Right before Christmas, YouTube publicly called out T-Mobile’s Binge On streaming program for allegedly slowing down all video content, potentially in violation of new federal “net neutrality” rules. Now T-Mobile counters YouTube’s argument by claiming that it’s just trying to provide users with speeds that are appropriate for use on mobile networks. [More]
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Verizon Continues To Follow Others, Now Offers To Pay For Customers To Switch
By 12.28.15
Not even a year after Verizon CFO Fran Shammo declared that the company is a “leader, not a follower,” Verizon is making it very clear that it lives in a Bizzaro world where “leader” means “do things that other companies did first.” This time, Big V is demonstrating its “leadership” by following in the footsteps of other companies that have enticed customers to switch by paying off their contracts. [More]
Verizon, Sprint Customers Have Until Dec. 31 To Claim A Piece Of The $158M Cramming Settlement Pie
By 12.28.15
The holidays can be a tiring, stressful time, full of never-ending checklists. While you might have checked off plenty of your to-do items, if you’re a Verizon or Sprint customer, you’ll want to make sure you add “check to see if I’m eligible for a bill-cramming refund,” to the top of your list. [More]
YouTube Calls Out T-Mobile For Throttling Video Traffic
By 12.23.15
Net neutrality says that internet providers can’t throttle some services and speed others up. That much is clear. But if they’re throttling literally everyone, even those who didn’t sign up for it, is it still a violation? Google says yes, and has a definite complaint about the way T-Mobile is starting to handle video. [More]
FCC Wants AT&T, Comcast, T-Mobile To Explain Why Their Plans That Exempt Stuff From Data Caps Are OK
By 12.18.15
There are two big trends in data and streaming. The first is data caps, which limit how much bandwidth you can use in a month without paying extra. The other is zero-rating, where certain video services come to an arrangement with carriers to be exempt from those data caps. In theory, it’s a win for everyone: consumers, carriers, and streaming companies. But nobody, including the FCC, is quite sure if it’s actually, y’know, legal. [More]
Verizon To Follow Lead Of AT&T, T-Mobile; Try Some Sort Of Sponsored Data
By 12.10.15
The largest wireless provider in the U.S. has also been one of the least innovative in terms of its pricing. Its Chief Financial Officer even said earlier this year that “We’re a leader, not a follower.” And yet, Big V is just beginning to dip its toes into an idea that its competition has been swimming in for quite some time. [More]
T-Mobile To Verizon Customers: Switch And Get A Full Year Of Hulu For Free
By 12.10.15
A week after trying to lure away AT&T customers by offering them a $200 discount on a new iPhone, T-Mobile is going after Verizon customers. But instead of dangling cash back on a fancy phone, this time T-Mo is hoping that a year of free streaming video might do the trick. [More]
Consumer Advocates Ask Regulators To Investigate T-Mobile Over Advertising, Debt Collection Practices
By 12.8.15
Those two-year mobile phone contracts we all signed for so long became a relic of the past pretty quickly over the last two years, with national providers all abandoning ship. T-Mobile moved to “contract freedom” almost two years ago now, and has since then continued to make a big deal over the fact that their users are neither locked into time-locked agreements nor face old-school high data overage fees. [More]
T-Mobile Offering 128GB iPhone 6S For Price Of 16GB Model To AT&T Customers Who Jump Ship
By 12.3.15
T-Mobile continues to pick on the company it once planned to spend eternity with, once again launching a promotion intended to lure AT&T customers away to the pugnacious little wireless provider. [More]
T-Mobile Opens LTE Gates, Gives Customers Unlimited Access For 3 Months
By 11.24.15
It used to be that mobile phone customers actually talked on our phones a lot, and carriers limited our minutes while giving us unlimited data for our feature phones or Blackberries. Now, it’s the reverse: we have unlimited voice minutes, but limited data. As part of another attention-getting promotion, T-Mobile has announced that it plans to offer current Simple Choice customers unlimited LTE data for the next three months. [More]
FCC Chair: Video Streaming That Doesn’t Count Against Your Data Caps Is “Innovative” And “Highly Competitive”
By 11.20.15
The FCC’s Open Internet Rule — net neutrality — has been in effect for months now, but that doesn’t mean every question about the ins and outs of who can do what with their network is settled. Far from it, in fact. Some questions, like zero rating, have been hanging out there unresolved all this time. Except now they’re a bit more resolved, and it seems to be totally okay for the time being. [More]
Sprint Promises To Actually Cut Your Bill In Half This Time, Maybe
By 11.18.15
Last year, Sprint started its “cut your bill in half” promotion, even though customers’ actual savings turned out to be more like 20% once customers acquired a new phone for Sprint. Today, Sprint announced that they’re continuing the deal and expanding it to T-Mobile customers. But not all T-Mobile customers. [More]
T-Mobile CEO Tries To Explain $15/Month Price Hike For Unlimited Plan
By 11.12.15
While T-Mobile’s event-friendly news from Tuesday’s press conference was that the company was exempting a number of streaming video services from data caps, what wasn’t so loudly announced was T-Mo’s price hike for its unlimited data plan — from $80/month to $95/month for new customers. [More]
T-Mobile Unveils Free Video Streaming For Two Dozen Services, Doubles Data Plans
By 11.10.15
T-Mobile CEO John Legere today, at the company’s tenth “Uncarrier” announcement event, confirmed earlier reports that the big pink phone carrier will shortly stop charging streaming video against customers’ data plans. [More]
Report: T-Mobile May Let Customers Stream Video Without Eating Into Their Data Plans
By 10.29.15
Maybe you’ve had that moment, the one where you’re 47 minutes deep in a Star Trek: The Next Generation binge session on your phone (because you can’t be bothered to find a larger screen) and you suddenly realize you haven’t switched over to WiFi. Visions of your swiftly dwindling data plan may no longer dance in front of your eyes at such times if you’re a T-Mobile customer, if a new rumor proves to be true. [More]
T-Mobile CEO Rips AT&T CEO, Asks AT&T Customers To E-Mail Him Their Suggestions
By 10.14.15
Yesterday, AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson made it clear that he has no interest in hearing from customers who might have a suggestion for a new product or service. And because T-Mobile CEO John Legere will take every opportunity he can get to needle AT&T, he’s using this news to point out that he’s slightly more receptive than Dandy Randy from the Death Star — and that he’s also willing to field suggestions for AT&T. [More]
Consumer, Privacy Groups Urge Federal Regulators To Investigate T-Mobile/Experian Hack
By 10.8.15
A week after Experian revealed that hackers stole personal information for around 15 million consumers from a database of T-Mobile customers and applicants held by the credit reporting agency, a group of 25 consumer and privacy advocates are demanding that federal regulators open an investigation into the breach.
[More]
Virgin Mobile Offering Free Streaming Music That Won’t Count Against Customers’ Data Plans
By 10.8.15
Virgin Mobile USA is taking a page out of T-Mobile’s book, and handing out free, unlimited streaming music from various partner services — that won’t count against customers’ monthly data allotments. [More]
