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After Google deployed RCS (Rich Communication Services) in the U.S. without the help of the four three big carriers, the company seems to be set to repeat that effort internationally. People in multiple, mostly European countries report that they're able to use RCS features in the Messages app. That might indicate that we'll soon see RCS functionality in even more parts of the world.
As of Sunday, more than 1.6 million acres across 13 states in the west have been burning in wildfires. The worst of them are located in California and Colorado and those areas are where AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon are providing specific responses to their customers.
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Late last year, the FCC determined that US carriers were exaggerating coverage and speeds in their maps — something literally any human being with a phone in the US can attest to. While blame flew back and forth (the carriers seriously tried to pin this as a regulatory problem, you can't make this up), the FCC is still mandating better testing for more accurate maps. But now both AT&T and T-Mobile are stepping up from mere marketing rhetoric to legal rhetoric, formally objecting to the plan as stated, claiming it would cost them too much, and that more honest testing might actually confuse customers somehow.
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Amid an economy-crushing pandemic, AT&T decided that now was a good time to send a scaremongering email to many of its customers, claiming that their phone "is not compatible with the new network and you need to replace it to continue receiving service." The email conveniently omits that this message is regarding a change that won't take place until February 2022, providing only a link that later calls out this change linked to the decommissioning of AT&T's legacy 3G network.
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Verizon has agreed to pull advertisements that falsely imply its tiny 5G network is available nationwide. Two TV ads have been criticized by the National Advertising Division (NAD) of the BBB National Programs, the non-profit focused on industry-self regulation. The commercials in question were challenged by AT&T, which hasn't always been honest about 5G itself, advertising its "5Ge" network that's nothing but plain ol' 4G.
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It's been at least a few months since Verizon changed its rate plans, and you know what that means. Yes, we are long past due for new Verizon plans. The carrier's latest prepaid plans offer several data tiers as usual, but now you get $5 discounts after three and nine months as a customer.
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Cellular carriers have earned many negative impressions over the years for poor billing practices, unfair contracts, and some dubious attempts to insert themselves where they might not belong; but there's no denying that they have a good track record for giving a little back in times of crisis. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, carriers in the U.S. have committed to not terminate customers' lines and provide more data and cheaper plans to those who need them.
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The merger between T-Mobile and Sprint has been approved by the US Federal District Court, following a suit brought by several US states meant to halt the process. After the ruling, T-Mobile announced that it's beginning the "final steps" to complete the merger, and Sprint's stock is up over 70% at the time of writing.
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One of the key pieces to our digital identities, whether we like it or not, is our mobile phone number. You likely use it one way or another in a two-factor authentication login (you shouldn't). Thing is, as it's been demonstrated quite a few times, they can be easily hijacked in a few easy steps by malicious actors ringing up carriers' customer service representatives — many of whom are all too understanding in helping users out of what's supposedly a stressful situation. So, just how easy is it to steal someone's phone number on a prepaid network? Researchers at Princeton University say extremely so in a recently published whitepaper draft.
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Virgin Mobile is one of the smallest network carriers in the United States. A wholly-owned subsidiary of Sprint, the MVNO has been on the decline for years, and now the brand is set to cease operation as early as next month.
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