wireless carriers

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Bad News, AT&T Wireless Customers
Bad News, AT&T
Wireless Customers
Jul 12, 2024 6:48 AM CDT

Bad News, AT&T Wireless Customers

Company says data from 'nearly all' of its wireless subscribers was hacked

(Newser) - AT&T delivered some stunning news to customers on Friday morning: "Nearly all" of its wireless subscribers were caught up in a data breach, in which hackers swiped call and text metadata from a third-party cloud system, reports the Wall Street Journal . In a securities filing, the company said...

Another 'Malicious Intruder' Strikes T-Mobile

Company says 37M customers had data stolen in November breach, including addresses and DOB

(Newser) - The US wireless carrier T-Mobile said Thursday that an unidentified malicious intruder breached its network in late November and stole data on 37 million customers, including addresses, phone numbers, and dates of birth. T-Mobile said in a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission that the breach was discovered...

After Dire Warning, a Change to 5G Rollout

AT&T, Verizon delay turning on some of the new 5G cell towers

(Newser) - AT&T and Verizon will delay launching new wireless service near key airports after the nation’s largest airlines said the service would interfere with aircraft technology and cause widespread flight disruptions, the AP reports. The decision from the companies came Tuesday as the Biden administration intervened to broker a...

Airlines Have a Dire Warning on 5G Rollout

They say it could lead to 'catastrophic' flight disruptions

(Newser) - Verizon and AT&T are set to deploy new 5G service Wednesday—and in a letter to federal officials Monday, major airlines warned there could be "catastrophic" consequences. As Axios notes, the dispute between the airlines and the wireless companies has been going on a while, with the aviation...

DOJ Approves $26.5B Deal. Now, a 'Disruptive Force in Wireless'

T-Mobile greenlit to take over Sprint, while Dish now enters the arena as 4th big wireless company

(Newser) - US regulators are approving T-Mobile's $26.5 billion takeover of rival Sprint, despite fears of higher prices and job cuts. Friday's approval by the Justice Department and five state attorneys general comes after Sprint and T-Mobile agreed to conditions that would set up satellite-TV provider Dish as a...

Netflix Has Kept a Mobile Video Secret for 5 Years

It's been throttling video for AT&T and Verizon customers

(Newser) - Notice Netflix isn't as pretty on your smartphone as on your TV? Don't blame your wireless carrier. Netflix says it caps its video streams at 600 kilobits per second—meaning videos are shown at a lower quality—on many carrier networks, including AT&T and Verizon, to prevent...

T-Mobile: Join and We'll Pay Your Termination Fees

New users can get up to $650 in credit

(Newser) - Wireless carriers know it can be a pricey headache to switch from one provider to another—and T-Mobile is hoping to get a leg up on its competitors by covering those costs, the New York Times reports. Engadget explains the process, for which customers of AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint...

NSA Able to Decode Most Calls, Texts Worldwide

Washington Post unveils latest Snowden material

(Newser) - The NSA is capable of breaking the encryption used on most phone calls and text messages worldwide, the latest Edward Snowden leak shows, though it's not certain how often the agency actually does it. Under US law, the NSA can't eavesdrop on citizens' conversations without a court order....

Your Cell Carrier Is Tracking You, Hawking Your Data

Data collection by carriers like Verizon raises privacy concerns

(Newser) - Just when you thought you couldn't hate cell phone carriers more, they outdo themselves. Turns out, some phone companies are now tracking our locations, movements, and web-browsing habits, and selling the data to marketing companies and other businesses. They say they aren't selling information on individual users, but...

T-Mobile Eliminates Contracts
 T-Mobile Eliminates Contracts 
Mar 26, 2013 6:30 AM CDT

T-Mobile Eliminates Contracts

But company's new wireless plan also nixes phone subsidies

(Newser) - T-Mobile is ditching a once-inescapable part of wireless life: the contract. The company had been offering contract-free plans as an option alongside two-year contracts, CNET reports; now, according to the T-Mobile website , contract plans are a thing of the past. An example of a new plan: For $50 a month,...

Verizon Wireless Scraps $2 'Convenience' Fee
 Verizon Scraps $2 Fee 
Dec 30, 2011 2:38 PM CST

Verizon Scraps $2 Fee

'Convenience' charge dies a quick death amid outcry

(Newser) - About that new $2 "convenience fee" for Verizon Wireless customers: Never mind. The company backtracked quickly today and scrapped its plan to charge customers who make one-time payments online or by phone, reports the Wall Street Journal . Online petitions in protest sprang up immediately , and federal regulators said they...

Customers Not Happy About Verizon's New $2 Fee

Complaints flood Twitter

(Newser) - Will outraged consumers convince Verizon to backtrack on its newest fee , just as they did with Bank of America ? Perhaps: The New York Times notes that yesterday's announcement of the $2 fee, which will be levied against customers who make one-time bill payments using a credit or debit...

Verizon to Charge $2 for One-Off Payments

Subscribers get a new 'convenience fee'

(Newser) - For those complaining that their cellphone bill is just too darn cheap: Verizon Wireless, the country's largest cellphone company, is introducing a $2 fee for every payment subscribers make over the phone or online with their credit cards. The company says this "convenience fee" will be introduced Jan....

AT&T, T-Mobile Withdraw Merger Bid (for Now)

They yank application from FCC but haven't given up on the deal

(Newser) - AT&T and T-Mobile have unexpectedly withdrawn their merger application from FCC consideration. While the move hints at trouble for the $39 billion deal, the companies say they’re not giving up, Politico reports. Instead, they’ll focus on getting approval from the Justice Department—either by winning an antitrust...

How Verizon and Other Wireless Companies Rip You Off
 How Wireless 
 Companies 
 Rip You Off 
editorial
Oct 26, 2011 12:40 PM CDT

How Wireless Companies Rip You Off

...and what the FCC can do about it

(Newser) - Wireless carriers call for minimum regulations on their industry, claiming their market is competitive. But with consumers bound by two-year contracts, it’s easy for companies like Verizon and AT&T to take advantage. It’s time for the FCC to get serious about protecting wireless users, the editors of...

Justice Dept. Sues to Block AT&T's Bid to Buy T-Mobile

Says combining No. 2 and No. 4 carrier would raise prices

(Newser) - AT&T tried to sugarcoat its $39 billion deal to buy T-Mobile USA by announcing this morning that it would, as a result of the merger, return 5,000 call-center jobs to US shores. But it still wasn't sweet enough for the Justice Department, which has filed suit to...

Verizon Ditching Unlimited Data Plans

New customers to be offered only tiered plans

(Newser) - Verizon is becoming the latest carrier to scrap unlimited data plans in favor of tiered ones. As of tomorrow, new Verizon customers will be offered options ranging from $30 for 2 GB per month to $80 for 10 GB per month, Fierce Wireless reports. Existing customers will be allowed to...

AT&T, T-Mobile Merger Reactions: Not Good for Consumers
 AT&T, T-Mobile Merger 
 Bad News for Consumers 
early reactions
Mar 21, 2011 6:29 AM CDT

AT&T, T-Mobile Merger Bad News for Consumers

The consensus: 'Ma Bell is back'

(Newser) - Reactions to the surprise AT&T-T-mobile merger are pouring in, and, not surprisingly, most conclude this isn't a good thing for consumers:
  • The Bell telephone system—"aka AT&T"—was broken up in 1984 to increase competition, and the US telecommunications market was deregulated in 1996, again to
...

AT&T to Buy T-Mobile for $39B
 AT&T to Buy T-Mobile for $39B 
Mar 20, 2011 2:37 PM CDT

AT&T to Buy T-Mobile for $39B

Deal will combine the No. 2 and No. 4 wireless carriers in US

(Newser) - AT&T says it will buy T-Mobile USA from Deutsche Telekom in a cash-and-stock deal valued at $39 billion. The deal will combine the second-largest wireless carrier in the US with the fourth, notes the Wall Street Journal , which adds that it comes on the heels of AT&T's loss...

Introducing the Planet's Worst Cell Phone

Everything about the 'truly dreadful' Samsung Craft is a 'nightmare'

(Newser) - MetroPCS is a cell phone carrier known mostly for its low cost—so when it announced plans to offer 4G coverage, for a cheaper price than most other carriers charge for 3G, and introduced a 4G phone, it "sounded too good to be true" to Farhad Manjoo. "And,...

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