In the last few years, many cell phone carriers have released “unlimited” plans that actually have limits. Most of these plans are sufficient for the average person. Problems show up for a minority of cell phone users that are especially heavy data users. Many people read my posts explaining the limits carriers place on their […]
Earlier this week, RootMetrics released its report on cellular networks’ performance in the U.S. in the first half of 2020. The most recent round of RootMetrics’ testing got screwed up by the pandemic, but the company did its best to publish something that followed the structure of its usual reports. While I continue to think […]
Today, Mint Mobile launched an “unlimited” plan. Mint has officially joined the ranks of carriers like Google Fi, Altice, Total Wireless, Wing, Tello. What do all these carriers have in common? Each offers an allegedly “unlimited” plan that strictly limits how much data subscribers can use. The rest of this post is a rant. To […]
Mint Mobile launched an unlimited plan this morning. It’s available for as little as $30 per month. Plan terms Like many unlimited plans offered by mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs), the plan isn’t actually “unlimited” in the mainstream sense of the word: Subscribers can use 35GB of regular, full-speed data each month. After 35GB of […]
PCMag just released its 2020 report on the performance of cellular networks. Verizon took the top spot for overall performance. AT&T came in a close second. T-Mobile came in third place but led in 5G availability. Differences from previous years’ tests Due to logistical issues from the pandemic, PCMag altered its methodology: PCMag also started […]
Global Wireless Solutions (GWS) released its latest report ranking the performance of cellular networks in the U.S. AT&T again took the top spot in GWS’s rankings. I previously wrote about my reservations around the methodology GWS used in 2019. My reservations stand nearly unchanged. GWS continues to assess about 500 markets rather than the U.S. […]
Ting has been offering one of the best deals for mobile hotspot service. For $25 per month, subscribers using a Franklin R850 Hotspot get 30GB of data over Sprint’s network. It looks like that deal will come to a close: I expect this change in policy is due to either (a) T-Mobile’s merger with Sprint […]
Even cellular industry insiders can’t order phones and service without trouble. Prakash Sangam, an industry analyst, shared this tweet last month: Dealt with @Verizon twice in last 2weeks. Both were utter disasters. Don't know whether its just me or that's how they work! Two >$1k orders and new lines, both badly botched. I could salvage […]
DISH and MATRIXX Software just came out with a press release titled: “DISH selects MATRIXX Software for dynamic pricing and monetization of its 5G network”. I’m a huge advocate of variable-rate pricing. Varying data charges based on how congested cellular networks are would bring huge efficiency gains. While the press release seems promising, it’s full […]
Yesterday, Verizon announced a set of updates to its postpaid unlimited plans. The new plans are slotted to release on August 20th. All plans will keep their current names and monthly prices. Existing Verizon customers will have the option to switch to the new plan structures or stick with the old structures. Changes All of […]