The Latest from Liberty - Forced Equipment Change!

I managed to port from Liberty after a long struggle. This looks like a money grab for sure unless your phone is only capable of 3G. 

FYI, Verizon is about to shut down their 3G network, I read it will impact between 5 and 10 million customers. All the other cell carriers have already decommissioned their 3G networks so Verizon is the last to sunset that technology.  Not sure if this is relevant but maybe it is, it’s clear the maintenance costs of older cell phone network technology outweighs the benefits of maintaining it for the diminishing customer base.

Posted by: @vicanuck

I received this email from Liberty today:

Hello VICanuck

During the next months we will be performing a system upgrade to bring you an even better experience, with the latest technology. To stay connected and continue enjoying your mobile service to the fullest, you need to change your phone, for the line ending in 8588, because it will not be compatible with the update.

We have several options for you, and we will help you choose the one that better suits your needs.

Dial 611 from your cellphone or call us at 1-800-331-0500. Also, you can visit us today! Do not wait!

We’re here to serve you,

Liberty Mobile

Personally, I hate Liberty and am switching to T-Mobile shortly. I've already dumped Liberty Broadband for Starlink.

Just wondering what others think of this forced equipment change.

Sounds like a money grab to me.

Thoughts?

Don’t use them anymore. Simple as that.

Posted by: @vicanuck

I received this email from Liberty today:

Hello VICanuck

During the next months we will be performing a system upgrade to bring you an even better experience, with the latest technology. To stay connected and continue enjoying your mobile service to the fullest, you need to change your phone, for the line ending in 8588, because it will not be compatible with the update.

We have several options for you, and we will help you choose the one that better suits your needs.

Dial 611 from your cellphone or call us at 1-800-331-0500. Also, you can visit us today! Do not wait!

We’re here to serve you,

Liberty Mobile

Personally, I hate Liberty and am switching to T-Mobile shortly. I've already dumped Liberty Broadband for Starlink.

Just wondering what others think of this forced equipment change.

Sounds like a money grab to me.

Thoughts?

Don’t use them anymore. Simple as that.

Bye Bye Liberty!

I went over to the T-Mobile store in Peter's Rest yesterday and ported over my two Liberty 340 numbers. It was very easy and the staff were great. I'm relieved to be rid of both Liberty and BroadbandVI.

For those interested, so far, the cell service from T-Mobile has been considerably better than Liberty and I've noticed a significant increase in 5G coverage on the East End. At my house, we barely had two bars with only 4G LTE from Liberty. Now, we have 4 bars of 5G. I did a speed test this AM and T-Mobile topped out at 158 down which was almost as fast as Starlink!

The T-Mobile CSR advised that they have a new East End tower recently approved that will be operational by the end of the second quarter 2023. More reason to dump Liberty, for those on the fence.

Liberty has designed their network to be 100% compatible with at&t's network. As such, only at&t branded devices work on their network. They have also whitelisted their network (like at&t), so if your device's IMEI number is not on their list of approved devices, it will not be provisioned.

I confirmed this theory by opening 3 prepaid accounts in March 2022 with 3 different phones: T-Mobile branded Galaxy A52 5g, AT&T branded Galaxy A32 5g & an ASUS ZenFone 5Q Lite 4g. Only the at&t branded phone worked 100%. The other 2 phones only worked for texts & data. Outgoing calls hanged up immediately. Then after a month or so, I received a notification on the 2 non-at&t branded phones that their sims have been banned... lol.

Btw, all 3 phones worked without issues on VIYA & T-mobile (make/receive calls, send/receive texts and browse the internet).

I got rid of Liberty & Broadband VI at the end of July 2022 and placed my primary phone on T-Mobile and my backup phone on VIYA. I tether both phones (alternately) to my home router for wifi data. Currently waiting for T-Mobile home internet availability in the USVI and evaluating starlink for a permanent setup.

Posted by: @Brichards32

...evaluating starlink for a permanent setup.

I'm a huge Starlink fan. You won't be disappointed. The best and fastest broadband in the VI, hands down. I'm delighted with T-Mobile...far superior to Liberty.

StarLink has been great for me as well, that said it appears the fiber optic cables are being buried on the east end of STX.  Not sure who is doing this work, but who ever it is has deep pockets as they are spending a fortune.  I doubt I’ll switch from StarLink as I’m already seeing speeds well above what need, I like the independence from the local infrastructure as well.

Posted by: @jaldeborgh

I like the independence from the local infrastructure as well.

I absolutely agree with this. If a major storm is headed our way, I simply hop up to the roof, take Dishy down and put it back up when it passes which takes only a few minutes. And, with T-Mobile I have Wifi calling in case their cell tower is offline.

Posted by: @vicanuck

Posted by: @jaldeborgh

I like the independence from the local infrastructure as well.

I absolutely agree with this. If a major storm is headed our way, I simply hop up to the roof, take Dishy down and put it back up when it passes which takes only a few minutes. And, with T-Mobile I have Wifi calling in case their cell tower is offline.

Same here, T-Mobile has been great.  I actually have one of their femtocell’s installed in my house (hooked up to our home network and StarLink) so we essentially have a mini cell tower in the house, works great and it’s free.  Not sure it’s any better than WiFi calling but I’ve been using a femtocell for years at our home on Martha’s Vineyard for years and it was easy to install.  Our T-Mobile subscription home address is still in Massachusetts. 

@jaldeborgh Liberty is doing the work, it's going to be $99 for 100 gbps and $150 for 250 gbps service.  As for the replacement of phones, according to the email I received when I contacted the ceo for liberty, it has to do with the phone manufacturer basically stating their device will work on the system after the updgrade.  IMO all phones will unless they don't have 5g capability, as my newest google phones were originally generating the emails, now they are not.  Last years google phone is still generating the email, but it's my mom's and she lives in the states and it works fine.  

I recently dropped Liberty cell phone service too once my ATT contract obligation was finished.

T-Mobile is by far the best choice from a monthly cost and customer service perspective, especially if you travel to the mainland a lot. Their 5G coverage is much better than Liberty whose 5G service is virtually non-existent.

I'll not soon forget how ATT dumped us on to inferior and incompetent Liberty.