Tag: t-mobile

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Mobile Syrup

Even Ryan Reynold’s small U.S-based carrier can’t escape big telco buyouts

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3i5-sGiWr-M

Actor Ryan Reynolds is the latest Canadian to be impacted by a carrier buyout.

T-Mobile will acquire Reynolds’ U.S.-based budget wireless provider Mint Mobile for as much as $1.35 billion USD (about $1.86 billion CAD). According to details reported by Bloomberg, T-Mobile wants Mint to bolster its prepaid phone business and reach more low-income customers. The final price will be based on Mint hitting certain performance goals both before and after the transaction closes.

Reynolds owns an undisclosed but “significant” stake in Mint and will continue to make commercial appearances on behalf of the company, Bloomberg reported. Mint co-founder David Glickman told the publication that Reynolds has incentives to “continue for years.”

T-Mobile expects the deal to close later this year.

While the Mint acquisition won’t mean much for most Canadians — beyond a death knell for any fleeting hope Mint might come north of the border — it is emblematic of a larger problem in North American telecom. That is the incessant gobbling up of competition by the biggest players.

One need look no further than the ongoing Rogers-Shaw merger, or the recent spate of smaller ISPs purchased by the largest Canadian telecom players. Telus picked up Start.ca and Altima, Bell acquired Distributel and EBOX, Vidéotron grabbed VMedia and is poised to get Freedom if Rogers gets Shaw, and Cogeco nabbed Oxio (my beloved).

Sure, the CRTC launched a review of internet services in Canada and cut wholesale rates, but it might be too little too late as the number of smaller players dwindles.

Of course, Mint Mobile wasn’t the answer to any of these problems. But it was an example of how things could be better. Mint offered some of the lowest mobile prices in the U.S., with plans starting at just $15 USD per month (about $20/mo CAD). While that pricing will continue — so says T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert — it won’t be as an alternative to big U.S. telcos but in service to one of them.

Image credit: Ryan Reynolds’ YouTube

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Mobile Syrup

Here’s how to access free data while travelling to the U.S.

Canadians travelling to the U.S. might have access to free data through T-Mobile.

The American telecom company is offering users three months of unlimited data. Called the ‘Network Pass,’ the free trial allows people to keep their current phone and carrier while testing out T-Mobile’s service.

A 5G compatible, unlocked eSIM-capable phone is required. Users will experience slower speeds at times if they use more than 50GB a month. The slower speeds will last until the new billing cycle begins due to data prioritization.

Apple and Android users can access the service.

You can download T-Mobile’s app on the App Store and Google Play.

Image credit: Shutterstock

Thanks, Goozy1!

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Mobile Syrup

T-Mobile’s ridiculous suitcase includes a Qi charger and AirTag pocket

Typically I don’t care what U.S. carriers are up to, but a certain magenta suitcase caught my eye today. T-Mobile debuted its ‘Un-Carrier On’ suitcase sporting the carrier’s logo, signature magenta colour and built-in Qi charging with a pocket for your smartphone.

This whole thing looks absolutely ridiculous, and I also kind of love it. Made in collaboration with premium luggage brand Samsara, the suitcase sports a flat top if you want to work on your laptop and need something to put it on but can’t find a table. The suitcase also comes with a removable 10,000mAh power brick, which sports wireless charging capability as well as a USB-C charging cable if you’d rather use that.

9to5Google went hands-on with the suitcase and found that the built-in smartphone holder doesn’t work great, depending on the phone. 9to5 found the Pixel 7 Pro didn’t fit in with a case, and without one, it was a little too loose, making for unreliable wireless charging. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 didn’t fit at all (unsurprisingly, given the form factor).

As for the AirTag holder, that appears to be a feature of Samsara luggage in general, with the company’s website calling it ‘Tag Smart.’ There’s a special pocket inside the suitcase where people can place the AirTag. Unfortunately, 9to5 notes the pocket is designed to fit the AirTag exactly, so if you use another type of Bluetooth tracker, you’re out of luck (although you could always just put it in the suitcase and not use the pocket).

The ‘Un-Carrier On’ suitcase retails for $325 USD (about $446.25 CAD) and is currently available for pre-order. It seems like a lot for a suitcase, but then, the T-Mobile ad-on-wheels is cheaper than Samsara’s other suitcases, so that’s cool.

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Mobile Syrup

Tesla vehicles will soon be able to connect to Starlink’s Gen-2 satellites

Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has announced that, in partnership with T-Mobile, Starlink’s Gen-2 satellites will be able to project signals directly to mobile phones, providing roughly 2 to 4 Megabits per second connection speeds. T-Mobile’s press release indicates that the plan is called ‘Coverage Above and Beyond,’ and will bring cell phone connectivity everywhere, “even in many of the most remote locations previously unreachable by traditional cell signals.”

Musk later confirmed to a user on Twitter that via the same technology, Tesla vehicles will also be able to connect to Starlink’s Gen-2 satellites to gain access to faster internet speeds. Currently, Tesla vehicles connect to AT&T’s LTE network.

SpaceX will use a portion of T-Mobile’s  5G spectrum, called “mid-band PCS,” to allow the new Starlink satellites to connect directly to cellphones, according to Electrek.

The Starlink satellites will be able to provide a 2–4Mbps speed connection directly to smartphones, which will be shared by everyone in the satellite’s coverage area, according to Musk. It is worth noting that the bandwidth shared among several devices and vehicles won’t be enough for a smooth streaming experience, but it’ll be enough to allow you a basic connection in areas where you might not be getting a signal.

“We’ve always thought differently about what it means to keep customers connected, and that’s why we’re working with the best to deliver coverage above and beyond anything customers have ever seen before,” said Mike Sievert, CEO of T-Mobile. Whereas Musk said, “the important thing about this is that it means there are no dead zones anywhere in the world for your cell phone.”

According to Electrek, T-Mobile aims to include ‘Coverage Above and Beyond’ with several of its existing plans at no additional cost.

The Gen-2 Starlink satellites will launch aboard SpaceX’s Starship rocket in 2023, with service expected to begin later that year.

At this time, it’s uncertain if Tesla drivers will have to pay for Premium Connectivity to access the connection.

Image credit: Shutterstock

Source: T-Mobile, Via: Electrek

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Mobile Syrup

Starlink, T-Mobile partner to connect mobile phones to satellites

SpaceX’s Starlink and T-Mobile are joining forces to connect smartphones to satellites and eliminate dead zones “worldwide,” although actual global availability remains uncertain.

Here’s the gist: second-gen Starlink satellites, which are launching next year, will be able to broadcast service using a part of U.S. carrier T-Mobile’s mid-band PCS spectrum (which is in the 1850-1990MHz range). More specifically, phones would access a “slice of connection,” as The Verge describes it, offering around 2-4Mbps total across a given coverage area.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk tweeted the same numbers, saying the 2-4Mbps per cell zone “will work great for texting & voice calls, but not high bandwidth.”

All this assumes you have a clear view of the sky, however.

Per a T-Mobile press release, the satellite-to-cell service will be available “everywhere in the continental U.S, Hawaii, parts of Alaska, Puerto Rico and territorial waters” and is expected to launch by the end of next year in “select areas.” The company hopes that one day, it will also include data.

However, as The Verge points out, the system will use a traditional cell spectrum, which introduces problems with global access. On the one hand, using cell spectrum means your current phone will work (at least if it supports mid-band 5G). The downside is that T-Mobile doesn’t own the rights to that spectrum worldwide. That means Starlink would have to try and gather carrier partners in other regions with those spectrum rights to expand the system beyond the U.S.

In Canada, it appears Telus is one of the holders of PCS spectrum, specifically, PCS-G Block spectrum for New Brunswick and Northern Ontario it acquired at auction in 2017.

In other words, Canadians and others living outside the U.S. probably shouldn’t get too excited by the prospect of cell service from satellites. The companies are seeking partnerships with other mobile carriers to set up reciprocal spectrum sharing agreements so that customers can connect to Starlink, but it remains to be seen if any Canadian carriers get on board.

However, analysts told The Verge it might be easier for Samsung and Apple to integrate existing satellite connectivity into their smartphones. There have been rumours flying for some time that Apple plans to launch some kind of satellite capability in the iPhone, but so far, those rumours haven’t played out.

Header image credit: T-Mobile

Source: T-Mobile, Elon Musk (Twitter), Via: The Verge