It will take months for the AT&T - T-Mobile merger to go through, and it may possibly be a year or more before their customers are affected. If you don't want to deal with the merger, then buy unlocked cell phones (at whatever rate of upgrade makes you happy!).

What The Merger Means

Many sources are saying that AT&T will absorb T-Mobile, and use their infrastructure to expand the 4G network. That means anyone with a T-Mobile phone will need to upgrade to a 4G phone.

Another cost to T-Mobile users may be a hike in the price of their service. With higher quality comes higher prices (AT&T costs more than T-Mobile as it is, much less considering what they may charge as they expand coverage).

To avoid both these pitfalls, you can just buy an unlocked cell phone now, and forget about it. If the prices go up, you can take your unlocked cell phone to another network (you aren't locked into a contract when you buy unlocked cell phones).

If you want your phone to be compatible with either network, unlocked cell phones can do that, too. Just be sure to buy one with 4G capabilities, such as the iPhone 4G.