T-Mobile isn’t exactly the carrier of choice these days. After their failed merger with AT&T, they seem to be lost in carrier limbo. Verizon and AT&T have the largest 4G LTE coverage, Sprint has the only true unlimited data plans, and all three of them offer the iPhone. So where does that leave T-Mobile? T-Mobile knows it has to do something, and it appears that something, is unlimited data for $20 a month.
Sprint is looking to entice families (or individuals with numerous lines) away from their current carriers by offering an instant $400 store credit towards the purchase of “qualifying devices.” While that $400 is sure to catch your attention, it’s the “fine print” that caught mine. In order to receive this promo, you have to activate three or more lines on an Everything Data Share or Simply Everything Data plan — one of which, must be ported over from a non-Sprint company (Virgin Mobile, Boost Mobile, and Common Cents Mobile are subsidiaries of Sprint). The stipulations don’t end there.
It’s starting to look like Verizon will hit its 400 market goal well before the end of the year. With plans to unleash yet another wave of 4G LTE rollouts, Verizon will hit the 371 mark by tomorrow. While some markets are already seeing 4G LTE, tomorrow’s scheduled rollout aims to add 34 new markets and expand LTE in another 38 markets. At the very least, this news reminds me why I’m still on Verizon.
Perhaps you’ve heard the “great” news about how Verizon has to dish out $1.25 million to the FCC for violating the FCC’s “C Block rules,” requiring licensees of C Block spectrum to allow customers to freely use the devices and applications of their choosing. If you’re just hearing about it, let me give you the gist of things and then you’ll get to hear me rant.
Four new cities were treated to some AT&T 4G LTE goodness today, while other experienced increased coverage. Every carrier, other than Verizon, appears to enjoy switching on four markets at a time. Still, those living in the following cities will now feel better about being included in the world of 4G LTE:
Sprint may be a noob in the LTE market, but that isn’t going to stop them from bringing their LTE network to more cities across the U.S. Come Labor Day, you can expect four new cities to be basking in the increased speed of Sprint’s 4G LTE network. Announced today, Sprint will be lighting up the following cities very soon:
Okay, so I was being sarcastic about the clever name. Nevertheless, the joint venture announced by Redbox and Verizon back in February has finally given birth to an official name, and that name is Redbox Instant by Verizon. Together, Verizon and Redbox plan on bringing yet another video on-demand streaming and download service to the market. As long as Verizon doesn’t screw it up with pricing, the Redbox kiosk/streaming combo could be a real winner.
Verizon’s 4G LTE coverage map continues to look like a teenager with a bad case of acne, however, they are lighting up more cities per month than other carriers have all year. The next batch of markets to receive the Verizon 4G LTE treatment is just as large, with 33 new markets and 32 expanding markets set to go live tomorrow. There’s a reason you pay Big Red all that cash, and this is one of them.
Following in the footsteps of Verizon, AT&T is just a month away from implementing Shared Data/Mobile plans. Unveiled by AT&T today, the new Mobile Share Plans are extremely similar to Verizon’s, with a few notable differences.
You read that right, Sprint has finally unleashed a twister of LTE pockets in and around the Kansas City area. They may be mere corn kernels compared to the likes of Verizon and AT&T but it’s a start — and one that I’m sure will have Sprint customers skipping down the yellow brick road.
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