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CNBC: T-Mobile CEO John Legere won't be the next WeWork CEO
Earlier this week T-Mobile CEO John Legere's name popped up as a possibility to take over the top spot at WeWork after its failed IPO and ouster of co-founder Adam Neumann. However, subsequent rumors clarified that he was just one of the potential replacements, while today CNBC reports that Legere isn't taking the job and has "no plans" to leave T-Mobile. The report also cites people with knowledge of the matter as saying he was not the top candidate for the job, which would have presented a tricky transition as Softbank is both the majority owner of WeWork, and Sprint, which his company is still in the process of merging with.
WeWork may have found its new CEO: T-Mobile's John Legere
WeWork's series of trials and tribulations has been one of the biggest business stories of the last few months. Co-founder Adam Neumann exited as CEO in September, then SoftBank bought a majority stake in the troubled co-working company after WeWork's failed attempt at an IPO. WeWork might already have a new chief executive lined up, though: T-Mobile CEO John Legere, whom the Wall Street Journal reported is in talks to take over.
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.
T-Mobile teases $15 5G plan and other post-merger initiatives
When, and if, it launches its 5G network on December 6th, T-Mobile will offer a new $15 per month prepaid 5G plan to customers. The plan will include a 2GB per month data allowance, in addition to unlimited talk and text. At $15, the plan is half the price of T-Mobile's current cheapest plan. For $25 per month, customers can upgrade to a plan with 5GB of monthly data. Additionally, T-Mobile says it will add 500MB of data to both plans every year for up to five years.
T-Mobile's 5G network will go live on December 6th
T-Mobile will officially activate its 5G network on December 6th, the carrier announced today during a live stream dedicated to its upcoming merger with Sprint. According to CEO John Legere, 200 million customers will have access to the network on day one, with 5,000 cities and towns covered before the end of 2019.
FCC formally approves the T-Mobile-Sprint merger
Today, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) formally approved the T-Mobile-Sprint merger. The decision comes after a drawn-out, and at times contentious, review of T-Mobile's $26.5 billion bid to merge with Sprint.
AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint and Verizon team up to push next-gen RCS texting
For years we've been hearing about the potential of RCS, a protocol replacement for SMS that would bring iMessage and Whatsapp-like features to texting. Unfortunately there's been very little to show for it, with spotty support among carriers, and only Google and Samsung showing any real movement. Today the big four wireless carriers in the US -- AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon (parent company of Engadget) -- announced their "Cross-Carrier Messaging Initiative." It's a joint venture that they promise will "Create a single seamless, interoperable RCS experience across carriers, both in the U.S. and globally."
The FCC voted to approve the T-Mobile-Sprint merger
Today, the FCC formally approved the contested T-Mobile and Sprint merger, The Verge reports. But commissioners are still speaking out. Commissioners Jessica Rosenworcel and Geoffrey Starks released statements explaining their decisions to vote against the transaction.
Pixel 4 will be available through every major US carrier (updated)
You no longer have to subscribe to Verizon (Engadget's parent company) if you want to buy a Pixel phone directly from a US carrier. Google has announced that the Pixel 4 series will be available through all major US networks, and then some. In addition to Big Red and Google Fi, you can also expect AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, US Cellular, C Spire, Cellcom, Spectrum Mobile, Visible and Xfinity Mobile to carry the Android flagships.
ASUS' $900 gaming phone is now available in the US
After a lengthy wait, the ASUS ROG Phone II is now available in the US. As of today, you can buy the phone unlocked on the ASUS website and Mobile Advance for $899.99. B&H will also start selling the phone on September 30th, though you can pre-order it today. It looks like Amazon will carry the handset as well.
FCC says Sprint falsely claimed Lifeline subsidies for 885,000 customers (updated)
The Ajit Pai-era FCC has been determined to crack down on Lifeline program abuse from the outset, and now it's leveling some particularly serious allegations. Regulators have accused Sprint of claiming monthly subsidies in the low-income communications program for 885,000 customers that weren't using it. That represents just shy of 30 percent of Sprint's Lifeline customers, almost 10 percent of the whole Lifeline base and "tens of millions" of dollars in wasted funding, the FCC said.
T-Mobile’s Sprint merger is opposed by 18 state attorneys general
Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro is the latest state attorney general to oppose T-Mobile's Sprint merger. Today, Shapiro announced that he'll join a lawsuit to block the "megamerger" of the telecom giants, making him the 18th attorney general to challenge the deal.
Intel will use multi-camera, 3D athlete tracking in the 2020 Olympics
Intel plans to bring 3D athlete tracking (3DAT) to the 2020 Olympics. Today, the company announced that its 3DAT system will use four cameras to film athletes in the 100-meter and other sprinting events. Algorithms will then analyze the biomechanics of the athletes' movements and broadcast those as visual overlays available during replays.
Sprint’s 5G network in NYC isn’t crazy fast, but it’s fast enough
Sprint's 5G network has been live in Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Chicago and Kansas City for a little a while, but its footprint just got a little bigger today. The carrier lit up four additional markets across the country today, giving us the perfect opportunity to see what Sprint 5G could offer in our own backyard — a.k.a Manhattan. Based on an afternoon's worth of testing with the sorta-new OnePlus 7 Pro 5G, it seems clear that while Sprint's 5G current 5G efforts might not be as viscerally impressive as other carriers', its customers could be in for a valuable treat.
5G-friendly OnePlus 7 Pro is now available at Sprint
Sprint just lit up a handful of 5G markets this morning, and that means Sprint customers have reason to start eyeing up new hardware. Lucky for them, the carrier announced that its 5G-friendly version of the OnePlus 7 Pro will go on sale in certain retail locations today, and more broadly online tomorrow. The full, nationwide launch is slated for September 6, and you'll be able to claim this new 5G flagship for $840, if you're so inclined.
Sprint's 5G network goes live in NYC, LA, DC and Phoenix
As promised earlier this year, Sprint's 5G footprint is getting a little bigger. This morning, the carrier officially lit up four new 5G markets — New York City, Washington D.C., Phoenix and Los Angeles — bringing Sprint's total to nine. When you include its original 5G markets in Texas, Illinois and Kansas, that brings the carrier's total coverage area up to about 2,100 square miles, where some 11 million customers will have access to what Sprint calls "true" 5G.
5G isn’t ready for me
Over the spring and summer, the first 5G networks lit up over the US, with all the major carriers offering a 5G service of some kind. However, there are still only a few compatible phones to go around, the best of which is probably Samsung's Galaxy S10 5G. It's practically an entirely new phone. Samsung substantially upgraded its S10 with more cameras (six) and a third more battery than the standard S10 -- more capacity than the S10 Plus, too. It's an impressive phone on paper even before considering that it's made for next-gen 5G networks. It's been a few months since Chris Velazco tested 5G networks at launch in Chicago, so it was time for another network test -- this time, on the other side of the Atlantic. The plan was simple enough: pit the Galaxy S10 5G against the Galaxy S10 OG in London, UK. Vodafone provided both phones, so we could see how the phones fared on the same network.
Phone companies and state attorneys general join forces to fight robocalls
US consumers receive as many as 350,000 unwanted calls every three minutes, according to the FCC. Despite multiple efforts to end the onslaught, an estimated 4.7 billion robocalls hit American phones in July alone. Now, attorneys general from all 50 states and the District of Columbia are teaming up with 12 carriers in a united effort to prevent and block the spam calls.
Study finds US carriers aggressively throttle video streams
US carriers engage in far more aggressive throttling practices than they've led their subscribers to believe, claims a new study. Verizon (Engadget's parent company), AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint have long said they reserve the right to slow down traffic to manage congestion on their networks. When exactly this happens is supposed to depend on the type of plan you have. But in reality, a joint team of researchers from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and Northeastern University found the big four throttle video traffic at all times of day, irrespective of any actual congestion on their networks.
Lawmakers urge the FCC to seek public input on T-Mobile / Sprint merger
T-Mobile and Sprint found a powerful ally in FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, who officially endorsed the merger after the DOJ's conditional approval in August. In fact, Pai asked the FCC's commissioners to vote in favor of the deal, and the two Republican members (out of four) already expressed their intention to support it. Now, as noted by The Verge, a group of Democratic lawmakers is urging the FCC to delay its formal vote. Minnesota Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar has written a letter addressed to the chairman, persuading him to seek public comment on the proposed merger in light of the Justice Department's conditions.
