If you use T-Mobile as your cell phone provider and do quite a bit of roaming outside of your network, you probably won’t be very happy with the news this leaked internal T-Mobile document brings.

According to the document, picked up by TmoNews, T-Mobile will begin imposing restrictions on data usage while roaming. We’re not talking about a data speed cap while roaming, either–if you exceed the limit, you’ll be cut off from your data.

T-Mobile’s new data roaming restrictions, which the company says it will announce to customers in February, will allot a fixed amount of roaming data proportionate to your data plan. The 2GB plan gets 50MB of roaming data, the 5GB plan gets 100MB, and the 10GB plan will allow for 200MB of data while roaming.

“Domestic data roaming will not be subject to data speed reduction,” the document reads. “The allotment will be reset with each bill cycle. After the allotment is reached, the customer will no longer have data roaming access until they return to the T-Mobile network or connect via Wi-Fi if they have a Wi-Fi capable device.”

According to the document, T-Mobile’s new data roaming restrictions will start on April 5. Should you near your data limit while roaming, you’ll receive a text message notifying you that you’re near the limit.

What do you think of T-Mobile’s new data roaming restrictions?

Source: TmoNews

T-Mobile to start limiting data roaming in April is a post from: The Inquisitr

AT&T, one of the largest wireless carriers in the United States, saw an incredible loss of $6.7 Billion in the fourth quarter. Their fail to acquire T-Mobile which resulted in a substantial fee and pension costs, are the biggest contributors to the loss.

The company recently raised data plan prices which, overall, have been received fairly well. While increasing prices, they did however give customers more data which is a good thing. Otherwise, it could have been a different story. Then again, when you’re locked down for two years and face some pretty hefty fees if you break the contract, there’s not a whole lot one can do about it.

Although the carrier lost a substantial amount of money in the fourth quarter, they sold a lot of smartphones, in fact, a record number. Sales of smartphones were up 60% compared to the previous year at just over 9 Million (9.4 Million to be exact) sold. That’s a lot of contracts.

Via Informationweek:

“With 9.4 million smartphones sold, AT&T says 56.8% of its 69.3 million postpaid subscribers have smartphones, up from 42.7% a year earlier and 32.8% two years ago. (Verizon’s smartphone penetration is 44.5% of its post-paid customers.) Smartphones represented more than 80% of postpaid device sales for the quarter.”

“Of the 9.4 million smartphones sold, 7.6 million were iPhones–the majority of which were the iPhone 4S. AT&T also said that it sold twice as many Android smartphones in the fourth quarter of 2011 as it did in the year-ago quarter. AT&T didn’t provide a breakdown on exactly how many Android, Windows Phone 7, nor BlackBerry smartphones it sold, but the total of all three is 1.7 million.”

What’s your opinion of AT&T and their service?

AT&T Saw Incredible $6.7 Billion Loss In Fourth Quarter is a post from: The Inquisitr

T-Mobile, one of the largest mobile carriers in the US, has some goodies available for premium data customers starting January 25th. Customers who purchase a premium data plan which goes from 5GB to 10GB in data every month, can get the mobile hotspot feature for free.

What’s the catch? Well, you’ve simply got to ask. Customers can also ask for the mobile album feature which gives you 10GB of cloud storage for music, photos, video, and more. In the World of mobile and the many carriers, it’s a tough market and any way of differentiating yourself and giving more value to customers, is a good thing.

Via CNET:

“That’s $19.98 in additional value for signing up for the higher end plans. The features, however, won’t be widely promoted in the store, so customers will need to ask for them, just as customers have had to learn from word of mouth about the items on In-N-Out’s now not-so-secret menu. The offer is only available for a limited time.”

It’s worth noting that the merger with AT&T didn’t go through and the wireless carrier is looking to win back customers and re-establish itself as a solid competitor.

“T-Mobile still has an uphill battle. It’s now the only major carrier without the iPhone, a gap it hopes to fill eventually, but hasn’t had much luck with yet. The carrier said recently, however, that it could technically happen with the next version of Apple’s smartphone. It’s also the only major carrier not yet moving to LTE, instead relying on its HSPA+ network, which it calls 4G.”

Despite that, these promotions are sure to bring in more customers, that is of course as long as they know to ask.

Would these extras get you to switch to T-Mobile?

T-Mobile Premium Data Customers Can Get ‘Extras’ Starting January 25th is a post from: The Inquisitr

Last month, the FCC found that AT&T’s proposed merger with T-Mobile it would result in stifled competition and potentially kill hundreds of jobs”, and it would ultimately be harmful to consumers.

Following the FCC’s move to block the merger, AT&T and T-Mobile formally withdrew their application to the FCC last month, but AT&T isn’t quite ready to give up just yet. They’re now taking the case to the Department of Justice, but it hasn’t gotten off to a particularly well start.

U.S. District Judge Ellen Segal Huvelle in Washington recently scheduled a hearing on December 15 to determine whether or not to grant a stay on AT&T’s antitrust trial with the Department of Justice, or dismiss it entirely. Needles to say, neither option is great news for AT&T.

“We don’t have any confidence that we are spending all this time and effort and the taxpayers’ money and that we’re not being spun,” Huvelle said. “The landscape has changed,” she said, questioning whether or not the deal would even be able to be carried out before the contractual deadline.

Despite the latest setback, AT&T’s lawyers are holding their ground, demanding that they get their “day in court.” AT&T lawyers insist that if they’re able to win over the Department of Justice, there’s a chance that the FCC will allow the merger to continue.

Source: Bloomberg

[Image]

AT&T, T-Mobile Merger: Judge considering shutting down antitrust trial is a post from: The Inquisitr

T-Mobile customers who are willing to upgrade their Smartphone or cell phone to a 4G device may soon be able to receive a free Square credit card reader with their upgrade.

Also featuring discounted service rates the new 4G offering is meant to target business users who can benefit by offering mobile credit card payments from their Square card reader and accompanying 4G smartphone.

While Square is a relatively new credit card services provider they recently made huge strides by having their credit card reader places in thousands of retail locations including nationwide Best Buy and Target stores.

If you’re unfamiliar with Square the small dongle from the device plugs into a Smartphones headphone jack through a 3.5mm jack, allowing credit cards to be swiped and charged via iOS and Google Android based devices.

Last year the Square service processed an estimated $2 billion in transactions for which Square earned a flat 2.75% flat fee per transaction which is added to each card payment. The company’s service can also be used with receipt printers and cash drawers to create a truly functional mobile experience.

Along with their 4G upgrade T-Mobile is also expected to bring back unlimited talk, text and data for $70 per month with the signing of a two-year contract.

This could be a big win for T-Mobile and Square if enough business customers find the deal appealing. Are you willing to upgrade your current phone to a 4G Smartphone if it comes with a Square reader and lowered pricing plans?

T-Mobile 4G Smartphone Upgrades To Receive Square Card Reader is a post from: The Inquisitr

Fans of the Samsung line of Google Android smartphones will be able to pick up a white version of the Samsung Galaxy S II from T-Mobile starting on December 14.

While the white version will not feature any premiums over the black version it will come with similar pricing of $230 after a $50 mail-in-rebate for users willing to sign a two-year contract.

The Samsung Galaxy S II offers a 4.5-inch display with 480×800 pixels of resolution alongside a dual-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon processor and an eight-megapixel rear camera and two-megapixel front camera.

The Galaxy S II also offers a 42Mbps HSPA+ data connection, falling just shy of the LTE-equipped Skyrocket from AT&T wireless.

With more than 10 million units of the black version already sold it will be interesting to see how many more buyers spring for the white version of the device.

Do you think the white Galaxy S II will be a runaway hit for Samsung and the Google Android based mobile platform?

White Samsung Galaxy S II Coming To T-Mobile Next Week is a post from: The Inquisitr

AT&T and T-Mobile’s proposed merger hit another potential snag today as FCC chairman Julius Genachowski moved to block the merger, calling for the decision to be taken before an administrative law judge.

Chairman Genachowski made the move after the commission decided that should AT&T and T-Mobile be allowed to merge, it would result in stifled competition and potentially kill hundreds of jobs, harming consumers.

Should Genachowski get his way, AT&T will be taken to a trial-like hearing to prove to the FCC that the merger would be in the best interest of consumers. In order for Genachowski’s draft order to go into effect, however, FCC members will have to agree to either sign off on the order, amend it or deny it entirely. There’s currently no timeline on when a decision is expected.

AT&T’s senior vice president for corporate communications, Larry Solomon, condemned Genachowski’s move in a statement, saying:

“It is yet another example of a government agency acting to prevent billions in new investment and the creation of many thousands of new jobs at a time when the U.S. economy desperately needs both,” Solomon said in a statement. “At this time, we are reviewing all options.”

[Image credit: Wired]

FCC finds AT&T, T-Mobile merger harmful to consumers, chairman calls for trial is a post from: The Inquisitr

Mobile and wireless behemoth AT&T has urged the federal court in Washington to dismiss lawsuits brought against it by rivals Sprint Nextel and Cellular South. Both firms are arguing AT&T’s proposed USD39 billion purchase of T-Mobile from Germany’s Deutsche Telekom would be anti-competitive.

AT&T, which is also facing a civil antitrust lawsuit from the U.S. Department of Justice, is claiming its competitors have failed to demonstrate that the T-Mobile deal will hurt competition or negatively affect access to networks needed to serve their customers.

Here’s part of the latest cuddly AT&T filing:

“What is good for consumers is bad for Sprint, and that is why Sprint has filed suit. Sprint does not purchase roaming services from either AT&T or T-Mobile – its network is technologically incompatible. The transaction will therefore have no impact on Sprint’s ability to obtain roaming prices. The immediate impact of any supposed reduction in demand for special access as a result of the merger would be to reduce the prices that Sprint pays for special access, not to increase them. That reduction in prices would benefit Sprint and would not constitute antitrust injury.”

AT&T’s filing also laid into Cellular South, stating:

“Cellular South suggested that it would not oppose the merger if AT&T would agree not to engage in facilities-based competition in Mississippi. This inappropriate proposal confirms that what Cellular South fears is competition, not lack of competition.”

Which, if you ask most right-minded people, is hogwash. Back in August, when the DoJ launched its civil antitrust lawsuit, deputy attorney general James M Cole warned the merger would mean consumers “faced higher prices, fewer choices and lower quality products,” for mobile wireless services.

Cole basically has the entire history of mergers to back up his case. Seven U.S. states and Puerto Rico seem to agree – all have backed the DoJ’s case.

AT&T Requests Dismissal of Sprint and Cellular South Lawsuits is a post from: The Inquisitr

Google officials on Tuesday asked the U.S. judge overseeing the government’s lawsuit to stop the AT&T/T-Mobile merger to protect their confidential internal data in the case.

Google officials are worried that their “competitively sensitive” data related to internal products and launch plans could be exposed as information pertaining to AT&T and T-Mobile is released.

Google made their request in Washington, asking U.S. District Judge Ellen Segal Huvelle to have the parties provide advanced notice to the company for any disclosures in court or to experts.

According to Google’s lawsuit intervention notice:

“Without such additional protection, Google and other non- parties could find their confidential information — such as Google’s business plans related to Android — in the hands of competitors (or their competitors’ consultants), or even in newspapers, without having had prior notice of its disclosure.”

The lawsuit has been active since August 31 when the U.S. Justice Department sued AT&T and T-Mobile owners Deutsche Telekom AG (DTE). Officials say the two company’s would “substantially” reduce competition and seven states joined the lawsuit while agreeing that the merger would be anti-competitive in nature.

AT&T and T-Mobile have not commented about Google’s part in the lawsuit which doesn’t target their relationship and only asks for care in dealing with sensitive information.

Google Asks Judge In AT&T Merger Lawsuit To Protect “Sensitive Data” is a post from: The Inquisitr

Typically when businesses move to acquire another company it is pretty smooth sailing, even if the deal has to be approved by various US agencies. Even when IBM sold off its laptop business to the Chinese company Lenovo there wasn’t much more than a cursory overview from those government agencies responsible for watchdogging this type of  deal.

So it is no surprise that AT&T figured that their move to acquire competitor T-Mobile would just slide through regardless of the uproar that came from those pesky consumer groups.

Well, hell has frozen over folks because in a surprise move the Department of Justice is suing to block the acquisition of T-Mobile by AT&T using the most obvious,and probably very truthful argument that this deal would “substantially lessen competition” in the wireless market.

This lawsuit has apparently come as a total surprise to AT&T who thought everything was all hunky-dory after several meetings with the DoJ. According to Bloomberg

“We have met repeatedly with the Department of Justice and there was no indication from the DOJ that this action was being contemplated,” Wayne Watts, AT&T’s general counsel, said in a statement. He said the company intends to fight the litigation.

This lawsuit could be one of the most costly ones that AT&T has been involved in because if the acquisition is successfully blocked it would mean that AT&T would have to pay T-Mobile a $3 Billion cancellation fee so it is no surprise that AT&T moved quickly to counter the announcement of the lawsuit by the Department of Justice by saying that they will fight this all the way.

As noted by Stacey Higginbotham at GigaOM the reasons the DoJ stepped in like this are inconsistant with past cases .

A quick read of the complaint shows that the DOJ looked at the merger not at a local level as has historically been the case in wireless merger agreements, but with an eye toward how this affects wireless coverage across the nation. Significantly, it realized the value of mobile data and competition in nationwide mobile broadband access as a reason that this deal would be harmful.

I don’t know about you but I’m going down to the grocery store and stock up on popcorn because this whole thing just started to get interesting.

Finally someone with balls is fighting the AT&T acquisition of T-Mobile. Surprise, it’s the DoJ. is a post from: The Inquisitr

“T-Mobile is excited to work with Family Dollar to offer an affordable prepaid device to its customers who seek value and convenience.”

“T-Mobile is delivering great prices, simplicity and a nationwide 4G network with our prepaid products, which we know Family Dollar customers will find appealing.”

T-Mobile Partners With Family Dollar Stores, Offers Unlimited Plan With No Contract is a post from: The Inquisitr

T-Mobile has officially begun taking pre-orders for the myTouch 4G Slide, the company’s latest exclusive 4G product.

The product, available for $199 with a two-year contract features one of the most advance smartphones on the market with a zero shutter lag, backside illuminated sensor and dedicated camera button and one-touch access to photo sharing websites. The Smartphone shoots and displays 1080P videos and “burst shot” technology is included for capturing the perfect moment via back-to-back multiple shots.

The phone as the name suggests also slides open to reveal a QWERTY keypad and comes in black and khaki color options.

The $199.99 price tag includes a $50 mail-in-rebate so bring $249.99 to the store location when you pick your device up, in the meantime here’s a video demo for the Google Android based myTouch 4G Slide:

T-Mobile Taking Pre-Orders For myTouch 4G Slide, Shipping In July is a post from: The Inquisitr

The HTC Doubleshot, expected to be renamed as the T-Mobile MyTouch 4G  Slider was spotted on Wednesday at the FCC awaiting certification.

Testing points to GSM 850 and 1900 Bands with WCDMA band IV capabilities.

The sliding QWERTY  keyboard based Smartphone is also expected to feature a dual-core 1.2GHz Snapdragon processor with a 3.7-inch display and 768MB of RAM. Users will also receive an 8MP camera with 1080p video recording in 3D!

At this time T-Mobile is not commenting on the official release of the myTouch 4G Slide and HTC is keeping us in the dark as well.

[via Wireless Goodness]

T-Mobile MyTouch 4G Slider Spotted At FCC is a post from: The Inquisitr

The HTC Sensation 4G with it’s 4.3-inch 543 x 960 display, dual-core 1.2 GHz Snapdragon processor and eight-megapixel camera will be arriving at T-Mobile stores on June 15 according to a Tuesday night press release from the cellular network provider. Before customers can even pick up the device, which also features a forward-facing 1.3MP camera, they can head on over to WalMart where it is expected to begin selling on June 12, a full three days earlier than the actual network it operates on.

The 4G enabled Smartphone is expected to sell for $200 with a two-year contract and data-plan, the standard going rate for an iPhone competing smartphone. however the company at this time has not officially announced pricing for the Android 2.3 enabled device.

Also featured with the device is 1080p recording capabilities, 4GB on-board storage with microSDHC card slot support and HSPA+ data capabilities once T-Mobile switches over to their new system.

HTC Sensation 4G Reaches Walmart June 12, T-Mobile on June 15 is a post from: The Inquisitr

On May 22 T-Mobile will be bringing back their unlimited pre-paid plans. The new version of the plan will cost $70 and includes unlimited talking, texting and data.

Customers who don’t need unlimited data can pay $50 for unlimited talk and text and 100MB data, while T-Mobiles previous $50 plan also offered 100MB of data, customers saw their plans shut off at that point, which the new plan does not do.

According to TMO News the company is moving towards prepaid options after the last quarter results for T-Mobile showed rapid growth in the prepaid sector.

Would you be willing to pay $70 for unlimited use without a contract?

T-Mobile Reintroducing Unlimited Prepaid Plans On May 22 is a post from: The Inquisitr

When word came out that AT&T was looking to buy up its competitor T-Mobile the tech blogosphere was quick to jump on it as being one of the worst ideas to come along in a long time. Unlike tech bloggers regular web users had to be happy with using Twitter or Facebook to voice their opinions on the matter; which by all accounts was much like the tech bloggers – this idea sucks.

Well for those of you that want to have a more direct way of expressing your thoughts on the matter the FCC has made it really easy. Just head over to the FCC Express Upload Form page and fill in the form with your thoughts on the proposed deal.

Note: the FCC filing number on the ECFS Expert Form list page is 11-65

via Engadget

Think The T-Mobile / AT&T Deal #Sucks? Tell The FCC Why. is a post from: The Inquisitr

AT&T To T-Mobile Customers: You’ll Have To Get New Phones…Eventually is a post from: The Inquisitr

AT&T announced today that they will buy T-Mobile USA from Deutsche Telekom for $39 billion. The purchase, if approved, will allow AT&T to overtake Verizon Wireless as the largest mobile network in the United States.

The merger will mean a combined user network of more than 128 million subscribers, while AT&T will gain access to the 1700Mhz AWS Spectrum purchased by T-Mobile in what was considered a high-stakes FCC auction.

The merger, once approved by the FCC will mean the U.S. is left with just three major carriers, AT&T, Verizon and Sprint. That lack of competition has some consumer advocates worried that higher prices could be on the horizon, however AT&T is expected to continue T-Mobile contract pricing for existing customers until their contracts expire (AT&T pricing tends to be higher than T-Mobile pricing). However, as the U.S. Government Accountability Office has pointed out, subscriber costs have dropped by 50 percent from 1999 through 2009, a period of many wireless company acquisitions.

The move will also mean a loss of jobs for some company workers with AT&T expected to save $40 billion over the next three years by shutting down overlapping retail outlets and using existing T-Mobile cellular towers in place of building new towers which will hurt the retail and construction sectors. The company will also shudder millions in marketing costs by combining the company’s marketability.

If the deal fails to be approved by governmental regulators, AT&T Wireless has agreed to pay Deutsche Telcom a massive $3 billion breakup deal, which means AT&T will be pushing hard against regulators to approve the deal. As part of their efforts, AT&T is promising federal regulators that they will push out their 4G technology to 95% of the country, including rural and small town areas.

For carrier subscribers worried about the switch over and the usefulness of their devices, AT&T will simply gain control of T-Mobiles 1900Mhz cellular towers which will continue to offer service in most cases to users and their devices. AT&T can then choose to broadcast their own 850Mhz devices on those towers as they deem necessary.

What do you think about the merger of T-Mobile with AT&T. For their part T-Mobile has won numerous awards for their excellent customer service, something AT&T would do well to learn from.

T-Mobile Being Gobbled Up By AT&T For $39 Billion is a post from: The Inquisitr

T-Mobile To Announce ‘HSPA+42′ Details At CES 2011 is a post from: The Inquisitr

When it comes to smartphones we automatically think of the iPhone and the rising tide of Android based phones that all come with some pretty hefty price tags, depending of course on your carrier contract. For the most part the under-$100 phone market has been left to feature phones but if T-Mobile and LG have their way this could change very soon.

Today GigaOM is reporting that T-Mobile will be selling the LG Optimus T handset which will be sporting the latest version of Android for the price of $30.

The phone is all-plastic, uses a low-resolution display, has a slower processor and omits a few functions. But for folks craving a smartphone experience without wanting to invest much up-front cash, the Optimus T includes some advanced features and provides a reasonably good experience for its price.

While I’m not sure that I would be willing to sacrifice the quality of the more expensive handsets just to be able to use a modern smartphone I am sure that this could prove to be a really profitable area. It could also signal the end of the older feature phones.

Cheap smartphones headed our way is a post from: The Inquisitr