topic Re: 8+2GB USA Data Plan in Get Support

8+2GB USA Data Plan

KerriC — Sun, 20 Mar 2022 18:59:40 GMT

I have the 8+2GB USA Plan that was offered a few years ago. Question is now that the USA does not support 3G service does this make my plan useless while I am in the USA? Wondering if Public will be eventually switching from only 3G service or should I be loking for a new cell phone provider?

Re: 8+2GB USA Data Plan

club77661 — Sun, 20 Mar 2022 19:05:21 GMT

Public gets their US data from AT&T and T-mobile. The AT&T network shut down but the T-mobile network is still up. So as long as you have access to the T-mobile network your data will still work, but in areas that were only serviced by AT&T you will probably not have data.

Re: 8+2GB USA Data Plan

dabr — Wed, 30 Mar 2022 17:35:53 GMT

@KerriC As you're on a grandfathered plan, I would wait a little while to see what PM plans for the 3G being decommissioned by it's American partners. Once you leave that plan, you will not be able to get it back.

You can tag @J_PM the Community Manager and see if she can provide you with an update too.

Re: 8+2GB USA Data Plan

HALIMACS — Sun, 20 Mar 2022 19:23:10 GMT

@KerriC

Other users have reported good experiences in the US after the 3G changes.

Personally, I'd wait and see, try it next time you're down there, then report your experiences here for the benefit of all!!!

🤞🤞

Re: 8+2GB USA Data Plan

hTideGnow — Sun, 20 Mar 2022 20:00:10 GMT

HI @KerriC No one knows what will happen. I think Jade mentioned before she will look into it but she didn't come back with a firm answer

so far. TMobile will work for sure. AT&T will pretty much YMMV. They are turning off 3G now but one site at a time. So, you will still have 3G on AT&T but this one last

try using VoLTE, I thought I saw some post saying it might work in US, but I don't think anyone confirmed

Re: 8+2GB USA Data Plan

computergeek541 — Sun, 20 Mar 2022 20:18:53 GMT

@club77661 wrote:
Public gets their US data from AT&T and T-mobile. The AT&T network shut down but the T-mobile network is still up. So as long as you have access to the T-mobile network your data will still work, but in areas that were only serviced by AT&T you will probably not have data.

This isn't quite right. The decommissioning of the HSPA/3g networks in the U.S. do not mean that customers won't have data on AT&T. Data at Public Mobile has always been available on both the HSPA and LTE networks, including when a customer is in the U.S. on a plan that includes raoming (such as this one) or with a roaming add-on. For customers who have VoLTE comaptible devices, the only question that remains is about voice service.

Re: 8+2GB USA Data Plan

Montrealpost — Sun, 20 Mar 2022 22:47:21 GMT

Agree with computergeek541 above. Better try it out and/or wait since u have a grandfathered plan.

Re: 8+2GB USA Data Plan

darlicious — Mon, 21 Mar 2022 01:28:10 GMT

@KerriC

Lucky you! You have an extremely sought after and coveted plan. I dont think there has ever been offered such an innovative and reasonably priced Canada/US Roaming plan by a Canadian provider prepaid or postpaid. At the time your plan was offered for an extra $10 you are recieving $70 worth of US Roaming services based on pm's 10 day US Roaming add on prices.

Other than not being able to access your 8gb of Canada only data plan while roaming in the US other providers charge $10 a day capped at $120 per month on top of the monthly plan price to roam in the US and access the customers monthly plan services and charge expensive roaming overage fees if they exceed their monthly plan allotments.

Hold onto this grandfathered pm plan as long as you can but be aware that holders of pm's $10 50/50 plan grandfathered at the same time as your plan are facing a 30% rate hike from $10 to $13 scheduled to take affect April 28th 2022. Even if your plan faces a similar rate hike from $60 to $78 it's still a good deal at that price but doesn't make a 30% rate acceptable or ethical. Especially on the lower end of the scale of what the $10 plan offers....50 outgoing texts and 50 anytime (in/out) minutes which is an increase of $0.03 per text and minute used or not.

Currently pm customers have found voice calling is still widely available via at&t despite their 3G network decommissioning deadline being passed. T-Mobile's 3G network decommissioning deadline is July 1st 2022. All other pm services are unaffected as data and texts have always been able to use both the 3G and 4G LTE networks. Once both of pm's US Roaming partners fully decommission their 3G networks and if pm/telus do not enable voLTE calling for pm customers at that time (eventually they have to but when...?) you will lose voice calling while roaming in the US.

However due to the nature of the plan you have you are in the best position for the following workaround for voice calls while roaming in the US. Your feedback should you choose to test any limitations to this workaround when you do travel to the US will be invaluable to regular pm customers who often travel to the US and use either pm's 10 day US Roaming add ons or are lucky enough to have the same plan as you.

Download a voip provider such as textnow or fongo. Call forward your pm phone number to your voip provider using your conditional and/or unconditional call forwarding options such as busy/declined. Do this in Canada before you leave but you should also be able to do this in the US because of your plan and/or connecting to a US cell tower should not cancel your call forwarding.

Now if you enter an area of the US with no 3G service your calls will call forward to your voip provider for you to answer. They will be "free" on wifi and use about 0.5mb/min while on mobile data. When calling out with no 3G service call display will show your voip provider number but you can also test if fongo's number transfer option will work in the US as it does here to display your pm phone number if that matters to you. (**will add link to @dabr 's post)

**Edit:

Oops....lol...I mean @kselmak 's post. I can't remember everything?!!😉

https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/Get-Support/Made-a-call-while-at-home-on-wifi-no-minutes-seem-to-be-used-up/m-p/728090/highlight/true#M495244

Testing these call forwarding options as a workaround until pm enables voLTE calling for its customers will be of particular interest to @Nezgar and a few other regular members such as @sheytoon @Dunkman that I can think of offhand that excites their techie brain endorphins....lol!🤓

To contact customer support click below:

https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/notes/composepage/note-to-user-id/22437

To pre-verify your account include your full name, address, email, phone # and 4 digit acct pin #.

Re: 8+2GB USA Data Plan

jyb — Mon, 06 Jun 2022 20:45:53 GMT

I have that same plan and am wondering the same thing. I left Texas late April and my phone usually ran on AT&T but it kept switching to T Mobile. AT&T was supposed to have shut down on February 22 and T Mobile is to be July 2 2022.I think I will wait and see how it goes and maybe if it don't work get a T mobile sim for the next 6 months I am down in Texas and figure who to go with when I get home spring of 2023. Any info. would be appreciated.

Re: 8+2GB USA Data Plan

hTideGnow — Mon, 06 Jun 2022 20:48:34 GMT

@jyb And you are ok to manually choose T-Mobile? does voice work with T-Mobile?

Re: 8+2GB USA Data Plan

jyb — Mon, 06 Jun 2022 20:53:28 GMT

Yes it did in April

Re: 8+2GB USA Data Plan

darlicious — Mon, 06 Jun 2022 21:15:17 GMT

@jyb

As mentioned above download a voip provider app such as fongo or text now. With uninterrupted service (unlike 10 Day US Roaming add ons) you should be able to call forward your pm phone number to your voip phone number (choose a canadian phone #) while in the US. Call forward it for busy/declined and unreachable. Then when you have no 3G network service you will recieve incoming calling on your voip app and can use it to call out.

Don"t give up your plan....but you can consider getting a mint mobile plan starting with their 90 day plans starting at US$15/4gb/30 days and unlimited everything else.....also consider a dual sim phone the next time you buy a phone. Tello is a cheap option to explore as well.

Re: 8+2GB USA Data Plan

jyb — Tue, 07 Jun 2022 15:58:01 GMT

I chatted with PM customer service rep late yesterday. He says that Volte should be enabled late in September. This should fix the problem. Hopefully his information is correct.

Re: 8+2GB USA Data Plan

softech — Tue, 07 Jun 2022 15:59:09 GMT

@jyb that is good news!!!

did the tech said the VoLTE for US roaming only? or us in Canada as well?

Re: 8+2GB USA Data Plan

jyb — Tue, 07 Jun 2022 16:03:17 GMT

Hi,

Thank you for replying.

I understand, in that case, you'll be impacted by this change that will be effective as of July 1, 2022.

This is the message from CS. I do not believe volte will be required in Canada.

VoLTE is not currently available for Public Mobile customers but we are already working towards enabling for late September 2022. You have to make sure that your device has this capability.

Re: 8+2GB USA Data Plan

darlicious — Wed, 08 Jun 2022 18:34:58 GMT

@jyb

What?!!!! We are getting voLTE at the end of September?!! Now that is some news!

Re: 8+2GB USA Data Plan

softech — Thu, 07 Jul 2022 12:43:40 GMT

@jyb wrote:
I chatted with PM customer service rep late yesterday. He says that Volte should be enabled late in September. This should fix the problem. Hopefully his information is correct.

@jyb The latest update we got from Oracles, they talked to Community Manager and she wasn't aware of such a plan (VoLTE by end of Sept). So, this might not happen after all 😞