US Cellular
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The FCC releases its first mobile broadband map
The tool allows you to compare the LTE and voice coverage areas of the country’s four largest carriers, showing where you can expect to see wireless download and upload speeds of at least 5 Mbps and 1 Mbps, respectively.
T-Mobile outage finally ends after more than twelve hours (updated)
Reports suggest people are unable to make or receive calls.
Google's brand new Pixel Buds are on sale for $125 at US Cellular
US Cellular is offering 30 percent off Google's latest Pixel Buds true wireless earbuds.
Cross-carrier glitch sent people ancient texts in the middle of the night
Did you wake up to a resurrected Valentine's Day text message on your phone? You're far from the only one. Numerous users have reported receiving old text messages overnight, all of them from February in one year or another (often around Valentine's Day) -- and frequently messages that didn't initially reach their destination. The zombie texts appeared across multiple carriers, including the top four US networks as well as Canada, and surfaced whether you were using an Android device or iPhones. There appears to be an explanation, although there's still plenty of mystery.
US networks improved in early 2019 with help from 5G upgrades
Did you have fewer gripes about your cellphone service earlier this year? You're not alone. JD Power's latest US wireless network quality study indicates that the ratio of complaints about call and data performance dropped for every major carrier in the country during the first half of 2019. Verizon (disclaimer: that's Engadget's parent company) had the fewest complaints per 100 people (seven) in all six of the regions studied, but other networks weren't far behind. US Cellular tied for first in the north central US, and both AT&T and T-Mobile usually took turns in second place. Sprint was the lone company consistently trailing behind, although it still saw an improvement.
The Moto G lands on US Cellular for $99 sans contract
The Moto G is the best cheap Android phone you can get your hands on, and now you've got another way to nab one. US Cellular today confirmed what a blurry screenshot told us yesterday: the 8GB model will hit store shelves on February 10. Just can't wait? Those with itchy trigger fingers can order one online now for $99, just like you can at Verizon. It's almost the same Moto G we fell for in our review, albeit with Android 4.4 KitKat instead of the Jelly Bean build the phone first shipped with. Just remember that you won't be able to hop on the carrier's LTE network - despite a solid spec sheet, the G (sadly) lacks LTE support. You can't unlock the thing since it's technically Motorola's CDMA variant, but hey: a good deal's a good deal.
Moto X gets Android 4.4 KitKat and camera enhancements on Sprint and US Cellular
Sprint and US Cellular customers with Motorola's $199 smartphone have finally joined the KitKat party. Starting today, Moto X users can enjoy Android 4.4's streamlined interface and Google-licious features, courtesy of an OTA update. In other Moto X news, the company updated its camera app with manual control of the focus and exposure. Users can select "Control focus & exposure" to adjust the aforementioned settings by dragging a green bracket to the desired location. In order to cash in on the update, you'll need to hit up the Play store via our source link below.
iPhone 5s and 5c set to hit US Cellular on November 8
US Cellular announced today that it will begin selling both the iPhone 5s and the iPhone 5c in stores beginning on November 8. A regional carrier based out of Chicago, US Cellular is the fifth-largest carrier in the US and serves many more subscribers than some of the other regional carriers that already carry the iPhone. Interestingly enough, US Cellular had a chance to carry the iPhone as far back as 2011, but decided not to due to economic reasons. In short, US Cellular at the time wasn't particularly enamored with Apple's contract terms. FierceWireless reported on the matter back in 2011: U.S. Cellular turned down Apple's iPhone because it did not make sense for the company economically, CEO Mary Dillon said on the company's third-quarter earnings conference call. Dillon said that the carrier had the opportunity to sell the iPhone but that Apple's "terms were unacceptable from a risk and profitability standpoint." Dillon added that the potential strain on the company's network was not a factor in the decision, and that U.S. Cellular remains open to carrying the iPhone in the future. I suppose you can only hold out so long, something that a number of carriers around the globe have also discovered in the face of high subscriber churn. As for iPhone pricing and contract terms, those details have yet to be disclosed. A US Cellular spokesperson indicated via email that users should check the US Cellular website for more information. At the time of this writing, there is no mention of the iPhone on the US Cellular website but we'll keep you updated when more information begins to roll in.
iPhone 5s and 5c shipping to regional carriers on October 1st, but not to US Cellular
When your name is on a Major League Baseball stadium, and you're a mobile operator, you carry the iPhone. Unless you're US Cellular, that is. For reasons that cannot be comprehended by mere mortals, one of the United States' largest regional carriers still isn't offering the iPhone in any variant, despite promising back in May to carry Apple products before the year's end. In fact, things have gotten so bad over at USCC that its Facebook page has gone dead silent since September 13th, with customers far and wide ranting in the comments section about the carrier's inability to get the one phone they all want. Making matters worse for USCC is the fact that Appalachian Wireless, C Spire, Bluegrass Cellular, Cellcom, GCI, MTA, Nex-Tech Wireless, Ntelos and Strata are all lined up to start selling both the iPhone 5c and iPhone 5s on October 1st. We suppose even more could be added as time rolls on and the supply / demand balance rights itself, but it's probably high time for US Cellular holdouts to head on over to a rival. Patience only gets you so far, you know?
Samsung Galaxy Mega hitting AT&T, Sprint and US Cellular this month (updated)
Duck and cover -- Samsung announced this morning that its latest monster handset, the Galaxy Mega, will be arriving on our shores this month. The 6.3-inch monolith will be coming to AT&T, Sprint and US Cellular. Beyond that, availability information is one thing about this phone that's still on the small side -- as the company explains in a press release this morning (which you can find in all of its PRy glory below), "each carrier will announce their specific availability, colors and timing." We do know that it'll have Android 4.2.2 and a 1.7GHz dual core processor. Expect more info on the only smartphone visible from space to follow soon from each of the aforementioned carriers. Update: As expected, the carrier announcements have begun trickling in. You can find Sprint's below. It adds...a little information to what we already knew, namely the fact that the Now Network will be offering up unlimited data with the handset. Update 2: More info now from the AT&T camp, and this time out, it's stuff we can really use -- namely price and date. The carrier's got the massive handset arriving the 23rd, priced at $150 (with, you guessed it, a two-year contract). The rest of that release is after the break -- beneath all the other releases, naturally.
US Cellular's shared data plans: here are the pricing details
It'll probably come as no shock to those who've been keeping even a loose eye on trends in the carrier space, but US Cellular is about to usher in its own take on shared data. Family plans have quickly become the norm, with data taking precedence over text and voice, and USCC's take on things looks awfully familiar. In fact, you'll be hard-pressed to find any real pricing differences here than what you'll find over on Verizon Wireless. For a point-by-point breakdown, head on past the break. %Gallery-195927%
Samsung ATIV Odyssey now available on US Cellular for $50 after rebate
The obscure ZTE Render's had its fair share of good times as US Cellular's Windows Phone, but the carrier's now ready to add its first WP8 device to the lineup: the Samsung ATIV Odyssey. The smartphone, which has been available on Verizon for several months, finally launches online today and in stores this Thursday for $50 on contract and after a $50 mail-in rebate. The device offers a WVGA display, a 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 chipset, 1GB RAM, 8GB internal storage with microSD expansion, NFC, a 2,100mAh battery and 5MP rear camera with 1.2MP front-facing cam.
ATIV Odyssey for US Cellular leaked in promo materials
US Cellular's been promising a WP8 handset for quite some time now, and it looks like the company's about to deliver exactly that. As you might recall, US Cellular's last Windows Phone offering was the entry-level ZTE Render which ran WP7.5 (Tango). We recently obtained promo materials for an ATIV Odyssey with US Cellular branding. This mid-range Samsung device, which is currently available on Verizon, packs a 4-inch WVGA Super AMOLED display, 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of built-in storage (with microSD expansion), LTE and NFC support, plus a five-megapixel autofocus camera with flash. While none of this is official (yet), we fully expect US Cellular to make a proper announcement real soon now. Until then, check out the gallery below for some of the aforementioned promo material. %Gallery-189972% [Thanks, anonymous tipster]
Samsung Galaxy S 4 coming to US Cellular April 30th
Wait, what inventory shortage? US Cellular doesn't seem to have any issue with getting the Samsung Galaxy S 4 on its retail and virtual shelves -- it confirmed to us in an email that it will begin selling the flagship device on April 30th. You'll be able to purchase the 16GB version in either white or black for $199 with a two-year commitment. If you didn't get in on the pre-order, now's your chance to get hooked up.
US Cellular announces its intent to carry Windows Phone 8 devices
In response to a customer's question about Windows Phone plans, US Cellular used its official Facebook page to proclaim its intent to launch a WP8 device in the near future. While the representative specifically mentioned Windows 8 (sans "Phone"), we reached out to US Cellular for clarification. A company spokesperson confirmed our suspicions, stating that a device running the mobile platform will indeed be launching. We'll have to wait until next month to get additional details about it, but USCC customers biding their time for a WP8 smartphone will soon have the opportunity to grab one for themselves without making the move to a different carrier. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
US Cellular to begin Samsung Galaxy S 4 pre-sales April 16th
AT&T's not the only operator to grant early adopters the opportunity to pre-order the Samsung Galaxy S 4 on April 16th -- US Cellular will be following suit as well. While the regional carrier hasn't announced pricing or any other details on availability yet, interested customers will be able to at least start the purchase process before it hits retail shelves. Head to the source to sign up for email alerts on pricing and availability, and we'll keep you posted as soon as we hear updates.
US Cellular delivering Jelly Bean update to Samsung Galaxy S III on December 21st
Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon and AT&T all have already done it, and now it's US Cellular's turn to start distributing the Android 4.1 batch to its own variant of Samsung's Galaxy S III. According to the carrier, said Jelly Bean update is set to hit the flagship, TouchWiz-loaded handset this Friday, December 21st, carrying now-accustomed features such as Project Butter, Google Now and a slew of other enhancements to the camera app, notifications, widgets and, naturally, the overall user interface. US Cellular didn't give us a specific time as to when we can expect the goods, but it did say the update will be available over-the-air and via USB -- either way, you may want to bookmark that source link below, as more in-depth installation details are expected to show up there come Friday.
US Cellular takes hit on LTE devices, profits halved to $35.5 million in Q3 2012
US Cellular's latest figures show that while the network saw its revenues remain constant, net profits fell by nearly half compared to the same period last year. It coined $35.5 million in net profit this quarter, down from the $62.1 million it made in Q3 2011 despite bringing in $1.04 billion in turnover both times. The cause of this reduced profitability is said to be down to higher subsidies on LTE devices, which represented a full 50 percent of the company's smartphone sales in the quarter. While the carrier has reversed the trend of losing customers, it only managed to add a rather measly 9,000 new customers in the three-month period. That could be part of the motivation behind US Cellular selling off a big chunk of its Midwestern operations to the now cash-rich Sprint -- so it can concentrate on areas where business is stronger.
Sprint pays US Cellular $480 million for Midwest spectrum and customers (update 2: 980 jobs lost)
Sprint has cemented a deal with US Cellular to pick up its PCS spectrum and around 585,000 customers across the Midwest. The deal will land the newly-owned company 30MHz within the 1900 MHz band across Illinois, Indian, Michigan, Missouri and Ohio, with the carrier stating that it'll be putting the extra spectrum to use augmenting its coverage while it continues to roll out 4G. US Cellular will apparently continue business elsewhere, once the deal passes regulatory approval some time year, stating that it aims to "increase focus on markets where it has strong positions" and "streamline operations" -- probably involving its own 4G expansion plans. Update: There's a gray cloud to the silver lining. US Cellular warns that over 1,000 jobs will be cut as part of the network handover, most of them a mix of corporate and retail staff based in Chicago. It also says that the network offload reflects the challenges it has getting customers in larger cities: they're both more expensive up-front and generate twice as much subscriber turnover as in less densely-packed areas. The Sprint deal should wrap up by mid-2013 if all goes according to plan. Update 2: US Cellular has revised its own job figures and now says the exact tally is 980. While it's only so much comfort to those affected, the exact amount is slightly more reassuring.
US Cellular intros Motorola Electrify M, gets a slice of the Droid RAZR M on November 8th for $100
Americans who were eying Motorola's Droid RAZR M and just weren't keen on Verizon's typically overt branding now have at least one alternative. US Cellular is giving the big-screened, small-sized smartphone a slight respin as the Electrify M, with a subtler (if less Kevlar-laden) design wrapping around the same 4.3-inch screen, 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 and LTE that we've come to know. The carrier applies a light touch to the Android 4.0 build as well. Those who want to take advantage of US Cellular's giant LTE expansion this month won't have to wait long between the widened coverage and a new device to use with it: the Electrify M goes on sale online as of November 8th, and retail a day later, at the same $100 post-discount price as its Verizon counterpart.
