Travelling in the US for a month - need a prepaid data plan

[Salmon91]

I'm going to be travelling the west coast for about a month and I've been looking at prepaid phone plans. I'm mainly looking for a plan with data. I've been looking at MetroPCS. From what I've understood is that all prepaid plans are either AT&T's or T-Mobile's network.

I have a Lumia 920 (RM-821) which supports the following frequencies:
GSM: 850 MHz, 900 MHz, 1 800 MHz, 1 900 MHz
WCDMA: 850 MHz, 900 MHz, 1 900 MHz, 2 100 MHz
LTE: 1, 3, 7, 8, 20

So AT&T's and T-mobile's LTE won't work on my phone, but that isn't a problem as long as I can at least get 3G.

My phone should work fine with AT&T's 3G network and as I've understood is that T-mobile has 1900MHz 3G network coverage in most major cities.

Looking at MetroPCS plans, they only talk about LTE (this is the same for almost any plan). My question is that if I can't use LTE, do they still have 3G? There is very little information on this and I'm slightly confused. Are there any plans you guys would recommend, keeping in mind the restrictions I have.

Would MetroPCS work with 3G speeds if there was 1900 MHz coverage?

EDIT:
I just realized that T-mobile advertises some of its HSPA+ as LTE, is there anyway of knowing when it's actually LTE and when its just 3G?

Any info / help would be highly appreciated, thanks!

 

[cullam3n]

Your phone should tell you if it's connected to LTE or HSPA+. I use a Nexus 4 on T-Mobile with a custom radio to enable LTE, and it says LTE when it's use. Otherwise it says 3G when idle, then H+ for HSPA+ when actively using the data connection.

If you are going to be in any urban area, I can almost guarantee either one of those providers will have 3G available.

Also keep in mind you can pay as you go with T-Mobile.

 

[su root]

When I travel to the states, I have a T-Mobile SIM that I use, but I use their Pay-by-the-day plans. $2/day gets me unlimited everything (except international calls & international sms) -- which is inexpensive if you are only there for a few days, but if you are there most of a month it can be costly. 2G is slow, but it gets me mail, maps, and basic surfing -- exactly what I need. Refills last 90 days, after that, the balance drops to $0. The account deactivates after another 90 days -- so if you refill twice a year, the SIM never deactivates. I'm in the US enough that this is worthwhile for me to maintain.

I've heard good things about Roam Mobility. I find them a bit limited and pricy, but you can pick up the SIM before you leave, which is convenient.

As far as frequencies-- carriers license frequency spectrum, which may be the same frequency nationally, but may also vary by region (One carrier may have 1900Mhz licensed in every state except Utah, for example).

The carrier may also vary what frequencies they use where -- lower frequencies (700Mhz, 800Mhz) perform better in rural areas, because it goes farther and penetrates through things well, whereas high frequencies (1900Mhz) perform better in urban areas, although they don't go as far and get attenuated by buildings and walls, they can carry more channels, and the higher concentation of people demands more towers anyway. --- So... a carrier may put HSPA+ on 700MHz in rurual areas and 1900MHz in urban areas. If your phone only supports 1900MHz, then you will be fine in cities, but you won't get HSPA+ outside of the city, you may get 2G / EDGE, or maybe nothing at all. Point is: you need to check the coverage map of the carrier, compare your phone's supported frequencies with their coverage. If they don't list it, you may have to call them and ask.

 

[Salmon91]

Thanks for your help guys, I'll take a look at Roam Mobility as well!