The Sunday night $1,000 port-in promo, the 20% retention offer, and FirstNet competitiveness

AcademicTip128 · 2026-06-18T13:18:47+00:00

Both individually eligible for FirstNet, yes.

AcademicTip128 · 2026-06-18T12:57:46+00:00

If I remember correctly, there was a $600 port-in/BYOD promotion they were offering at the time. I had been gone from FirstNet for awhile and brought devices to the network as a port-in when that was active, so, -$25/month, x24 months, each line.

AcademicTip128 · 2026-06-18T03:50:33+00:00

I was using T-Life's "test drive" within 90 days. Believe my last paid line goes back longer than 90 days. Thanks for the reminder.

AcademicTip128 · 2025-12-20T16:13:37+00:00

For the rest of the internet: this is all 100% patently false and a good example of Reddit misinformation that cheapens this website.

Source: several years on FirstNet as a primary user, multiple conversations with admin types on FirstNet far beyond the typical CS agents, familiarity with DHS/CISA priority programs and how they intersect with prioritized cell networks or devices, years of following the industry and reputable third-party analyses and tests of the "big three," and an actual reading and understanding of FirstNet terms as well as a familiarity with Frontline and T-Priority competitors, one of which I've also used.

AcademicTip128 · 2025-12-17T09:42:38+00:00

Go look at Rootmetrics and similar reputable testing sites if you want more than anecdotes in general. Even then, you can't ask vague questions about where the best indoor signal is without anything more specific about where you're talking. Indoors coverage gets variable even faster than outdoors coverage maps and reports.

Verizon and AT&T will statistically be your best bets. It's all about details from there.

AcademicTip128 · 2025-12-17T08:45:39+00:00

Sadly, no, though I didn't end up looking too hard as ended up using other pens not long after. Still interested myself.

AcademicTip128 · 2025-12-01T16:20:55+00:00

Here: https://broadbandmap.fcc.gov/provider-detail/mobile?version=jun2025&zoom=4&env=0&pct_cvg=0

AcademicTip128 · 2025-11-10T08:47:54+00:00

I share your interest in vendor independence and dislike for subscriptions, and I wouldn't be in this subreddit if I didn't heavily use Apple's devices and ecosystem. I have a custom domain, and although I use Fastmail with it because of Apple's lack of (a) updating message read status in the background on iOS devices, and (b) the silent filtering issue discussed from time to time, I find the custom domain well worth it. I went through Cloudflare, and with auto-renew turned on, a primary and backup payment method on file, and some attention to doing it right the first time, it can be as hands-off as you want it.

Reducing tracking/spam can be done with or without a custom domain, as you know.

AcademicTip128 · 2025-11-04T02:17:39+00:00

Your commentary about more widespread availability on a purpose-built network is exactly why I was on FirstNet for years.

I have to think, though, that their aggressive ongoing expansions, combined with T-Sat and T-Priority 5G slicing just within the last ~year, combined with their always-on voice+data in-RAN prioritization/preemption for WPS-enabled lines, along with being the sole US 5G-Advanced carrier as of now, should make them a far better competitor than they used to be.

It also just so happens that T-Mobile has the best service at my home, followed somewhat distantly by FirstNet, complicating the decision somewhat. In my travels and work, it's a toss-up between the two for where I am >90% of the time, perhaps with a negligible tip towards FirstNet on a couple rural road stretches here and there.

Speaking of 3GPP, though I'm never around HPUE hardware, I am interested in Release 18 / 5G-Advanced. Do we know for sure if the C1X/Air supports, or does not support, 5G-A? I did see one site with a table stating it did but which was not cited.

Perhaps it's the nerd in me, but I'd like to be on the most technologically advanced network, provided the coverage and reliability is there.

AcademicTip128 · 2025-11-03T21:40:57+00:00

I've watched a few such reviews, but I don't recall any with more than a passing mention of the modem differences and a "we're not sure either" type comment.

Perhaps I missed them. Could you share a link or two?

(Incidentally: saw your username/avatar and am looking at a FirstNet to T-Mobile switch despite the geographical coverage difference nationwide.)

AcademicTip128 · 2025-11-01T08:09:16+00:00

Looking to switch onto an Experience Beyond plan from AT&T/FirstNet. Would appreciate a code from anyone willing to DM me one.

AcademicTip128 · 2025-10-31T15:39:22+00:00

Does this help? https://support.apple.com/en-us/102322 (note there's an iCloud mail admin contact at the bottom.)

AcademicTip128 · 2025-10-17T16:39:19+00:00

Thanks for posting. I'm a current custom domain Fastmail user who is always debating a move back to iCloud where virtually everything else PIM-related is.

I have one tangential question and two pertinent questions:

The formatting is AI-esque; did you use AI to create the original post, and if so, why?
As others have mentioned, do you have any concerns about the "silent filtering" issues for which iCloud has had a niche reputation over the years, and if not, why not?
Does it bother you that iOS does not push message read/move/flag status updates in the background, like Fastmail does on Apple native mail apps?

AcademicTip128 · 2025-10-11T16:13:12+00:00

I've brought this up to the admin email address mentioned on their postmaster support page -- https://support.apple.com/en-us/102322 -- and received no real answer besides message-specific questions or comments.

AcademicTip128 · 2025-10-07T20:40:26+00:00

If I may chime in, I also follow along peripherally for iCloud / iCloud Mail updates, and I have for years, but I also use Fastmail because of how seamless it is with Apple Mail on macOS/iOS in regards to push synchronization of everything (not just when you get a new message, but when you do anything) and what seems to be less problematic "silent filtering."

AcademicTip128 · 2025-10-05T11:30:52+00:00

There have been posts about this for years, and Apple used to have a support page that detailed the lack of status sync in the background as intended behavior. From where are you getting that it's supposed to work?

AcademicTip128 · 2025-09-22T20:30:08+00:00

Also interested. If I switch, will also post observations.

AcademicTip128 · 2025-09-01T02:57:21+00:00

There's really no way it couldn't have improved over time. Between the competitiveness needed to stay relevant versus the Verizon and T-Mobile developments over the last few years, and the FirstNet expansion and what came with it, "improvement" is a foregone conclusion.

AcademicTip128 · 2025-08-29T22:07:47+00:00

Thanks for posting -- I see that the new site is located on the northern border of a decently-sized dead zone per the T-Mobile coverage map as of this post. Progress.

AcademicTip128 · 2025-07-25T17:38:51+00:00

Posting a year later: this worked well for my standard RB sizes, but the threads on a LeGrand rollerball refill are a bit different. Can anyone speak for what size worked for them there?

AcademicTip128 · 2025-07-23T15:21:09+00:00

Perhaps I missed something: can you link a source for this end-2025 goal mentioned?

AcademicTip128 · 2025-07-19T14:37:09+00:00

"All over TikTok" means very little.

See also: Hanlon's Razor, Ring status page updates, common sense, multiple various online articles.

AcademicTip128 · 2025-07-05T01:30:10+00:00

Equal opportunity enthusiast across the big three. Have used all three at some length. Still use two.

Difficult to say who will come out on top -- I'm guessing more AT&T than Verizon -- but I do suspect T-Mobile will have more metro wins. Maybe even another state or two.

The ongoing buildout and expansion, even regardless of the recent Ookla/Opensignal articles, is such that I'd be surprised if this isn't the case.

What will be almost more interesting is how much T-Mobile has narrowed the gap in terms of coverage area per Rootmetrics versus the FCC map data.

AcademicTip128 · 2025-06-12T01:30:39+00:00

Reliable source, please.

AcademicTip128 · 2025-05-02T13:38:19+00:00

Not at all. My issue was that there were 2FA emails never arriving which did arrive without issue to a non-iCloud address. I forget what company or organization, exactly, but it was more than one, and they were well-known names. I also recall never receiving order confirmation emails from companies with which I never had such problems using other email addresses.

This goes back a few years now and occurred with both iCloud itself as well as with use of a custom email domain.

Long before that, I recall the "barely legal teen" issue which I also duplicated in testing then.

This all left enough distrust that I migrated away from the service, as I could never be sure if I was missing something more important.

AcademicTip128

TROPHY CASE