Joe Maring / Android Authority
TL;DR T Satellite is now officially available nationwide, even for those without T-Mobile service, but signing up requires a phone call or an in-person visit.
I decided to try signing up, and my experience was overall smooth and professional, though others have reported long waits or uninformed reps.
I waited around an hour or so, though half this time was due to my own error.
Recently, T Satellite officially exited beta and launched nationwide for both existing T-Mobile customers and those on other networks who want to sign up for satellite service only. As our de facto phone service expert, I immediately decided to check it out.
While I had skipped the beta since a colleague already covered it, I wanted to see what it was like now that it was officially ready for prime time. Unfortunately, my first disappointment came when I realized the only way to sign up was to either go into a T-Mobile store or call customer service.
While the initial beta could be set up entirely online, it’s not too surprising that T-Mobile would now want more opportunities to upsell you or convince you to leave your existing carrier. On the plus side, this also gives reps a chance to explain the requirements better. Still, I’m confident the app could have handled that just as easily.
Anyone else sign up for T Sat without traditional T-Mobile service? 0 votes Yes and it went well NaN % Yes but I ran into issues NaN % No, I haven't bothered as I don't feel it's worth it. NaN % Other (tell us in comments) NaN %
Not wanting to deal with a retail store experience, I decided to give them a call. As for how the setup call went, it was actually pretty smooth. I called early in the morning and was connected with a rep who could help me within about five minutes. I explained that I was a Verizon customer interested in T Satellite.
The rep admitted it was his first time handling this kind of request, which made sense considering I called just a day after the official nationwide launch. Still, he did a good job and walked me through the process in about 30 minutes.
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