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AT&T adds 5G to its public safety network
AT&T is giving first responders on its FirstNet public safety network access to 5G+ in parts of 38 cities, starting in Houston.
AT&T adds 5G to its legacy unlimited data plans
AT&T has enabled 5G for its legacy unlimited data plans, saving you from having to switch just to get improved performance.
AT&T offers cheap wireless data to teachers and students stuck at home
AT&T is giving teachers free wireless data service to cope with the pandemic, but only if enough students sign up for discounted plans.
Cricket launches 5G service with just one phone
Cricket Wireless has introduced 5G service, but there's only one phone that can use it.
Dish buys prepaid carrier Boost Mobile for $1.4 billion
Dish enters the retail wireless market with the $1.4 billion acquisition of Boost Mobile.
T-Mobile asks California to soften 5G, job conditions for Sprint merger (updated)
T-Mobile has asked California to soften the conditions for its Sprint merger, including 5G and jobs.
Google Voice and Google Fi finally work with the same account
Google Voice and Google Fi can finally coexist on the same account.
T-Mobile reportedly plans to lay off hundreds of former Sprint employees
According to the recording of a leaked call, T-Mobile plans to lay off a portion of the workers that came to it through its merger with Sprint.
You can now set up Google Fi on your iPhone using an eSIM
You can finally activate Google Fi on an iPhone's eSIM instead of having to get a physical card.
UK carriers would appreciate you not setting cell towers on fire
The arson attacks against 5G masts in the UK have become serious enough that carriers are joining together to put a stop to the incidents. EE, O2, Three and Vodafone have issued a joint statement both urging people not to set fire to cellular masts, threaten engineers or spread conspiracy theories falsely linking 5G to COVID-19. As the companies reiterated, cell networks are critical in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
T-Mobile completes Sprint merger
Right on cue, T-Mobile has completed its merger with Sprint. As of today, the two carriers are one -- they'll do business simply as T-Mobile. They're also clearly confident in the transition, as CEO John Legere is stepping down early rather than waiting until the end of April as his contract dictated. COO Mike Sievert is taking Legere's place, effective immediately.
AT&T will give users an extra 15GB of mobile hotspot data
AT&T is still expanding its offerings to keep people online during the COVID-19 outbreak. Between April 2nd and May 13t, it's adding an extra 15GB of mobile hotspot data to every line on unlimited plans that have a monthly tethering allowance. If you have the Unlimited Extra plan, for instance, that will effectively double the amount of data you get. That's still not enough data to completely rely on your phone's connection if you're used to landline data allotments, but it could be helpful if your wired service goes down or becomes oversaturated.
Mint Mobile is giving out free data for the next month amid COVID-19
Ryan Reynolds' wireless carrier of choice is giving out free data to help people in the US cope with the coronavirus epidemic. Until April 14th, you can get free 3GB data packages from Mint Mobile, even if you've never been a customer before.
FCC gives T-Mobile extra spectrum to cope with demand during coronavirus
T-Mobile pledged to keep people online during the coronavirus outbreak, and it's getting some help from the government to make that happen. The FCC is granting T-Mobile access to more 600MHz spectrum for the next 60 days to help it cope with customer demand for internet access while the pandemic continues. The carrier had asked for the additional airwaves for remote work, education and health care, not to mention the basics of staying in touch while isolated.
President Trump signs bill to help rural carriers replace Huawei gear
The US government is about to help rural carriers give Chinese telecom equipment the boot. President Trump has signed the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act (the Secure and Trusted Telecommunications Networks Act in the Senate), mandating that US telecoms rip out and replace any "suspect foreign network equipment" -- effectively, Huawei and ZTE equipment. It tasks the FCC with setting up a compensation program so that rural providers can afford to remove the hardware, improes security information sharing to prevent future uses and bars networks from using FCC-administered funds to buy equipment from companies representing a "national security risk."
Canada's first 5G network goes live in four cities
You no longer need to head to the US if you want a taste of 5G in North America. After starting its rollout in January, Rogers has switched on Canada's first live 5G network in the downtown cores of Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver. You'll unsurprisingly have to pick up one of Samsung's Galaxy S20 phones and subscribe to an unlimited data plan if you want to try the service right away, but Rogers' use of the 2.5GHz mid-range band suggests you'll have an easier time finding speedier service than you would with high-band 5G on networks like Verizon (Engadget's parent company) in the US. It's closer to AT&T and Sprint in that regard.
FCC may fine carriers for failing to protect phone location data
The FCC has warned phone carriers that they broke the law by selling location data, and it might soon make those companies pay the price. Wall Street Journal sources say the FCC hopes to levy "hundreds of millions of dollars" against AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon (Engadget's parent company) after determining that they failed to protect real-time location info. The regulator reportedly sent notices of liability that, while not final, indicate that a penalty is on the way.
New York AG won't keep fighting T-Mobile merger with Sprint
Now that a federal judge has removed one of the few remaining obstacles to T-Mobile's merger with Sprint, resistance to the move appears to be fading. New York Attorney General Letitia James has signalled that the state won't appeal the ruling declaring the carrier merger lawful. Instead, New York will make the best of the merger if (and more likely when) it's finalized, including efforts to get the "best pricing and service possible," boost coverage and create jobs like those T-Mobile as promised for Rochester.
'Harriet' star Cynthia Erivo's sci-fi podcast is becoming a movie
Podcast adaptations have a mixed track record in Hollywood, but that isn't stopping Amblin Partners from being particularly ambitious. Steven Spielberg's outfit has bought the movie rights to Carrier, a sci-fi podcast created by Qcode and Dan Blank that stars Harriet actress and Oscar nominee Cynthia Erivo. She'll both produce the movie and reprise her role as the truck driver Raylene, who discovers that her latest cargo is a threat to the planet that makes her a target.
The base Galaxy S20 for Verizon won't arrive until the spring
The 'entry' Galaxy S20 doesn't have support for millimeter wave 5G, and it's now clear that will be a pain for some would-be early adopters. Verizon (Engadget's parent company) quietly mentioned in its press release for Samsung's phones that the base S20 won't be available until the second quarter of the year, when a model with support for Verizon's Ultra Wideband network will arrive. Verizon didn't have more to add in a response to Engadget (we've asked Samsung for comment), but the frequency support appears to be the only major functional difference. It'll still start at the $1,000 mark like at other carriers.
