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Sprint tempts Verizon’s customers with a year of ‘free’ data
After ending its "half your bill" promotion earlier this year, Sprint is back with a new strategy to steal customers from its rivals. It's offering a year of free "unlimited" data, talk and text for those who bring their device over from other carriers, although it is targeting Verizon users in particular with its advertising and phone selection. The offer is available today through the end of June, and, as expected, there is plenty of fine print.
Verizon's upgrade fees are now $10 more expensive
It's about to get more expensive for Verizon subscribers to upgrade to a new phone. When the carrier added a $20 fee in 2016 to its plans, a leaked memo indicated that the move was to cover "increasing support costs associated with customers switching their devices." Apparently, it's costing Big Red even more money when you get a new handset now, regardless of whether you're paying for it in installments or at one shot. As Ars Technica points out, the new fee went into effect on Jan. 5th, so not many people would have noticed or have had to fork it over yet.
Cricket Wireless matches Google with new $30 data plan
While the major American wireless providers have been changing up their price plans and generally shaking things up, low-cost carriers have been taking note. Cricket Wireless is joining the game by introducing a new data plan that gives you unlimited talk, text and 1GB of 4G data before dropping your speeds to 128 kbps.
T-Mobile to finally start carrying the iPhone with no contract, pay $99.99 upfront, and HSPA+ support (updated)
This one falls in the "it's about time" category: the last of the national US cellular carriers is finally going to offer the iPhone. T-Mobile will officially carry the iPhone starting April 12, with pre-orders beginning April 5. At the company's Uncarrier event this morning in New York City, it announced that the iPhone 5 will be available for US$99.99 down, and the ability to pay the rest in $20 installments over the next two years -- with no annual contracts. T-Mobile also will offer the iPhone 4S under the same agreement with $69.99 down/$20 monthly installments over two years and the iPhone 4 for $14.99 down/$15 monthly installments. The iPhone 5 will be available in all markets, but the iPhone 4 and 4S in select ones. T-Mobile CEO John Legere said that the iPhone 5 offered through T-Mobile will support HSPA+42 in AWS and HSPA+ in MetroPCS in addition to LTE, along with high-definition voice calls. T-Mobile announced in December that the iPhone would be coming to its network in 2013 and has been encouraging people to bring their iPhones over to its Value Plan since September. As of 2011, more than 1 million iPhones were being used on T-Mobile's network, even though the company did not have any ties to Apple at that time. You can follow our sister site Engadget's liveblog of the Uncarrier event, as more details are released. [via Engadget] Update (12:10 p.m.): More details on the plans added and HSPA+ support, along with official press release.
Ask Engadget: best Philadelphia wireless carrier?
We know you've got questions, and if you're brave enough to ask the world for answers, here's the outlet to do so. This week's Ask Engadget inquiry is from is from Joe, who has helped inspire a regular feature and also wants to know which carrier he should pick for Philadelphia. If you're looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com. "Hey! I loved your question about NYC carriers and thought it would be a great idea to let your visitors sound off on other major cities. I'd love to hear opinions on Philadelphia carriers myself, so if you could possibly consider adding this, I think it would be appreciated by many." Way back in April, we asked you about which carrier rules the roost in NYC and it caused a little sensation, with hundreds of you bombarding the Ask Engadget inbox to ask if we'd do your city or state. We'll be sprinkling them in every now and again to let you sound off about the coverage in your local area, so if you live in Philadelphia and have world-class (or world's worst) signal, let us know in the comments below.
Voyager Mobile shakes off network issues, launches a few days behind schedule
It's tough being the new kid in town -- ask Voyager Mobile, an up and coming MVNO that had its launch delayed by a "malicious network attack" last week. The tenacious firm may have missed its planned May 15th launch, but managed to pull things together in time for the weekend, piggybacking unlimited talk, text and data off of Sprint's CDMA and WiMAX network for $40 a month. A basic unlimited voice plan is also available to the tune of $20, without data allowances, of course. Phones are available too, albeit without subsidies -- Samsung's Epic 4G Touch or Galaxy S II will each set you back $550, though an assortment of more affordable devices can be had from $120 and up. Tempted to jump ship? Check out the source link below and let all your MVNO dreams come true.
Verizon Wireless to transition grandfathered customers from unlimited data plans
Speaking at a J.P. Morgan Conference, Verizon Wireless CFO Fran Shammo revealed that the carrier plans to transition its grandfathered customers off their unlimited data plans, says a report in Fierce Wireless. Shammo confirmed that, starting this summer, customers moving from a 3G phone with an unlimited plan to a 4G handset will be required to drop the unlimited plan and sign up for a shared family data plan. According to the report, Verizon will only offer a shared family data plan for its 4G customers. These plans include one bucket of data which is shared among multiple devices. This change will affect customers upgrading phones, but the report did not say what would happen to current 4G customers on an unlimited plan or unlimited 3G customers who don't want to upgrade. [Via GigaOM]
Voyager Mobile endures 'malicious network attack,' delays launch to the 'very near future'
Launch aborted. Wireless newbie Voyager Mobile has opted to delay its unveiling today to a "time and date in the very near future." A mysterious "malicious network attack" is to blame for the interruption, though that appears to be the extent of the explanation. The company also reinforced its commitment to bettering our planet, one $19 monthly unlimited plan at a time. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
China Telecom launches iPhone promo to boost corporate sales
China Telecom posted disappointing quarterly earnings for Q1 2012 and is turning to the iPhone to help it turn things around. According to Hong Kong's The Standard, the wireless carrier is launching an iPhone promotion to encourage businesses to sign up with China Telecom. Any business that buys 10 iPhone 4S handsets together with a wireless service plan will get a free iPhone. According to a company spokesperson, the carrier is targeting enterprise customers who are outfitting their employees with the latest technology.
iPad 4G branding strategy defended by Apple in Australia
In an ongoing battle in Australia over the use of 4G in the iPad name, Apple's now arguing that its naming convention adheres to the standard use of the term 4G. According to a report in The Australian, Apple claims, The descriptor '4G'... conveys to consumers in Australia that the iPad with WiFi + 4G will deliver a superior level of service in terms of data transfer speed (consistent with accepted industry and regulatory use of that term), and not that the iPad with WiFi + 4G is compatible with any particular network technology promoted by a particular mobile service provider in Australia. In December 2010, the International Telecommunications Union, which sets the terminology and marketing standards for the wireless industry, defined 4G as "the forerunners of ... LTE and WiMAX, and to other evolved 3G technologies providing a substantial level of improvement in performance and capabilities with respect to the initial third generation systems now deployed." According to this definition, both the iPad and Australia's networks can legitimately use the term 4G to describe their products. We will have to wait and see if the Australian court agrees. A final verdict in this case is expected on May 2. [Via Macworld UK]
Verizon Wireless to start charging $30 handset upgrade fee
A Reuters report claims Verizon Wireless will start charging customers an additional US$30 when they upgrade their phone. This fee will apply to existing customers who buy new hardware with a two-year customer agreement. Verizon says it's levying this additional charge in order to "provide customers with the level of service and support they have come to expect." Verizon will be joining Sprint and AT&T, which also charge customers an additional fee when they upgrade.
iPhone 4S launches on China Telecom to 200,000 pre-orders
China Telecom started selling the iPhone 4S today and became the second Chinese wireless carrier to offer the Apple smartphone. According to a M.I.C. Gadget report, China Telecom processed 200,000 pre-orders in seven days, with the highest number of orders coming from Beijing (10,000) and Shanghai (20,000). At a launch ceremony, the wireless carrier said demand for the Apple smartphone was greater than expected. The phone officially went on sale in over 2,800 China Telecom retail stores and third-party retailers today, March 9.
Steve Jobs wanted to bypass cell carriers entirely
Speaking at a Law Seminars International event in Seattle, former T-Mobile head John Stanton said Steve Jobs wanted to launch the iPhone without carrier support. Part of his vision was to create a carrier for the iPhone that ran on unlicensed WiFi spectrum. "He wanted to replace carriers," said Stanton. Between 2005 and 2006, Jobs talked at length with Stanton who has a strong background in wireless communications. Stanton was as an early employee at McCaw Cellular, the first wireless carrier in the US and the progenitor to AT&T. He also served as the head of Voicestream which eventually became T-Mobile. By 2007, Jobs had given up on the carrier idea. Instead of pursuing its own network, Apple signed an exclusive deal with Cingular/AT&T and the rest is history.
Discarded iPhones in the US
Horace Dediu of Asymco is good with numbers and his latest work uses this skill to look at discarded iPhones in the US. Dediu takes monthly comScore data and quarterly activation data provided by the wireless carriers to calculate the install base of the iPhone in the US. His number crunching and resulting graph shows the number of new activations and the calculated number of iPhones being put out of service each quarter. According to Dediu, the discard rate, which is the number of phones being discarded over the number of new phones, is 50% in the US. Most of these discards are coming from AT&T as Verizon has not carried the iPhone long enough for customers to begin replacing their handsets with a new model. Dediu claims most of AT&T's reported activations were from customers replacing iPhones and that the carrier only added one million new iPhones thus far this year. He also points out that AT&T's discard rate has skyrocketed to 81% since Verizon introduced the iPhone 4 earlier this year, a figure that suggests AT&T is adding fewer new iPhone customers now that people have a choice in wireless carriers. It's an interesting look at the iPhone that goes beyond unit sales. You can read the full report at Asymco's website.
East Coast earthquake brings down cell phone, landline service (update: restored)
You've probably already read about the 5.9 magnitude earthquake that affected the Eastern Seaboard of the United States, and now we're hearing reports that the quake brought down some landline and cell phone service in New York, along with other cities on the East Coast. We've been unable to place calls in New York City using AT&T and Sprint smartphones, as well as office landlines. Are you experiencing issues as well? Let us know in the comments. Update: Service seems to have been restored in New York City. Update 2: Verizon Wireless has released the following statement on Twitter: "Seeing no reports of damage to our wireless network. There was some network congestion in the East after tremors. Continuing to monitor." Update 3: T-Mobile was feeling left out and sent us an email: "T-Mobile's network is experiencing higher call volumes in all areas and counties affected by the earthquake. If customers are experiencing temporary difficultly placing calls due to network congestion, we advise them to use SMS or E-Mail until call volumes return to normal."
Rogers Canada offers 'early upgrade' for your horribly outdated phone
Long term relationships can be hard. After a year or two, it's easy to lose interest -- but a contract's a contract, right? Not in Canada, apparently. Wireless carrier Rogers is offering a get out of jail early card, letting you get some new hardware before the end of your contract with its new "early upgrade" offer. But if you want, say, the Xperia Play pictured above, ditching your antiquated handset will cost you, naturally. The service provider has a tiered pricing plan, charging a different level depending on the device and the amount of months that you've got left -- something of an early termination fee for those who don't mind sticking with the carrier. If math isn't your thing, Rogers recommends you pop by one of its retail locations to help you figure out just how much it'll run you. In the meantime, try to avoid hurling the thing out a window in disgust, okay?
Mobilicity gets the green light from CRTC, looks to launch in Toronto soon
Right on cue, the artist formerly known as DAVE Wireless has been given approval to begin operations in Canada. Just as we heard earlier in the year, Mobilicity is looking to add some much-needed competition in the mobile operator space up north, and as predicted, the CRTC has given the initial stamp of approval needed for it to move forward with business operations. The company has to make a few minor changes up the ladder in order to appease the Canadian overlords that regulate this stuff, but the outfit's top brass have stated that they have "no issues" whatsoever in complying. If all goes well, the carrier plans to start up service in Toronto before the summer swings in, with Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton and Ottawa to get covered later in the year. Here's hoping those blasted three-year contracts vanish for good, eh? [Thanks, Adam]
