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DOJ could approve T-Mobile and Sprint merger tomorrow
T-Mobile and Sprint are still grappling with state lawsuits attempting to block their merger, but they can at least take some consolation from the federal government. CNBC sources claim that the Department of Justice is expected to approve the merger on July 25th (that's tomorrow, if you're reading in time). The union is contingent on T-Mobile selling assets to Dish, though. Reportedly, Dish will buy T-Mobile's prepaid phone business for $1.4 billion, and spend another to snap up $3.6 billion in wireless spectrum. You can likely say goodbye to a T-Mobile-owned Metro, then.
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.
T-Mobile hopes to reel you in with free Taco Bell at its stores
T-Mobile has a simple way to draw you into its stores: it's straight-up bribing you with free food. The carrier is partnering with Taco Bell on "T-MoBell" (yes, we know) pop-up stores at signature T-Mobile locations in Chicago, Los Angeles and New York City between July 23rd and July 25th. Anyone who attends will get free tacos, special T-MoBell Freeze drinks (aka white cherry) and branded merch like socks and stick-on phone wallets. The two are even courting celebrity chasers with promises of "special guests" at each location, such as The Bachelor's Colton Underwood in Chicago.
Xfinity Mobile moves beyond phones with iPads and Apple Watch
Comcast's Xfinity Mobile is no longer limited to selling smartphones... provided you like Apple hardware. The carrier (whose network is run by Engadget parent Verizon) has introduced its first non-phone devices, including LTE versions of the Apple Watch Series 4, iPad Air and iPad mini. All three will cost the same as they do elsewhere. It really comes down to the cost of service. Whether you're subscribed to by-the-gig or unlimited data, it'll cost you $10 per month for every smartwatch or tablet you add to your plan.
Ten states sue to block T-Mobile merger with Sprint
The proposed merger between T-Mobile and Sprint just ran into a major roadblock. Ten states, including California and New York, have sued to stop the merger on the grounds that it would hurt competition and raise prices for cellphone service. They argue that this would not only reduce the number of choices, but punish lower-income communities where even a slight rate hike could cause trouble. They're also concerned that there would be a "substantial loss" of retail jobs in the wireless space, not to mention lower wages for those who remain.
Sprint turns on 5G service in four cities
Make that three big US carriers that have hopped aboard the 5G bandwagon -- Sprint has launched its 5G service in parts of Atlanta, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston and Kansas City. You'll need to wait until May 31st to buy the LG V50 ThinQ or HTC 5G Hub to take advantage of those speeds, but the experience might be better than for some rivals when Sprint is boasting of the biggest "initial" 5G coverage to date.
AT&T just made it possible to pay your phone bill with bitcoin
Have some spare bitcoin kicking around? You can put it toward your phone service. AT&T says it has become the first big US wireless carrier to accept cryptocurrency for online phone bill payments. Choose the BitPay option at MyAT&T and you can cover your bill with bitcoin instead of conventional funds. You can't use this in-store, alas, but it could make sense if you'd rather save old-school money for other purposes.
US carriers say they've stopped selling location data
You might not have to worry quite so much about carriers selling your phone location data to less-than-diligent third parties. AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon (Engadget's parent company) have provided responses to FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel's request for an update on the practice, with all four saying they'd halted sales to aggregators sometime after promising to do so back in June 2018. AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon all said they'd terminated their last sales at varying points in March 2019, while Sprint said it was ending its last deal with a location aggregator on May 31st.
AT&T says it's the first US network to reach 2Gbps speeds on 5G
The chest-thumping over 5G continues. AT&T has reported that it achieved the first 2Gbps speeds on a 5G network in the US. It achieved the feat using a Netgear mobile router on the carrier's public-facing network in the Atlanta area. The performance comes less than a month after the provider cracked the gigabit mark in multiple cities.
AT&T's mobile 5G goes live in seven more cities
American carriers are still engaged in their endless game of 5G oneupmanship. AT&T has expanded its fledgling mobile 5G network to "parts" of seven more cities, including Austin, Los Angeles, Nashville, Orlando, San Diego, San Francisco and San Jose. The move puts AT&T's real 5G in a total of 19 cities, making Verizon's (Engadget's parent company) two-city rollout seem modest by comparison. With that said, the usual caveats apply.
AT&T has the 'fastest wireless network' in the US
Just two days after AT&T declared itself the first 5G carrier in the US to reach gigabit speeds, the company has released a statement claiming it's the fastest wireless network in the nation. The findings come from third party network-testing company Ookla, which cited AT&T's top average US download speed at 40.7Mbps.
Verizon has a phone plan for kids, complete with parental controls
Like it or not, many kids have smartphones -- and Verizon (Engadget's parent company) wants to capitalize on that with a plan meant to reassure parents anxious about what their young ones might see. The carrier's newly unveiled Just Kids plan melds 5GB of LTE data, unlimited calling/talk to 20 parent-defined contacts and a subscription to Verizon Smart Family Premium's parental controls, all at prices noticeably lower than for the grown-ups ($35 to $55 per month depending on the total number of lines). Ideally, this saves you some money each month while giving you tools to limit usage, filter out unsavory content and keep track of your kids' whereabouts.
AT&T is the first 5G carrier in the US to reach gigabit speeds
The initial 5G rollout in the US has been underwhelming, in part because those vaunted gigabit-class speeds have been nowhere to be found. AT&T, at least, is inching closer to that goal. The provider has declared that it's the first US telecom to top 1Gbps on a mobile 5G network, achieving the feat in "multiple cities" using Netgear's 5G hotspot. In an interview with PCMag, the company's Igal Elbaz described it as a virtue of improving software.
Sprint's 5G service launches in four cities this May
It's Sprint's turn to commit to a 5G network launch. The carrier has confirmed that full-fledged 5G service will debut in May in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas and Kansas City. Houston, Los Angeles, New York City, Phoenix and Washington, DC will follow before the first half of 2019 is over. It's not certain which devices will be available on launch day, although Sprint has already committed to offering the LG V50 ThinQ and HTC 5G Hub in the spring. The Galaxy S10 5G is due in the summer.
AT&T 5G is coming to Chicago and Minneapolis in 2019
Just because AT&T is standing firm on its faux 5G marketing doesn't mean it's ignoring its real 5G deployment. In fact, it's stepping things up -- the carrier has announced that next-gen wireless service will come to Chicago and Minneapolis sometime in 2019. Two cities might not sound like much, but that's adding to the seven cities announced so far and potentially provides 5G speeds to millions more people before the year is over.
Google Fi adds support for next-gen RCS text messaging
Google is putting its money where its mouth is when coming to support for next-gen texting. It's starting off 2019 by introducing RCS chat to Google Fi. So long as you have a supporting Fi-friendly Android phone (more on that in a bit), you can share higher-quality media, message over WiFi, see who's typing and get message receipts. It'll be automatically enabled if you have a "designed for Fi" phone, and will kick in if you set Google's official Messages app as your default.
T-Mobile starts verifying callers to fight spam
More US carriers are taking steps to prevent junk calls from reaching your phone. T-Mobile has launched a Caller Verified system that uses new standards (SHAKEN and STIR) to fight caller ID spoofing and ensure the number you see is real. Ideally, this makes it harder for ad spammers and tech support scammers to dodge screening efforts and blacklist apps.
AT&T doubles down on its 5G fib
AT&T is facing quite the pushback over its decision to label its upgraded LTE network as "5G Evolution," and not just from rival carriers (yes, including Engadget parent Verizon) taking cheap shots at a competitor. However, it's determined to stick by its decision. In an interview with Tom's Guide, the company's Igal Elbaz defended the decision. AT&T had been "pretty public" about what it was doing for some time, he said, and the indicator helps them know they're in an "enhanced experience" coverage area. He added that all of the provider's relevant hardware investment was "5G ready," so it just had to flick a software switch to enable the new technology on its end once both the code and devices were available.
Sprint will pay New York $330 million over unpaid taxes
Sprint is about to write New York state a very, very large check. The carrier has agreed to pay New York $330 million in a settlement over claims it avoided collecting certain local and state taxes on cellular plans between 2005 and 2014. It's the largest ever false claims recovery by a single state, the Attorney General's office said. Allegedly, Sprint willfully misinterpreted a 2002 law to skip collecting a key sales tax based on the nature of its plans, leaving New York $100 million short.
AT&T flips the switch on mobile 5G in 12 cities this week
After nearly a year of talking about it, AT&T is finally ready to launch the US' first mobile 5G network -- and with just days to go before its self-imposed end-of-2018 deadline. Service officially starts on December 21st, when a handful of customers will snag a free Netgear Nighthawk 5G Mobile Hotspot (below) for "at least" 90 days. The network is technically live now in parts of 12 cities (Atlanta, Charlotte, Dallas, Houston, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Louisville, Oklahoma City, New Orleans, Raleigh, San Antonio and Waco).
