Latest news with #cellularservice
CNET
4 days ago
- CNET
Physical SIM Card vs. eSIM: What Sets Them Apart and Which Should You Choose?
For many years, mobile phones received cellular service through a physical SIM (subscriber identity module) card that connected your handset to your phone carrier. These physical SIM cards made it easy to swap your phone or carrier whenever you're getting a new device or you're traveling. Nowadays, however, most modern phones also support eSIMs. As the name indicates, eSIMs are embedded directly into the phone and the carrier information is programmed remotely via software. Whether you choose a physical SIM or an eSIM depends on several factors, so we've outlined a few commonly asked questions below. An eSIM lets you set up wireless service using software, instead of a physical SIM card. Apple/Screenshot by Sarah Lord/CNET What do physical SIMs and eSIMs do? A physical SIM card is essentially a tiny card with a chip that connects your phone to your wireless carrier. It contains identifying information like your account info and phone number. Without it, your phone won't have a number or any way to connect to a carrier and you won't be able to make or receive calls and text messages. Some phones allow you to remove the physical SIM card, which allows you to easily swap phones or carriers. This is useful if you want to use your existing number in another phone, or if you want to use your phone with another carrier. Just insert a different SIM card and you can connect to a different cell network. For years, some phones supported having dual SIM cards. You might have your home number on one and your work number on the other. An eSIM, however, is embedded directly into the phone's circuitry and cannot be ejected or removed. Instead, all the carrier information is programmed remotely via an app. The biggest advantage of eSIMs is that it allows one phone to have multiple lines even from different carriers. This is especially useful when traveling, as you can add a global eSIM provider without having to purchase and wait in line for a physical SIM when you arrive at your destination. For more on eSIMs, you can check out our explainer here. You can also move your service from one phone to another without needing to dig out a SIM ejector tool but you might need to call your wireless service provider for assistance. Many phones still use physical SIM cards as an option alongside eSIM. Jason Cipriani/CNET Can I have an eSIM and a physical SIM? Yes, many phones allow you to have an eSIM and a physical SIM simultaneously, even from different carriers. You can use both simultaneously, or you can designate one as active while the other is on standby. Some people designate one number for work while the other is for personal use. How do I switch phones with a physical SIM or an eSIM? To switch phones with a physical SIM, all you have to do is eject it from your existing phone and then insert it into a new one. This typically works regardless of the phone you are switching between, allowing you to move your service from an iPhone to Android phone at will. With an eSIM, your carrier can either transfer the number over for you or you can do it yourself through your phone's settings. Your carrier will often send detailed instructions on how to do so. Typically it's easy to transfer your eSIM when moving to a phone of the same operating system, for instance moving from an iPhone 14 to an iPhone 16 where both are on iOS or from a Samsung Galaxy S21 to an S25 because both use Android. If you are switching between iOS and Android, you'll likely need to call your provider for assistance. Converting an existing physical SIM card to an eSIM is fairly easy too, although it sometimes requires more steps. You can check out our guide on how to do so here or you can refer to your carrier for more specific instructions. In the US, all iPhone models since the iPhone 14 require eSIM. Internationally, Apple still includes a physical SIM slot. Celso Bulgatti/CNET Do any phones require eSIM? Yes, some phones are eSIM-only and therefore require eSIM. iPhone 14 models and newer are eSIM-only in the US, meaning they lack a physical SIM card slot. Most Android phones include a physical SIM slot and support for eSIM. Simpler phones, like the Barbie Phone made by HMD, only use physical SIM cards. HMD Do all phones accept eSIM? Most modern iOS and Android phones accept eSIM, such as the newer iPhones, the Pixel 6 and the Samsung Galaxy S21 and newer. Simpler phones, however, like HMD's Barbie Phone and the minimalist Light Phone do not. For those phones, you'll want a physical SIM card.
CNET
20-07-2025
- CNET
I Get 5G on My Phone at Home, So Why Can't I Get 5G Home Internet? Here's What I Learned
If you can get 5G on your phone while at home, you should be able to get 5G internet at your house, right? Not exactly. 5G is no longer the shiny new thing, thanks to efforts from major carriers AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon, but 5G home internet service isn't strictly available at the same addresses as 5G cellular service. I ran into this when I switched my mobile carrier from AT&T cellular service to T-Mobile phone service. I was immediately impressed with the phone's 5G performance. However, even though I got T-Mobile 5G cell service at home, my address wasn't eligible for T-Mobile 5G Home Internet. It's not just T-Mobile. The same applies to Verizon's cellular service as well as AT&T's. Their 5G home internet products are also not categorically available at all addresses covered by the company's 5G coverage map. For example, even if you have Verizon's Ultra Wideband service in your neighborhood, it's not a given you'll be able to sign up for Verizon 5G Home Internet. Let's get into the details about why. First things first: What is 5G? Before we get into the details on the main 5G home internet providers, let's clear up any confusion about what 5G actually is. 5G stands for "fifth generation." It represents the fifth generation of wireless data networks, not to be confused with 5GHz, a specific frequency band often used by Wi-Fi routers. If you have 5G home internet, you're using a fixed wireless internet connection provided by a cellular provider. You may have a 5G home internet connection that uses a Wi-Fi router with a 5GHz frequency. Locating local internet providers Also of note, 5G comes in three types: millimeter-wave, midband and low-band. Cellular home internet providers often use all three to create strong, varied networks. AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon all offer 5G home internet T-Mobile and Verizon were the first to use cellular airwaves to offer dedicated 5G home internet plans. Each provider's plans feature straightforward, all-inclusive pricing that ditches equipment fees, data caps, term agreements and other added hassles often associated with internet service providers. T-Mobile 5G Home Internet features plans for $50 to $70 per month for speeds of 87 to 415 megabits per second. Verizon offers two plans -- Verizon 5G Home ($50 a month) and Verizon 5G Home Plus ($70 a month). Qualifying Verizon and T-Mobile phone plans can also knock $15 off the price of your monthly bill. Simplicity and a straightforward approach seem to be key for both companies. What about AT&T, you ask? Although an AT&T spokesperson told CNET that "fiber remains our focus," the company also offers 5G home internet: AT&T Internet Air. It provides potentially higher download speeds than its hybrid DSL service (up to 225 megabits per second) and is now available in more than 100 locations across the US. If AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon are serious about home internet, why isn't it as available as their overall 5G coverage? Verizon also includes its 5G equipment in your monthly fee. Sarah Tew/CNET When my former CNET colleague Eli Blumenthal tested Verizon 5G Home, he noted that the 5G connection on his iPhone was better than the one for his 5G Home hub. He was on to something. A Verizon spokesperson told me that it designed its network with its mobile customers in mind. "We continue to allocate spectrum to ensure our mobile customers have the reliability they've come to expect from Verizon," they said via email. "As we deploy more spectrum -- in excess of what our models show we need for the highest reliability for our mobile customers -- we are able to offer 5G Home service as well." 5G allows for a greater connection density -- approximately 1 million devices per square kilometer -- than previous generations of cellular connectivity. Is that a lot? Yes, it's about 100 times better than 4G, but it's not limitless. Telecom insider Jeff Moore, principal of Wave7 Research, said he believes T-Mobile has also been judicious about selling home internet because of how a home internet product puts a heavy capacity usage on a mobile network. He pointed me to a YouTube interview with Kendra Lord, T-Mobile's director of geospatial engineering and analytics, where she likened 5G home internet availability to the number of seats on a plane. "It's not only the number of households that we believe could get [T-Mobile 5G Home Internet]," she said, "but how many within a given sector we could say yes to." A spokesperson corroborated that mindset when I contacted T-Mobile for further insight. "There are still many households that do not qualify for Home Internet yet, even though they may get 5G on their mobile device -- and that's intentional," I was told via email. "Our fixed wireless Home Internet runs on the extra capacity on our wireless network. In some areas, we have extra capacity on the network, but in others, we don't. So, we allocate access to Home Internet on a sector-by-sector, home-by-home basis." In other words, it's entirely possible that I could get 5G cellular service in my home, and my next-door neighbor might even have T-Mobile 5G Home Internet. However, my address might not be serviceable for that home internet product because of the capacity limits for my area's cellular coverage. Is home internet just a side hustle for mobile carriers? T-Mobile, whose gateway device is shown here, includes equipment in the monthly fee as well. Amanda Kooser I was tempted to think that getting into the ISP game was a lark for these companies. Moore considers another layer at play. "Mobility is the core business for T-Mobile, and for the most part, it's the core business for Verizon," said Moore. "But T-Mobile, in particular, is telling Wall Street that in addition to selling [home internet] services to businesses, it's also saying it's increasingly pushing into rural America. I don't think it's just a PR stunt. All of the numbers support Moore's assessment. In its Q1 2025 report, T-Mobile proudly announced it had reached nearly 7 million customers. That's an impressive number coming less than four years after the product's nationwide launch. Overall, T-Mobile has been aggressive in its pitch. In 2022, it began its Internet Freedom push, which leaned into Americans' dissatisfaction with ISPs and encouraged people to "break up with Big Internet" by trying T-Mobile 5G Home Internet. It continues to seek consumers' attention, recently launching an aggressive summer campaign. Verizon also has been ambitious with its offers while ringing less of an "ISPs are evil" note. That's probably because Verizon Fios -- the company's fiber-optic internet service -- is an ISP and one of the few that's regularly highly rated. In its case, 5G home internet seems less of a blow against "Big Internet" and more of a play to extend the Verizon home internet game beyond the Northeast (Verizon Fios' playground) and out to the rest of the country. At the very least, 5G home internet has succeeded in being a convenient and reliable way to get online, especially for rural customers. So the next time you ask, "Why can't I get 5G home internet even though I have 5G on my phone at home?" I advise you to hang tight. Both carriers are actively optimizing their networks for mobile first and home internet second, in a dynamic process that changes month to month. 2025 could be your year to try 5G for your home's broadband connection.
Phone Arena
19-07-2025
- Business
- Phone Arena
T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon: Americans are fatigued by the big three's pricing
T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon run the show when it comes to cellular service across the United States. However, a combination of recent pricing changes and other business practices has soured many customers' perception of the 'big three', prompting them to look elsewhere. This pricing fatigue was made clearer than ever in a survey conducted a few days ago, where U.S. customers showed that they're more than willing to jump ship if it means a reduction in their bills. Not only that, another survey not long ago showed that MVNOs are the future for cellular service in the U.S. Verizon has very erratic pricing. | Image credit — Verizon Nobody wants to pay huge bills each month, but for many customers it's no longer a choice. T-Mobile , AT&T , and Verizon have all contributed to increasing bills in their own ways these past few months, and users are exhausted. Online forums dedicated to discussions about the three carriers are, more often than not, filled with complaints about bills and suggestions for alternatives. In many instances, I've noticed that users no longer care about being a loyal long-term customer, and only wish to feel some financial relief. According to anecdotes from customer service representatives, callers sometimes break down crying because they can't afford to keep their plans. The carriers have noticed this, of course, and are offering bonuses for new and existing customers every week. Verizon , in particular, is determined to improve customer retention. But how can they do that when their actions appear as nothing but hostile to users. T-Mobile is growing rapidly, but existing customers aren't short on complaints. | Image credit — The New York Times T-Mobile , not too long ago, introduced some very controversial pricing updates to its plans. According to many users, these updates had inflated their bills on plans that had been marketed as price locked. Some customers even made good on their promise and jumped ship to another carrier. The controversies continued when T-Mobile phased out plans that included taxes and other fees. This was also seen as a way to gouge customers of their money, and I saw my fair share of impolite comments during that time. Meanwhile, Verizon has been on a very erratic path. It's clear that the company desperately wants to retain its dwindling customer base, but it's going about a very odd way of doing so. Some Verizon customers randomly receive massive discounts, and are more than happy to stick around. Others aren't as lucky, and keep seeing their bills go up instead. Is it any surprise, then, that people are considering MVNOs ( Mobile Virtual Network Operator ) more seriously than ever before? Over the last few months, I have received a decent number of emails from Americans that are fed up with their carrier's performance and billing. Be it T-Mobile , AT&T , or Verizon , customers are fatigued and holding out hope for a surprise discount every the current state of the job market, and the economy as a whole, it's no surprise that people are having trouble keeping up with their phone bills. Unfortunately, despite some recent much-appreciated gestures of good will, the big three are becoming too expensive for has led to an awkward loop where customers switch networks every few years to avail bonuses for new signups. When they start getting billed at the usual rates, they jump ship again. It's a very odd situation, yet it's the best way that some people can save a few bucks. I really think that T-Mobile , AT&T , and Verizon need to come up with a better business model. We've seen enough price increases, and we need that to come to a pause. In addition, I think that even the representatives that work at these companies' stores would appreciate getting rid of AI tools. These tools are looking for every chance they can get to add unnecessary extras to a customer's bill. If this goes unnoticed, both the customer and the representative suffer later down the line when the user tries to get these extras canceled. And, lastly, we absolutely need more consumer-friendly practices to go into play. I don't know how we got to this point, but having a phone in the U.S. can sometimes feel like more of a battle than just the purchase of a basic service.
CTV News
17-07-2025
- CTV News
Copper wire thefts disrupt cell service near North Bay
The copper wire thefts took place overnight July 14 and July 16, and are affecting a communications tower located on Centennial Crescent in Corbeil. Two copper wire thefts are disrupting cellular service in the area of East Ferris Township, Ontario Provincial Police said Thursday. The copper wire thefts took place overnight July 14 and July 16, and are affecting a communications tower located on Centennial Crescent in Corbeil. 'The tower is situated within a fenced compound secured with a padlock and chains,' the OPP said in a news release Thursday. 'Upon inspection, the enclosure was found unsecured, and the locking mechanisms were missing. The tower, which stands between two buildings, has cables running up from both structures. The cables appear to have been cut using a power tool. It is believed that the tower was then climbed and the opposite ends of the cables were also severed.' 911 calls may not go through As a result, cell service could be affected in some areas, meaning 911 and other calls may not go through. 'If you're unable to connect, consider moving to an area where a signal may be available,' police said. 'The OPP will maintain an increased presence in the community to support residents. We continue to work with local emergency response partners.' On social media, Bell Canada said they are 'working to repair the damage and restore service levels.' The most recent update said Bell was aiming to have service restored by the end of the day. 'Copper theft continues to be a growing issue,' Bell said. 'These incidents are causing numerous customer outages, including access to critical emergency services like 911. We ask anyone who witnesses suspicious activity in the vicinity of telecom infrastructure to contact local law enforcement.' Anyone with information regarding the copper wire thefts is asked to contact the North Bay OPP at 1-888-310-1122. To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or online, where you may be eligible to receive a cash reward of up to $2,000.
CTV News
08-07-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Nova Scotia adds new cell towers at four sites to boost service in rural areas
The Nova Scotia government says it has added new cellular towers at three sites in southwest Nova Scotia and one in Halifax County. The towers were built as part of the Cellular for Nova Scotia Program, which is a multi-year, multi-phase effort to help improve service for Nova Scotians in unserved areas, a news release from the province said. 'With these towers now up and running, we're making it safer and more connected for people in these communities,' said Public Works Minister Fred Tilley, who is also the minister responsible for Build Nova Scotia. 'Whether calling for help in an emergency, staying in touch with family, working from home or learning online, reliable cellular service makes a real difference.' There are now towers at the following locations: East Kemptville, Yarmouth County Middle Ohio, Shelburne County North Range Corner, Digby County Millen Mountain in Halifax County The province says Rogers will upgrade 27 sites during Phase 1 of the program, while the provincial government will add 27 towers to expand coverage in Phase 2. Nova Scotia has spent more than $69 million on the program so far. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
