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T-Mobile to clamp down on network abusers, booting them down to lowest Simple Choice plan

Cam Bunton Aug 31 2015 - 4:51 am PT

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T-Mobile has announced that it’s going to seriously clamp down on any users using unauthorized methods to get around its tethering cap. Those caught using more data than they should be on the highest tier, unlimited Simple Choice plan will be warned to stop, before being moved down to the entry-level plan. This move is aimed specifically at smartphone users who deliberately break T-Mo’s terms and conditions using workarounds to conceal their tethering usage.

The magenta carrier published an updated FAQ page on its support site stating that some customers have been blowing way past the 7GB tethering limit on the highest Simple Choice plan, some using as much as 2TB (2000GB) of data on their mobile plan. Its biggest concern is the experience created for others. With people using the network so heavily, it can ruin the network performance for everyone else. The carrier has developed software to detect those using workarounds and will initially warn users. If they carry on abusing the network, then they get moved on to a plan with just 1GB data (including tethering).

We’re first warning these customers that they’re illegally using more data than they bought. We hope folks will stop on their own so they can keep their current plan. These customers are on an unlimited 4G LTE smartphone plan that includes a set amount of Smartphone Mobile HotSpot data, but they’re using workarounds to make their tethering look like smartphone usage which helps them use significantly more 4G LTE tethering than their plan includes.

Once they’re on a plan with a set amount of 4G LTE data, it won’t matter what method they use for Smartphone Mobile HotSpot. Once they use their 4G LTE data bucket, they’ll continue to be able to use data at reduced speeds and still never worry about overages.

T-Mobile will start communicating these changes with its customers from today and notes that only a very small percentage of its customers have been discovered to be concealing their tethering. Despite it being a very small fraction of the customer base, it has a “disproportionately negative impact” on the experience for everyone else.

• iOS Devices
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• AT&T
• LTE

AT&T enhances GoPhone plans to support 4GB data in Canada & Mexico

Zac Hall Aug 17 2015 - 7:52 am PT

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National carriers across the US have been adding features that make it easier to use their service in Mexico and Canada as a growing trend, and today AT&T has announced enhancements to its pre-paid GoPhone plans to include 4GB of high speed data use in Canada and Mexico as well as the United States. The new AT&T GoPhone feature goes into effect on August 21st and is supported on the carrier’s $60 pre-paid plan without making any changes.

In addition to 4GB of 4G LTE data for use across North America where available, the GoPhone plans include unlimited talk and text in the US, Canada, and Mexico as well. AT&T’s $60 GoPhone plan is reduced to $55/month for customers using the carrier’s Auto Refill automatic payment feature.

For post-paid subscribers, AT&T supports international calling and texting to Mexico, Canada, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands on its 15GB and 20GB Mobile Share Value plans that it simplified over the weekend. More similarly, T-Mobile enhanced its own plans last month to support 4G LTE data use in addition to text and calls in Canada and Mexico without international roaming fees.

• AAPL Company
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• Verizon Communications

T-Mobile launches competitive new Family Plan, offering $30/per 10GB line

Cam Bunton Jul 14 2015 - 7:32 am PT

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T-Mobile’s Uncarrier Amped moves are still going strong. Just days after announcing its cross-border ‘Mobile Without Borders’ plan, the magenta carrier has unveiled a brand new family plan.

With the new plan, two customers can get 10GB per line for $100 per month. Each additional line is then $20 per person, each with 10GB data allowance. As a special offer, T-Mobile is also giving customers a fourth line for free. Between now and Labor day, customers will be able to sign up to four lines with 10GB data on each, for $120 per month.

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• Comcast
• Deutsche Telekom
• buy

Conflicting reports emerge regarding Deutsche Telekom talks with Comcast to sell T-Mobile

Stephen Hall Jun 17 2015 - 8:21 am PT

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German Manager Magazine (via Reuters) reports today that Deutsche Telekom is in talks with Comcast and others to sell T-Mobile US. Sources say that these potential buyers include satellite TV provider Dish (as corroborated by Reuters), but Comcast is seen as the most attractive option from the point of view of the German telecom, due to its financial strength and ability to buy T-Mobile’s shares in whole:

Deutsche Telekom is in talks with U.S. cable company Comcast about a potential sale of T-Mobile US, German Manager Magazin reported on Wednesday, citing sources.

Deutsche Telekom is in talks with several parties, including satellite provider Dish, according to the magazine, but Comcast is viewed as a more attractive buyer by the German telecoms provider’s management.

Comcast would be a better candidate as it is financially stronger and would be able to make an offer to buy all shares in T-Mobile US, Manager Magazine reported.

As reported by Bloomberg, T-Mobile and Deutsche Telekom shares rose slightly following the news:

T-Mobile shares rose as much as 3 percent in early trading, before the U.S. markets opened. Deutsche Telekom traded 1.8 percent higher at 15.31 euros at 1:44 p.m. in Frankfurt. T-Mobile, which is the fourth-largest U.S. mobile-phone company and is about 66 percent owned by Deutsche Telekom, has a market value of $31.5 billion.

A conflicting report has since surfaced, thanks to a “Comcast source” for ArsTechnica. According to the person familiar with Comcast’s thinking, the company isn’t actually interested in buying T-Mobile. As of yet, no official statement has been made by Comcast or T-Mobile, but Deutsche Telekom has said that it “does not comment on rumors and speculation.”

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T-Mobile hits back at Verizon’s ‘Never settle’ ads, offers free try-out & switch deal

Ben Lovejoy May 5 2015 - 4:34 am PT

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[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvQhMIyksHQ]

T-Mobile is hitting back at Verizon’s ‘Never settle’ ad campaign, offering to lend Verizon customers a new smartphone and port their existing number to it for a 14-day trial. If customers prefer T-Mobile’s service, the company will pay off Verizon’s Early Termination Fees up to a maximum of $650.

Any outstanding payments on your phone are also paid off, within the same overall limit, when customers choose to trade in their old phone for a new one on T-Mobile’s Simple Choice plan.

T-Mobile promises you won’t lose out if you choose to stay with Verizon. You always retain your existing phone, the carrier will refund any fees incurred on its own network and will pay any costs for switching back to Verizon.

The offer opens on 13th May, running until the end of the month. Visit t-mobile.com or one of the company’s retail stores between those dates for details. The company introduced crowd-sourced coverage maps back in March, extending its LTE data rollover deal to prepaid customers in the same month. Verizon cut most of its data plan prices by $10/month back in February.

• iOS
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T-Mobile, Sprint, TWC make calling & texting Nepal free, waive bills to aid earthquake relief efforts

Jordan Kahn Apr 27 2015 - 6:38 am PT

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Update: Sprint and Time Warner Cable too.

Many tech companies are attempting to help victims of the devastating Nepal earthquake this week and the latest is T-Mobile. The carrier announced that it’s making calling and texting Nepal free in order to aid relief efforts:

In the wake of the devastating Nepalese earthquake, many T-Mobile customers are trying to stay in touch with their family and friends in Nepal.  T-Mobile is making this easier by waiving and crediting fees for all calls and text messages to and from Nepal from Saturday, April 25 through Saturday, May 16.  Calling and texting to and from Nepal without charges applies to all postpaid and prepaid customers of T-Mobile, MetroPCS, GoSmart Mobile and Walmart Family Mobile with international calling.

T-Mobile also notes that its customers can text to various charities to make a donation that will be charged to their mobile bill:

• Save the Children – Text NEPAL to 20222 to donate $10 to Save the Children
• UNICEF – Text NEPAL to 864233 to donate $10 to UNICEF
• World Vision – Text NEPAL to 777444 to donate $10 to World Vision

Google and Apple have also launched efforts to aid people in Nepal impacted by the earthquake.

• T-Mobile
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• LTE
• Data

T-Mobile introduces new next-gen coverage map w/ customer data updated biweekly

Stephen Hall Mar 30 2015 - 8:56 am PT

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T-Mobile has today unveiled what it hopes will be the next-generation of network maps, breathing new life into the carrier coverage maps of old. T-Mobile says that its new “Next-Gen Network Map” is the industry’s first crowd-sourced map, and reflects “near real-time customer experiences.”

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• Prepaid
• un-carrier

T-Mobile extends 10GB free LTE data to prepaid customers, includes data rollover for up to a year

Ben Lovejoy Mar 16 2015 - 7:10 am PT

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T-Mobile announced Data Stash back in December, giving postpaid customers 10GB of LTE data free of charge and the ability to roll over their unused data month-to-month for up to a year. As of Sunday March 22nd, prepaid customers will now get to enjoy the same deal.

This month, we’re taking Data Stash even further.  I’m happy to announce that, starting Sunday March 22^nd, Data Stash will start rolling out to Simple Choice prepaid customers. Every single one of our prepaid voice customers with a qualifying Simple Choice plan will start out with a Starter Stash with up to 10 GB of 4G LTE data. And when that’s all used up, they’ll start rolling forward their unused data for use up to a full year.  Automatically… and at no extra charge.

T-Mobile says that the ability to roll over data from month to month has been one of the most requested changes, with 27% of postpaid customers having already dipped into their data stash.

The full text of the press release can be found below.
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• John Legere

John Legere says T-Mobile passed Sprint to become third largest US carrier

Jordan Kahn Feb 19 2015 - 1:31 pm PT

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T-Mobile CEO John Legere announced during the company’s Q4 earnings call today that the company has surpassed Sprint to become the number three carrier in the country.

That would mean the carrier has reached its goal set by Legere to move ahead of Sprint by the end of last year (via The Verge):

“…Going into this year, they have 55 million customers… T-Mobile had 33 million customers. We merged with MetroPCS and went to 42 million customers, and we’ve since added 13 million customers to get up to, guess what, 55 million customers.”

So as of right now the two appear to be neck and neck based on the numbers Legere shared, but he also hinted T-Mobile’s lead would be easier to see over “the next quarter or two.”

[youtube=http://youtu.be/n72sk4fFSw4]

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T-Mobile’s new ‘SCORE!’ program gives you smartphone discounts & perks for $5/month

Stephen Hall Jan 26 2015 - 7:00 am PT

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T-Mobile is seemingly continuing with its “Un-carrier” parade, as the company just announced a new program called “SCORE!” that lets customers add $5 per month to their bill to get some steep discounts on smartphone upgrades. Essentially, enrolling in this program lets you subsidize one of your own future smartphone purchases, but it looks like T-Mobile is going to try to make the investment worth your time.

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T-Mobile USA CEO responds to ‘unsustainable’ claim in typical Uncarrier fashion

Jordan Kahn Jan 20 2015 - 8:32 am PT

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What does T-Mobile US CEO John Legere have to say about comments from parent company Deutsche Telekom this week calling his “Uncarrier” approach unsustainable?

“Its total bullshit,” according to a brief response from Legere referring to comments made by Deutsche Telekom CEO Timotheus Höttges in an interview earlier this week.

According to Re/code, Höttges “admitted that T-Mobile’s current approach is not sustainable” during the interview: “The question is always the economics in the long term … and earning appropriate money,” Hoettges said. “You have to earn your money back at one point in time.”

Höttges also noted that he was “intrigued by the idea of having a combination with Sprint and being the ‘super-maverick’ in the market,” referring to T-Mobile’s plans for a merger with the company that fell through last year.

On sustainability, Höttges claimed T-Mobile’s aggressive discounts and Uncarrier approach would not work long-term as the company invests approximately $4-$5 billion each year to keep up with the other carriers.

Despite disagreements on sustainability, Höttges did briefly attempt to praise Legere’s work during the interview: “His management style will never be adaptable to Germany,”Hoettges said, although he added that Legere’s competitive nature and desire to win are very much in line with the company’s culture. “I like people being disruptive… I like people who are brave. He is very much fitting to our DNA, how we want to be, even if he is very American in his approach.”