When is 3G being shutdown?

---

@GLIMMERMAN76 wrote:

---

@singleabman1963 wrote:
Just get another phone, no biggie

---

unless you are traveling to the US and have a 1250 dollar phone...  

---

@GLIMMERMAN76 Yep, this is SO TRUE. 

I don't get what the "plan is here", right now it seems like ATT just doesn't care, but maybe they've got some "back-pocket plan", that's going to solve this, on > 12/31...

@pgrey  I was kind of figuring Verizon was 1 to 2 years ahead so would have settled in, and might be predictive of what AT&T might do.  I don’t think Verizon knows what it’s doing either.   Wifi calling rules still exist, the few exceptions now include unlocked Samsung Note 10/10+ .   I don’t think anything earlier.  
The only hope is for t-mobile to get big enough to apply pressure by stealing customers.  

---

@singleabman1963 wrote:
There are dozens of cell phone companies, not a big deal if AT&T has some microband in a phone. Much ado about nothing.

---

No there are 3 major cell phone companies now...  Verizon ATT and Tmobile/Sprint..  Then you have USCC but they are even tougher on unlocked phones.  I want to know where you get dozens of cell phone companies...  Most are MVNO's that run on Verizon ATT or Tmobile.

---

@GLIMMERMAN76 wrote:

---

@singleabman1963 wrote:
There are dozens of cell phone companies, not a big deal if AT&T has some microband in a phone. Much ado about nothing.

---

No there are 3 major cell phone companies now...  Verizon ATT and Tmobile/Sprint..  Then you have USCC but they are even tougher on unlocked phones.  I want to know where you get dozens of cell phone companies...  Most are MVNO's that run on Verizon ATT or Tmobile.

---

Yeah, kind of missing the reality of the situation.  All those dozens of cell phone companies are all resellers of the major carriers service.  FYI AT&T has a dozen MVNOs and Cricket and they will all require a VoLTE phone with the same bands.

---

@warfase1 wrote:
Poor planning on your part is not an emergency on everyone else.

---

@warfase1 Sort of.  But, how do you "plan" for a non-published "list" of VoLTE compatibility, exactly?  I'm "all ears"?

---

@GLIMMERMAN76 wrote:

---

@singleabman1963 wrote:
There are dozens of cell phone companies, not a big deal if AT&T has some microband in a phone. Much ado about nothing.

---

No there are 3 major cell phone companies now...  Verizon ATT and Tmobile/Sprint..  Then you have USCC but they are even tougher on unlocked phones.  I want to know where you get dozens of cell phone companies...  Most are MVNO's that run on Verizon ATT or Tmobile.

---

@GLIMMERMAN76 

Yep, THIS, exactly.

It's weird though, some MVNO's appear to be "bypassing" the "parent restrictions", for some devices, for whatever that's worth...

Most don't allow things like "tethering/hotspot" or "travel to CA/MX" though, so there's that...

Things are just "weird" right now, in terms of how to choose a "phone/carrier/plan", if you're BYOD...

---

@lizdance40 wrote:

---

@GLIMMERMAN76 wrote:

---

@singleabman1963 wrote:
There are dozens of cell phone companies, not a big deal if AT&T has some microband in a phone. Much ado about nothing.

---

No there are 3 major cell phone companies now...  Verizon ATT and Tmobile/Sprint..  Then you have USCC but they are even tougher on unlocked phones.  I want to know where you get dozens of cell phone companies...  Most are MVNO's that run on Verizon ATT or Tmobile.

---

Yeah, kind of missing the reality of the situation.  All those dozens of cell phone companies are all resellers of the major carriers service.  FYI AT&T has a dozen MVNOs and Cricket and they will all require a VoLTE phone with the same bands.

 

---

@lizdance40 This is partially incorrect, although I admit, it's "pretty confusing" right now.

Some MVNO's are allowing devices to work, just fine, on their "parent network" as part of their MVNO "business rules". 

These are the *same exact devices*, as the ones that won't work, say on ATT-direct.

EVEN IF ATT does NOT allow it, it's just a "coded value", in terms of the wh!telisted IMEI, so an MVNO can "go around" the parent-companies' business-rules, fairly easily.

I don't know what sort of "business contract" these MVNOs have, it could very well be that this is "fully within the bounds of those contracts"...

Again, things are VERY strange in this area, currently, if you have a BYOD, non-branded, or other-carrier-branded device, things are "totally up-in-the-air" with ATT, from where I sit, currently...

Really, what should happen here, is that some sort of "consumer protection" should be enacted (like much of the EU and other countries have), to make this "business rules mess" easier to at least "navigate" for the average consumer.

Until something happens here, yeah...good luck.