T-Mobile operates an MVNO called Metro by T-Mobile that lets you buy prepaid smartphones and plans while giving you access to T-Mobile's network for as low as $25 a month. As of today, though, your choices are expanding. T-Mobile has just unveiled plans to acquire of a duo of MVNOs — Mint Mobile and Ultra Mobile — which are now officially joining the magenta family.

T-Mobile has announced that it's officially purchasing Mint Mobile and Ultra Mobile as part of a buyout of their parent company, Ka’ena Corporation, for a total of $1.35 billion. Mint Mobile is notable for the involvement of Ryan Reynolds, who bought a stake in the MVNO in 2019, but it initially started as a subsidiary of Ultra Mobile. The brands will operate as a separate business unit, according to T-Mobile, with founders David Glickman and Rizwan Kassim being brought to the company to continue managing Mint and Ultra. Ryan Reynolds will also remain involved with Mint in a "creative role."

Mint Mobile and Ultra Mobile had been looking for a buyer for a few months now, with reports dating back to June 2022 saying that the company was up for sale. Both MVNOs were using T-Mobile's network already, so the fact that they were bought out by T-Mobile itself means that users shouldn't expect any changes to the service they currently receive. Likewise, the "separate business unit" bit should also mean that it'll remain somewhat independent of T-Mobile, or at least more so than Metro by T-Mobile.

We don't expect any overarching changes to the service soon — in fact, T-Mobile has said that it intends to keep Mint's ultra-cheap $15/month plans around — but this is still big news for Mint Mobile and Ultra Mobile users. We'll have to see how things pan out over the coming months, but at the moment, it doesn't look like T-Mobile is planning any huge changes to its new additions right now.