Nation Broadband Network the copper cables between the exchange and the customer's premises was sold to the NBN. The first stage of the NBN was fibre to the Node and then they used the copper feed to about 50 homes. We now have a lot FTTP (fibre to the premises) but it's a hotch poss system which also uses the pay TV coax network as well. As for interconnect between carriers, it was moving to all digital by the time I took redundancy from exchange. What it is now I don't really know as almost all of the exchange technicians have taken redundancy.

 

[Samot]

As for interconnect between carriers, it was moving to all digital by the time I took redundancy from exchange.

The interconnection between carries is the Public Switched Telephone Network aka PSTN. It doesn't matter if it's mobile, voip or TDM (even satellite) all of it goes over the PSTN. The NBN != The PSTN, they are not the same thing. Also copper is/was used for more than voice.

You're associating a thing that is tech agnostic (PSTN) with it being a particular tech (TDM/copper).