Mobile networks in the UK have been banned from selling locked phones that can only be used with one carrier. British telecoms regulator Ofcom announced the new rule on Tuesday, although it isn’t due to come into force until December 2021. Several phone networks in the UK, including EE, Vodafone and Tesco Mobile, sell phones as …
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Sprint is pulling the plug on its prepaid service Virgin Mobile. Starting in February, customers will be transferred to another Sprint prepaid service, Boost Mobile. Most customers should expect to keep their same phone and phone number, according to an FAQ on the Virgin Mobile site. A spokeswoman for Sprint said most customers will “receive a comparable or better Boost …
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Florida has joined a list of other states that have settled claims regarding T-Mobile’s $26.5 billion takeover of Sprint, Attorney General Ashley Moody said Wednesday. The settlement calls for a divestiture package to allow a competitor to enter the market and will facilitate the rollout of several 5G networks, according to a Justice Department press release. “Florida has been one of …
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The Federal Communications Commission says Sprint is defrauding its Lifeline program, which subsidizes phone and broadband service for the poor. The agency has accused the wireless carrier of claiming subsidies for 885,000 Lifeline subscribers who were not using the service. The FCC said in a press release Tuesday that this is a violation of a key rule, designed to prevent …
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And another one’s gone. With the Justice Department signing off on T-Mobile’s $26.5 billion acquisition of Sprint in July, and with the Federal Communications Commission set to vote on the merger soon, the number of nationwide wireless mobile carriers will drop to three, for the moment. With the merger moving ahead, you might wonder if now is the time to switch to …
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The fate of T-Mobile and Sprint’s $26.5 billion merger may hinge on whether a federal judge sees satellite TV provider Dish Network as a viable fourth competitor in the US wireless market. But there isn’t an easy answer — especially when you balance its history of ignoring its obligations to build a wireless network with its newfound ambitions sparked by the …
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With the Department of Justice finally giving T-Mobile’s $26.5 billion merger with Sprint a thumbs-up, the US wireless industry can begin preparing for its new reality. Sprint is going away, T-Mobile is getting a lot bigger and Dish — after years of hoarding spectrum — is set to become a fourth wireless competitor. With the wide reach of the deal, …
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Visible, Verizon’s $40 prepaid network, is removing its data speed caps. After previously offering unlimited data on Verizon’s 4G LTE network, the company announced Wednesday that it will be removing the speed limit that capped data to 5 Mbps. The restriction has been removed for both current and new users, with pricing remaining at the same $40 per month with …
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It makes me chuckle when I think of the iPhone XR as Apple’s “budget” iPhone, because $750 is still insanely expensive. That said, the XR delivers incredible features and performance, which is why CNET dubbed it “the best iPhone value in years.” Read more: CNET’s iPhone XR review Of course, if you want a better price, you’ll have to jump …
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When Apple announced the new iPhone XS, XS Max and XR on Sept. 12, one particular feature captured the imagination of international travelers and multiple phone-owners alike: the dual SIM. Josh Miller/CNET If the processor is your phone’s brain, then the SIM, or subscriber identity module, is its soul — a tiny little chip that stores your phone number and …
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