Carriers

How ‘Uncarrier’: T-Mobile increases iPhone 5 down payment to $149

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 13, 2013

When T-Mobile, the nation's fourth-largest wireless carrier, started selling the iPhone 5 back in April, it offered the iconic smartphone for $99 down payment and 24 monthly payments of $20 to cover the full cost of the phone. And in an effort to push the device and lure would-be consumers into signing up, the Deutsche Telekom-owned telco last weekend started offering the device for the $0 down payment, with trade-in.

Unfortunately, the launch promotion for new users has ended now. As a result, the 16GB iPhone 5 now has a $149 payment, $50 more than before. Wait, the $99 down thing was actually a promo offer?

Increase T-Mobile LTE download speeds on iPhone 5 thanks to a hacked carrier update

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

T-Mobile subscribers are still getting used to having access to the iPhone, and those with existing AT&T unlocked iPhone 5 received a carrier update to add LTE support for T-Mobile's frequency. Unfortunately, that's not all it did.

Turns out that update may have also limited the bandwidth available to T-Mobile customers using one of those unlocked handsets, leaving them with something of a gimped LTE service. Bummer, right?

Well, remember the guy that worked out how jailbroken iPhone users could enable T-Mobile's LTE before the aforementioned carrier update? That same clever man has also worked out how to give T-Mobile the bandwidth you'd expect from one of the hottest LTE handsets on the market. And you don't even need to be jailbroken for it to work...

AT&T announces Aio Wireless prepaid brand with $35-$70 tiers

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 9, 2013

While its fierce rival Verizon has chosen to sit on the sidelines and watch T-Mobile regain consumer trust with its newly found 'Uncarrier' business model and no-contract plans, AT&T has jumped on the prepaid bus with a new Aio Wireless brand rounding on T-Mobile’s offering. Just like Sprint’s Boost and Virgin, Aio Wireless is a MVNO wholly owned by AT&T and marketed as a standalone brand.

As we explained last week, Aio (as in 'All In One') is aimed at those eager to avoid committing their soul to AT&T at all cost by opting for a month-to-month service instead. The offering includes $40/$55/$70 tiers (pricing varies by market) with unlimited talk/text and 250MB/2GB/7GB of data.

Aio Wireless also offers Apple's iPhone 5 and a few popular Android and Windows Phone handsets. Go past the fold for more information...

Apple close to striking landmark iPhone deal with China Mobile

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated June 13, 2016

Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty was visiting Hong Kong and Taiwan recently. She is now back from China with some interesting Apple news. Tim Cook & Co., she wrote in her note to clients, may be close to striking an iPhone distribution agreement with China Mobile, the world's top wireless carrier by revenue and subscribers.

Specifically, Huberty wrote that "TD-LTE licenses, and related phone launches, are expected by year-end," in her note to clients. China Mobile debuted small-scale TD-LTE network in 2010 and last year expanded coverage to select large cities. In case you were wondering, TD-LTE is a variant of the fourth-generation Long Term Evolution radio technology, also known as LTE...

‘iPhone 6’ allegedly listed in Vodafone retail system

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 9, 2013

These things are easily fabricated (as is any Apple rumor, for that matter) so it pays to take this one with a few pinches of salt.

A new report Thursday by Stuff.tv suggests Apple this year could abandon iPhone S-upgrades, based on an alleged listing in Vodafone UK's retail system which mentions a product listed as a '4G iPhone 6’.

Evidence backing the report: a blurry image of a retail system listing purportedly taken by a Vodafone employee. Now, we've heard crazy stories of Apple potentially releasing not one, but a few new iPhones this year. However, the most credible sources point to an iPhone 5S upgrade and the rumored budget iPhone model in 2012, eventually followed by an iPhone 6 in 2013...

T-Mobile’s new iPhone 5 ad uses ‘Intertubes’ metaphor

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 8, 2013

In his now legendary attempt to criticize an amendment that would have prohibited service providers from charging for a tiered Internet structure, former Alaskan Senator Ted Stevens in 2006 likened the web to a series of tubes. “The Internet is not a big truck," he famously said, "It’s a series of tubes.”

Tapping that meme, T-Mobile USA on Wednesday posted its third iPhone 5 commercial that literally depicts its network as a sewage pipe which pumps out twice as many gak compared to its rivals. The message couldn't be clearer: T-Mobile's pipes aren’t as clogged up as its competitors' are.

I'll be revisiting that commercial in a year or so to check how clogged up T-Mobile's tube gets after data-hungry smartphone users crowd its LTE network. As for the commercial, T-Mobile won the Internet for today. Your video is right after the break...

AT&T 4G LTE coverage arrives in Manhattan, Kansas, Sedalia, Warrensburg and Missouri

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 7, 2013

Having expanded its fourth-generation Long-Term Evolution (LTE) radio technology to include fifteen new markets (and four major U.S. cities before that), the U.S. wireless carrier AT&T has now expanded LTE coverage in five new markets. If you live in Manhattan, Kansas, Sedalia, Warrensburg or Missouri, AT&T's LTE network should pop up on your LTE devices.

Compared to its third-generation network, AT&T's 4G LTE offers ten times greater download speeds, always-on functionality, simultaneous talk and surf and other perks...

Apple missing some 2.8 billion potential iPhone customers due to carrier demands

Ed Sutherland ∙ May 6, 2013

Much talk surrounding Apple has centered on a cooling consumer demand for its flagship product, the iPhone smartphone. However, it may be time to shift the narrative to feet-dragging by a number of global operators that could hold the key to as many as 2.8 billion iPhone customers, according to a Monday report.

Instead of a slowdown in demand, a Monday report by Bloomberg suggests the larger problem is vastly limited access to customers. Two numbers go far to tell the story: 240 and 800. While Apple has 240 carrier agreements throughout the world, rival Samsung has inked deals with virtually every of the 800 wireless providers. Indeed, Apple is lacking agreements to boost sales of the iPhone in some of the most-populated regions, including China, Japan, India and Russia...

AT&T to launch ‘All In One’ prepaid plan June 15

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 3, 2013

The nation's second-largest wireless carrier, AT&T, is planning on introducing a new prepaid brand called 'All In One' in June, according to FierceWireless.

The new prepaid tiers should appeal to folks who hate long-term contracts and are expected to start at $35 for feature phones and go all the way up to $50 a month for smartphones.

Likewise, the carrier could also introduce a $70 a month tier for those whose data needs exceed two gigabytes per month, according to the report. Go past the fold for the full breakdown...

Confirmed: U.S. Cellular will be selling iPhones later this year

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

U.S. Cellular is the nation's sixth-largest wireless carrier, behind Verizon Wireless, AT&T Mobility, Sprint Nextel, T-Mobile USA and MetroPCS. Although Apple's iPhone is now available on all four major U.S. telcos and a number of regional carriers, U.S. Cellular doesn't offer the iconic smartphone.

It was reported last November that U.S. Cellular actually turned down the iPhone due to Apple's terms described as “unacceptable from a risk and profitability standpoint.” In a seeming change of heart, the company in a Friday news release announcing first-quarter earnings confirmed it will start carrying unspecified Apple products later this year.

UPDATE: a company spokesperson confirmed to Engadget that by "Apple products" they meant iPhones...

T-Mobile completes MetroPCS deal, adds 9 million subscribers

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

It's official. After passing all necessary regulatory approvals last month, T-Mobile and MetroPCS have officially completed their merger. The Deutsche Telekom-owned carrier made an announcement on the company blog this morning.

The deal, which has been in the works since last fall, combines the United States' fourth and fifth largest wireless carriers, which combine for a total of 43 million subscribers. The new entity is now trading on Wall Street under TMUS...

AT&T will now give you $100 credit for your old smartphone

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 1, 2013

The nation's second-largest carrier, AT&T, on Wednesday upgraded its cell phone trade-in program at its brick-and-mortar retail stores. The new terms incentivize customers to trade-in their old smartphone for one of the latest models and receive a $100 credit on-the-spot, which can be immediately redeemed against any AT&T smartphone or accessory purchase.

If you have an old iPhone or an Android phone that is less than three years old, the $100 trade-in credit lets you purchase a brand new iPhone 5 for just $99. Or, you could settle with an iPhone 4S wit zero bucks in upfront payment. By comparison, the entry-level 16GB iPhone 4S/5 normally sets you back $99/$199 after a two-year contract...