Sprint

T-Mobile denies $100 Apple Watch rebate promised by Apple

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Apple Watch Series 7 T-Mobile rebate
Some customers have redeemed the rebate successfully.
Image: Apple

T-Mobile customers are reportedly being denied a $100 rebate on Apple Watch Series 7 that was promised by Apple at the time of purchase.

As of Thursday morning, Apple’s website still advertises the promotion — which is supposedly available between October 8 and December 31. But some customers who have tried to redeem their cash say they’ve been unsuccessful.

Verizon or T-Mobile might be best option for your 5G iPhone

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T-Mobile 5G service
T-Mobile offers 5G in more areas than any of its rivals. But Verizon is faster.
Photo: T-Mobile

It’s not too soon to pick out the best 5G network for your 5G iPhone. And right now, there are two top contenders, according to testing dozen by an analytics firm. Verizon offers the fastest download speeds by a wide margin. And T-Mobile offers 5G in a much broader area.

But AT&T is in there swinging too.

US mobile data still costs way more than it should

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Global average mobile data cost seems reasonable.
Americans pay mobile data costs well above the global average.
Photo: Polina/Pexels

Americans pay far more for 4G service than much of the world, according to a report released Tuesday by a price-comparison firm. The cost for 1 gigabyte of LTE data in the United States costs almost twice the global average. And U.S. 4G service costs more than similar offerings in a whopping 187 other countries.

T-Mobile and Sprint start combining their 5G networks

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Nationwide-5G-Map
T-Mobile's 5G nationwide network.
Photo: T-Mobile

T-Mobile is wasting no time expanding — and solidifying — its 5G network in the U.S. following its recently completed merger with Sprint. The two companies, now one, are combining their networks following the landmark merger.

On Tuesday, T-Mobile announced that its 5G 2.5 GHz mid-band spectrum is now live in parts of Philadelphia, offering T-Mobile customers with compatible 5G phones the opportunity to take advantage of the new super-speedy connectivity — with peaks of nearly 600 Mbps.

T-Mobile completes long-awaited mega-merger with Sprint

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T-Mobile CEO John Legere with the Phone BoothE.
T-Mobile CEO John Legere is stepping down as big boss.
Photo: T-Mobile

The T-Mobile and Sprint merger is now officially complete, transforming the third and fourth-biggest wireless carriers in the U.S. into a more giant-sized rival to take on Verizon and AT&T.

The New T-Mobile, as it will be known, will be run by CEO Mike Sievert. Sievert takes over from T-Mobile boss John Legere, who has been chief executive of T-Mobile since 2012. Legere will remain on T-Mobile’s board until June.

FCC plans to hit U.S. cellphone carriers with massive fines

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Verizon
All the major carriers are about to get fined.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

America’s largest cellphone carriers are about to get hit with hundreds of millions of dollars in fines from the Federal Communications Commission according to a report from the Wall Street Journal.

Officials at the FCC found the companies broke the law by selling customers’ location data to third parties and are prepared to make AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile and Sprint pay big time. The companies have reportedly been notified that fines could be on the way.

T-Mobile and Sprint rejig terms of their megamerger

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T-Mobile/Sprint
The $26 billion deal has been years in the making.
Photo: T-Mobile/Sprint

T-Mobile and Sprint have finalized their deal terms as their all-stock “New T-Mobile” merger continues to head toward completion. They’re hoping that the megamerger could be officially approved as early as April 1.

Originally, Sprint owner SoftBank was scheduled to trade 9.75 shares for each T-Mobile share. According to the new agreement, it will trade 11 shares per T-Mobile share. Sprint’s other shareholders will get the original exchange ratio.

Judge approves Sprint and T-Mobile megamerger

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t-mobile
Deal has sent stock rocketing upwards.
Photo: T-Mobile

T-Mobile’s $26 billion merger with Sprint has been given the go-ahead by a U.S. district judge, rocketing the companies’ stock prices upward.

Sprint increased 74% this morning, hitting $8.34. T-Mobile, meanwhile, increased 11% to $93.62. However, the deal won’t officially be done until the California Public Utilities Commission approves the merger.

T-Mobile and Sprint merger may finally be approved Tuesday

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T-Mobile CEO John Legere with the Phone BoothE.
Colorful T-Mobile CEO John Legere will hand over the reins to a successor.
Photo: T-Mobile

A verdict regarding the long-delayed megamerger between T-Mobile and Sprint is expected to be announced Tuesday, The New York Times claims.

The ruling would combine America’s third- and fourth-biggest wireless carriers to create one with a massive 100 million customers. It follows an “unusual suit” filed back in June by attorneys general from 13 states, alongside the District of Columbia. They are concerned that a merger would reduce competition in the industry, which could drive up cellphone bills.

T-Mobile makes 5G just $15 a month. Maybe.

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T-Mobile 5G service
T-Mobile 5G hits the airwaves next month, for way less that most people probably expected.
Photo: T-Mobile

When the 5G iPhone launches next year, it’ll be able to connect to the T-Mobile 5G network for as little as $15 a month. That’s half what the carrier currently charges for 4G service.

Dropping prices seems to part of T-Mobile working to convince skeptics that its merger with Sprint will be a big win for consumers. And that’s the ringer here: its new ultra-low cost plan is available only if the merger goes through.

FCC approval makes T-Mobile/Sprint merger almost a done deal

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FCC chairman Ajit Pai isn’t down with China Mobile coming to the United States.
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai openly supports the big T-Mobile/Sprint merger.
Photo: Gage Skidmore/Flickr CC

The Federal Communications Commission reportedly will grant approval for the multibillion-dollar merger of T-Mobile and Sprint. This is one of the last hurdles before the third- and fourth-largest U.S. carriers can blend into a single entity almost as large as AT&T and Verizon.

Say goodbye to Sprint! T-Mobile merger gets green light

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sprint-will-stop-offering-two-year-contracts-to-smartphone-customers-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads20150814890791433_1f9247f163_h-jpg
You won’t be seeing these signs for much longer.
Photo: Sprint

The US Department of Justice just signed off on the biggest telecommunications deal in many years. This was the last real hurdle in the $26 billion merger of Sprint into T-Mobile.

The carriers had to agree to sell off some assets to win this approval. Still, every iPhone owner who’s a Sprint customer will soon be hearing from T-Mobile.

T-Mobile and Sprint’s merger could earn DoJ approval this week

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T-Mobile CEO John Legere with the Phone BoothE.
Sprint and T-Mobile are 'all-in' on their merger.
Photo: T-Mobile

The long-awaited merger between T-Mobile and Sprint could finally be approved by the Department of Justice this week. The deal requires the agreement of the DoJ in order to proceed.

Provided that it goes through, the merger will create a company valued at $160 billion. The merged companies will also have to help establish a new fourth wireless competitor to replace the one being taken away.

Most Americans are excited about 5G

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2020 could be Apple's greatest year so far
There’s pent-up demand for a 5G iPhone.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

A large percentage of Americans are happy that 4G wireless networks are being supplanted by faster 5G ones, according to a recent survey by a respected market-research firm. And a majority of US consumers are very interested in getting a phone that supports these speedier networks.

T-Mobile and Sprint may have to create a new wireless carrier in U.S.

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T-Mobile CEO John Legere with the Phone BoothE.
Deal between T-Mobile and would be worth $26.5 billion.
Photo: T-Mobile

The Department of Justice are happy to let T-Mobile and Sprint’s merger complete — on one condition. In order for the $26.5 billion merger to proceed, the DOJ wants the companies to help with the creation of a new wireless carrier.

This would address the concern about a merger stifling competition by reducing the number of major U.S. carriers. But as Bloomberg points out, “spinning off a full-fledged national competitor would be a high bar for T-Mobile and Sprint to meet.”

Department of Justice could still block T-Mobile and Sprint merger

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T-Mobile CEO John Legere with the Phone BoothE.
T-Mobile CEO John Legere shows off the iPhone.
Photo: T-Mobile

The U.S. Justice Department’s antitrust division staff has reportedly asked the agency to squash the giant merger between T-Mobile and Sprint.

The massive deal would see the third and fourth largest U.S. carriers combine. It was previously signed off by the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission.

Sprint and T-Mobile merger takes giant step toward approval [Updated]

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FCC chairman Ajit Pai isn’t down with China Mobile coming to the United States.
FCC chairman Ajit Pai says its OK for there to be three nationwide carriers instead of four.
Photo: Gage Skidmore/Flickr CC

Your iPhone may soon have one less option for wireless service. The Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission has signed off on the merger of Sprint and T-Mobile. This is a significant step toward the third and fourth largest U.S. carriers becoming one.

Update: An unconfirmed report indicates that the Justice Department might nix this merger.

U.S. carriers are no longer sharing customer location data

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Significant Locations
Your location data is no longer up for grabs.
Photo: Cult of Mac

U.S. carriers have (mostly) put an end to the practice of selling customer location data to third-parties, a new report reveals.

This dodgy practice was previously carried out by giants including T-Mobile, AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon. They passed on this data to middlemen, which then sold the information to other companies without getting the necessary permission from users.

FCC tries to confirm carriers stopped selling phone location data

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Apple Maps reservation OpenTable
You can’t escape your phone company tracking you, but the FCC can make them stop selling the information.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The CEOs of the big four US wireless carriers were asked by an FCC commissioner whether they’ve stopped selling their customers’ real-time location data, as they had promised to do.

Published reports in recent months indicated that the locations of Americans were being sold without their permission of even knowledge.

Antitrust regulator hasn’t decided whether to approve T-Mobile and Sprint merger

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t-mobile
Date for completing the deal has been pushed back three months.
Photo: T-Mobile

T-Mobile and Sprint have pushed back the date for completing their proposed controversial merger to July 29. The reason? Because the U.S. Justice Department’s Antitrust Division chief says that he has not yet decided whether or not to approve the deal.

Previously, the deal was supposed to be completed this week. If it takes place, it will combine the no. 3 and no. 4 wireless providers in the United States.

Verizon 5G goes live in Chicago and Minneapolis

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5G
The Galaxy S10 5G is one of the only 5G-ready phones announced.
Photo: Samsung

Verizon’s rollout of 5G mobile data service is finally underway in the U.S. after nearly a year of hype about the technology.

Certain parts of Chicago and Minneapolis are the first two places Verizon customers will find 5G coverage, though it is fairly limited. At least 30 cities are expected to get Verizon 5G by the end of the year, but getting on the network isn’t so simple.

AT&T’s ‘5G E’ speeds are slower than LTE on other networks

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No matter what your AT&T iPhone says, everyone else says “5G E” is 4G.
No matter what your AT&T iPhone says, everyone else says “5G E” is 4G.
Photo: Cult of Mac/@Siddavarapu

Customers on AT&T’s ‘5G E’ networks aren’t getting the huge speed gains promised by one of the nation’s largest carriers.

In an attempt to get a headstart on the 5G wave, AT&T has renamed a large portion of its 4G network to ‘5G E.’ The carrier calls it 5G Evolution and says its the first step towards the 20Gbps speeds promised by 5G, but a recent study found that AT&T’s 5G E network is actually slower than LTE Advanced speeds on other carriers.

Look at how mediocre AT&T’s speeds are: