Just fyi I've gone literally years without using my truphone sims and they work still. So I wouldn't worry about them expiring.
Definitely, the free incoming is a deal maker, and the "cleaver" hack for 1 cent outgoing is possible, too. Chop, chop.
I wonder if this will make the unlocked 4-band Moto E6's data finally work on Tello. The problem with Tello-Sprint has been that data on Moto E6 wouldn't work. Hopefully, the new Tello-GSM will enable data on Moto E6 to work on Tello.
I've always tried to keep at least one Sprint-network phone on hand, too, for the same reason.
I think Literally Unlimited addressed this in another thread today, but T-Mobile network SIMs have a relatively long expiration window. (At least a year, unless you're getting old shelf stock.) A particular MVNO may have a shorter activate-by window, though. I put away a couple of Ting/T-Mo SIMs when they were on sale once for this purpose, and Ting didn't have any issue with activating one nearly a year later..
Another option is a Tracfone (or any of their owned subsidiaries) BYOD SIM kit. You can find them for $1, and they'll have SIMs for all 3 networks. No activation window, although the standard T-Mobile expiration dates still exist (printed on the card), and I believe that a kit purchased well over a year ago cannot activate on the Verizon SIM anymore. (Because the older Verizon SIMs weren't provisioned for VoLTE.)
You might also be able to activate a line on Tello/CDMA now, get the replacement T-Mo network SIM, and cancel the line without transferring to the new SIM. Just put it away for later.
Below is a link to more info on the Tello transition to GSM, provided by poster "PlanateryBlur" on reddit, which is a summary of info posted by Tello on Facebook.
Check your phone here:
I wonder why, since Tello said there would be no activations of CDMA phones after Nov. 22nd, why the below image is still up on Tello's site. I can see that the few phones for sale on the site will likely work on T Mobile since they have VoLTE, but you'd think Tello would inform BYOD customers to make sure their phones are both GSM and CDMA capable.
I activated a phone on tello sprint yesterday. Looks like they are running late.
I hope that they continue to allow device swaps after they stop with new activations.
Yes, they seem to be running behind their original timeline. I chatted in with a rep a day or two ago and the rep indicated that the new BYOD checker might not be up and running until next year. But I guess it's better to make sure that their new network is working perfectly before they start activating on T-Mobile or letting folks know that their phones will work on it.
The below PPPN article about Tello seems premature since nothing on the Tello website has changed and BYOD GSM phones are rejected on the Tello checker, and PPPN shouldn't have totally relied on the chat info supplied by a reddit poster without confirmation from Tello. Maybe tomorrow new lines will be T mobile only.
https://www.prepaidphonenews.com/2020/12/existing-tello-subscribers-may-now-buy.html
"Journalists" on these sites don't care about fact checking, they are just writing for the goal of click-baiting.
And the transcript itself was clearly unclear.
Yes, and lies according to the Reddit poster who gave the original chat info:
“pleasantmuscle41
1h
So it was all lies.Lol”
This was posted after another redditer called Tello CS and received information that showed the info from the reported chat was false, let alone not clear. (See the Reddit comments)
FWIW, I was just looking at the blog section on the Tello website, and it seems to have been reworded and changed some since I last looked. The last post below dispels the rumors recently propagated on reddit and PPP
From: Tello Blog
"Maria Dima says:
December 8, 2020 at 9:55 am
Drako,
I’m not sure who’s spreading these rumours (but they’ll definitely go on the naughty list), so thanks a lot for passing the ball to us.
At Tello, it’s business as usual. Since the GSM network is not live yet, our CDMA SIMs are still available for people in need and can be ordered from us.
All this limbo talk and going through one side to another (CDMA to GSM) makes me think of the “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” – sorry, but Netflix saved 2020 for me. All jokes aside, there’s nothing dark going on at Tello, just a lot of work to make the migration happen as soon as possible and learning as we go. Of course, one of the biggest lessons was that sometimes, no matter how well you plan things, some things are just not up to you.
Sorry I have no updated ETA and thanks for all the patience."
Thanks for sharing that, Isamorph!
One of our Tello lines has an older Android Sprint-only phone on it. I think I'm going to swap it out to a multi-carrier phone while I know it's still possible. Although I expect Tello to still allow CDMA swaps until they're ready to discontinue the network, at some point I think I saw that their intention was to ship new SIMs first to users who had GSM-capable phones already on board.
Yes, swapping in a both GSM/CDMA compatible phone is likely the best way to ensure a smooth transition to T-mobile/Tello.
"If you intend to buy a new phone in the near future, we recommend that you ensure that it is both GSM and CDMA compatible and that it was released no earlier than 2018. To best use the new network, your phone needs to have, as minimum requirements LTE frequency bands 2, 4, 12 + VoLTE and when talking about an ideal connection: bands 2, 4, 12, 66, 71 + VoLTE. Key takeaway: Regardless of the phone brand you fancy, always go for a device that supports voice over 4G (VoLTE), which will help make the most of the newly expanded network."
Hi guys,
Thank you so much for following us, we do appreciate your attention.
Our transition to GSM is not yet final, we're still working on some final glitches until the new network will be up and running.
You'll be the first to know when the GSM network is live.
Thank you once again for your interest in Tello!
I think the workaround is described here:
https://www.nthcircle.com/forum/other-services/69-truphone?start=70#47221
Does anyone have any idea on the T-Mobile $5 data plan's throttle speed comparing to tello's? Tello throttled speed is so low that I can't even use it to look for an apartment. I don't mind the absence of video and music, but pictures should not be a problem. If TMobile is faster I will consider t-mobile, but I really like tello's customer service team.
I would imagine that Tello GSM throttling is similar to Mint Mobile, which is aobut 48 kbps. In my experience, that has been good enough for Pandora (especially the android black Pandora hacked version that avoids commercials), not good enough for Spotify.