Yes, but the Wing is the replacement for the MDA and SDA, isn't it? meaning, it's the same limitation I already outlined, only your phone is a previous generation.

You're probably right, that if I talk to the right person, I might get the total internet plan even if I have a lesser phone ... but then we're talking about me hacking a phone I own ought right with no contract (MetroPCS) where I'm just out the price of the phone if I'm wrong ... vs being at the mercy of the whim and luck of customer service, and being stuck in a 2 year contract, if I'm wrong, if I go with T-Mobile. Plus, the T-Mobile monthly rate, even with the $20 internet plan, is still more than MetroPCS (even before you factor in that MetroPCS _also_ has unlimited talk minutes).

At the moment I'm leaning toward the MetroPCS. Slightly more up-front money, but easier to get out of it if it ends up being less than what I had hoped for. And the ability to make it work is more based upon my ingenuity than talking to the right customer service rep.

If MetroPCS works out (which requires a little bit of finesse and tinkering to make it work; and you have to be in a MetroPCS area, they're only in a few cities right now), then you can have unlimited minutes (legit) and unlimited internet (they only expect you to be using it for web) for under $50/mo. A little more if you want unlimited text messaging and some other extras. But they're a flat-rate carrier, so whatever services they have are either "off" or "unlimited use". Though, if I understand it correctly, you get charged per minute if you leave you city, even if you're in another MetroPCS city (so, you get unlimited minutes at the expense of unlimited travel). Because they're flat-rate, you don't really get subsidized phones, and their phone section is worse than first tier carriers.

T-Mobile is a little more expensive (no unlimited talk minutes, but some good talk rate plans if you get a Favorites phone (5 numbers, any carrier or even landline, with unlimited minutes), and the "unlimited mobile to mobile" add-on, which gets you unlimited minutes to other t-mobile phones)... but their data plan is supposedly fully intended to be used with the real internet. Though, their phone selection is only slightly better than MetroPCS (as my girlfriend likes to say "best plans [of the first tier carriers], but the worst phone selection [of the first tier carriers]" ... she's a T-mobile customer who has tried just about every phone they have). At least T-mobile has unlimited roaming in your home country, so better travel prospects than MetroPCS.

AT&T has an unlimited data plan, that, if I analyzed it correctly costs you about $40 for the lowest any-time minutes, and then $70 for unlimited PDA internet use with tethering (you can get unlimited internet for cheaper, but that doesn't include the right to use tethering, and they say right up front that they'll cancel you if you're using your phone in a way that exceeds your contract's data expectation). Oh, and you can only get it with certain (higher cost) phones.

Sprint only has blackberry unlimited data, and that has _ZERO_ included talk minutes. And, IIRC, it's not cheap.

Verizon is in the same class as Sprint and AT&T.


IMO, it's "T-Mobile" or "MetroPCS". And which one you choose is really a matter of taste and circumstance.

If you're willing to do a little finessing (and never being able to ask customer support about anything about internet use other than web browsing with your actual phone), and don't do a lot of travel, then MetroPCS is probably cheaper.

If you want better actual support for the internet plan, and do a bit of travel to places other than the 6-8 metro areas MetroPCS covers ... then you'll probably be willing to pay a little more for T-Mobile.


That's been my analysis over the last week or two.

in terms of devices, rather than price plans, as you can probably imagine all of the nseries range work perfectly with it, n95, n91, n76, n93 etc and more, if you go for a decent device and you've made sure with your carrier first that it can be used as a modem, then there shouldnt be a problem.

MetroPCS is great, I had it before as my cellphoen provider(UNTIL I LOST MY CELL)... and the area it's pretty good(I'm located in palm beach gardens, fl) now the issue itself is if it would be able to be use with the n800 and what speed should I expect???(Any first hand experiences??)

I don't think that you would be rolling the dice that much with t-mo. The materials I've seen on their website suggest that you are able to use your phone as a modem without penalty with the plan, and it seems that a lot of people with unlocked GSM phones not bought from T-mobile do use t-mo with a data plan without any problems--so you probably won't need to do anything sneaky to get it added. You could probably even tell them that your phone has modem capability and you would like a plan that allows you to use it.

But it does sound like Metro PCS will work out best for you. I think that is what it comes down to, with questions like this. What service is best really depends on the needs of the customer, and the coverage quality in the areas the customer frequents. For me, I do travel abroad quite a bit, so I do need to be on a GSM carrier (Skype on n800 is great internationally, but it won't help me if there's no wi-fi). So when I went through this exercise a couple of months ago, it was between at&t and t-mobile. At&T had the advantage in terms of rollover (since I rarely eat through my minutes) and good 3G support in my metro area. But, their data plans and policies didn't fit me as much as T-mo, so I went with the latter.

But in the end, the right plan depends on your circumstances.

Tell me if it works with PCS. I was told a few weeks ago by a PCS reseller that there is NO tethering on any PCS phone at all. He said it was turned off by PCS on all phones. Maybe this was a wrong comment. He could have been giving me a line, but thought I should tell you. I am in SF, CA. Maybe you can find someone who has tethered with metro PCS recently to prove this wrong.

Could PCS allow some data/internet via phones but not tethering at all?