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T-Mobile won't sell the Galaxy Fold
Samsung has revealed the beleaguered Galaxy Fold will finally ship this September, but you won't be able to buy it through T-Mobile. The carrier has confirmed it won't sell the foldable smartphone.
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.
Real 5G is nearly three times faster than LTE, but not everywhere
Carriers will tell you that 5G is a huge leap over LTE, but how much better is it in the real world? According to Opensignal's crowdsourced data, it's indeed a lot faster -- but mainly in the US. The research firm has found that peak download speeds on 5G reach just past 1.8Gbps in the States versus 678Mbps for LTE, or about 2.7 times faster. That's owing mainly to the use of millimeter wave spectrum whose ultra-high frequencies (about 30GHz and up) allow such a huge bandwidth boost. Other countries don't have it quite so rosy, though, and there are caveats to the American figures.
How a trivial cell phone hack is ruining lives
On a Tuesday night in May, Sean Coonce was reading the news in bed when his phone dropped service. He chalked it up to tech being tech and went to sleep. When he woke up, his Gmail account had been stolen and by Wednesday evening he was out $100,000.
T-Mobile will offer the Galaxy S10 5G starting June 28th
Starting this Friday, the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G will be available through another carrier. T-Mobile is adding the handset to its lineup, though for now you'll only be able to pick one up from certain stores in cities where its 5G network is switched on.
Bloomberg: Dish is close to a $6 billion deal with Sprint and T-Mobile
Over the last couple of weeks, we've heard that getting DoJ approval for T-Mobile's proposed $26 billion purchase of Sprint will require making moves to create a new national wireless carrier as a competitor. That could be achieved by selling off Boost Mobile and enough spectrum to make a service viable, however they needed to find a buyer. Now Bloomberg reports that Dish Network is in talks and could announce this week that it will be the company to do it, rather than possibles like Altice and Charter (Amazon wasn't mentioned). The price? Apparently about $6 billion. The pair promised the FCC they would sell Boost Mobile, and if talks don't fall through, then their hope is that this would help get approval and overcome a lawsuit filed by several state AGs. For its part, Dish has long harbored wireless ambitions, and acted to make them come true. It was even proposed as a buyer for divested T-Mobile assets during merger talks with AT&T back in 2011. We'll see if it happens this time or if things fall apart on the 1-yard line all over again.
Palm is selling an unlocked version of its tiny smartphone
As much as Palm's tiny phone has improved over the past several months, there's still been one glaring limitation: you've had to use it on Verizon (Engadget's parent company) in the US. You won't have to be quite so picky after today. Palm has opened pre-orders for an unlocked version of the minuscule Android device that will work as a stand-alone phone on most major US carriers, including AT&T, T-Mobile and the prepaid Metro brand. No, there's no mention of Sprint -- ironically, the home of the original Palm Pre won't get this device a decade later.
NYT: Sprint, T-Mobile merger could get federal approval next week
Just days after AGs representing ten states filed suit to stop the combining of Sprint and T-Mobile, the New York Times reports the Justice Department is "moving closer" to approval. Doing so apparently hinges on an arrangement, previously reported, that would have the two sell off assets to create a new national wireless competitor. The Times specifically mentions Dish Network, Charter and Altice as companies that have apparently been approached about buying Boost Mobile, as Bloomberg reported earlier this week. If the companies sell off Boost Mobile and enough spectrum to make a valid fourth option, then that may help them defend against the state AGs charges that a merger would hurt competition. The trick, however, is first finding someone to bite on the offer, and with even Amazon's name coming up as an option, we'll need to see who's interested before things move any further.
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.
Amazon is reportedly interested in buying Boost Mobile
If helping to create a competitor is a necessary condition to get the Sprint/T-Mobile deal done, then perhaps Amazon can help. A report from Reuters suggests the retailer is interested in buying Boost Mobile from the combo, particularly because it would come with the ability to use T-Mobile's network for six years. The unnamed sources also claimed the company could be interested in spectrum the newly-merged pair would have to divest. Amazon has tried to get into the mobile business before -- remember the Fire Phone? -- and it wouldn't be a huge surprise to see it add wireless to the suite of services it offers. Yesterday's report pointed to the possibility of a cable company trying to rise up as the fourth major mobile operator, but if Amazon can pass regulatory scrutiny, maybe Prime will cover one more thing pretty soon.
Bloomberg: T-Mobile's merger could require creating a competitor
While FCC commissioner Ajit Pai is ready to recommend approval of a merger between T-Mobile and Sprint, the Department of Justice has been reportedly unconvinced. Now Bloomberg reports that one thing the two could do to convince unnamed "top" officials is to "lay the groundwork" for a new national wireless carrier. In previous years the Justice Department has balked at seeing the national wireless market from below the four major options, so it's a surprise to see this is as a condition, but it may not be one they're willing to meet. The report's source claim Justice Department antitrust chief Makan Delrahim specifically is unconvinced by the claim that the two combining would make for a stronger third player against AT&T and Verizon. These concerns helped scuttle AT&T's attempt to take over T-Mobile in 2011, and a previous merger attempt by these two in 2014. Finally, an analyst interviewed suggests that a fourth option could come from a cable company combining spectrum it owns with a virtual network deal -- similar to Comcast's Verizon-powered mobile service. It's unclear whether or not any of this will happen, but if it doesn't, then we could be looking at yet another failed attempt once the deadline passes on July 29th.
T-Mobile and Sprint make promises to clinch FCC's merger approval
T-Mobile and Sprint are still determined to secure a merger, and they've just made a fresh round of promises to win regulators' hearts. The carriers have made new commitments to the FCC that would guarantee wider access to high-speed mobile internet and home broadband, not to mention address concerns about a lack of competition. They've vowed to deploy 5G service that covers 97 percent of the US population within three years of an approved merger, and 99 percent in six years. About 90 percent of Americans would have mobile internet at speeds of "at least" 100Mbps, while 99 percent would have speeds of 50Mbps or more.
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.
FCC proposes blocking robocalls by default
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has been fighting robocalls for years, but as anyone with a cell phone can tell you, they're still getting through. Now, the Commission wants to make it legal for phone companies to block unwanted robocalls by default. Chairman Ajit Pai has circulated a declaratory ruling that, if adopted, would give carriers permission to develop new call blocking tools. The ruling could also allow consumers to prohibit calls from numbers that aren't on their contact lists.
T-Mobile and Sprint push merger deadline to July 29th
T-Mobile and Sprint have pushed back the deadline to complete their $26 billion merger, reports Reuters. The companies will now have until July 29th to earn the approval of the US Justice Department and the Federal Communications Commission.
AT&T and Sprint settle lawsuit over faux 5G branding
To say AT&T's rivals were unhappy with its fake 5G branding is an understatement -- Sprint even filed a lawsuit against the carrier, accusing it of "blatantly misleading customers." The competitors must have hammered out a deal that's acceptable for both of them, though, because they've reached an amicable settlement a couple of months after the case was filed. Both carriers have confirmed the agreement to Engadget, but neither would talk about its details.
T-Mobile's Money banking app makes its nationwide debut
T-Mobile's entry into the mobile banking game is now available nationwide, a bit over four months after it first rolled out as a pilot program. The mobile-first checking account is called T-Mobile Money, and it comes with some sweet perks for the carrier's subscribers. It has no fees and offers a four percent Annual Percentage Yield (APY) for users' money up to $3,000 -- everything above that will have a one percent APY -- so long as they sign up with their T-Mobile ID and deposit at least $200 each month.
T-Mobile and Comcast will label authentic calls to fight spam
In an attempt to fight robocalls, T-Mobile and Comcast are teaming up to bring their customers call verification. The carriers will use the STIR/SHAKEN protocol to label authentic numbers, so users will know they're not receiving a spam call. The catch is that, for now, only calls between the two networks will be eligible for the "Caller Verified" label.
