T-Mobile US, Inc. , usually abbreviated to T-Mobile , is a US-based wireless network operator whose majority shareholder is the German telecommunications company Deutsche Telekom (DT). Its headquarters are located in Bellevue, Washington, in the Seattle metropolitan area. T-Mobile is the third largest wireless carrier in the United States with 74 million subscribers in Q1 2018.
T-Mobile US provides wireless voice and data services in the United States, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands under the T-Mobile and MetroPCS brands (earned in reverse takeover in 2013, resulting in the company being public on the NASDAQ stock exchange) and also serves as a host network for many mobile virtual network operators. The company has annual revenues of more than $ 40 billion. In 2015, Consumer Reports calls T-Mobile the number one wireless carrier of America. In 2017, T-Mobile was ranked # 1 in Customer Service Satisfaction by Nielsen.
Video T-Mobile US
Histori
T-Mobile USA traces its roots to the establishment of the VoiceStream Wireless PCS as a subsidiary of Western Wireless Corporation. Spinning from the Western Wireless holding on May 3, 1999, VoiceStream Wireless was purchased by Deutsche Telekom AG in 2001 for $ 35 billion and renamed T-Mobile USA, Inc. in July 2002. In 2013, T-Mobile and MetroPCS completed the merger of the two companies. The two companies started trading as T-Mobile US.
VoiceStream Wireless
VoiceStream Wireless PCS was established in 1994 as a subsidiary of Western Wireless Corporation to provide digital wireless personal communications (PCS) services in 19 FCC-designated metropolitan service areas in several western and southwestern states. The digital and urban service area of ​​VoiceStream Wireless complements an analog rural service area marketed by Western Wireless under the Mobile brand.
Western Wireless separated the VoiceStream Wireless division into a new company called VoiceStream Wireless Corporation in May 1999.
Omnipoint and Air Acquisition
In 2000, VoiceStream Wireless acquired two regional GSM operators. Omnipoint Corporation , a regional network operator in the Northeast US, was acquired on February 25, 2000. Aerial Communications Inc.; regional network operators in Columbus, Houston, Kansas City, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Pittsburgh, and Tampa-St. Petersburg-Orlando Market; was acquired on May 4, 2000. The combined company retired Omnipoint and Aerial brands and completed the integration of the three companies by converting to a single customer billing platform, implementing standard business practices and launching the VoiceStream brand and "GET MORE" marketing strategy in all markets.
Deutsche Telekom acquires VoiceStream and Powertel
On June 1, 2001, Deutsche Telekom (DT) completed the acquisition of VoiceStream Wireless Inc. worth $ 35 billion and US $ 24 billion regional GSM network operator, Powertel, Inc.. By the end of 2001, VoiceStream Wireless had 19,000 employees serving 7 million subscribers.
On September 2, 2001, VoiceStream Wireless Inc. taking that name, T-Mobile USA, Inc. and began launching the T-Mobile brand, starting with locations in California and Nevada. T-Mobile USA, Inc. is an operating entity of T-Mobile International AG, before becoming a direct subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom AG.
SunCom acquisition
On September 17, 2007, the company announced the acquisition of SunCom Wireless Holdings, Inc. worth $ 2.4 billion; the acquisition closed on February 22, 2008. On September 8, 2008, SunCom's operations were integrated with the company's operations. The acquisition adds 1.1 million SunCom subscribers to the company's customer base and extends the company's network coverage to include southern Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, east Tennessee, northeastern Georgia, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.
Acquisition was canceled by AT & amp; T
On March 20, 2011, DT received a $ 39 billion cash and cash purchase offer from AT & T for the company. The acquisition is subject to regulatory approvals, reverse farewell charges under certain circumstances, and customary rules and closing conditions.
If the merger has been completed, AT & amp; T Mobility will have a customer base of around 130 million users, making it the largest wireless carrier in the US.
On August 31, 2011, the United States Department of Justice sued to block the merger of AT & amp; T with T-Mobile on the grounds that it will "substantially reduce competition" in the wireless market. Further reports indicate that the FCC is likely to oppose the merger.
On December 19, 2011, in the face of severe resistance from the US government, CEO of AT & amp; T Randall Stephenson announces that the company has officially withdrawn its $ 39 billion offer. In an official statement, Stephenson discusses the continuous spectrum scarcity (due to a significant increase in wireless demand), suggesting that the company will continue to look for other options to address shortfalls in the short term.
Merge with MetroPCS Communications
On October 3, 2012, MetroPCS Communications reached an agreement to join T-Mobile USA. MetroPCS shareholders will hold a 26% stake in the joint venture, which retains the T-Mobile brand. While the merged company is still the fourth largest operator in the United States (at the time), the acquisition provides T-Mobile access to more spectrum and financial resources to maintain competitiveness and expand its LTE network. Merger between T-Mobile USA Inc. and MetroPCS is officially approved by MetroPCS shareholders on April 24, 2013. The Agreement is structured as an upside-down takeover; the merged company went public on the New York Stock Exchange as TMUS and became known as T-Mobile US, Inc., on May 1, 2013. The merger agreement gave Deutsche Telekom the option to sell its 72% stake in the joint venture, worth about $ 14, 2 billion, to third parties before the end of the 18 month locking period.
The "Un-carrier", additional wireless spectrum acquisition
In March 2013, T-Mobile introduced a major overhaul of its planned structure, marketed by branding itself as "the Un-carrier". Among the changes, a new contract free pricing structure with a simpler plan was introduced, where phone charges were paid over a two-year financing plan. The "No operator" strategy has been expanded to include other value-added services, such as plug-in plans that allow phone commerce for initial upgrade twice per year, carrying more than unused data allocations for up to one year, and zero-ratings of music services and the selected video (most recently locked to "DVD quality") over the mobile network. These steps come as part of an effort under the new CEO John Legere to help revitalize the business for improving network quality.
Although the system is said to improve network quality, issues surrounding net neutrality violations have been raised. The type of zero ratings offered by T-Mobile allows it to charge higher rates to third parties, which means that ISPs can prioritize companies that are able to afford higher premiums. This makes it harder for smaller third parties who can not compete with the high premiums charged by ISPs.
On June 28, 2013, T-Mobile agreed to buy a wireless spectrum for the Mississippi Valley region of US Cellular rivals for about $ 308 million, enabling the company to expand its 4G network in 29 other markets.
On January 6, 2014, T-Mobile signed an agreement with Verizon Wireless to purchase a $ 2,365 billion A-Block 700 MHz spectrum license. Furthermore, the transfer of multiple AWS and PCS spectrum licenses totaling $ 950 million has been approved by T-Mobile and Verizon. The acquisition reportedly gave T-Mobile additional coverage to about 158 ​​million people in 9 of the top 10 and 21 of the top 30 US markets.
Merge experiment with Sprint
In December 2013, several reports indicate that Sprint Corporation and its parent company, Softbank, are working towards a deal to acquire a majority stake in T-Mobile for at least US $ 20 billion. The proposed merger, which will result in a large national airline controlled by only three companies, will further enhance T-Mobile's position in the market as a whole. Members of the government are skeptical that such an acquisition will be approved by the regulator, citing antitrust concerns and explicit objectives by FCC chairman Tom Wheeler to retain four national operators in the United States. On April 30, 2014, Bloomberg reported that Sprint is in talks with its lender to ensure that the company will be financially ready for bidding, now worth $ 24 billion and is planned for "summer 2014". It is also reported that due to its success in the company, T-Mobile's current CEO John Legere is the top candidate appointed to be the CEO of Sprint/T-Mobile combined, and that Sprint insists on low-term costs to prevent regulators from being given incentives to block deals, as has happened with AT & amp; T to buy T-Mobile.
On August 1, 2014, Iliad SA Xavier Niel publicly announced a cash deposit offer of US $ 16 billion to acquire 56% of T-Mobile US shares, which will be funded using equity and debt. Iliad is the parent company of the French operator, Free Mobile, which - akin to T-Mobile, does an annoying business move to weaken its competitors, sparking a "price war" between them at its launch in 2012. Credit Suisse analysts feel that the offer will not "appeal" to current corporate shareholders because the value is lower than the Sprint bid, but can "put pressure on Sprint to move faster [than] later."
On August 4, 2014, Bloomberg reported that Sprint had canceled its attempt to acquire T-Mobile, as it is unlikely that such a deal would be approved by the US government and its regulators.
On February 17, 2017, it was reported by Reuters that Softbank was considering selling its majority stake in Sprint to Deutsche Telekom (effective reversal of the preliminary deal), citing the struggling growth in the US market, and a higher likelihood that the deal would be approved by the administration of Trump. However, after months of speculation and rumors about a potential deal was reached, both T-Mobile and Sprint announced on 4 November 2017 that when they had discussions about the merger, they both decided to end the talk of merging with each other. for not being able to agree on the terms of the joint deal, because Softbank's board of directors reported a vote on October 27 in which they decided not to give up control over Sprint.
Sprint and T-Mobile once again resumed talks about the merger in April 2018 and announced a merger agreement on the 29th.
Login to the television/TV market Layer3, Inc.
On December 13, 2017, T-Mobile USA announced its intention to acquire Layer3 TV IPTV provider, which operates in Chicago and Washington, as its own subscription service base that is planned to launch in 2018. On January 23, 2018, T-Mobile completed the purchase of Layer3 TV based in Denver and will take some time for the service to become active. The T-Mobile TV service will target mobile devices because Layer3 home users target users watching TV on high-definition screens. This service will be offered to AT & T and Verizon customers. According to the FAQ page for upcoming TVs, stating that "annoying" services will not force users to pay for channels they do not want.
Maps T-Mobile US
Wireless network
The Company is licensed to operate mobile communications networks in the 1900 MHz (PCS) and 1700 MHz (AWS) bands with coverage in many parts of the US, Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands and licenses in the 700 MHz band large) available in certain parts of the country. In 2017 T-Mobile also obtained a 600 MHz national license. It is expected to spread this spectrum over the next few years as it is emptied by television stations nationwide gradually. With respect to technology, depending on location, on the 1900 MHz band he deploys GSM, UMTS/HSPA, and/or LTE (Band 2); in the 1700 MHz band it deploys UMTS/HSPA and/or LTE (B4 and B66); and LTE-only in 700Ã, MHz (B12) and 600Ã, MHz (B71) bands. Its LTE network also supports VoLTE. This provides coverage in areas where it does not have a radio frequency spectrum license through roaming agreements with other carriers of a compatible network.
Mobile networks
The company's predecessor, VoiceStream Wireless, began building regional GSM networks, 2G, 1900 MHz, circuit switched, digital cellular networks in 1994 and the first service offered in 1996 in Honolulu and Salt Lake City. From the starting point, the network has grown in size through the acquisition of other mobile network operators and additional spectrum purchases. The network has also expanded in capabilities through the introduction of new technologies. VoiceStream upgraded the 1900 MHz network to include packet switching through General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), then increased the switched switch data transmission speed through Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution. In 2006, the company spent $ 4.2 billion to buy 120 D, E or F blocking the 1700Ã ©, MHz AWS license and began launching 3G UMTS service in the frequency band. The company increased network equipment and back-haul capabilities to enable HSPA (High Speed ​​Access Package), and then HSPA and LTE services.
Packet-switched data upgrade
The first packet-switched data service is available to users in the form of General Package Radio Service (GPRS). The speed of packet-switched data increases when Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE) is entered into the network. EDGE coverage is available in at least forty percent of GSM traces.
Both voice capacity and packet-switched data rates are increasing when Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) 3G equipment is installed on the network. On January 5, 2010, the company announced that it has increased its entire 3G network to HSPA 7.2 Mbit/s, an increase from the previous peak of 3.6 Mbit/s. He also said that they plan to become the first US carrier to deploy HSPA across its network by mid 2010. The company has completed HSPA testing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and has started deploying HSPA across its network.
increase/discontinue 3G
In September 2006, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) auctioned the license in the first Advanced Wireless Services tape. The band is a wireless spectrum area, half within 1700 MHz (1.7 GHz) and half in frequency 2100 MHz (2.1 GHz), which is already used by government services. This spectrum is planned to be available after government users migrate to different frequencies.
This auction makes many licenses available in overlapping market areas, economic areas, and regional levels. Each license is individually offered, and T-Mobile USA is the winner in 120 license auctions, at an aggregate price of $ 4.18 billion. As part of its victory, T-Mobile USA earns nationwide coverage of 1.7 GHz and 2.1 GHz, with many areas equipped with additional licenses. Examples include New York City, Chicago, and Boston where T-Mobile USA acquires one-third (33 percent) of the available spectrum, or San Francisco, Houston, and Miami where they earn 45 percent of the available spectrum.
October 6, 2006, two weeks after confirming his winning bid, the company announced its intention to create UMTS 'third generation mobile network, or 3G, with the spectrum it won. He said he would utilize and build on the experience of a European subsidiary of T-Mobile International, which already implements the 3G network. At the initial launch, the company intends to offer 7.2 Mbit/s services, making the company's 3G network the fastest in the US. The estimate is expected to cost $ 2.6 billion, in addition to the $ 4.12 billion spent on obtaining the licensed spectrum.
In the same announcement, the company indicated that it had begun deploying about half of its upgraded equipment, starting in key markets such as New York City. With the equipment in place, it will be able to activate its network as soon as the government agency empties the spectrum. The company had hoped to activate its network in mid 2007, but in September 2007, government users did not empty the AWS band.
The company began selling its first 3G-enabled mobile phone, the Nokia 6263, in November 2007 and it was announced in February 2008 that its 3G network will eventually be activated "within the next few months". and was released in the New York City market on May 1, 2008.
In 2009, the company has launched its 3G network in more than 200 markets, covering approximately 208 million point of attendance (POPS). Throughout 2015, T-Mobile began rearming UMTS/HSPA services from original AWS bands to their PCS bands to expand the available bandwidth for LTE. It provides a number of selected 3G T-Mobile devices that can be operated on 3G networks.
HSPA/HSPA upgrade
On June 28, 2010, the company announced that it will start upgrading its network from HSPA 21 to HSPA 42 starting in 2011. T-Mobile is marketing HSPA services as 4G.
Upgrading 4G LTE
On February 23, 2012, during Q4 Call Income, T-Mobile laid out the future of their 4G upgrade path. They will launch the LTE network on the AWS spectrum, and switch their HSPA network to the PCS band. To achieve compatibility with networks and other phones in the US, T-Mobile started this transition in March 2013, and the LTE launch is currently underway as T-Mobile expands into more markets. Due to the acquisition of T-Mobile USA which failed by AT & amp; T, T-Mobile USA received additional UMTS frequency band IV (AWS) spectrum. On March 26, 2013, T-Mobile began launching LTE in 7 markets: Baltimore, San Jose, Washington, D.C., Phoenix, Las Vegas, Kansas City, and Houston.
On August 21, 2012, the FCC approved an agreement between T-Mobile and Verizon where T-Mobile acquired additional AWS spectrum licenses in 125 Mobile Market Areas.
On February 25, 2014, T-Mobile announced in their Q4 2013 revenue that their 4G LTE network includes 209 million people in 273 metro areas. They also plan to begin rolling out their 700 MHz A-Block spectrum by the end of 2014, which by the end of the launch will include 158 million people. This spectrum causes an overall increase in LTE coverage in these areas, especially indoors.
On March 13, 2014, T-Mobile announced a new plan to upgrade the entire 2G/EDGE network to 4G LTE. They estimate 50% will be made by the end of 2014, and it will be "substantially completed" by mid 2015.
On December 16, 2014, T-Mobile announced during an interview of CEO John Legere Un-carrier 8.0 that their 4G LTE network includes 260 million people and their 700MHz Band 12 LTE was launched in Cleveland, Colorado Springs, Minneapolis, and Washington, DC They predicted includes 280 million with LTE by mid 2015 and 300 million by the end of 2015. They also stated that they closed 121 metro areas with their Wideband LTE.
On October 27, 2015, T-Mobile announced in Q3 2015 revenue that they cover more than 300 million people with LTE, reaching their 2015 end targets a few months ahead of schedule. They have 245 markets with Wideband (at least 15 15 MHz) LTE. They also have 204 markets with Extended Range 700Ã, MHz Band 12 LTE covering approximately 175 million people. Their coverage map reveals that they now have new original LTE coverage in Montana, Dakotas, East West Virginia, and Northern Michigan.
On May 25, 2016 T-Mobile announced that it will purchase a 700Mhz A-Block (LTE band 12) license for the Chicago metro area. When the transaction closes, along with some other 700Mhz licensing acquisitions, T-Mobile expects to have a 700Mhz license covering a total of 272 million people, or 84% of the US population - including 10 of the 10 largest US metro areas. T-Mobile refers to its 700Mhz low-band network as 'extended-range LTE' and claims it penetrates buildings and reaches further than its PCS and AWS networks only. In September 2016, T-Mobile launched a 4x4 MIMO and 3 channel carrier aggregation that enables theoretical speed of 400 Mbit/s, and also announced that the company's LTE network reaches more than 312 million potential customers.
Roaming
T-Mobile has roaming arrangements with a number of national and regional mobile network operators, including AT & amp; T Mobility.
In 2008, prepaid subscribers have virtually all domestic roaming rights of postpaid and international roaming limited to Canada and Mexico.
In 2009, T-Mobile USA began removing AT & amp; T Mobility in many locations across the country, and updated on-line coverage maps to reflect smaller coverage areas. AT & amp; T Roaming mobility remains available in certain locations, especially on smaller carriers acquired by AT & amp; T Mobility after long-term roaming contracts are applied between T-Mobile and smaller carriers, including Centennial Wireless and Edge Wireless.
On June 29, 2010, the company launched a voice service in the Gulf of Mexico in GSM through a roaming agreement through Broadpoint. T-Mobile USA is scheduled to launch data services in the fall of 2010. Also in 2010, T-Mobile US became a member of the FreeMove alliance.
On October 9, 2013, T-Mobile announces Simple Global, a service that comes with an eligible Simple Elite plan. This service allows one to roam in over 100 countries with unlimited text and limited speed data, and make calls at $ 0.20/minute. High speed data pass will be available for purchase. On March 7, 2014, T-Mobile announced this number would increase to 122 countries. If someone is connected to WiFi in one of these countries, and their phone supports WiFi calls, all calls and texts to and from the United States are free, and work the same as if they were on the mobile network.
On July 15, 2015, T-Mobile launched Mobile Without Borders, a service that comes with all the new T-Mobile plans and is available as an add-on for a $ 10 or grandfathered plan. This service allows users to use normal voice, messaging text, and data allotments while roaming in Mexico and Canada. Most T-Mobile services are available while roaming, with the exception of data usage in a person's Stash Data.
In August 2015, T-Mobile joined the Data Hub of the Association of Competitive Operator Operators, enabling the company to extend roaming partnerships with more than a dozen rural and regional operators. Smaller operators will now be able to access T-Mobile's LTE network for roaming and T-Mobile will be able to expand roaming partnerships and expand its footprint with members whose network technology was previously incompatible.
In October 2017, T-Mobile announced that starting November 12, 2017, LTE-speed will be limited to 5 GB (with speeds up to 128 KB/s or 256 KB/s on some plans) while roaming data in Canada and Mexico still remain unlimited. However, calls and SMS in these countries are still free from roaming allegations. T-Mobile also announced a partnership with US Cellular in California, Iowa, Washington, and Wisconsin to expand the coverage of 4G LTE. A compatible device is required.
Radio frequency spectrum chart
The following chart explains the radio frequency spectrum band that is accessible to enterprise customers.
T-Mobile HotSpots
T-Mobile has used the term " Hotspot " to represent a wide range of products and technologies.
Wi-Fi network (public)
The company operates a national Wi-Fi Internet access network under the T-Mobile HotSpots brand. The T-Mobile HotSpots network consists of thousands of Wi-Fi access points installed in businesses, hotels and airports across the US.
The T-Mobile HotSpot service offers access to a national network of approximately 8,350 access points, installed in places such as Starbucks coffee shops, FedEx Office Offices and Print Centers, Hyatt Hotels and Resorts, Red Roof Inns, Sofitel Hotels, Novotel Hotels, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and US Airways, and airports.
The T-Mobile HotSpots network can be traced to the 2002 purchase of a bankrupt ISP MobileStar ISP company, which began building its network in 1998. Upon completion of the purchase, the company expanded its network to 400 Borders bookshops, as well as 100 of the most - Airport operated clubs and lounges by American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and United Airlines.
On September 14, 2014, T-Mobile partnered with GoGo to provide free in-flight SMS for its customers. GoGo services are provided at Delta Airlines, American Airlines, United Airlines, US Airways, Virgin America and Alaska Airlines.
On June 6, 2016, T-Mobile expanded its partnership with GoGo to offer T-Mobile users one hour of free WiFi on subscriber phones while T-Mobile One Plus and One Plus International users also get free WiFi on all flights. T-Mobile also includes other messaging apps (iMessage, Google Hangouts, WhatsApp, and Viber) in addition to the SMS provided since September 2014.
Wi-Fi (personal) network
T-Mobile also uses the term to describe the Wi-Fi Access Points it sells to end users to extend their mobile network to complementary phones to also receive Wi-Fi using technologies such as VOIP. (The model includes at least two by Linksys: WRTU54G-TM and WRT54G-TM and one by D-Link: TM-G5240.)
Products and services
T-Mobile ONE
In August 2016, T-Mobile introduced T-Mobile ONE. This will be the only tariff plan offered in the future, with plans to gradually clear the Simple Options. It combines unlimited voice minutes, text messages, and high speed data (the top 1% of users - currently 50 GB/month - may not be prioritized in solid conditions), replacing Binge On , Music Freedom , and Stash Data . Video streaming is limited to 1.5 Mbit/s, enabling 480p resolution in most cases, and mobile hotspots (tethering) are limited to 3G speeds. Add-on $ 10/line/month ONE Plus allows streaming HD and adding 10 GB of mobile hotspot at 4G LTE speed; $ 25/line/month ONE Plus International also provides unlimited international calls and SMS and mobile hotspots at 4G LTE speed. Customers who do not activate automatic payments are charged $ 5/row/month; if not, starting January 22, 2017, all taxes and regulatory fees are included in the program fee. The plan has been criticized by the Electronic Frontier Foundation and others for potentially violating the rules of net neutrality and making features that have included previously paid extra. Customers at Simple Choice can keep their plans current.
In response to Verizon launching a New Plan Without Verizon, T-Mobile has a T-Mobile ONE Plus plan to include High Definition video stream (1080p) and 10 GB of High Speed ​​data Mobile Hot Spot (will be slowed to 3G speed after using allowance) at an extra rate of $ 10/month per line. In addition, their priority threshold is raised to 50 GB on all T-Mobile ONE packages.
Simple Options
In March 2013, T-Mobile introduced a new simplified plan structure known as Simple Choices for new customers. This is part of an initiative called Un-operator dropping contracts, subsidized phones, more data fees, and early termination fees.
Cut unlimited data users
On August 31, 2015, T-Mobile announced it would require users who abused unlimited smartphone data plans by violating the Terms & amp; T-Mobile. Tethering-related conditions (which like unlimited data on smartphones, remain unlimited, however, offer a 14 GB high speed quota before deprioritizing apply), by permanently deleting user access to unlimited packets and migrating users to tiered data packets. Thus, all plans after a number of high-speed inclusive data, generate automatic throttle speeds, prevent unlimited high-speed tethering and network misuse. T-Mobile states that there are a small handful of users who abused a withdrawal plan by changing the software and/or use of Android apps disguising T-Mobile's ability to monitor whether data is on smartphones, or through a tethering cellphone hotspot by imitating all data as an on-smartphone use, with some customers abusing the service by using as much as 2 TB per month, causing speed problems for all other customers.
Program InReach
The InReach program provides free mobile phones and a limited number of minutes of voice every month for low-income families (one per family) that does not use Lifeline services offered by other telephone or wireless companies. It is funded through the Universal Service Fund, but only operates in a number of states and Puerto Rico.
MetroPCS
MetroPCS was taken over by T-Mobile in 2013, the new company is forming T-Mobile US and currently continues to offer prepaid wireless services under the MetroPCS brand.
GoSmart Mobile
GoSmart Mobile is a branded T-Mobile service launched in beta on December 7, 2012, and officially available nationwide on February 19, 2013. GoSmart offers wireless services without a SIM contract. GoSmart Mobile is sold to consumers through dealers who work as independent contractors with their own company name. The seller is known as an "Authorized Dealer" with a physical store or online. In September 2016, T-Mobile sold its brand and 326,000 GoSmart Mobile subscribers to TracFone Wireless. Customer is reclassified as a wholesale customer.
Banking Cards
On January 22, 2014, T-Mobile announced it would expand its products into banking. T-Mobile will provide Visa cards with banking features and smartphone money management applications with a low-cost or zero-cost service for T-Mobile's wireless customers. In addition, customers will have access to over 42,000 ATMs at no cost.
In early 2016, T-mobile decided to stop banking cards. They can no longer be bought at T-Mobile.
Customer service
Awards
Since early 2004, the company has achieved several annual awards of J. D. Power in the areas of retail sales satisfaction, wireless customer care, and overall customer satisfaction. In 2011, J. D. Power and Associates stated that T-Mobile's retail store ranked highest among major wireless carriers for customer satisfaction for four consecutive years, performing very well in price and promotion. Also in 2011, J. D. Power and Associates ranked T-Mobile USA among the highest leading providers in wireless subscriber service for the second year in a row.
On December 3, 2015, Consumer Reports referred to T-Mobile as the number one wireless service provider in America. The results combine data from customer service, voice quality, text messaging services, and data rates.
On February 6, 2016, T-Mobile was awarded the JD Power Award for customer satisfaction in the full-service wireless category for the second year in a row. T-Mobile received the highest score in the wireless industry.
Out
Sidekick data disconnection
On October 1, 2009, some handset users of Microsoft Sidekick temporarily lost personal data, including contacts, notes, and calendars. On October 8, most of the data services are returned to the user. The company and Microsoft announced on October 10 that the Sidekick device data "almost certainly has been lost as a result of server failure at Microsoft/Danger." On October 15, Microsoft says it has been able to recover most or all of its data and will start restoring it. A few weeks later, all Sidekick customers can recover their data via the Danger sync website using a recovery file, or have the option to wait until the data is restored to the device itself.
Networks are off
On November 9, 2009, some company customers lost the ability to send and receive calls and text messages for a few hours in the interim. The company confirmed the blackout via Twitter. The company claims that about five percent of its customers have been affected. Claimed that the problem was caused by a system software error.
On February 13 and March 25, 2015, T-Mobile suffered an LTE interruption along the east coast that caused users to lose data connections.
On May 8, 2018, customers throughout Houston, Texas experienced a four-hour interruption in services caused by damage to fiber optic cables.
Marketing
Jamie Lee Curtis is T-Mobile USA's predecessor spokesperson, VoiceStream Wireless, since 1998. The VoiceStream ad slogan is: "Get more out of life". During the transition to the T-Mobile brand, Jamie Lee Curtis continued to be the spokesperson for a short period of time and the slogan was changed to "T-Mobile Get More." Beginning in 2002, the company's spokesperson was Catherine Zeta-Jones who was the main character in her branding strategy. In September 2006, Zeta-Jones was officially dropped as the "face" of the company for its advertising campaign due to its corporate rebranding strategy. The company also relied on rapper Snoop Dogg as a spokesperson for T-Mobile Sidekick in a series of ads end of 2004, the company also released a series of Sidekick phones known as D-Wade Edition for basketball player Dwyane Wade.
The company is also the official sponsor of Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, the NBA Rookie Challenge, and the National Basketball Association of Women.
In 2009, he changed his approach to advertising, and shifted from the slogan "Get More" to the slogan "Together" to focus more on the personal aspect of staying with those who matter most to his customers. The slogan is also meant to promote the MyFaves circle-call plan. With this the company also ended its relationship with Zeta-Jones, and is now primarily using non-celebrity spokespeople (though Dwyane Wade, Charles Barkley, and Dwight Howard are featured in several advertisements, in association with corporate sponsorship of the NBA as an official wireless giver).
At the end of May 2009, Zeta-Jones was brought back as a company spokesperson to show customers how to pay less for their wireless plan in a new "Mobile Advertising" advertising campaign that refers customers to a BillShrink.com third-party comparison site.
At the end of 2009, the ad for T-Mobile MyTouch 3G featured the song "If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out" by Cat Stevens and celebrities like Chevy Chase, Molly Shannon, Dana Carvey and Darrell Hammond. Another ad with the same song performed by different artists shows Wyclef Jean, Avril Lavigne, and Brad Paisley.
Carly Foulkes is the spokesperson for myTouch 4G in ads parodying the Get a Mac campaign. This model is known for Rugby Ralph Lauren ads. Although Foulkes is often identified with pink, T-Mobile actually has trademark colors for magenta colors, and markets itself using its corporate colors. Virgin Mobile has, in turn, parodied the Carly Foulkes ad.
In September 2010, the company launched "Free Kids up to 2012" for the family line.
On December 1, 2011, a group of 100 Chicago-area women, along with Carly Foulkes, were shown in a flash-mob show at Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg, Illinois, where the group, wearing a magenta dress, sang and danced through the atrium mall to its cover ( There's No Place Like) Home for Holidays. The show was filmed and edited into a successful holiday advertisement.
Movement without operator
Starting in 2013, T-Mobile launched the Un-carrier marketing campaign. This movement introduced many new tactics to offer consumers cheaper tariff plans, cheaper global coverage, and several other benefits. T-Mobile CEO John Legere puts the 'Un-Carrier manifesto' which highlights the approach and goal the company wants to pursue. One of the popular Un-carrier features is T-Mobile Tuesdays, where customers are offered a variety of free products and can also win prizes. The newest Un-operator campaign is titled 'T-Mobile One'. This is a new family package offer, replacing all previous plans and is an inclusive plan that is inclusive, giving talks, text and data indefinitely. The only caveat is that video streaming on any device is limited to 480p resolution. CEO John Legere in an interview said, "The biggest pain point that millions of customers tell me is that they hate the data basket and we have such success with Binge On that we want to turn our company into someone who sells monthly subscriptions to the internet, all entry, unlimited. "On October 7, 2016, about a quarter of all account numbers have moved to T-Mobile One, and about three-quarters of new postpay accounts are enabled on T-Mobile One.
Working relationship
T-Mobile US employees and two unions have led several trade union efforts beginning in 2001.
TU Formation
Hundreds of T-Mobile employees, with support from American Communications Workers (CWA) and ver.di Germany, have joined together as TU to gain representation in T-Mobile. In July 2011, technicians in Connecticut, voted for representatives by the US-TU Communications Worker. On September 25, 2013, MetroPCS workers in Harlem, NY, voted for union votes and representatives by CWA-TU.
coordinated coordinate 2009 effort
In 2008, CWA and ver.di launched a coordinated effort to unite the company's employees. A CWA spokeswoman asked the company to stop refusing mobilization efforts and allowing company employees to union as German employees of parent company T-Mobile USA, DT, has done so. In response, the company released an employee satisfaction study which showed that more than seventy percent of the company's 40,000 employees were "very satisfied" with their work. Through a spokesperson, the company states, "Despite the efforts of the organization of the American Communications Workers periodically for more than nine years, no T-Mobile group of employees has ever been chosen to be represented by unions, while our company is always trying to find ways to improve, by the year, employees continue to see T-Mobile as a good place to work where they do not need, or are interested in, unions. "
Political pressure
In 2009, a number of politicians, in one case acting after lobbying for efforts by CWA union activists, wrote a letter to Renà © à © Obermann, DT's chief executive officer, in an effort to influence T-Mobile USA labor practices in the US.
In a letter to March 13, 2009, US Senator John Kerry (D-MA) asked "why the company's approach to labor rights differs in Germany than in the United States". On April 30, 2010, a letter sent after lobbying by US Workers Communications activists, the 26-member Democratic Congress called on DT to protect and respect workers' rights in the US. A separate July 1, 2010, a letter from seven Republic addressed the same issue. On August 10, 2010, US Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) released a statement to support workers' efforts to regulate unions in the company. In a letter dated September 21, 2010, fifteen members of the California Congress urged Obermann to take action and implement a fair and equitable working relationship.
In a letter dated 5 November 2009, Thomas DiNapoli, New York State Supervisory Commission, and the Trustee of the New York State Public Pension Fund expressed concerns about a "potential impact on T-Mobile's value that may be caused by a workforce that has lost its rights and negative publicity related that could affect T-Mobile's profitability. "
Report
On December 9, 2009, the non-profit American Human Rights organization in the Workplace published a report written by prof. John Logan, Director of Labor Studies at San Francisco State University, entitled "Lowering the Bar or Establishing a US Labor Practice Standard Deutsche Telekom". This report details the behavior of companies deemed by authors as anti-unions including the dissemination of anti-union materials, intimidation and threats directed against pro-union workers, "arrested hearer gatherings" and the retention of anti-unionist specialists. In the report, based on documents from the National Labor Relations Board, internal company memos and handbooks, and interviews with workers, Logan asserts that the company is engaged in a systematic campaign to prevent employees from forming unions and that DT is guilty of operating by double standards. He claims that Deutsche Telekom respects the rights of workers in Germany, where it works closely with unions, but persecutes workers in the United States and disrupts their right to organize.
On September 2, 2010, Human Rights Watch released a report written by Lance Compa entitled "The Strange Case: Violation of Freedom of War Together in the United States by European Multinational Corporations". The report concludes that "company policy has translated into practices that make the workforce afraid of even seeking union representation." DT declared its compliance with international labor law and standards embodied in German domestic law. But HRW found that "T-Mobile USA's strong opposition to freedom of association of workers in the United States betrays Deutsche Telekom's acclaimed commitment to social responsibility, hinders constructive dialogue with employee representatives, and in some cases, violates the ILO and OECD workers and human beings. standard of rights ".
Activity at work
In Allentown, Pennsylvania, corporate call centers, security guards were instructed by corporate managers to write incident reports every time union supporters appeared in nearby public squares and to record employee license numbers that stopped to pick up flyers. In 2006, the National Labor Relations Board found that this activity violated Article 8 (a) (1) of the National Labor Relations Act.
In 2008, management companies in the Pacific Northwest and Southwest Retail Division sent a memorandum to store managers to instruct them to immediately report any union activities to their supervisors. Human Rights Watch states, "The NLRB has long maintained that such activity disrupts, detains, and forces employees in the exercise of Section 7 rights that violate workers' right to freedom of association."
Awards
T-Mobile has also received many workplace awards. T-Mobile received a score of 100 on Disability Equality Index (DEI), which measures inclusion of disabilities. They have also been named the Best Places to Work for LGBT Equality by Human Rights Campaigns for four consecutive years. T-Mobile is also awarded a Award for the Top 100 Military Friendly Companies by Military Friendly in 2017 for the tenth time. It was recognized as one of the World's Most Ethical Companies by Ethisphere Institute for the ninth consecutive year. In addition to the national awards, T-Mobile has also won local awards in many locations, including the best places to work in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Wichita, Kansas where the company has a call center located. On February 16, 2018, Fortune announced their top 100 companies to work, under the name of T-Mobile 86th.
Information Security
Nicolas Jacobsen was accused of entering the company's internal network in January 2005. Reports show that for about a year Jacobsen has access to customer passwords, e-mails, address books, Social Security numbers, birthdays, and Sidekick photos. Affected customers include members of the United States Secret Service. The Secret Service informant identifies Jacobsen as part of the "Operation Firewall" which provides evidence that Jacobsen has attempted to sell customer information to others for identity theft. T-Mobile USA and the Secret Service do not describe the Jacobsen method used to gain access, but sources close to the case show that Jacobsen exploits unpatched weaknesses in Oracle WebLogic Server application software used by companies. Additional SQL injection vulnerabilities with the company's website are reported by Jack Koziol from InfoSec Institute.
T-Mobile offers access to voice mail without entering a password by default. Parties acting in bad faith can access such voice mail boxes through Caller ID spoofing. To avoid this possibility, T-Mobile recommends that all customer passwords protect their mailboxes, but still do not offer password configuration by default due to customer requests.
On June 6, 2009, a message sent from the email account "pwnmobile_at_Safe-mail.net" to the Full Disclosure mailing list claimed that the corporate network had been violated and showed sample data. The sender offers "databases, secret documents, scripts and programs from their servers, financial documents until 2009" to the highest bidder. On June 9, the company issued a statement confirming the violation but stating that the customer data is secure. It's claimed to have identified the source document for the sample data and believes it was not obtained by hacking. The statement then states that there is no evidence of infringement.
Privacy and supervision
T-Mobile USA received a portion of the 1.3 million majority of unsecured law enforcement requests for customer information (including text messages and phone location data) made in 2011, but declined to state how many requests it received. It says that in the last decade, the number of requests has increased 12 to 16 percent per year.
Data retention policy
According to T-Mobile, the privacy policy highlights, "Retention and Disposal", information is stored as long as there is a business or tax requirement or as per any necessary law, regulation or government order. T-Mobile notes that it discards Personal Information, using reasonable procedures designed to remove or make it illegible (for example, dismember documents and wipe electronic media).
In 2010, the Department of Justice (DOJ) released a document entitled, "Major Mobile Provider Retention Period," to advise law enforcement agencies who want to get cell phone records. This document was found by ACLU coordinated record requests on cell phone location tracking by police. In particular, documents indicate that T-Mobile customer information is maintained for 5 years and call detail records are kept for 2 years (prepay) and 5 years (postpay).
In 2013, Massachusetts Senator Edward Markey revealed responses from the top four US wireless providers as well as US Cellular, C Spire, and Cricket/Leap Wireless, for questions related to user information disclosed to law enforcement officials. The following is T-Mobile's response to data retention: T-Mobile AS maintains historic cell site information and cell tower information (180 days); call details (7-10 years); the contents of text messages, data requests, and geo-location data are not stored; voicemail content (up to 21 days); subscriber information (6 years after the account is closed).
Comparing the DOJ 2010 memo released by the ACLU and the 2013 Markey wireless data retention data, it should be noted that T-Mobile increased the retention period for customer information from 5 to 6 years. T-Mobile also increased the retention of its call details details from 2 years (prepay) and 5 years (postpaid) to 7-10 years.
See also
- List of companies based in Bellevue, Washington
- List of US wireless communications service providers
- List of mobile network operators in America
References
External links
- T-Mobile US Official Website
- Deutsche Telekom AG Site
- the MetroPCS official website
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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