Blogs

AT&T’s initial offer of free HBO access to wireless subscribers was tempting, but there was a catch: you had to spring for an Unlimited Plus plan, which at $90 or more per month isn’t a trivial expense. Now, however, you don’t have to be such a big spender. The carrier is extending bonus HBO access to Unlimited Choice customers on September 15th, giving you the same streaming TV if you pay as little as $60 per month for cellphone service. This is one of the few perks of giant mergers, it seems. There are some catches to getting a freebie like this on a […]

If a deal were to go through, it would be a boon for carriers, but bad news for towers. SunTrust Robinson Humphrey’s Greg Miller and his team take a look at the potential for a merger between Sprint (S) and T-Mobile (TMUS). Spoiler alert: They’re “highly skeptical.” Miller writes that there seem to be leaks about a potential deal nearly daily, although he doesn’t expect anything to come out before an official announcement, which may happen as soon as third-quarter earnings. That said, he doesn’t think it will actually happen, as it will be very difficult to get such a […]

Apple has been working with AT&T to extend and activate cell service for users in Puerto Rico. To improve what is a terrible connectivity situation there, it’s going to enable a provisional band of LTE that has been recently approved, but not activated in the US and Puerto Rico, where it has not been licensed. This will allow iPhones to connect to Alphabet X’s Project Loon balloons in the region, which were activated today. This should allow users to send text messages and access some critical online services. Because LTE is not licensed on Band 8, many phones have not […]

Sprint and T-Mobile may not end up together after all — at least not in the immediate future. According to Nikkei, Sprint’s owner, Softbank, plans to call off merger negotiations with T-Mobile because the two companies can’t agree on what ownership of the combined business would look like. The two companies have been in talks for months, and Softbank had hoped to combine the two companies as early as 2013. Since T-Mobile has over 10 million more US phone subscribers than Sprint, it had been widely assumed that the combined company would primarily be owned by Deutsche Telekom, T-Mobile’s parent company. It sounded […]

Sprint’s $50 unlimited data plan for a single line is no more. The carrier’s website now lists the plan at $60 per month. A Sprint spokesperson confirmed the change to CNET, which went into effect Friday. The $50 Unlimited Freedom plan, introduced earlier this year as part of a promotion, will remain in effect for existing customers who have already signed up. Those customers will keep the $50 rate until June 30, 2018. After that, the price will bump up to the $60 rate now being offered to newbies. Families may see some savings by signing on with the yellow carrier, however. Sprint now […]

Sprint parent SoftBank is expecting T-Mobile’s owner, Deutsche Telekom, to make a final proposal this week that will include how many Sprint shares it’s willing to accept for each T-Mobile share, according to people familiar with the matter. SoftBank Group is waiting to hear back from Deutsche Telekom on an eleventh-hour bid to save a merger between Sprint and Bellevue-based T-Mobile US, as the chances for a deal dwindle fast, according to people familiar with the matter.The Japanese company is expecting Deutsche Telekom to make a final proposal this week that will include how many Sprint shares it’s willing to […]