Items tagged with John Legere
After a few false starts over the years, T-Mobile has finally completed its merger with Sprint. Sprint was the fourth place U.S. wireless carrier, with T-Mobile sitting in the third-place position. As a combined company -- which will simply be called T-Mobile -- it will remain in third place behind Verizon Wireless and AT&T in total subscriber numbers. With the announcement that the merger has been completed, enthusiastic (and often times foul-mouthed) CEO John Legere is stepping down. This executive change was first announced last year, so we knew it was coming. What was unexpected, however, was that the transition would happen a month early. It was previously stated that...
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2020 is shaping up to be the year of the 5G smartphone. Thanks to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 Mobile Platform, nearly every flagship smartphone launching this year with have 5G capabilities. Even new mid-range smartphones have the opportunity for some 5G lovin' thanks to the Snapdragon 765/765G. With this in mind, T-Mobile is rolling out a new low-cost 5G plan for smartphones that will surely get your attention due to its price. T-Mobile Connect, which is launching this week earlier than T-Mobile had previously announced, will cost just $15 per month. For that price, you'll receive unlimited talk and text and just 2GB of high-speed 5G data. The paltry 2GB data cap is giving us a bit...
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John Legere and T-Mobile seem almost inseparable. While Legere was an AT&T exec prior to his arrival at T-Mobile to take over the CEO role, he has made a lasting impression on the industry during his time with Big Magenta. Now, Legere's time at the helm of T-Mobile will come to an end next year according to a press release issued this morning. Legere's contract ends on April 30th, 2020, and it will not be renewed. As a result, current Chief Operating Officer Mike Sievert will take on the role as CEO starting on May 1st, 2020. “John taught everyone at T-Mobile that if you listen to customers and empower employees, you can change a culture – and by doing so – change a company...
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T-Mobile has announced something, and it's anyone's guess if it's an elaborate April Fool's prank kicking off a bit early or if it's just a hardcore troll of AT&T's 5G E service. At any rate, it's natural to be dubious of this but the T-Mobile Phone BoothE is also sort of plausible so here is what T-Mobile has to say about it. The T-Mobile Phone BoothE is "the next evolution in telecom" and will launch in New York City, Washington D.C., and in Seattle with more locations to come. The BoothE is a "vertical vestibule" that anyone around long enough to remember the days of public phone booths will recognize. Here's hoping that the BoothE aren't frequented by the sort of folks who can't...
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T-Mobile is doing everything in its power to ensure that its merger with Sprint passes muster with the U.S. government. The company has already announced that the two combined companies would be able to accelerate 5G network rollouts and has committed to not raise prices for three years and to keep 5G plans the same price as its current 4G LTE plans. Today, T-Mobile has announced an extremely limited pilot program that will be available to eligible U.S. households. T-Mobile Home Internet will be offered – at least initially – to 50,000 households and provides fixed, 4G LTE data to customers at speeds of up to 50Mbps. More importantly, T-Mobile says that it will offers these...
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T-Mobile is once again thumping its chest over its accomplishments with the push towards a 5G wireless future. Today, the company announced that it has completed the world's first 5G transmission test using low-frequency 600MHz spectrum -- and of course, the company took the time to needle its competitors in the process. By using 600MHz spectrum, T-Mobile says that it can cover hundreds of square miles with a single tower instead of just a few square miles at best (which is currently possible with millimeter wave technology). T-Mobile achieved this feat with its hardware partner Nokia in Spokane, Washington, and is part of the company's efforts to "provide broad 5G coverage for everyone...
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The return of unlimited data plans has been both a blessing and a curse for customers. On the one hand, the demise of data buckets that hit you with overage charges have led to more “freedom” with regards to our data usage. Most unlimited plans allow you at least 22GB of data before being throttled, while T-Mobile and Sprint hit the brakes at 50GB. The downside is that prices for these plans has been steadily increasing. T-Mobile -- the third-place wireless carrier that is largely responsible for bringing back the modern unlimited data plan -- is offering up a new, cheaper plan for customers. Called T-Mobile Essentials, you’re given unlimited talk, text and data. You also get...
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It looks though the third time was a charm for T-Mobile and Sprint. After two previous attempts at tying the knot, T-Mobile and Sprint today officially announced that they have agreed to merge in an effort to create a powerhouse wireless company delivering 5G internet the masses. The move is no doubt an attempt to better compete with Verizon Wireless and AT&T, America's first- and second-place wireless carriers respectively. T-Mobile is currently a distant third place when it comes to wireless subscribers, while Sprint sits in fourth place. The combined company will be called T-Mobile, and it will be led by the T-Mobile's current executive team to spread more Un-carrier goodness....
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Will they, or won't they? T-Mobile and Sprint have tried on two previous occasions to tie the knot in an effort to create a powerhouse wireless carrier to better compete with Verizon and AT&T. However, those two previous deals both crashed and burned leaving T-Mobile and Sprint to fend for themselves. Now, both CNBC and the Wall Street Journal are confirming that T-Mobile and Sprint have restarted merger talks. It is not known who was the initiating party this time around, but Sprint is seemingly in dire straight these days as its bleeds customers and attempts to raise capital to build out its nationwide wireless network. T-Mobile CEO John Legere (L), Sprint...
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It looks as though the like of DirecTV Now, Hulu TV, YouTube TV and SlingTV will have some new competition in the new year. T-Mobile today announced is ready to "disrupt yet another stupid, broken, arrogant industry". The third-place U.S. wireless carrier is making this move thanks to its acquisition of Layer3 TV, which launched in 2013 as an internet-based TV platform. Layer3 TV provides television service, online video and social media in five cities across the U.S. (Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver, Los Angeles, and Washington, DC). However, T-Mobile will need to greatly expand that footprint to appease its customer base that stretches nationwide. In its current form, Layer3 TV provides...
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We've been hearing rumors about a potential T-Mobile/Sprint merger for months, but the word on the street is that a deal is right around the corner. In fact, a new report out today suggests that T-Mobile, the nation's third-place wireless carrier, and Sprint, the fourth-place carrier, could announce their engagement as soon as next month. According to Reuters, a "major breakthrough" has been achieved that would pave the way for the two companies to merge. According to leaked details surrounding the transaction, T-Mobile parent company Deutsche Telekom would own a majority stake in the combined company, while Sprint parent SoftBank Group Corp would own somewhere between 40 to 50 percent. T-Mobile...
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Yesterday afternoon, we reported that T-Mobile had taken the rather unpopular decision to throttle forthcoming owners of the cellular version of the Apple Watch Series 3 to 3G speeds. Considering that the Apple Watch Series 3 is capable of downloading data at LTE speeds, an artificial limit of 512kbps left many scratching their heads. Even more troubling was that T-Mobile planned to grant these same customers the ability to download at full LTE speeds only if they paid twice the monthly rate ($20 versus $10), which sounds like the same shenanigans that T-Mobile CEO John Legere often accuses Verizon Wireless and AT&T of pulling with customers. Apparently, Legere heard an earful from T-Mobile...
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While first place U.S. wireless carrier Verizon seems to be doing its best to make enemies with its rejiggered unlimited data plans, third place T-Mobile is once again looking to provide added value for its customers with a new promotion. T-Mobile today revealed its “Netflix on Us” campaign, which as its name implies, gives you a free subscription to the Netflix streaming service. You are eligible for the free Netflix perk as long as you have two or more lines active using a T-Mobile One unlimited data plan. You’ll receive Netflix’s “standard” plan which usually costs $9.99 per month. This plan allows two concurrent streams in HD quality. You can pay an extra $2 to get the “premium” plan which...
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Yesterday, Verizon announced its return to unlimited 4G LTE data plans with Verizon Unlimited. At a cost of $80 per month, Verizon Unlimited provides unlimited data, text and talk (even to Mexico and Canada) along with 10GB of Mobile Hotspot. However, T-Mobile CEO John Legere just can’t sit back and let Verizon hog all the spotlight when it comes to wireless plans. This is especially true considering that America’s No. 1 wireless carrier subtly knocked T-Mobile ONE’s inclusions of “only” 480p video streaming. To counter the Verizon Unlimited threat, T-Mobile ONE has been upgraded from 480p to HD streaming video, and 10GB of mobile Hotspot functionality is included (matching Verizon Unlimited...
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Spring Break is about to start this week at T-Mobile, and the company is promising bucketloads of mobile data instead of hardbodies frolicking around in warm sand. After showing some love to families that need four lines of service, the company’s new ‘Data Gone Wild’ promotion is aimed at customers that only need two lines of data. Customer will receive two lines of data for a total of 12GB per month (6GB per line, non-shared) for $80 per month. Of course, that price gets you the usual perks like unlimited calling and unlimited texting that T-Mobile’s competitors all offer these days. T-Mobile also touts up its Uncarrier extras like Binge On and Music Freedom which allow you to enjoy unlimited...
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There are tech CEOs, and then there's T-Mobile CEO John Legere. Whereas most wireless CEOs (and tech CEOs in general) are very professional and try to stick to the corporate line when giving interviews or interacting with the public, Legere breaks the mold with his brash commentary and propensity to pepper the airwaves with f-bombs. Legere also has a knack for constantly trolling competing wireless companies, and even calling out their respective CEOs on a regular basis. Some of his recent antics involved mocking the competition with the profanity-laced “The Scarriers” video series and asking the Electronic Frontier Foundation, “Who the f**k are you?” Legere later apologized for the latter rant....
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All the hoopla surrounding T-Mobile's controversial Binge On program has the company's outspoken boss, John Legere, in the limelight more than usual. Drawn to defend the benefits of Binge On, both in social media and to news outlets alike, Legere is prone to lose his cool at times, and he regrets recent comments he made to the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), a non-profit digital rights group. EFF stands as one of the critics of Binge On. Those who oppose to the program primarily take issue with T-Mobile's wholesale downgrading of video streams to 480P or greater, which they say is throttling. Legere has repeatedly stated reasons why he believes otherwise, and in part, it's become a war...
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If you're a fan of online drama, grab a bucket of popcorn and get cozy, the show has already begun. Or perhaps it would be more accurate to call it a showdown involving T-Mobile and its outspoken CEO John Legere versus everyone who doesn't agree with the wireless carrier's Binge On program, particularly the EFF. In case you haven't been following, T-Mobile recently rolled out a program called Binge On that allows customers who are signed up to a qualifying Simple Choice plan to download unlimited video streams without it counting against their data caps. Binge On debuted with two dozen video partners, including big names like Netflix, Hulu, and HBO Go, and recently announced that a bunch more...
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T-Mobile is coming under fire from all sides for its Binge On streaming initiative. Binge On, which is on by default, reduces the quality of streaming services to 480p in order to lessen the strain on T-Mobile’s wireless network. In return, customers are afforded unlimited streaming without tapping into their monthly data allotment. Not everyone was happy about this move, however. Google was particularly incensed, as it never signed up to be a partner with Binge On, yet its videos were reduced to 480p quality anyway. “Reducing data charges can be good for users, but it doesn’t justify throttling all video services, especially without explicit user consent,” a YouTube spokesman said in a statement...
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Last week, T-Mobile offered a special promotion to “beleaguered” Sprint customers that were looking to make a switch. Today, T-Mobile is opening its doors to AT&T customers with a healthy dose of holiday cheer. With last week’s Sprint offer, T-Mobile gave switchers a $200 credit per line. The AT&T offer is also worth $200, however, that money is put towards a memory upgrade on a brand new Apple iPhone 6s. In other words, AT&T folks that make the leap over to Team Magenta can get an 128GB iPhone 6s for the same price as a 16GB iPhone 6s. Apparently, this offer is only relevant to AT&T customers that wish to purchase an iPhone 6s through T-Mobile. If you’re an AT&T customer...
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Today, brash T-Mobile CEO John Legere announced the latest piece of its long-running Uncarrier initiative. Uncarrier X was teased late last month, and well-known smartphone leaker Evan Blass even spilled the beans saying that T-Mobile would offer unlimited streaming for video services like Netflix and HBO. As Legere alluded to last month when he offered Blass an invitation to today’s event, those early leaks were absolutely correct. Legere has declared this “Data Day” in an effort to “disrupt the scam” being perpetrated by Verizon Wireless and AT&T — at least in his mind. “Dumb and Dumber are making this so f--king easy for me it’s incredible.” T-Mobile started Uncarrier with Simple Choice,...
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T-Mobile CEO John Legere is a master troller. The man takes pleasure in ripping on his larger competitors — Verizon Wireless and AT&T — and to a lesser extent, fourth place wireless carrier Sprint. Earlier this week Legere got a taste of his own medicine after his attempts to troll Verizon results in a swift response that left Legere attempting to laugh off the sick burn. Legere is back at again today, taking direct aim at his three wireless competitors in a three-part video series called “The Scarriers.” In each of the videos, Legere is sitting around a campfire with a group of bewildered smartphone users as he describes the perils of choosing the competition. The first target is “Big Red,”...
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