Latest news with #MVNO
Phone Arena
3 hours ago
- Business
- Phone Arena
Make your dust collecting backup phone useful again with free 5G service from this T-Mobile MVNO
As a card-carrying member of the "grass is always greener on the other side" club, I can always feel when I'm about to change my daily driver from a Pixel to an iPhone and vice versa. My daily driver has been an iPhone 15 Pro Max and I had my Pixel 6 Pro connected to Wi-Fi as a limited backup so I could get screenshots and check out new features on Android. My Pixel was supposed to lose Android support after the release of Android 15 but Google added two more Android updates allowing me to keep using the phone up to the release of Android 17. I still didn't feel the call of Android until I installed Android 16 QPR 1 Beta 1 on my Pixel 6 Pro . The software turned the Pixel 6 Pro into a different phone that is more responsive. It also completely fixed any issues with the in-display fingerprint scanner, increased the battery life, and overall it made the phone not only usable but desirable. But I'm not yet ready to completely drop the iPhone for my Pixel, nor did I feel like spending for a new line in order to make calls, send and receive texts, and even take the device with me out of Wi-Fi range. Running through the apps on my Pixel, I found the solution when I stumbled across the icon for Helium Mobile. I remember doing a story on the T-Mobile MVNO in February which noted that Helium offered the first free 5G wireless plan in the U.S. So I decided to sign up for Helium's Zero Plan which offers 3GB of 5G data, 100 minutes of calls, 5GB of hotspot data, and 300 texts each month for the low, low price of zero. Helium Mobile's Zero plan compared to low-priced service from the competition. | Image credit-Helium Mobile Signing up for the service on the Pixel 6 Pro took about five minutes and I was given a new phone number. Since I still will probably use my Pixel inside, I can hold off on using too much data until I have a Wi-Fi connection. The cool thing is that I now can take my Pixel out with me at times when I'd rather have it accompany me and it isn't costing me a dime. Helium uses T-Mobile's nationwide 5G service (more on that later). Helium's Cloud Point program rewards you for personal data that the other wireless firms take from you without giving you anything in return. For example, if you agree to participate in anonymized location sharing, referrals, and surveys, you can earn points. These points can be redeemed for gift cards to certain stores, streaming services, rideshares, food, and more. So far, I haven't had an issue at all with the 5G service which recently ran at a download data speed of 109 Mbps and an upload data speed of 4.06 Mbps. That indicates that Helium uses T-Mobile 's low-band 600MHz nationwide 5G service as opposed to its 5G Ultra Capacity service that uses 2.5GHz mid-band to deliver a typical download data speed of 200 Mbps to 500Mbps. Still, the service was fast enough to use on the go and calls sounded great. Helium has other plans too. All three plans include: Zero Plan ($0/month): 3GB of data, 300 texts, 100 minutes Air Plan ($15/month): 10GB of data with unlimited talk and text Infinity Plan ($30/month): Unlimited data, talk and text Switch to Total 5G+ Unlimited 3-Month plan or Total 5G Unlimited and get a free iPhone. We may earn a commission if you make a purchase Buy at Total Wireless
Phone Arena
18 hours ago
- Business
- Phone Arena
The best prepaid MVNO announces its best plan deals, but with a caveat
Arguably the best prepaid MVNO in the United States, US Mobile, has just announced an incredible offer for those who don't mind paying for their plans on a yearly basis. Starting today, all customers who port in a number and purchase one of US Mobile's annual plans will get a second annual line completely free. The biggest downside of this offer is that it's only available on the Dark Star network. Another caveat would be the fact that if you get the most expensive Unlimited Premium plan, your second annual line, which is free, is going to be the Unlimited Starter plan. Also, customers who choose the Unlimited Starter plan will get a second annual line for free on Unlimited Flex, the carrier's cheapest plan. Buy Annual Unlimited Premium ($348/year or $29/month) – Get a Free Annual Unlimited Starter Buy Annual Unlimited Starter ($228/year or $19/month) – Get a Free Annual Unlimited Flex For those unaware, US Mobile offers plans on all three major carriers' networks, as well as add-on plans that allow customers to add up to two extra networks to their devices. This way, you won't have to worry that your favorite carrier doesn't have coverage in a certain area you're visiting. As mentioned earlier, US Mobile's deal is only available on the Dark Star network, which is the MVNO's designated name for AT&T's network. The other two are Warp (Verizon Wireless) and LightSpeed (T-Mobile). US Mobile's plans were very good even before the deal | Screenshot by PhoneArena US Mobile's most expensive plan, Unlimited Premium, typically costs $32.50 per month and offers unlimited priority data, unlimited talk and data, unlimited hotspot, free smartwatch plan, international data in over 90 countries, international calling and texting, free network transfers, and multi-network add-on ($7.5/month value).The Unlimited Stater plan costs $22.50/month and offers only 70GB high-speed data, 20GB hotspot data, smartwatch add-on, $2 per network transfer, and all the other benefits from the Unlimited Premium plan. Last but not least, US Mobile's cheapest plan, Unlimited Flex, costs $17.50/month and offers unlimited data, talk, and text, 10GB high-speed data, 5GB hotspot data, smartwatch add-on, international data add-on, international calling & texting, as well as $2 per network transfer.
News24
26-05-2025
- Business
- News24
Capitec cuts data prices as poll shows 87% feel limited by high costs
A recent Capitec poll involving thousands of South Africans revealed that 87% of respondents feel the high cost of data limits their access to crucial work, education, and other opportunities. This poll reinforces Capitec Connect's decision to reduce prices across its prepaid data bundles significantly. Capitec Connect is South Africa's fastest-growing mobile virtual network operator (MVNO), onboarding roughly 180,000 new active clients monthly. The latest price updates make it even more accessible for South Africans to stay connected, particularly as we face increased living expenses. Capitec Connect's updated prices on popular bundles are as follows: · 500MB (1-day): R10 · 1GB (7-day): R25 · 2GB (7-day): R35 · 5GB (7-day): R85 · 5GB (30-day): R100 · 10GB (30-day): R150 Dr Dalene Steyn, Head of Capitec Connect, notes that Statista projects South Africa's mobile internet users will grow from 13.82 million in 2024 to 25.83 million by 2029, underscoring the critical role data access plays in citizens' daily lives. 'Understanding the economic climate is crucial, and we know many South Africans are carefully managing their expenses. That's why we're proactively lowering costs to provide tangible savings for our clients. Affordable data is vital for work, education, and staying connected to loved ones. This price reduction is part of our ongoing commitment to providing simple and affordable solutions that empower our clients.' Why affordable data matters now more than ever The decision to lower data prices comes at a crucial time. Capitec's poll underscores the financial pressures associated with data costs. Confirming data as a lifeline beyond entertainment, most respondents reported using the most data during the afternoon (43%), often for work, study, or online shopping. Evening usage (binge-watching and scrolling) followed at 32%. When asked what consumes most of their data, 62% pointed to social media, with 27% citing streaming music and videos. 'These insights reveal that data has become an essential enabler of careers, education, and staying informed. By making data significantly more affordable, we're not just cutting prices, we're investing in our clients' ability to participate fully in the digital world. We understand that these savings can make a meaningful difference in our clients' lives,' adds Steyn. Lower data prices to keep clients connected 'We listen to our clients and are constantly looking for ways to offer them more value. By lowering our data prices, especially on the larger, longer-validity bundles, we hope to alleviate some financial pressure and ensure more South Africans can stay connected using some of South Africa's best-priced prepaid bundles,' concludes Steyn.
Phone Arena
21-05-2025
- Business
- Phone Arena
T-Mobile and Verizon customers thinking of leaving must choose carefully
If you are an AT&T, T-Mobile, or Verizon customer and thinking of switching providers, you should research your options before customers disgruntled with their providers and end up choosing a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO). An MVNO is a company that doesn't have its own infrastructure and relies on network operators to provide connectivity services. Some popular MVNOs are owned by the Big 3, which is why you might want to avoid them. The acquisition of MVNOs by telecom companies is also making things harder for smaller MVNOs. For instance, MobileX, an MVNO that relies on Verizon , recently told Fierce Wireless that competition is intensifying because of consolidation in the prepaid market. The company gained 30,000 new subscribers in April but CEO Peter Adderton is finding it challenging to keep the momentum going as an independent April 2024, T-Mobile purchased Ka'ena, owner of MVNOs Mint Mobile and Ultra Mobile. In 2021, Verizon scooped up TracFone. Before that, way back in 2014, AT&T bought Cricket means that in essence, many MVNOs are competing with powerful companies who bought these MVNOs. Mobile network operators can pour in more resources than smaller competitors, making it difficult for them to keep up. —Peter Adderton, MobileX CEO, May 2025 This is one of the reasons why public advocacy groups are often against the acquisition of companies by bigger competitors. It's believed that everyone ends up worse off except, of course, the company that buys a rival. Chiefly due to a string of price increases, customers are gravitating towards other options. This explains why Charter out did AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon in Q1 in terms of customer growth. MobileX may not have T-Mobile and Verizon 's resources, but it has several tricks up its sleeve to attract customers. The most interesting of them all is perhaps its use of AI to gauge how much data a customer needs so they don't splurge on unlimited data. The company hasn't revealed how many customers it has but did say that the churn —number of customers lost — is 1 percent, which is well below the prepaid industry's average of 4 percent.
Phone Arena
20-05-2025
- Phone Arena
Power users can score a free Moto g Power 2025 from Straight Talk
It's one thing to get a free phone when you purchase a wireless plan from an MVNO, but it is another thing when the free phone has a feature that makes it useful to you to own. Straight Talk, the MVNO that uses Verizon's wireless service exclusively, is handing out the new Moto g Power 2025 to those purchasing a Gold or Platinum plan. The phone has a 5000 mAh battery, which generated 14 hours and 9 minutes of browsing, 8 hours and 43 minutes of gaming, and 9 hours of video streaming in our testing. It supports 30W charging wired and 15W charging wirelessly. The Moto g Power 2025 has a Corning Gorilla Glass 5-protected 6.8-inch LCD display. The latter has a 1080 x 2388 resolution and features a 120Hz refresh rate. The application processor running the show is a 6 nm MediaTek Dimensity 6300 alongside 8 GB of RAM. One feature called RAM Boost uses some of the phone's native memory to push the amount of virtual RAM up to 24 GB allowing you to take multitasling to a new tier when needed. Subscribe to Straight Talk's Gold or Platinum plan to score a free Moto g Power. | Image credit-Straight Talk The phone is also equipped with 128GB of native storage. Using a microSD card, users can store as much as 1 TB of data. The dual camera setup on the back includes a 50 MP main camera and an 8 MP ultra-wide camera. The selfie camera in front weighs in at 16 MP. With an IP69 rating, the Moto g Power is impervious to dust and can also survive getting sprayed by high-pressure, high-temperature water jets. Not only does the phone deliver great battery life, it also sports a 3.5mm earphone jack, which is something you certainly don't find on new phones these days. The Gold Unlimited plan ($55 per month, $50 for the first three months with AutoPay) delivers 4x nationwide 5G speeds with 5G Ultra Wideband. This plan includes unlimited talk, text, and data, 30 GB of hotspot data, 100 GB of cloud storage, and international calling to Canada and Mexico. Sign up with Straight Talk for this plan, and the Moto g Power 2025 is yours for free. A free Walmart+ membership is included. The phone is also free if you subscribe to the Platinum Unlimited plan ($55 per month, $50 for the first three months with AutoPay). With this plan, you get everything that Gold plan subscribers receive, but are given Unlimited hotspot data instead of 30 GB. Platinum Unlimited plan members also get Device Protection and a free Walmart+ membership. The deal is valid through July 20th, 2025, or while supplies last online or at participating stores.
