t-mobile

T-Mobile forks over $308M for U.S. Cellular spectrum

T-Mobile customers in a swarm of cities, including St. Louis and New Orleans, are about to get a boost in coverage.

The wireless carrier has signed a deal to pay $308 million in cash for U.S. Cellular spectrum to expand its footprint in the Mississippi River Valley region, T-Mobile said Friday. Specifically, T-Mobile said it will buy 10MHz of Advanced Wireless Services (AWS) spectrum that covers 32 million people in 29 markets, including St. Louis; Nashville and Memphis, Tenn.; Kansas City; Lexington and Louisville, Ky.; Little Rock-North Little Rock, Ark.; Birmingham, Ala.; and New Orleans.

The company noted the … Read more

T-Mobile to make bold moves July 10

T-Mobile issued invitations today for a media event in New York City on July 10.

Exactly what the carrier has in store for the shindig remains a mystery, but T-Mobile promises that it will deliver its "boldest moves yet." It all begins at 11:30 a.m. PT.

Of course, a flashy new handset (or handsets) is a big possibility, with the Sony Xperia Z as the most likely star. Remember that last week, CNET's Roger Cheng reported that T-Mobile had confirmed that the Xperia Z would go on sale "in the coming weeks."

The … Read more

AT&T turns on 7 new LTE markets, expands in six areas

AT&T has expanded its LTE presence in the U.S.

The company announced Wednesday that it has turned on seven new LTE markets in the U.S. The new markets include Grand Rapids, Minn., Hot Springs, Ark., and Mount Vernon, Ohio. In addition, AT&T has expanded LTE coverage in Atlanta, New York City, and Columbia, S.C., among other areas.

With the new markets, AT&T now has 291 areas with LTE, covering over 200 million people across the U.S. By the end of this year, AT&T expects its LTE rollout to … Read more

Sony Xperia Z makes its way to T-Mobile

T-Mobile confirmed on Tuesday that it would be getting the Sony Xperia Z in the coming weeks.

The company didn't include a price, but like all other T-Mobile phones, the Xperia Z will be eligible for a low down payment and monthly installments under T-Mobile's Simple Choice plan. The Xperia Z will be exclusive to T-Mobile.

For Sony, getting the Xperia Z on another big carrier is a step in the right direction. The company has been steadily improving its product lineup and getting more U.S. support for its devices in the last several months. It previously … Read more

Questions persist about NSA surveillance

CNET Update wants answers:

In this episode of Update:

- Get up to speed on the latest developments in the NSA spying flap and how it extends to contents of U.S. phone calls. Apple, Microsoft and Facebook are only able to disclose limited details on government requests for customer data.

- Speed things up on MetroPCS with new phones that work on T-Mobile's 4G network.

- Keep the kids entertained next year with DreamWorks television shows on Netflix.

- Learn how to leave a video message for anyone on Skype.

- Speculate on rumors about Facebook's news announcement on Thursday. … Read more

AT&T's 4G LTE wins award for 'fastest mobile network'

AT&T has been crowned the leading mobile network provider in a new study from PC Magazine.

The news outlet on Monday posted the results of its mobile network research to determine which company -- AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, or Verizon -- had the fastest speeds in the United States. PC Magazine, which analyzed results across 30 cities, found that AT&T had the top 4G LTE network with average download speeds of 16.7 megabits per second and average upload speeds exceeding 7.4 megabits per second.

Although Verizon and AT&T are considered the … Read more

T-Mobile kicks off MetroPCS shift-over with new phones

Starting Friday, MetroPCS customers will already be able to feel the effects of T-Mobile's buyout in the form of three new phones that customers can start using right away on T-Mobile's 4G network.

The Android-running LG Optimus L9 ($149) and Samsung Exhibit ($129), and Alcatel 768 flip phone ($49) run on T-Mobile HSPA+ 4G network and go on sale today.

Things look up for people seeking an even heartier features experience. Beginning June 17, MetroPCS will also stock its version of the Samsung Galaxy S3, riding T-Mobile's much faster 4G LTE than Metro's own network.

Today, … Read more

Verizon, T-Mobile foreign stakes make data collection harder

Verizon and T-Mobile USA have been a tad bit of a headache for the National Security Agency when it wants to collect data, according to a new report.

Because both Verizon and T-Mobile USA have owners that are based outside of the U.S., the U.S. government is not allowed to collect data directly from the carriers, The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing people who claim to have knowledge of the collection.

But before you get too excited, be aware that this doesn't really mean much. According to the sources, while the NSA is not able … Read more

Is this the best smartphone plan ever?

Don't talk on your smartphone much, don't like the idea of a contract, and don't want to pay a lot of money per month yet still have plenty of data? T-Mobile has the plan for you, if you know where to find it.

For only $30 per month, T-Mobile has a plan that offers 5GB of 4G data, unlimited texts, and 100 minutes of talk time. It's the cheapest prepaid plan I've seen from any of the major U.S. carriers.

Verizon's pay-as-you-go plans start at $60 for only 500MB of data; $… Read more