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A few weeks ago, I shared my journey of switching over to Mint Mobile, after being a T-Mobile customer for more than a decade. As you may have guessed, the move was easy to justify, with mounting price increases and forced plan upgrades being the main reasons.
I'm also saving more than $100 per month now, so that's nice. But going from a big household name such as T-Mobile to a smaller brand like Mint has taught me a thing or two about the downsides of Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs), too.
Also: I ditched T-Mobile for Mint after 10 years of service - now I'm saving $120/month
They're mostly tolerable, with some unique fixes and lifestyle changes that I've picked up over the past few months. So if you're on the verge of making the switch yourself, here's a breakdown of some of the most common limitations I've faced, and how I'm dealing with them.
1. Data deprioritization is real, but free solutions exist
Adam Doud/ZDNET
I'd like to think that the phrase "you get what you pay for" was coined by the overlords who run major carriers like AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile, because data deprioritization, or the queuing of network bandwidth in congested areas, is very real.
An example of this was when I attended a Bruno Mars concert just the other night. In high-traffic areas like MetLife Stadium on a Saturday night, customers with higher Quality of Service Class Identifiers (QCI), such as those with premium 5G plans on T-Mobile, will receive priority for available bandwidth.
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