T-Mobile suffered from a huge network outage yesterday, affecting customers across the country.

Reports suddenly spiked to over 60,000 on the outage-tracking site Down Detector where T-Mobile customers are reporting a lack of signal or service from Washington D.C. to Los Angeles and everywhere in between.

Whilst systems eventually returned to normal, it took several hours for the reports of problems to subside.

Here's how the events progressed.

T-Mobile is making a move that's likely to upset some of its most loyal subscribers. While T-Mobile has its justifications for making this move, long-standing customers may feel as though they're being stabbed in the back by being forced off grandfathered plans to new, slightly more expensive ones.

According to The Mobile Report, customers on some Simple Choice and ONE plans will be migrated to newer, more modern plans with price increases of around $4.

Magenta plans could be affected as well, though it's not clear at this point whether that'll be the case. T-Mobile didn't give a full rundown of the plans, but it did say some affected users are on plans that stretch back 10 to 15 years.

The report also claims that new prices are being created specifically for these customers, though the details of the new plans aren't fully clear as of this writing. Apparently, T-Mobile for Business customers could also be affected by the changes.

The exact plans weren't revealed, but The Mobile Report speculated that plans not covered by the new price lock.

Of course, as is usually the case with these kinds of changes, T-Mobile will almost certainly try to spin the move as a good thing, as the carrier does offer some new benefits and perks on these newer plans that aren't on older plans.

But these customers could have switched to a new plan on their own, and they chose not to, so they could keep the price down. I have to assume many users won't see the change as a positive.

In fact, T-Mobile sent out a memo to employees, obtained by CNET, that said: "for our frontline teams ... while the immediate future will bring increased customer contact volume, we are confident this plan simplification will make your job easier over time."

"A rate plan is a snapshot of the capacity and capability of your network in that moment in time," Samson said, citing the limited network capacity when the old plans were active. "Fifteen years ago, you checked the weather, and maybe your stock report, and that was about it. Today we're streaming 4K movies."

You'll know if you're impacted if you get the news via text or through the T-Life app starting today. The reports say you'll have about two weeks from the official reveal to decide what you want to do, whether it be dealing with the new plan or moving to a different carrier, perhaps even one of the best MVNO options, which are cheaper.

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Customers can get gas discounts, a free DashPass by DoorDash subscription, free alcoholic drinks on Delta, hotel travel perks, and much more — all to celebrate 10 years of T-Mobile Tuesdays. The carrier is officially declaring June as "Member Month," featuring weekly drops consisting of high-value rewards and offers that run throughout the month.

“T-Mobile Tuesdays helped redefine what customers should expect from wireless — real value beyond connectivity,” said Allan Samson, Chief Marketing Officer, T-Mobile. "Member Month is our biggest celebration of that commitment yet.”

Each week will bring something different, but the only way to get them is to be a T-Mobile customer. This also applies to Metro by T-Mobile, T-Mobile Home Internet, and its small business customers. Whether you're looking for everyday relief on your grocery budget or gearing up for summer travel, here is a complete breakdown of what T-Mobile is giving away.

Week of June 2

If you grew up in the '80s, you’re going to love what’s in store for the first week starting today, June 2. That’s because the lineup includes discounted movie tickets to see He-Man battle it out with Skeletor in Masters of the Universe, along with food and drink promotions at 7-Eleven, Pizza Hut, and more.

• Member Month swag with magenta picnic blankets for T-Mobile customers.
• Soccer-inspired trio dip bowls for Metro by T-Mobile customers.
• $5 movie ticket for Masters of the Universe with Atom Tickets.
• Free Slurpee drink, coffee, or Big Gulp at 7-Eleven.
• $1 8-piece wings from Pizza Hut.
• $5 off any full-size entrée at QDOBA.
• Sweepstakes for a $100,000 grand prize.

Week of June 9

Are you feeling the pain at the pump? Well, T-Mobile’s “Member Month” offer for week two includes discounted gasoline at select locations that should ease some of the burden of costly gas prices. You won’t go hungry on the road, either, because there are more food discounts and freebies available throughout the week.

• $2/gallon rates for gas fill-ups to drivers in Los Angeles, Houston and Tulsa/Chicago. What’s even better is that this deal isn’t for T-Mobile members either because everyone can fuel up, while supplies last though.
• Additional Shell gas discounts: For this week, T-Mobile is bumping its weekly fuel discount up to 50 cents off per gallon (up to 20 gallons) at participating Shell stations.
• Free goodies at 7-Eleven.
• Three free PanCoins redeemable for a short stack at IHOP.
• Sweepstakes: Chance to win an Austin City Limits Music Festival flyaway trip.

Week of June 16

This week’s offers are the weakest of the bunch in my opinion, but customers in New York City will benefit the most with a night to remember thanks to a free concert with rapper T-Pain. That's on top of the free in-flight premium alcoholic drinks for customers flying on Delta.

• T-Pain concert in New York City.
• Free in-flight premium alcoholic drink for customers flying on Delta.
• Free in-flight Wi-Fi with Delta.
• $9 three-day parking via The Parking Spot
• Free three months of Super Duolingo
• 20 cents off at Shell stations.
• Sweepstakes: Chance to win a once-in-a-lifetime getaway for four anywhere Delta flies.

Week of June 23

T-Mobile is offering its biggest travel and vacation savings during the fourth week of June, featuring major deals on hotel bookings and car rentals. Members can also unlock exclusive partner perks with Hilton, Hertz, and Dollar, plus enter a sweepstakes for a chance to win a trip to the Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix.

• Expanded travel perks: 40% off hotels and rental cars
• Up to $2,500 in T-Mobile Cruise credits
• Exclusive partner perks with Hilton, Hertz and Dollar
• Free Wi-Fi on Royal Caribbean cruises booked through T-Mobile Travel
• Three free months of MGM+
• Free Popeyes chicken sandwich (with $5 minimum spend)
• Sweepstakes: Chance to win a Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix trip with flights and a four-night stay

Week of June 30

To wrap up “Member Month,” T-Mobile is introducing T-Mobile Dining Rewards, where members can get up to 10% cash back at thousands of restaurants alongside a free one-year subscription to DashPass by DoorDash. Users will also want to keep a close eye on the T-Life app on Tuesday, June 30, for an exclusive, limited-edition streetwear drop.

• T-Mobile Dining Rewards: Earn cash back at thousands of restaurants nationwide. $5 off for new members with an extra $5 bonus for booking reservations through Dining Rewards, plus earn 5% cash back every day and 10% cash back every Tuesday.
• Free DashPass by DoorDash .
• Limited-edition collab: T-Life app will roll out limited-edition streetwear drop on Tuesday, June 30.
• Sweepstakes: Chance to win a $10,000 grand prize or Amazon gift cards.

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T-Mobile has had some hiccups this week, as users started reporting issues yesterday (May 28) with the popular provider. However, it doesn't appear to be affecting the company's mobile signal, but its fiber home internet service. While that means fewer people are affected, it hasn't stopped more than 1,000 from hitting Downdetector to report issues.

The outage lasted multiple hours with no serious decline on Downdetector. T-Mobile finally sent us a response around 2:00 p.m. Pacific/5:00 p.m. Eastern. We were told at that point that the company had resolved the issue and most people should be back online, though it admitted that some people would still have issues as recovery progressed.

On the company's T-Mobile Help X account, there are a few users reaching out about the issue, but the company is just asking them to send a direct message, thus offering no public solution to the ongoing outage.

T-Mobile down — live updates on the fiber outage

If you've got experience with international travel, you'll know all about the pains of trying to use your existing data plan in a different country. Data roaming can be prohibitively expensive if you're not careful, and it pays to have a plan in place so you can stay connected without hopping between different public Wi-Fi networks. The good news is that multiple U.S. carriers have anticipated this, and have launched travel plans specifically for the World Cup

So whether you're traveling to North America for the tournament, or a U.S. resident crossing over into Canada and Mexico, here's what you need to know about staying connected throughout the World Cup.

AT&T

AT&T has launched a new short-term eSIM package for travellers visiting North America for the World Cup. This system is powered by "eSIM by AT&T" and gives travellers the flexibility to pay for connectivity when they need it.

This means you can buy data passes valid for one, seven, 15 or 30 days, complete with unlimited data and 5GB of hotspot access. The single-day pass is only valid in the U.S., and costs $4 a day. The other three options do offer coverage for Canada and Mexico, but you will have to pay a premium for it. Here's the rundown of the prices, inclusive of tax and other fees.

These plans only include data, and don't include voice or text messaging. So if you need to stay in touch with others, be it family back home or other members of your group, you'll need to use IP-based services like WhatsApp.

Existing AT&T customers can take advantage of the carrier's "International Day Pass," which lets you use your existing plan as if you were still in the U.S. This is available in 210 locations around the world, including Canada and Mexico. This costs $12 a day, and you're automatically charged for 24-hour access whenever you use data on your phone outside the U.S.

T-Mobile

International travellers visiting the World Cup can sign up for T-Mobile's US Pass eSIM, which 50GB of high-speed 5G data within the U.S., and 5GB of high-speed data in Canada and Mexico. Once you use up those allowances, your connection will be downgraded to 3G, which means noticeably lower speeds. Hotspot data is also included, but the amount you get id dependent on which pass you purchase.

Here are the prices for the different US Pass eSIMs, which do not include taxes or fees. However, each pass does include unlimited calls and text messages across North America.

Existing T-Mobile customers may be able to get international coverage as part of their existing package, but the level of that coverage depends on which sort of plan you're actually signed up for. For the most part, you get an allowance of high-speed data, after which you get unlimited data throttled to either 256kps or 128kbps speeds. Here are the allowances for Canada and Mexico with unlimited calls and texts:

• 30GB: Better Value, Experience Beyond, Go5G Next plans. Throttled to 256kbps thereafter
• 15GB: Experience More, Go5G Plus plans. Throttled to 256kbps thereafter
• 10GB: Go5G plans. Throttled to 128kbps thereafter
• 5GB: Max, Plus plans. Throttled to 256kbps thereafter
• 5GB: Magenta, One plans. Throttled to 128kbps thereafter

All other plans are charged at $0.01 per megabyte of data, $0.25 a minute for calls, and free unlimited texts. Those of you who have T-Mobile's T-Satellite connectivity will also be able to use that in Canada, if you ever find yourself without cell service.

Verizon

Verizon is the official Telecommunication Services Sponsor for the 2026 World Cup, and even offered free game tickets to its customers. Despite this, the carrier hasn't announced any specific World Cup-branded deals for customers travelling to games. Though it does offer various plans and perks for existing customers who are partaking in international travel.

The good news is that roaming in Mexico and Canada is actually included with all Unlimited plans — but it's not quite the same as using your phone at home. 5G and 4G data have a 2GB daily cap, and after you use it up, you'll be restricted to 3G data speeds. There are no restrictions on how much 3G data you can use, so you won't ever be cut off, but you will have to deal with much slower download speeds as a result.

If you don't have an Unlimited plan, you can pay for a Verizon TravelPass instead. Once added to your plan, these passes will offer unlimited calls, texting and data when you leave the U.S. TravelPass costs $6 a day in Canada and Mexico, which is half the price it would cost if you went elsewhere. If you choose to stick with Pay as You Go roaming, then you'll be charged $2.05 for every megabyte of data you use. A megabyte is not a lot of data, and at those prices, a single gigabyte will end up costing you over $2,000. Obviously, you do not want that to happen.

Verizon does not offer any shorter-term plans, which means you can't just sign up for a few days and temporarily enjoy the carrier's roaming plans. However, its subsidiary Visible is a totally different story.

Visible

The Visible eSIM travel pass is powered by Verizon's Ultra Wideband 5G network, and is designed to offer travellers unlimited data within the United States. The plan also includes 500 minutes of calls from the U.S. to 85 different countries and unlimited texting to over 200 countries. Don't expect ay hotspot data, though.

Sadly, this generous data allowance does not extend to Canada, Mexico, Alaska, Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands. Visible only offers 2GB of high-speed data in those regions, after which you'll be relegated to 3G speeds — though you do get unlimited calls and text messages.

The prices are easily some of the best around, thanks to Visible offering a $10 discount on each plan with the code FIFA10. This means you can expect to pay the following for each of the four passes, inclusive of taxes and fees.

Existing Visible customers from the U.S. can take advantage of the carrier's Global Pass if they plan on travelling to Canada or Mexico for the World Cup. This pass includes 2GB of high-speed data per day, with coverage downgraded to 3G thereafter, as well as unlimited calls and texts.

Coverage in Canada and Mexico is $5 a day if you have a standard Visible plan, but anyone with a Visible+ or Visible+ Pro plan has roaming already included at no extra charge.

Ultra Mobile

Ultra Mobile, which is owned by T-Mobile, has just launched some new international plans designed for all travellers — including those heading to Mexico and Canada for the World Cup. However, they do not appear to be suitable for international travellers, or anyone who isn't already an Ultra Mobile customer.

There are two different kinds of international "Go Roam" passes on offer at Ultra Mobile right now.

The Go Roam Mexico Data Pass offers 5GB of high-speed data over a period of 30 days. This plan is included with all Unlimited plans, but can be added to any other Ultra plan for $5. The Go Roam World Pass is available for either 5 or 15 days, and covers 200 other countries around the world — including Canada.

A 5-day pass is $5, bundled with 1GB of high-speed data, 100 minutes and 100 outgoing texts. The 15-day pass is $10, which offers 5GB of high-speed data, 300 minutes and 300 texts.

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No, not the novel by Stephen King, or the excellent movie starring Christopher Walken. We're talking about wireless dead zones: areas with no compatible cell signal that cut you off from all mobile services — including calls and data. 

The announcement is fairly light on details, but according to Verizon, the deal will not involve building a bunch more cell towers across the country. Instead, it's going to focus on satellite connectivity and beam a connection to your device from space from a "unified platform."

The overall aim is to, in the words of the big three, "nearly eliminate" dead zones within the U.S. This will involve reaching areas that have been underserved by major carriers, and providing reliable backup connectivity options if traditional cell signal breaks down — such as during emergencies or natural disasters.

What other benefits are there?

Customers will also apparently benefit from a consistent and simpler satellite connection, regardless of which carrier they're signed up with. That means better connectivity and faster rollout of updates and new features for everyone at the same time.

The carriers say that this will also "drive industry progress by enabling competition, fostering innovation, expanding access, and simplifying integration." The main reason is probably that working together makes it easier (and cheaper) to offer improved satellite connectivity than going it alone.

The announcement does make a valid point about satellite spectrum being scarce, and teaming up means they don't have to constantly fight just to license a fraction of the available spectrum for their customers. More access to spectrum should mean better connectivity for the end user, so long as the big three aren't allowed to dominate the skies and prevent other satellite-based companies from getting a look in.

The deal hasn't been finalized yet, and since this is only an agreement in principle, there's always a possibility that these plans will fall through. Assuming the lawyers can push this through, there's no set timeline on when the plans will actually come to fruition. So we're just going to have to wait and see how these plans pan out over the next few years.

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Unlike a traditional ISP, which requires a router, Mint Mobile's version requires a wireless gateway that connects to the closest T-Mobile cell tower and broadcasts Wi-Fi to your domicile. The plan promises download speeds of 133-415 Mbps and upload speeds of 12-55 Mbps.

You can pair it with the best cable TV alternatives to save some money as you cut the cord.

With that in mind, how does Mint Mobile compare to other home internet and mobile bundles?

We've chosen 5 internet providers that have a larger national presence for comparison.

Mint Mobile offers only one MINTernet plan, while the other companies offer at least three plans with varying speeds and prices.

For this comparison, we've chosen plans with similar pricing and mobile offerings to Mint Mobile's plan. If you want faster speeds, you'll need to pony up more per month. As an example, 1 gig internet at Spectrum is $70 a month.

These are also for plans with 1 line. T-Mobile has a plan that includes internet and 3 phone lines for $175, but no one else seems to offer a similar plan. Also, the phone bill for some companies is still separate, so you may be able to find separate deals that could save you some money temporarily.

Additionally, many of the larger companies offer deals on your first 12 months at a discount that then returns to the normal rate. We've included the normal rate so you can see the standard non-deal price.

In some cases, there are also additional offerings. T-Mobile's highest-tier internet plan, for example, comes with a Wi-Fi Mesh extender to expand the network throughout your home and gets you Wi-Fi 7.

Both Xfinity and Mint Mobile do promise a 5-year lock, excluding taxes and fees.

Some drawbacks

Additionally, there are some drawbacks, because you're using a 5G cellular network, speed can vary due to network traffic. Mint's plan also doesn't include HD video streaming.

Fiber internet service tends to be more stable and offers higher speeds, though it's more expensive across the board.

And to be clear, these companies don't offer service everywhere. You'll need to enter your address to see if your neighborhood can get service.

As an example, Verizon recently purchased Frontier, but that hasn't led to an immediate expansion of service availability. I live near a Frontier building, and yet my neighborhood isn't available for Frontier or Verizon home internet.

Mint is the winner

Overall, it appears Mint Mobile's offerings are the cheapest compared to comparable plans from other major providers.

As always with Mint, the upfront cost can be jarring if you're used to monthly payments, but it remains the cheapest option available if you want home internet and mobile bundled.

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Compared to AT&T and T-Mobile, the policies are largely the same, especially when it comes to prepaid devices. AT&T appears to still respect the 60-day window that was waived for Verizon.

Here's how the big three compare.

How we got here

In January, the Federal Communications Commission agreed to waive a 60-day phone unlock requirement that had been imposed on Verizon since 2008, when it acquired licenses to use the 700 MHz spectrum. It was reupped in 2021 when Verizon bought TracFone.

Verizon has argued that the shorter unlock window contributed to "device fraud" and increased phone prices. The FCC agreed.

“Today, criminal networks are specifically targeting Verizon handsets due to the company’s unique unlocking policies,” the FCC’s filing said.

As Ars Technica reported in January, the company almost immediately introduced a new unlocking policy for TracFone and other prepaid brands that enforced a 365-day lock period. That affects brands like StraightTalk, Total Wireless and Walmart Family Mobile.

Verizon associated MVNOs

If you're unfamiliar, an MVNO is a mobile virtual network operator. Simply, these are carriers that utilize a larger carrier's network to offer services.

Verizon partners with more than a dozen MVNOs that use its networks. Some of them are partially or wholly owned by Verizon like Visible and TracPhone. The largest and most visible one is Xfinity Mobile, which offers cell service for customers who also get internet from Comcast.

Verizon's key MVNOs are:

• Xfinity Mobile
• Twigby
• Ting
• Spectrum Mobile
• Page Plus
• Pix Wireless
• Credo Mobile
• Lively
• Net10
• Reach Mobile
• Red Pocket
• Straight Talk
• Total Wireless
• TracFone

Verizon struggling

Reportedly, Verizon is struggling to retain customers. The most recent earnings call reported a 32.6% decline in operating income and a cancellation rate of 0.95% among postpaid phone customers, a much higher rate than in previous quarters.

CEO Dan Schulman blamed it on price increases "without corresponding value," friction in billing, onboarding and customer service, and a shift to MVNO carriers.

A Market Force Information survey from 2025 found that Verizon customers, on average, spend $157 a month on their phone bills, the highest among the big three. Customer satisfaction was quite low as well.

Between price hikes, several major outages in the last six months, and now this harsher unlock policy, Verizon is doing itself no favors.

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Reports like this can be a good way to judge which of the best phones carriers is going to be the best for where you live. And given that RootMetrics' findings are based on 3 million tests conducted from July to December 2025 across the country, and in 125 major urban areas, it's safe to say it's pretty thorough.

The big winner is Verizon, which won five of RootMetrics' eight headline awards outright, and tied for another two. Its haul of trophies includes wins for overall performance and reliability, plus it scored best for general 5G performance, while also improving its download speeds in metro regions.

AT&T tied for three awards, putting it in second place. It came second on a state-by-state basis too, and managed to improve both its metro test results, managing to meet gold standard of 100 Mbps download speeds in the 125 metro test regions for the first time.

T-Mobile shares just one award - U.S. Network Speed - with AT&T, earning it the bronze medal. That said, the UnCarrier still managed to have the highest 5G availability nationally, while also improving on a state and metro level too. City-dwelling T-Mo users do especially well, as it's the only carrier of the three tested to manage 100 Mbps download speeds in every metro tested, with all but one of those also hitting the 200 Mbps mark.

In the 1H 2025 report by RootMetrics, AT&T earned four outright wins and tied Verizon for data performance and text performance. And Verizon won for network responsiveness and video performance.

Good to know — especially if you're in the market for a new phone

While anyone subscribed to Verizon is probably feeling a little smug right now, none of the big three did disasterously badly in this set of testing, so don't feel like you need to immediately escape your contract to sign up to Verizon if you're not already a member. However, it's perhaps worth keeping in mind as phone releases for 2026 start to get into gear.

The big one to keep in mind is the Samsung Galaxy S26, which is should be revealed by the end of February and go on sale in March. But the crystal ball suggests we may see the Google Pixel 10a, and perhaps an iPhone 17e, shortly after that. If you're planning to upgrade, it could be worth investigating if buying any of these phones with a Verizon contract is the best option for you, or maybe T-Mobile if you live in one of the city regions where the network fared particularly well.

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Phone carriers are constantly updating their service offerings, so even if you're not looking to change wireless providers, there's a chance you can find a better option that costs less while providing more data in return.

The trick to finding great plans? Look beyond the big names like AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon, and turn to some off-the-beaten path choices for options.

You should also ask yourself when picking cell phone plans is how much data you would be getting for my monthly payment. Also, weigh network performance along with the perks that come with a plan when sorting through various options.

The 6GB plan at Mint Mobile for people is a strong pick for who don't need a lot of data and one of the unlimited data options at Visible for those who do.

The best cell phone plan overall

Note: Mint's data increase for all its plans in June 2026 means that you now get more for your money. Even the unlimited plan now offers more hotspot data without a price increase.

Mint Mobile offers very competitive rates on cell phone plans for anyone willing to pay for a year of service up front. Now that we've had a chance to test out the carrier's service, we can confirm that the low-cost coverage (and our no.1 pick of our best cheap cell phone plan guide) comes with very reliable performance from T-Mobile's network. (T-Mobile owns Mint Mobile.)

Because most people don't need that much data, Mint's 6GB plan, available for a low introductory rate of $15/month for the first three months. (That's an upfront payment of $45.) After your three months are up, you need to pay for a full year in advance — a $180 payment — to keep that low monthly rate.

Mint believes its service is strong enough to convince you to make that commitment, and we're inclined to agree, having gotten reliably fast speeds when testing the network. In my experience, if you've got good coverage from T-Mobile in your area, you'll get that same strong coverage from Mint, with speeds only slowing if the network is congested. That didn't really happen in my time using Mint's service, though.

Mint has other plans that you can read about in our best Mint Mobile plans guide, if you want more or even unlimited data.

The best unlimited data plan

You can check our full best unlimited data plan guide for more detail, but we like Visible's options the most. Visible offers three cell phone plans, each of which delivers unlimited data courtesy of Verizon's network. (Verizon owns Visible.) You can opt for Visible's cheapest plan at $25/month for a bare-bones offering or get multiple perks for international calling with the $45/month Visible Plus Pro plan. But the $35/month Visible Plus plan is just right for most people.

Like Visible Plus Pro, the Visible Plus plan gives you access to 5G service on Verizon's super-fast Ultra Wideband network, where available. (The standard Visible plan includes 5G, but on the slower nationwide network.) You get 50GB of high-speed data with Visible Plus, and you can use your phone as a hotspot with high-speed data. Additional perks include the ability to use your plan when traveling in Mexico and Canada and one Global Pass day per month that covers international travel.

Regardless of which Visible plan you pick, taxes and fees are baked into the price, so you always know what you'll pay each month. These are the best unlimited data plans for most people, with a lower rate than Mint's regular $30/month unlimited option and no requirement to pay for a full year in advance to get that great rate.

It's been a while since we tested Visible's service, but my experience has been that it's every bit as reliable as direct coverage from Verizon. My colleague John Velasco uses Visible as his carrier of choice and swears by its service.

The best family plan

Sitting atop our best family cell phone plan list, T-Mobile has a new unlimited data plan, and it's the best option for families who want lots of data and perks to go with their cellular service — at least for as long as current pricing remains in place. The new Better Value plan at T-Mobile matches the price of four lines of the carrier's Experience More plan with better perks.

Better Value customers get subscriptions to Netflix and Hulu included with their plans; Experience More customers can only get free Netflix. The Better Value plan also includes double the high-speed data when you travel overseas along with virtually unlimited hotspot data. And you get access to T-Mobile's satellite service when you're not in range of cellular towers, something that normally is included with just the very expensive Experience Beyond option.

It's worth taking a look at the best T-Mobile cell phone plans to see what else you can choose, especially if you're a senior, with T-Mo's 55+ Savings option being the leader in our best cell phone plans for seniors guide. Also, check out the Experience More plan if you're planning on jetsetting a lot in the future, as that's our best international phone plan pick.

The best budget family plan

If you don't mind turn to a less heralded carrier for your coverage, Verizon-owned Total Wireless has a compelling offer for families. The carrier's Total Max 5G plan starts at $50/month for a single line of data. But as you add data, that per-line cost drops, helped by Total throwing in the fourth line of data for free.

That means a family of four pays $27.50 for each line of data — a monthly cost of $110.

Perks include no caps on data speeds, 15GB of hotspot data and free roaming in Canada and Mexico. Total also lets you make calls to 85-plus countries while texting 200-plus places. And you're eligible for a $200 discount on your next phone purchase after a year of payments. Throw in six months of Disney Plus streaming, and you've got a pretty sweetened pot at Total Wireless.

My colleague John Velasco hasn't used the family plan option at Total, though he did try the carrier's $40/month Total Base 5G plan for a month, finding service reliable with no real slowdowns compared to Verizon's network. A bonus for Total is that it has physical retail stores in case you need in-person help.

The best prepaid data plan

Verizon's best prepaid option offers a reasonable 15GB of data for $45 a month ($35 a month with autopay), with that price locked in for at least three years. There aren't any additional perks, beyond the ability to use your data allowance for hotspotting.

This offer means you can get a plan from a major carrier without any annual commitment, and the price you see is the price you’ll pay each month — there are no big upfront bill or hidden fees to trip you up down the line.

Coverage is where Verizon’s prepaid plans stand out: you get the carrier’s massive, reliable nationwide 5G network, and in our reviewer's experience, everyday data speeds have been entirely usable at home. Indoors, our test phone bounced between standard 5G and Ultra Wideband, averaging 69 Mbps down and 12.6 Mbps up—a practical speed for streaming and hotspot use in most neighborhoods.

The biggest catch? Access to Verizon’s blazing-fast 5G Ultra Wideband is limited to the pricier Unlimited Plus and Ultimate plans, so the Welcome tier can be slower during congestion. And in our rural speed tests, average downloads dropped to just 29.5 Mbps. That makes this plan best if you value predictability and reliable coverage over top speeds or extra perks—check out dedicated unlimited or family plans if streaming, travel, or constant high-speed data top your list.

Read our best Verizon phone plans guide for more.

The best annual data plan

As Mint makes clear, you can save big by paying for all your cell phone service up to a year in advance. And the best value for one of these annual plans comes from AT&T's prepaid service. For an upfront payment of $240, you get a year's worth of unlimited data. That works out to a monthly cost of $20, which is less than what Mint charges for its unlimited service.

There are some caveats to AT&T's plan. You get 16GB of high-speed data, which should be enough for the average user. But go over that amount and your speeds will slow down for the rest of the billing cycle. (The caps at Mint and Visible are more generous.) That $240 payment is non-refundable, so once you've signed up for this plan, you're committed to AT&T for the next year.

Perks include 10GB of hotspot data each month and unlimited texting to more than 230 countries. You also get unlimited talk to Canada and Mexico with AT&T's plan.

See what else AT&T offers on our best AT&T phone plan guide.

Best cell phone plan price guarantee

Boost Mobile is no longer a mobile virtual network operator, or MVNO, relying on someone else's towers to provide its phone service. Relaunched as its own service to compete with the likes of AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon, Boost has built out a network of its own — well, with the help of AT&T and T-Mobile to extend coverage where its network doesn't quite reach yet. And to draw attention to the its status as a national carrier, many of the best Boost mobile plans are unlimited options, with one in particular standing out at a time of fluctuating prices.

The carrier charges $25/month for its standard unlimited plan, matching Visible's lowest rate for month-to-month unlimited service. But that's not what makes this Boost offering so noteworthy. Rather, it's the fact that customers who sign up for that plan will always pay $25/month so long as they stick with Boost as their carrier.

You get 30GB of high-speed data; after using that much in a billing period, your speeds will slow down. The plan doesn't have many perks, even compared to other Boost offerings that include taxes and fees in their rate. Still, that's a fair trade-off for the certainty that your rate will stay the same well into the future. And as John Velasco found out when testing Boost's service, you get reliable and speedy coverage comparable to more established phone carriers.

How we pick the best cell phone plans

What goes into picking the best cell phone plan? We specifically take these factors into consideration when making my picks.

• Price: How much a plan costs is the first thing to look at. That doesn't necessarily mean cheaper plans are better or that more expensive plans shouldn't be considered — there are cheaper options out there than AT&T's Unlimited Extra plan for families, for example. But it's important to know upfront what a phone carrier is charging you and how that compares to the competition.
• How much data comes with each plan: A big part of how much value a plan delivers hinges upon the ratio of data to price. A lot of data for a lower price is a winning combination, which is why we tend to favor low-cost unlimited data plans. Even with unlimited data you have to be careful, though — some carriers put caps on the amount of high-speed data you get. So look for a bigger number, or no limit at all.
• Coverage: How a network performs varies widely based on where you happen to be, so you should figure out which carrier offers extensive coverage in your area by talking to friends and neighbors. That said, you can still take third-party testing data into account. And the current numbers tell me that T-Mobile's service is generally the fastest — Ookla ranks T-Mobile as the fastest U.S. network as of this writing — and it's got the farthest reaching 5G coverage. That said, Verizon continues to offer an extensive network of its own.
• Perks: Plans that pack in a lot of perks are more valuable than bare-bones offerings. Look for things like hotspot data, overseas coverage and whether streaming service subscriptions come with your plan. 5G coverage should be standard, though some plans get faster 5G service than cheaper options (such as the Visible Plus plan). Perks are a nice-to-have, not a must-have, but they can give one plan an edge over the other.
• Commitment: One of the reasons we include Verizon's prepaid plan is that it's a month-to-month plan — if a better option comes along, you can easily switch. As good as the Mint Mobile plan is, it does require a year commitment to get the best rate. It's good to know things like that when you're picking your phone service.
• Price guarantees: More carriers than ever include price-lock guarantees with their plans, like the Boost, Verizon and T-Mobile options we cite above. And of course, the advantage of committing to annual plans like the Mint and AT&T offerings is that your wireless expenses are set for the full year, with no worries about monthly rate changes.

Best cell phone plans compared

So that you can better see how much each of the best cell phone plans cost, we've put them in one chart, with their monthly rate for one line of data. We've noted where plans like the Mint's require annual payments, and the notes field also lists the family price for multiple lines of the AT&T and Total Wireless plans.

As you can see, Boost and Visible all have the lowest rate for unlimited data on a monthly basis, though AT&T's annual plan offers a lower monthly cost if you pay for a full year. Mint's 15GB plan is the cheapest of all.

As for family plans, the appeal comes from the discounts that you get as you add lines. For Total's plan, contrast the per line prices for one, two and four lines of data. (T-Mobile's Better Value plan requires at least three lines so the discounts aren't as pronounced.)

How to choose the best cell phone plan for you

Price is a big consideration when looking for the best cell phone plans, especially if you’re getting more than one line for other members of your family. Most carriers offer escalating discounts as you add lines, so you’ll want to compare the total cost of your plan based on the number of lines that require service.

Cell phone plans are about more than just the amount on your bill each month, though. As mentioned above you also need to consider who offers the best coverage in your area and whether they support the phone you’ll want to use. Our guide to the best phone carriers can answer many of those questions, but you’ll also want to ask around about how a specific carrier’s coverage is at your home and office if you’re looking to switch wireless providers.

Speaking of switching carriers, the major carriers are all willing to pick up some of the cost to get you to switch. These promotions can vary over time, so we'd suggest keeping an eye on any new carrier deals when you're mulling a switch, as you could find extra ways to save money.

Wireless carriers have spent the past several years building out their 5G coverage, and if you’ve got the right 5G phone, you can benefit from faster speeds if a carrier offers 5G service in your area. T-Mobile includes 5G coverage with all its plans, and that coverage extends to carriers like Metro By-T-Mobile, Mint Mobile and others that use T-Mobile's towers for coverage. AT&T now includes 5G with all its plans, including prepaid options. Verizon does, too, though only some plans include access to that carrier's faster 5G Ultra Wideband network.

FAQs

• Mint Mobile runs on T-Mobile
• Metro by T-Mobile runs on T-Mobile
• Tello runs on T-Mobile
• Cricket Wireless runs on AT&T
• Visible runs on Verizon
• Xfinity Mobile runs on Verizon

A number of wireless providers are betting that you will, tweaking their Black Friday deals to convince you that it's time to move your wireless service elsewhere. And they may have a point.

You'll find deals aimed at would-be cell service switchers throughout the year, but those offers seem to ramp up around Black Friday. So long as you're looking for a new phone, the thinking goes, why not consider a new phone carrier, too?

The answer, of course, is that switching phone carriers can be a hassle, particularly if you're still paying off your current phone. (To that end, most carriers are willing to pick up that balance, either in part or in total, if that's what's preventing you from switching.) If your life feels pretty hectic right now — and whose doesn't — switching your phone service feels like One More Thing where the stress outweighs the benefit.

As someone who monitors the best cell phone plans and best phone carriers for Tom's Guide, I think there's a few reasons why now is the perfect time to consider a change in wireless service.

The best deals favor switchers

Peruse the best Black Friday phone deals, and you'll notice a trend — a lot of the top offers through phone carriers require you to open a new line of data. That covers current customers expanding their wireless plans to add a new person — say, a parent getting a phone for a child — but it really benefits someone coming over to a new carrier for the first time.

Take Verizon, which is currently offering a free iPhone 17 Pro even if you don't have a device to trade-in, so long as you open up a new line of service with one of the carrier's myPlan unlimited data options. Similarly, T-Mobile drops its trade-in requirement for a free iPhone 17 Pro when you bring an existing phone number and sign up for its Experience Beyond plan. (Opting for the less expensive Experience More plan nets you a steep discount on the iPhone.)

At lower-profile carriers, you can save without even having to purchase a phone. Mint Mobile is currently running a promotion where you pay just $15/month — $45 total — for your first three months of service on any plan, not just the cheapest 5GB offer. That means you can pay $45 for three months of unlimited data through Mint, half-off the carrier's usual rate. And if you're winning to commit to Mint for a full year, an upfront payment of $180 locks in 12 months of unlimited data for that 50% discount.

Visible is running a promotion off its own, where new customers can use code 'SWITCH26' to lock in a lower rate on any of the carrier's unlimited data plans for 26 months. I think the Visible Plus plan is the best unlimited data plan you can get right now, and Visible's promotion lowers the rate by $9/month to $26. That saves you $234 over the next two years and change.

The bottom line is that there are savings to be had — either with devices or services themselves — if you're willing to change carriers.

Switching is not the nuisance you think it is

The rise of discount phone carriers without a brick-and-mortar outlet has meant that getting started with new phone service has gotten a lot easier. After all, when your customer service is limited to online interactions, you've got to remove as many roadblocks as possible.

I'm currently testing Mint Mobile's wireless service, and without tipping my hand, I was able to get service up and running on a Galaxy S25 Plus without a sweat. I had the same experience earlier in the year setting up service on an older iPhone to review Twigby Mobile.

The bigger carriers are starting to take notice. Earlier this month, T-Mobile unveiled changes to its switching process in which the carrier claims you'll be able to complete a move to its service in 15 minutes. Using an app, you'll be able to share your current plan from AT&T or Verizon to get a competing offer from T-Mobile. You can also defer a decision on upgrading your hardware.

T-Mobile's expedited switching program launches December 1 — Cyber Monday in the U.S.

Starting the year off with a smaller cell phone bill

The timing of Black Friday sales means you're getting your new phone — and potentially, a new phone carrier — right at the start of a new year. That's a time of self-assessment and making changes, so signing up with a new carrier that's charging you less for phone service gets you a head start on turning over a new leaf for the new year.

Admittedly, this is more of a vibes-based reason for switching carriers. But if there's one thing I've learned from tracking cell phone plan prices, it's that there's usually a cheaper wireless plan out there compared to what you're currently paying. If a Black Friday phone deal is what pushes you to lower your monthly bill, then all the more reason to go for it.

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The latest instance features Luke Wilson strolling around a wind-swept prairie and declaring AT&T to be the phone network to beat. This ad echoes a T-Mobile spot that debuted a few months earlier, in which Billy Bob Thornton strolls around a different wind-swept prairie while singing the praises of the Uncarrier.

Meanwhile, Verizon offers neither wind-swept prairies nor late '90s leading men in its ads, but it does include the claim that its network happens to be the best.

Three ads for three phone carriers all claiming to offer the fastest, most reliable wireless service — so which one is correct? The answer depends on whose data you're using.

Comparing the phone network ads and their claims

Let's start with the T-Mobile ad, since it was the one that triggered this latest round of "My network is better than yours" back and forth. T-Mobile rolled out the spot in June around the same time it was previewing its soon-to-launch satellite connectivity, and the ad featured Billy Bob Thornton proclaiming that the Uncarrier had overtaken Verizon in the network performance rankings.

"Now the best mobile network in the U.S. is T-Mobile," Thornton says in the ad. "Some fancy experts finished a network test, and T-Mobile sort of opened a can of whoop-up."

The fancy experts in question are from Ookla, a mobile testing firm, which had just released its Speedtest Awards for the first half of 2025. In that testing period, T-Mobile posted the best Speedtest Connectivity score, which measures speed, video streaming and web browsing performance. T-Mobile scored 79.95 in that metric, compared to 75.49 for Verizon and 72.47 for AT&T.

If you thought AT&T was going to take that lying down, you were badly mistaken. The carrier dispatched Luke Wilson to tell its side of the story in an ad that's airing regularly during this month's World Series coverage.

"AT&T is America's first network and it's still the best," Wilson assures us. "That's not me talking, that's the scoreboard."

Or rather, that's the word from Rootmetrics and its testing report covering the first half of 2025. In that report, AT&T gets the nod for best overall network performance, while also winning top honors for network reliability, network speed and call performance. AT&T and Verizon were joint winners in Rootmetrics' data performance and text performance categories.

T-Mobile didn't exactly come up empty in the Rootmetrics report. It's cited for having the best 5G availability, meaning you're most likely to get a 5G signal in more locations. Rootmetrics also called out T-Mobile's "stellar speeds in major cities."

As for Verizon, its current ads are more focused on a promotion that lets AT&T and T-Mobile customers bring in their bill to see if Big Red can offer them a better deal. But the carrier does include a nod to its own network performance in those commercials.

"Better deal, best 5G network," the ad notes, with the fine print in the commercial pointing to the same Rootmetrics report cited by AT&T. And that report does recognize Verizon for offering the best 5G experience along with the fastest and most reliable 5G performance.

And the winner is ... everybody?

Normally, when you have three different companies claiming the same thing, you'd have to assume that two of them are incorrect. But in this instance, AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon can all point to third-party reports that back up their claims.

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According to a leaked document discovered by The Mobile Report, the network carrier is set to transition away from 4G next year, which will include ending support for 5G non-standalone (5G NSA) devices as well.

The older 2G and 3G networks started shutting down in 2022, with T-Mobile only just ending its 2G network in February of this year. Doing away with the older networks opened up frequencies for 4G and 5G migration, improving the reach of the newer networks.

Per the document, T-Mobile has already started dismantling its 4G network with plans to use those frequencies for 5G over the next two years to support 5G Standalone (5G SA). Currently, 5G SA is the main version of 5G and doesn't rely on 4G infrastructure.

The document notes that LTE will exist on T-Mobile networks until 2035 to support legacy devices, likely IoT products and industrial applications, but performance will be significantly degraded.

How does this affect your device?

The first 5G phones started showing up in 2019, and most handsets available today are built for 5G. If you've bought a new phone in the last three to four years, the disappearance of 4G shouldn't affect your device at all since it's likely already 5G-capable.

During the 2G/3G transition, T-Mobile offered compatible devices, so it could do something similar for people on 4G or 5G NSA phones. What the dismantling of 4G should do is speed up 5G, giving the network access to more channels and frequencies.

Currently, T-Mobile's network has 600 MHz n71 (low-band 5G) and 2500 MHz (mid-band 5G) frequencies. The older 4G network uses 2, 4/66, 12, and some 71 frequencies; removing 4G opens those up to new 5G bands.

One example of an older device (which I still have) is the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G, which supports 5G NSA and requires an LTE and 5G signal to work, but does not support 5G SA.

Additionally, many 'dumb' phones like flip phones only support LTE. T-Mobile currently sells a TCL flip that cannot connect to 5G.

A stepping stone to 6G

The retirement of 4G on T-Mobile's network should be mostly completed in 2028, just in time for the arrival of 6G. Qualcomm has already promised that it will have 6G devices ready by 2028. Though the standard isn't expected to take effect until 2030.

Apple has reportedly been working on 6G since at least 2021. And a study from October of 2024 found that 6G is 9000 times faster than 5G, capable of sending 1TB of data per second over the network.

It's expected that 6G will most likely be built on top of existing 5G infrastructure. That said, reportedly, T-Mobile didn't use legacy 4G infrastructure to bring 5G to its customers starting in 2020. This means that it will be easier for T-Mobile to switch off 4G in favor of 5G.

As for AT&T and Verizon, those companies did use legacy 4G infrastructure so it may take them longer to transition the network.

T-Mobile's response

Tom's Guide reached out to T-Mobile for comment on its plans for LTE and the veracity of the document. A spokesperson did not comment on the document itself but implied that an LTE phase out is not coming in the near future.

"Someday far in the future – years and years from now – we’ll likely consolidate older technologies like LTE to make room for the latest and greatest, including 5G and beyond," Anushka Bishen, senior communications manager for T-Mobile, said. "For now, the T-Mobile network...has more than enough capacity to handle the heavy data demands of the modern wireless user."

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Well, it's T-Mobile's turn at the head of the line. In our most recent report on phone carriers, the Uncarrier has overtaken Verizon as our pick for the place to turn for your wireless phone service.

Picking the best phone carrier boils down to more than just who offers the lowest monthly rate for the most data — though attractively priced cell phone plans are a big part of the discussion. But there's also customer service, coverage and network performance, and the perks that come with getting your service from a specific carrier.

At the moment, T-Mobile ticks more of those boxes. Here's why we reshuffled our phone carrier rankings.

Why T-Mobile is tops

T-Mobile wouldn't seem to be a likely candidate to climb up the phone rankings after it introduced its Experience More and Experience Beyond plans earlier this year. While certainly fine options for unlimited data, they're on the pricey side — a single line of Experience More costs $85/month while Experience Beyond is $100. You'll find cheaper options at both AT&T and Verizon among the larger carriers.

More to the point, the arrival of those new T-Mobile plans came at the expense of some of my favorite offerings at the Un-carrier. Plans like Go5G Plus may still be in operation for existing customers, but you won't see those plans on T-Mobile's website anymore.

So how'd T-Mobile pull off its rise up the rankings? I think it comes down to three factors.

Great perks

Experience More and Experience Beyond may be on the pricier end of the spectrum for the best cell phone plans. But they come loaded with perks, starting with a five-year price guarantee, an increasingly popular benefit from phone carriers at a time when prices seem to be rising all around us.

But there are other noteworthy perks as well. Looking at just the Experience More plan, you get free subscriptions to Netflix and Apple TV Plus included in your plan. Considering how prices for streaming services seem to constantly be on the rise, it's good to have those folded into your price-locked wireless plan. You get 15GB of high-speed data when you travel in Mexico and Canada and 5GB in 215-plus other countries. And you can upgrade your phone every two years.

Perks are even more generous with Experience Beyond, as you'd imagine for the more expensive plan. There, you can upgrade your phone every year. You get larger data allotments when traveling to other countries. And Hulu joins the mix of free streaming services included with your T-Mobile subscription.

Earlier this summer, T-Mobile dangled another benefit toward its customers — a year of DoorDash's DashPass, promising no delivery fees and reduced service fees when you order food or groceries. Customers have until August 8 to claim that perk.

A top-ranked network

Current TV ads from T-Mobile make a lot of hay out of the fact that the carrier's network is now rated tops in the country. That's based on findings from third-party test firm Ookla, which says that T-Mobile won its Speedtest Award for best mobile network in the U.S. for testing covering the first two quarters of 2025.

Ookla isn't the only testing firm to sing T-Mobile's praises. In Opensignal's January 2025 report on network testing, T-Mobile swept the overall experience categories and also posted wins for 5G download speeds and 5G coverage. (Verizon tops the overall coverage category for Opensignal and shares honors for reliability with T-Mobile.)

It's worth noting that a third firm, Rootmetrics, recognizes AT&T as the best overall network, while also praising Verizon's 5G speed and reliability for its report covering the first half of the year. That same report does recognize T-Mobile for having the highest 5G availability among the major carriers.

New services

This coming week, T-Mobile throws the switch on its satellite-to-mobile service. Starting July 23, a network of 650-plus satellites will offer texting support when there's no cellular connectivity. The service is supposed to work out of the box with 75% of the devices currently in use on T-Mobile's network.

Data-based connectivity follows in October, which is the same month that T-Mobile expands emergency texting to any mobile customer from any carrier who's got a compatible phone. For T-Mobile customers, the service is included on Experience Beyond plans and is a $10/month add-on for other plans.

Don't overlook Verizon

I don't want to give the impression that Verizon's slip down to No. 2 in our rankings reflects any backsliding by that carrier. Really, the rankings change reflects the new things going on at T-Mobile more than anything.

Indeed, Verizon remains a formidable contender and is the carrier that I turn to for my wireless service. That's a reflection of how strong Verizon's signal is where I live and work, but there are other factors keeping me in the Verizon fold as well.

I like the flexibility of Verizon's unlimited plans, which come in three different tiers starting with the $65/month Unlimited Welcome offering. Unlike T-Mobile, you can mix and match different Verizon plans if you have more than one line, so that some lines can turn to Unlimited Welcome while others enjoy the better perks of either Unlimited Plus or Unlimited Ultimate.

I wish Verizon would follow T-Mobile's lead and add complimentary streaming services with its plans. Instead, like other perks, those are $10/month add-ons. The benefit to this approach is that you can drop extras when you don't need them, such as a travel benefit covering data use when you're overseas, that's of little use if you're not on the go. Even at $10/month, these perks save you money, as I'm able to add on the Disney Plus bundle at a $7 savings each month over what I'd pay for that streaming package without Verizon.

And, as I noted up above, Verizon gets high marks for its coverage from testing firms. Rootmetrics ranks Verizon tops in most categories surrounding 5G service, while Opensignal says the carrier has the best overall coverage experience in the U.S.

Phone carriers outlook

The point is, it's a pretty tightly contested fight between the top carriers in our rankings. T-Mobile may be the choice at the moment, but if I know one thing, its rivals will be ready to fire back very soon.

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T-Satellite launches initially with support for text messaging, with plans to offer data connectivity over satellite in October.

The T-Satellite service is the result of a collaboration between T-Mobile and Starlink that was first announced three years ago.

As detailed by T-Mobile president Mike Katz during a press event today (June 23), the T-Satellite service will be included with T-Mobile's $100/month Experience Beyond plan as well as older Go5G Next plans. Other T-Mobile plans will offer T-Satellite connectivity as a $10/month add-on.

T-Satellite: How it works

T-Satellite relies on a network of 650-plus satellites. Katz says that phones will automatically connect to the satellite-based network when there's no cellular connection, so users won't have to go through a connection process whenever they're out of range.

According to T-Mobile, satellite connectivity will work with around 75% of the devices used by the carrier's current customer base. That covers nearly any that's been made in the last four years, Katz says.

Both Android and iOS devices will have text message support at launch, and Android users will also enjoy support for MMS messaging. MMS support for iPhones will follow.

Starting October 1, T-Satellite will expand to data-based connectivity, with satellite-enabled apps from AccuWeather, AllTrails, Apple, Google, WhatsApp and X that coverage weather, mapping and messaging, among other crucial tasks for when you're in remote areas.

T-Mobile is also offering developer tools to help app makers ready their own software for T-Satellite's data service.

The initial launch of T-Satellite includes support for 911 texting by T-Mobile customers, but in October, T-Mobile says it will expand emergency texting to any mobile customer of any carrier who uses a compatible phone.

New T-Mobile promotions

T-Mobile announced the T-Satellite launch as part of an event to mark an award from third-party testing firm Ookla that names T-Mobile the best phone network in the U.S. It's quite a turnaround for the carrier which found itself ranked last in network performance surveys a dozen years ago.

"We not only dream about going from worst to best, we actually do it," said chief operating officer Srini Gopalan. "We're a good two years ahead of Verizon and At&T and i believe that lead is going to grow."

T-Mobile also made two other announcements today aimed at expanding its customer base.

Perks offered by the company to subscribers will now included a free DashPass membership from DoorDash. DashPash normally costs $10/month and eliminates delivery fees while reducing service fees among other benefits. CEO Mike Sievert said the benefit will come to T-Mobile's "most popular plans," including the current Experience Beyond and Experience More options.

In a move targeting Verizon customers looking to switch carriers, a new T-Mobile promotion called Easy Upgrade offers to pay off the balance customers owe to Verizon for their current phone.

Those switchers will then receive a flagship phone — Sievert specifically mentioned devices like the iPhone 16, Galaxy S25 and Pixel 9 — from T-Mobile.

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A Thursday report from Cybernews cited an unconfirmed dataset from a data breach forum popular for selling stolen data. The dataset contains 64 million lines of sensitive details allegedly siphoned from America’s second-largest mobile carrier, T-Mobile. That includes: full names, dates of birth, tax IDs, full addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, device IDs, cookie IDs, and IP addresses.

It's clear that data of this nature would be incredibly valuable to malicious actors. Details such as IP addresses can be used to craft highly targeted spearphishing attacks, while identifiers like full names, birthdates, and tax IDs open the door to financial fraud. Cybernews' security team also found that the leak included data points that were not revealed in previous T-Mobile leaks, such as the one in 2021 that T-Mobile just began rolling out settlement payments for.

With a potential breach of this scale, most companies would be in crisis mode the moment such news became public. But T-Mobile is adamant that the data hackers shared has nothing to do with it or its customer base.

“Any reports of a T-Mobile data breach are inaccurate. We have reviewed the sample data provided and can confirm the data does not relate to T-Mobile or our customers," a T-Mobile representative told Tom's Guide.

The representative described Cybernews' original article as misleading. They added that, given the data set's structure, naming conventions, and noticeable inconsistencies, it appears to be a synthetically generated compilation of outdated or unrelated data, which is a tactic bad actors use to deceive potential buyers.

Notably, The Mobile Report highlighted that the popular hack-monitoring website Have I Been Pwned has not updated its website to include the purported data breach. That could mean that all of the information contained in those 64 million lines either was found in previous attacks or, as T-Mobile suggests, is outdated or unrelated to T-Mobile customers.

What does this mean for T-Mobile customers?

For now, it remains unclear whether the hack is legitimate. And that leaves T-Mobile customers understandably on edge in the meantime. The claim could turn out to be false, meaning the data is from previously leaks or contains unrelated or outdated information.

However, if this is a new breach under T-Mobile’s watch, don’t expect compensation anytime soon. As I said before, payouts for the 2021 hacks only started rolling out a few months ago, suggesting that any restitution from this incident could be a long way off.

As for what you can do in the meantime, seriously consider investing in one of the best identity theft protection services or the best antivirus software. That way, whether this breach turns out to be real or not, you'll at least have peace of mind that you're doing everything you can to stay safe and secure online.

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In a post on its website, T-Mobile announced that it would offer home internet at speeds up to 2 Gbps. The most budget-friendly plan delivers 500 Mbps, which is still quite fast, especially considering the speed of fiber internet is symmetrical (it gets the same upload and download speeds).

Another feature that sets T-Mobile fiber apart from other providers is its five-year price lock. You won't need to worry about the price changing anytime soon, which is good for peace of mind in this constantly evolving economy. The prices are a little high to start with, but they're not completely out of range of other providers, especially if you have T-Mobile for mobile service.

"With the official launch of T-Mobile Fiber, we’re delivering on our promise to bring better broadband to more people — the Un-carrier way,” said Allan Samson, Chief Broadband Officer, T-Mobile. “Our new plans, backed by long-term price guarantees, are designed to give customers more choice and peace of mind."

Considering that prices are likely to increase over the next few years, the prices offered by T-Mobile for its fiber internet may seem more competitive over time.

Here's a quick look at the three plans offered by the popular carrier:

• Fiber 500 (500 Mbps): $80 / month ($75 with autopay / $60 with autopay and T-Mobile voice line)
• Fiber 1 Gig (1 Gbps): $95 / month ($90 with autopay / $75 with autopay and T-Mobile voice line)
• Fiber 2 Gig (2 Gbps): $110 / month ($105 with autopay / $90 with autopay and T-Mobile voice line / $70 with Fiber Founders Club in select locations)

The launch of T-Mobile fiber comes after a joint venture deal with the fiber internet provider Lumos. The company also has a pending acquisition of the fiber provider Metronet, which would enable it to expand its network further and offer the service to more people.

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From increasing prices to severe outages, it hasn’t been easy for traditional wireless carriers such as AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile to keep their customers. In fact, they’re losing out to cable companies of all things.

What’s really surprising is that the MoffettNathanson report shows that cable companies are tacking on new customers at an impressive rate — led by Charter Communications, Comcast and Altice USA. They added 886,000 lines during the first three months of the year, which is up from the 804,000 accounted for during the same period in 2024.

Charter Communications alone added 514,000 lines in Q1 2025, which outperformed the 495,000 lines that T-Mobile gained for the same period. Meanwhile, rivals AT&T added 324,000 — while Verizon was red for the period with a loss of 289,000 customers. Verizon recently added a 3-year price lock guarantee to entice customers, a move that aims to mitigate fears about phone plan rates continually increasing.

Comcast also saw positive gains, adding 323,000 customers in Q1 2025, with Altice gaining 49,000 customers. In total, cable companies added 19.05 million mobile lines, which indicates that more people are interested in other cell phone plans beyond those from the big three carriers.

Even though cable companies have long established themselves as budget alternatives and particularly target the lower end of the market, they’re now branching out by offering a wide range of cell phone plans — with a bigger focus on adding premium plans and devices. It also helps that these phone plan services are sometimes bundled in with home broadband service.

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Today at around 1 p.m. ET, people started heading to Down Detector to report issues with their T-Mobile service. For those who rely on the carrier for communicating and connecting to mobile data, this was a huge problem.

As expected, we also saw a spike in Mint reports, as it uses the T-Mobile network, but those have since been resolved.

As always, we monitored the T-Mobile network outage to keep you posted. Everything you need to know from user comments to T-Mobile's official response was covered as soon as it happened.

T-Mobile outage — live updates

That's the conclusion that network testing firm Ookla reached after running network speed tests on the Galaxy S25 series, along with the last four generations of Samsung flagship.

The takeaway? Today's Galaxy flagships deliver much faster connectivity, thanks to improvements in both the phones' chipsets and modems. And one U.S. network carrier in particular stood out for delivering the fastest speeds.

The data from Ookla should be interesting to anyone mulling over a new Samsung phone purchase, whether it's the already available Galaxy S25 models or the upcoming Galaxy S25 Edge release. And it also offers a look at which phone carriers are providing faster 5G speeds right now.

Galaxy S download and upload speeds

For its report, Ookla tested download and upload performance across the last five generations of Galaxy S phone, from the current Galaxy S25 Ultra, dating all the way back to the Galaxy S21 Ultra released in 2021. Tests were conducted on the networks of all three major U.S. carriers — AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon.

When running Ookla's speed text, the Galaxy S21 Ultra's fastest download speed was 269.34 Mbps, which it reached on T-Mobile's 5G network. The Galaxy S25 Ultra posted a top speed of 442.69 Mbps on that same network — a 64% improvement over the four-year-old Ultra model.

Even more recent releases lagged behind the Galaxy S25 Ultra, with the S23 Ultra and S24 Ultra posting respective download speeds of 334.22 Mbps and 358.7 Mbps on T-Mobile.

Ookla also tested upload speed numbers for its report, with the Galaxy S25 Ultra reaching speeds of 23.72 Mbps on T-Mobile's network. That's a 57% improvement over the Galaxy S21 Ultra's 15.08 Mbps result. The Galaxy S25 Ultra improved upon the S24 Ultra upload speeds by 23%.

The Galaxy S25 models benefit from Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite system-on-chip, which has been optimized specifically for Samsung's phones with a faster core CPU. But that chipset also comes with Qualcomm's Snapdragon X80 5G modem for fast connectivity.

Even though all three Galaxy S25 models feature the same Qualcomm chipset, you'll get faster connectivity from the larger phones in Samsung's lineup. The Galaxy S25 Ultra posts the fastest download and upload speeds of the current models across all three networks.

On T-Mobile's network, download speeds for the Galaxy S25 Ultra were 9% faster than what the Galaxy S25 Plus produced. The Galaxy S25 Ultra was also 12% faster on downloads than the Galaxy S25.

Which carrier should you choose?

You might notice that we've been referring to performance numbers on T-Mobile's network. That's because in Ookla's testing, T-Mobile consistently produced the best results for both upload and download speeds. (One exception: The Galaxy S23 Ultra's best download speeds were on Verizon.)

Looking specifically at download speeds from a Galaxy S25 Ultra, the 442.69 Mbps result was 40% faster than the 315.12 Mbps result on Verizon's network. AT&T brought up the rear with 216 Mbps download speeds.

That's relevant data if you're not only considering a new phone but a switch to a new carrier as well. Lots of factors determine who the best phone carrier is, but Ookla's new report would certainly suggest that T-Mobile has the edge on 5G download and upload speeds.

While Ookla's results spotlight the current Galaxy S25 lineup, it could also prove to be relevant for the upcoming Galaxy S25 Edge.

While Samsung has yet to disclose any official specs for that phone, rumors suggest that the phone maker will use the same Snapdragon 8 Elite system-on-chip found on the other Galaxy S25 models. That would mean the same X80 modem that delivered such impressive speeds here.

We should find out very soon what silicon Samsung is using in the Galaxy S25 Edge, along with the other specs of the ultra-thin addition to the S25 lineup. Rumors point to a May 13 release for the phone.

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On the positive side of things, the newly launched Experience plans boost some of the perks you get with your unlimited data while also locking in your monthly rate for the next five years. But the reshuffle also gives you fewer options at T-Mobile, and it eliminates what I considered to be the best family cell phone plan you could get at any U.S. phone carrier.

The new T-Mobile plans launched today (April 23) are Experience More and Experience Beyond. They start at $85/month and $100/month, respectively, when you apply an auto-pay discount. They also replace the Go5G Next and Go5G Plus plans that T-Mobile has offered in recent years; the standard Go5G plan is also a goner. (More on why that's a bummer below.)

Experience More and Experience Beyond: What you get

The Experience More plan offers unlimited talk, text and data, and comes with free subscriptions to Netflix's standard tier along with Apple TV Plus. You now get 60GB of hotspot data — the old Go5G Plus plan offered 50GB — and you can use your data when you travel to other countries. (Trips to Canada and Mexico come with 15GB of high-speed data, with 5GB available in 215-plus other countries; after you use those amounts, speeds slow to 256kbps.)

The Experience More plan also adds something missing from Go5G Next — satellite coverage, which is set to launch in July. It's free through the end of 2025, but after that, Experience More subscribers will need to pay $15/month to keep satellite service.

The pricier Experience Beyond plan includes free satellite connectivity beyond the end of the year. It also promises 250GB of hotspot data, along with the same streaming benefits of the Experience More plan. In addition, Experience Beyond customers get a Hulu with Ads subscription.

Experience Beyond also comes with double the data for trips to Canada and Mexico (30GB) and triple the data for the rest of the world (15GB). Like Experience More customers, the Experience Beyond plan features full-flight Wi-Fi and texting on flights where connectivity is available.

Both plans allow you to upgrade your phone — with Experience More, you can upgrade every two years, while Experience Beyond promises annual upgrades.

The big lure may be the five-year price lock, which T-Mobile is positioning as a hedge against rising costs in everyone's daily lives. However, there's a big caveat to that guarantee — the price lock only covers your monthly rate, while taxes and fees on the plans can still go up. Previously, T-Mobile baked the cost of taxes and fees into its rates.

Why the end of Go5G matters

We've been concentrating on single lines of data, but you can get multiple lines of the two Experience plans, with T-Mobile increasing the discounts as you add more lines.

Two lines of Experience More would cost $140 each month or $70/line. A family of four would normally pay $220/month, which works out to $55/line, but with T-Mobile waiving the cost of a third line at the moment, that total works out to $170, or $42.50 per line.

Experience Beyond costs $170/month for two lines; four lines of data cost a total of $215/month, with the cost of the third line waived.

That pricing is comparable to what you'd pay at AT&T and Verizon. AT&T's middle-of-the-pack Unlimited Extra plan costs just under $164/month for four lines, while four lines of Verizon's Unlimited Plus plan work out to $180/month total.

The real problem is that T-Mobile used to offer a cheaper option for unlimited data with its Go5G plan. A single line of Go5G would have cost you $75/month, but four lines of data cost just $155 with T-Mobile's third-line-free promotion. Even if you had to pay for the third line, you'd still be paying $180/month — just about what Experience More costs with a discount in place.

It's true that Experience More offers better perks than Go5G did, including more hotspot data and travel benefits. But families on a Go5G plan did get the cost of their Netflix subscription covered, along with 5GB of high-speed data when traveling in 11 countries. While some families will appreciate the better perks of the Experience More plan, others may have wanted the option of a cheaper plan.

T-Mobile does offer cheaper unlimited data plans in the form of its Essentials plan, which starts at $60/month for just one line and goes up to $105 for four lines. But perks on the Essentials plan are minimal — high-speed data is capped at 50GB, your hotspot data speeds are capped at 3G speeds, and the only place you can use data when traveling outside the U.S. is in Canada and Mexico. And even then, Essentials slows down your speeds to a crawl.

Metro by T-Mobile updates

T-Mobile isn't just tweaking its own plans. It has also made changes to the options at its Metro by T-Mobile prepaid business. Starting tomorrow (April 24), the discount carrier is introducing four new plans with five-year price guarantees of their own.

The Metro Starter plan promises four lines of data for a total of $100/month once an autopay discount kicks in, while the Metro Starter Plus plan includes unlimited data for $40/month.

A new Metro Flex Unlimited plan includes annual device upgrades plus unlimited data, with families of four paying a total of $120/month after an autopay discount. The Metro Flex Unlimited Plus plan promises a $10 discount off the current $70/month Metro Flex Plus option while retaining that plan's best perk — an Amazon Prime subscription.

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According to an update on the T-Mobile settlement website, court proceedings have been completed and checks to affected customers are expected to go out this month.

Though T-Mobile denied any wrongdoing, they did settle the lawsuit out of court. Customers who suffered financial losses from the incident and filed before the 2023 deadline may receive up to $25,000. Those who didn’t file a claim or suffer financial losses can receive up to $25, or if they are California residents, up to $100.

However, those are maximum amounts as the $350 million settlement amount, divided between 76 million people, breaks down to just $4.50 per person (before attorney fees). If you were part of the settlement, you likely received notice but if you’re unsure as to how the breach may have affected you, check the FAQ section of the lawsuit website for details. Alternatively you can call 1-833-512-2314 for additional information.

While T-Mobile had said that the 2021 data breach did expose names, addresses, Social Security numbers, drivers licenses, and ID information, no payment data was accessed.

This means that if you were involved in the breach, you should be monitoring your credit closely and thinking seriously about investing in one of the best identity theft protection services.

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In the announcement, T-Mobile stated that the Starlink beta will be open until July for compatible Android phones and iPhones. T-Mobile also stated that customers don't have to be part of T-Mobile to sign up for the beta. Any customer with any carrier will be able to access the beta without needing to swap over to T-Mobile. If you want a chance to test out Starlink, then you can sign up here.

After launch, Starlink will be added to the T-Mobile Go5G plan at no extra cost. Users with other T-Mobile plans can get access to the feature for an added $15 a month from March 1st. To access the beta you'll need an eSIM-compatible phone, which includes devices like the iPhone 14, Galaxy S21, Google Pixel 9 and later.

However, at this point, users can add T-Mobile Starlink now and get an Early Adopter discount that will cut $5 from the monthly price. It appears that users without T-Mobile will not have access to the feature after the beta ends.

Originally announced as only for Samsung phones like the Galaxy S25 Ultra and the Galaxy Z Fold 6, Starlink is a feature that wants to capitalize on satellite communication.

Then, back in January, T-Mobile announced that the feature was also coming to iPhones that had downloaded iOS 18.3.

While many devices offer SOS communications over satellite, Starlink separates itself by allowing users to send texts, calls, images and more. In a recent post on social media, Elon Musk also stated that Starlink would soon be able to send videos.

There's been a certain amount of concern about iOS 18.3 forcing the feature onto iPhones without the users' consent. We found several online conspiracies saying that Starlink is being forced upon users, which was seemingly pushed by recent reactions to Elon Musk and DOGE. However, it is worth noting that iOS 18.3 only allows you to use the feature; it doesn't download anything Starlink-related to your device.

The idea of giving more people access to the beta of a feature is an interesting one, and it could work in T-Mobile's favor in the long run. However, adding $15 to an existing monthly bill for a feature that many may never use might be asking for too much.

For the time being, we will have to wait and see what the initial reactions and experiences are like.

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AT&T, billed as the “neutral host provider” that will support other carriers, is building on work done in 2022 with an upgrade to its distributed antenna system (DAS) that it claims will provide reliable service in and near the Superdome as well as the adjacent Smoothie King Arena. There’s an improved outdoor antenna system to handle tailgaters. The telecom is also highlighting longer-term upgrades in New Orleans, including at hotels, and will have 11 “COWs” (Cells on Wheels) in the area for temporary boosts.

All of the upgrades beyond the wheeled sites are permanent, AT&T’s Madelynn Taylor tells Tom’s Guide.

Other carriers are promising similar network revamps. T-Mobile is refreshing its stadium antenna system, and boasts that its major cell sites near the Superdome will support downloads up to 920Mbps. Capacities at the airport, convention center, hotels, Smoothie King Arena, and French Quarter have also jumped, T-Mobile adds, with download speeds peaking at 975Mbps. There will be few temporary upgrades — just one COW and a SAT/COLT (Satellite Cell on Light Truck) to support NFL broadcasts, spokesperson Mason Miller says.

Verizon, in turn, is promising high-speed C-Band and Ultra Wideband 5G in “every seat, suite, and concourse” in the stadium, along with new fiber optic infrastructure rollouts that will cover highly frequented areas including the Smoothie King Arena, airport, convention center, and Bourbon Street. C-Band sits in a frequency sweet spot, so it ideally offers the meaningful speed boost of 5G without as many coverage problems as high-frequency Ultra Wideband (aka millimeter wave, or mmWave in Verizon-speak).

These upgrades are not only lasting, Verizon’s Lauren Peterson explains, but are reportedly strong enough that the carrier doesn't see the need to parade “fleets of vehicles” to show that it’s upgrading connectivity in the city. That’s as much practical as it is a marketing flex, as just over half of the 61,629 attendees at last year’s Super Bowl were Verizon customers, according to the carrier.

Beyond Super Bowl Sunday

No matter which phone carrier you talk to, you’ll hear vows that these phone network upgrades will help New Orleans residents long after Super Bowl LIX is over.

AT&T is adding more C-Band 5G spectrum downtown, and has four new small cell nodes with C-Band overlaying 69 of them. Meanwhile, T-Mobile president of technology Ulf Ewaldson stresses that bolstered 5G will support businesses and their customers well beyond the football spectacular. Verizon says it’s adding more than 200 small cells and matching antennas that cover the “hottest spots in town,” not just sports arenas and other fan gathering places.

As proof that these aren’t one-time initiatives, the telecoms point to their track record for 2024’s Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas, not to mention other sporting events.

T-Mobile blanketed Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium with distributed antennas, added 17 small cell sites city-wide, and made strategic network upgrades at both the airport as well as hotels like Cosmopolitan and Fontainebleau. Verizon spent over two years preparing its network for the game with both stadium upgrades (such as nearly triple the 5G bandwidth versus 2023) and across-the-city capacity growth that included C-Band access.

All of Verizon’s Las Vegas upgrades were meant to stay, Peterson says. That included additional millimeter wave and C-Band radios at Allegiant Stadium as well as better coverage at city fixtures like the Strip, the airport, and the convention center. While there were half as many radios added then as for New Orleans in 2025, that didn’t appear to be an issue given data speeds that were supposedly three times faster than with competitors.

Why the focus on enduring network upgrades? It largely comes down to public perception. At a minimum, this is marketing: by associating permanent upgrades with the Super Bowl, carriers burnish their image and potentially attract more subscribers. You may be more likely to sign up if you know that you’ll get fast speeds when you attend a Saints game next season thanks to all those Superdome upgrades.

There’s a political aspect, too. Congress, regulators, and local governments have routinely investigated cellular availability, including coverage gaps, spectrum allocations, and 5G deployment funding. If carriers highlight what they’re doing to improve service, they theoretically remain in politicians’ good graces.They might receive contracts, secure funds, and avoid regulatory battles.

Why these network improvements matter

Moreover, the firms have acknowledged that forward-thinking network investments can pay off in not-so-direct ways. Taylor notes that many of the AT&T teams involved in Super Bowl LIX upgrades worked on past Super Bowls, and that each event is a learning experience. The “number one lesson is to start planning early,” Taylor adds. AT&T was already prepping the New Orleans overhaul soon after the 2022 NCAA Men’s Final Four basketball weekend in New Orleans.

The communications giant also got to test its revamped service before the football final when Taylor Swift swung by for the Eras Tour in late October 2024. That was an “amazing pressure test,” according to AT&T’s Taylor. While the company says the refined New Orleans network performed “spectacularly” for Swift’s visit, Taylor notes that optimizations have been underway since. The Smoothie King Arena upgrade is currently wrapping up, too.

Other carriers see comparable benefits. Miller says that T-Mobile views major events as a “great way to double down” on permanent network upgrades that are already underway. The carrier has been tying these expansions to events for over a decade, he adds. Verizon, in turn, mentions that this is the first event “of its kind” to be monitored by cloud-based vRAN technology that lets it shift and optimize capacity in real time.

As such, there’s evidence that Super Bowl-linked permanent upgrades will continue, or at least will be heavily advertised when they take place. It’s an opportunity to grab the spotlight, of course, but it also serves as a motivator for the carriers themselves. It tests their ability to manage huge amounts of traffic in concentrated areas, and the know-how they gain can translate to other cities and events. For AT&T and T-Mobile, these are also chances to overtake Verizon and score both practical and symbolic victories.

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Instead, denizens of TikTok and the internet are claiming there's something more insidious in the update. And it all ties back to Elon Musk and the satellite internet company Starlink.

Among the changes to iOS 18.3 is the addition of Starlink satellite connectivity for T-Mobile customers. That addition allows T-Mobile subscribers to sign up for a beta program to test out the satellite connectivity offered by Starlink as part of a partnership between T-Mobile and SpaceX first announced three years ago.

That's created some confusion, with some corners of the internet claiming that Starlink is being forced onto the iPhones of everyone, not just T-Mobile customers. Some are even drawing parallels to Apple's ill-fated attempt to automatically download a new U2 album onto every iPhone a decade ago whether customers wanted it or not.

So what's really going on? Here's what we've been able to find out.

Starlink on T-Mobile iPhones: Why are people concerned?

On a basic level, no one wants things shoved on their devices that they didn't ask for. The iOS 18.3 update is also arriving at a time when SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has taken on a major role in the new Trump administration with his DOGE project. That may have have raised suspicions about this Musk-adjacent product.

As understandable as those reservations may be, it's worth noting that iOS 18.3 does not download or install anything Starlink-related on your phone. T-Mobile subscribers who opt in to the beta are connecting to spectrum on T-Mobile's network through which they can send messages when other connectivity is unavailable.

What is T-Mobile doing?

T-Mobile and SpaceX, which operates Starlink, launched a partnership in August 2022. Dubbed "Coverage Above and Beyond," the team-up aims to give T-Mobile subscribers "a crucial additional layer of connectivity in areas previously unreachable by cell signals from any provider."

SpaceX launched a Falcon9 rocket in January 2024 with the first batch of Starlink satellites that featured "Direct to Cell" service. At the time, those satellites were only capable of SMS messaging with voice support promised by 2025. Since then, T-Mobile claims that 330 satellites have launched.

Basically, the Starlink satellites use T-Mobile's 1900MHz mid-band spectrum to broadcast a new network that is both 4G and 5G capable.

In mid-December of 2024, T-Mobile opened up a beta Starlink messaging program for some Samsung Galaxy users. "T-Mobile Starlink is the first major low-earth orbit constellation in the world paired with terrestrial cellular spectrum," said Mike Katz, T-Mobile's president of marketing, in a press release at the time.

So it's important to note that this beta is open to both iPhone and Android users.

What about AT&T and Verizon connected devices?

Apple and T-Mobile have both stated that this Starlink beta only applies to compatible devices that are specifically on the T-Mobile network.

AT&T and Verizon both have partnerships with other satellite service provides. Last year, both companies teamed up with their partners to launch or enable satellite services for phones on their networks.

AT&T utilizes satellites from a company called AST SpaceMobile, which launched satellites in last September. The plan is to eventually offer data, text, video and voice services via this partnership. It's unclear how far along that process is now. Like T-Mobile, AT&T will likely charge for this service when it's up.

AT&T did get in trouble before that September launch when it ran ads that seemed to depict satellite calling that was not available.

Verizon, meanwhile, is partnered with a company called Skylo. A press release from last August announced that "starting this fall, customers on certain smartphones have access to emergency messaging and location sharing even when a terrestrial cellular network is not available."

Verizon expects to launch texting via satellite this year, with a beta program getting underway at the end of January.

Independent of all that, the Emergency SOS feature that's been a part of iPhones since the iPhone 14 uses Globalstar satellites, which is separate from these different carrier partnerships.

So what does iOS 18.3 actually do?

Simply, with the iOS 18.3 update, Apple is enabling anyone with an iPhone 14 or newer to connect to the T-Mobile beta. You do need to be on a T-Mobile customer to access that feature.

For those who don't want to bother with satellite communication at all, you can turn off satellite connectivity in your iPhone. To do so, open the Settings app go to Cellular and then your carrier or phone number. From there tap Satellite to turn it off. Apple notes on a support page that if your carrier does not support satellite features then the setting won't be available.

What we don't know

While the T-Mobile/Starlink beta is free, T-Mobile's sign-up page reads, "T-Mobile Starlink is free during the beta test. We will provide more details about the commercial service at launch."

It's unclear when how long T-Mobile plans to run the beta program.

T-Mobile will probably charge a fee to access the service when it goes commercial, though we don't know if there will be a data cap.

Will the list of compatible phones expand? Right now, it's only available to some Samsung Galaxy devices, Pixel devices and iPhone 14 or newer models from Apple.

If you try signing up with an older device, you might receive this T-Mobile message: "Thanks for your interest in T-Mobile Starlink beta. To ensure the best possible experience and service reliability, we're optimizing T-Mobile Starlink beta for newer smartphones (majority released in the last two years). More devices will be optimized over time so please stay tuned. Find out more: https://sms.t-mobile.com/z3iPTYsK"."

Once it goes live will you be able to opt out like you currently can via the Settings app? That's all unclear for now.

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Starlink support was already confirmed for select Samsung Galaxy phones, and now it’s branching out to more devices — including Google Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL.

Pixel 9 owners that have signed up for T-mobile’s Starlink beta program have already started receiving messages that they’re now eligible to take part. This message claims that users can message from “virtually anywhere”, and the only requirement is that you have the correct hardware and up-to-date software.

The correct hardware, of course, being satellite-capable hardware — something that the Pixel 9 does include. It’s unclear what software version is needed to access this feature, though since Android 15 includes satellite support that certainly couldn’t hurt. Not that I imagine there are many Pixel 9 owners that haven’t upgraded to Android 15 already.

So far it isn’t clear what kind of connectivity will be available to Pixel 9 owners. Elon Musk previously tweeted that the “current generation Starlink direct-to-phone constellation” supports medium resolution images, music & audio podcasts. However T-Mobile’s beta page specifies that the service is currently only available for text messaging — with voice and data coverage planned for some point in the future. So don’t expect much more than basic SMS-style texting for now.

T-Mobile doesn’t have a definitive list of devices that are eligible for the beta, though it has confirmed that the beta test is free.

Despite this, spaces are apparently limited and will be available to a “smaller number of T-Mobile postpaid customers” with the appropriate phones. You can register for a chance to join in on T-Mobile’s website, providing your name, email and phone number.

If you don’t want to wait, Google is providing 2 years free access to its Satellite SOS feature. The upside is that it’s not limited to T-Mobile customers, but the downside is that this is an emergency feature — and can’t be used to text your mom when there’s no cell signal. However Apple’s recent Messages via Satellite feature does let you send non-emergency messages, which is worth bearing in mind as well.

Neither of these features utilize Starlink infrastructure either, if that’s something that matters to you.

In any case it is a good thing to see that satellite communication is on the upswing, even if it is restricted to the most basic kinds of messaging. These are features that can (and have) saved lives, and the easier they are to access the better.

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Originally spotted by Bloomberg, it seems that Apple has secretly worked with SpaceX and T-Mobile U.S. to provide an alternative satellite service. This is quite a surprise, as T-Mobile had previously specified Starlink as an option for Samsung phones, like the Galaxy S25 Ultra and the Galaxy Z Fold 6. Meanwhile, Apple has an in-house Satellite connection service due to a partnership with Globalstar Inc.

However, the Bloomberg report states that a select number of iPhone users have been able to enable the Starlink beta through T-Mobile. While we don't know which models will be compatible as of yet, T-Mobile told Bloomberg that the full release will support the vast majority of iPhones.

We also have an idea of what features it could bring, as Elon Musk posted on X that Starlink currently supports the transfer of images, music and even Audio Podcasts. He also said that the next generation will be able to transfer medium-quality video.

Currently, the T-Mobile Starlink beta is limited, but there are plans to expand the test to additional subscribers. If you want to join the beta then you can sign up on the T-Mobile website. However, it is worth noting that Starlink is only available in the U.S., and while it might be free during the beta, that is likely to change.

iPhone users in the program need to have updated to iOS 18.3, then they will see a new toggle in their iPhone cellular data settings to manage the feature.

There are certain advantages to satellite communication, especially when it comes to emergencies. In the case of Apple devices, it was introduced for iOS 18 and is supported on the iPhone 14, iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 series. The feature is easy enough to use and seamlessly integrates with iMessage. The feature will activate as soon as the phone detects no cellular or Wi-Fi signal and supports both standard SMS and iMessage.

While it is good to see that Apple users will have more options, the real question is how much a Starlink connection will cost. The issue is that, outside of emergencies, the ability to send images and podcasts via the service seems minimal for the average user.

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The first report of the beta going live came from a user on Reddit, who stated that they were let into the carrier's satellite messaging beta with no notification, text or email that it was available. The service was activated for them on their Magenta Max T-Mobile plan. The User, RoosterIntelligent32, also shared a screenshot of the satellite messaging options.

The image gives us some idea of how the feature will work. It appears that devices will connect to satellites as soon as the phone leaves network range, and will automatically reconnect when back in range. The page also notes that, for the best results, users should keep a clear view of the sky. Once your phone has connected to the satellite you'll be able to send and receive messages. In certain areas, it will also be possible to send text messages to emergency services.

The image also details that connecting to satellite networks is likely to take longer than a stable network connection. The connection can also be interrupted by certain structures and weather. Unfortunately, it is also clear that making phone calls over the satellite connection isn't possible. However, calls to emergency services may go through if you're close enough to a mobile network.

This isn't the first time that we've seen the satellite service on a phone go live with no warning. For instance, back in May, several users for T-Mobile reported that the feature had gone live on their devices after the release of the Android 15 beta 2. Meanwhile, we got a proper look at how satellite communication could work thanks to a recent report that got the feature working in Google Messages.

Satellite messaging will likely not affect many people in their day-to-day lives. However, it could help people in situations where their phone is otherwise useless. For the time being, we will have to see how well the feature works when it finally rolls out.

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One of the big features mentioned for Android 15 was the support for Satellite messaging. However, while the OS is capable of using the feature, it still requires support from carriers to actually work. Yesterday T-Mobile announced that its satellite messaging service, in collaboration with Starlink, would be going into beta mode. While its eventual release would make it possible to communicate via satellites, we had no idea what the feature would look like, until now.

In a recent report, Android Authority was able to get the satellite connectivity options to appear in the Google Messages app. When activated it appears that the messages app will send a pop-up that encourages users to connect to the satellite to send and receive messages. Unfortunately, there doesn't appear to be an option to connect to group chats, so they may not be supported.

According to the report, the pop-up will appear as soon as users leave both cellular and WI-FI range, and can be activated with the press of a button. The connection will also be cut as soon as a user gets back into a range of more terrestrial connection sources.

Satellite messaging is one of the more helpful upgrades to smartphone technology in the last few years, with Apple launching Emergency SOS via satellite in 2022 with the iPhone 14 series. This year Apple debuted the ability to send messages via satellite with iOS 18. The advantages are obvious from an emergency perspective as it allows users to connect wherever they might be.

Android 15 has been out for a long time, so it's a bit disappointing that this feature still isn't active yet. In fact, Google is tipped to launch Android 16 earlier than expected with a possible launch date of June 3.

We don't know when T-Mobile, or other carriers, will make Satellite Messaging available to the public. However, there is no doubt that it will be a massive improvement to some of the best Android phones when it finally does.

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At 11:15 a.m. Pacific, the network carrier T-Mobile suddenly experienced a massive outage with reports spiking over 13,000 in the first fifteen minutes on Down Detector. At it's peak the outage saw over 19,000 reports.

Initially, based on Down Detector reporting the outage appeared more widespread with major reports in Chicago, Kansas, and Atlanta.

However, T-Mobile informed Tom's Guide that service was only interrupted in the Salt Lake City area.

Another outage site downforeveryoneorjustme reported that 98% of people are saying that they have No Service at all.

The outage started around 10:40 a.m. Pacific, hitting its peak just around 11:30 a.m. After that reports hit a steady decline until around 1:30 p.m. Pacific.

In a statement to Tom's Guide a T-Mobile spokesperson said, "A facility in the Salt Lake area had a brief mechanical issue that impacted connectivity for some customers in that market, but this is now resolved and service is restored. We apologize for the inconvenience. "

The initial announcement was made on June 27, but the FCC officially proposed the rule change less than a month later on July 18. When a rule is officially proposed, typically, the FCC allows for comments and responses from the public. 

Network carriers T-Mobile and AT&T released their response to the rule this week. The proposal would require carriers to unlock phones with 60 days of activation, even if under contract and not paid off.

The two carriers are arguing that unlocking phones so soon is actually harmful to their customers claiming that locking a phone to a provider makes the phones cheaper for both the companies and their customers. Consumer advocacy groups have said that the FCC's rule helps give people more choices and would lower their costs.

"If the Commission mandates a uniform unlocking policy, it is consumers—not providers—who stand to lose the most," the company wrote in an October 17 filing to the FCC. "T-Mobile noted that consumers risk losing access to the benefits of free or heavily subsidized handsets because the proposal would force providers to reduce the line-up of their most compelling handset offers

In July's Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, T-Mobile was specifically highlighted by FCC because of a policy where prepaid handsets sold by the sub-brand Metro are locked to the network for at least a year after purchase.

In T-Mobile's response (seen by Gizmodo) the company said, "A handset unlocking mandate would also leave providers little choice but to limit their handset offers to lower cost and offer lesser performing handsets."

In the proposal the FCC argues that "Even after fully paying for the phone, [customer's] ability to switch to another provider is limited by the locked phone. Additionally, locked phones, particularly those tied to pre-paid plans, can disadvantage low income consumers, as they often lack the resources to switch carriers or buy new phones."

As we found in June, three big carriers are all over unlocking after 60 days, T-Mobile actually offered 40 days, as long as your device is completely paid off.

How carriers lock you in

Typically though, these contracts have customers locked to higher-tier plans with "free" devices that get paid off as part of the contract. As an example, T-Mobile is currently offering the iPhone 16 Pro for free with "24 monthly bill credits" with those credits going away if you cancel before two years is up and it requires a Go5G Next plan, which is T-Mobile's highest available tier and costs $180 per month (for up to 3 lines). In the FCC's plan, there would be a hard requirement for unlocking to solve some of the confusion around plans like this.

Verizon, which has not made a public comment, doesn't have as stringent requirements surrounding their contracts possibly because of requirements imposed on the company after it purchased new wireless spectrums. That said, they do still push customers into higher tier contracts to receive "free" devices, like T-Mobile and AT&T.

"When you buy a phone, you should have the freedom to decide when to change service to the carrier you want and not have the device you own stuck by practices that prevent you from making that choice," FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said at the time of the proposal.

At the end of the day, two-year contracts and "subsidized" smartphones hide the true costs of the devices in people's pockets. Unbinding contracts and handset pricing might reveal the true cost of phones and how much you're actually paying. Locking obscures the price and keeps people stuck with carriers longer than they potentially want to be.

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The first study took a look at the state of 5G connectivity in the United States. T-Mobile took top spots for speed and coverage in a speed study from Ookla. Surprisingly, and for the first time in awhile, a different network carrier took the top spot in RootMetrics' 5G testing. 

Of the three major metrics that were looked at, Verizon was awarded the winner in two: speed and reliability. T-Mobile won for availability, confirming data from the previous Ookla report. AT&T was generally in third place.

It's a pretty significant shift from the 2023 report that came out earlier this year. In that study, T-Mobile was tops in availability and speed. Verizon still won for reliability in that study.

Across the board, what seemed to separate Verizon from its competitors was the company's network speed outside of major metropolitan areas. Seemingly, the big 3 carriers all have very similar performance in cities, but once you leave high-population centers it can get more spread out.

Based on the most current study and the earlier 2023 one, the difference is what data Rootmetrics used. Previous studies apparently mostly just looked at metropolitan areas or combined urban stats and rural stats. 

The newer study separated out data for rural areas and shows a marked difference between the carriers as they get away from cities.

Accordingly, Verizon also won its seventh straight "Most Reliable 5G" award from RootMetrics, which was bolstered by the new inclusion of rural scores in this year's study.

Perhaps T-Mobile will catch up as the company is showing a commitment to be available everywhere.

The second study from the firm was on the state of mobile through the first half of the year. 

For the most part its a summary of "awards" for how each carrier performed in various markets across the country. However, there are some insights that can be gleaned. 

T-Mobile continued to have the best download speed across major markets capable of hitting 100 Mbps in every market. 

In general, every company was able to improve their download speeds, though AT&T trailed the other two by quite the margin in most tests. Though the report claimed that AT&T performed better in categories like call and text performance. 

Should you consider switching carriers if the numbers speak to you? 

Perhaps. Verizon appears to have the most consistence performance across the board, while AT&T looks to be decent at everything, and T-Mobile has the coverage and speed.

None of that guarantees that you will be able to connect to the network and get those services. Tom's Guide editor Mark Spoonauer recently switched from Verizon to T-Mobile and found that his devices did not enjoy the speed and coverage that the network supposedly provides.

And they are close enough in score that you should find pretty good service everywhere, especially metropolitan areas. 

If the network isn't working, you could always check out some of the best carriers that aren't the big three. 

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The report furnished by Ookla, a web testing and network diagnostics company, looked at several metrics over the first half of 2024. T-Mobile was either comfortably ahead of competitors Verizon and AT&T or blowing them out of the water. 

Ookla studied the speed of the network carriers' mobile networks, their 5G network speed, network consistency, video experiences, gaming experiences and how consumers felt about their carriers. 

In the mobile network and 5G tests, T-Mobile's network showed median download speeds of over 220 megabits per second (Mbps). Verizon and AT&T were further away at around 110 Mbps on their mobile networks. The report notes that Verizon has significantly improved since last year, with their 5G speeds hitting 191 Mbps compared to 146 in 2023.

All three companies were relatively similar in consistency, as Ookla tests found that they all exceeded 80%, meeting the threshold of 5 Mbps download and 1 Mbps upload throughput. T-Mobile was the highest at 86%.

Similar stories can be read in video and gaming for the trio of network carriers. And they weren't far off in consumer sentiment, with AT&T being rated the lowest at 3.14 stars out of 5, while T-Mobile was at 3.79 stars out of 5.

It should be noted that these tests are a general outlay of the United States. On a state-by-state level, it can be a different story. For example, Illinois had the fastest median download speeds of around 160 Mbps. Meanwhile, states like South Dakota, Maine and Vermont hover around only 42 Mbps, an astounding drop-off. T-Mobile led the pack in every state except North Dakota, where Verizon is the fastest.

Should you switch to T-Mobile?

With all this talk of superior speed and consistency, should you consider switching to T-Mobile? 

Maybe.

Since acquiring Sprint and its network in 2020, T-Mobile has been integrating the yellow carrier's network into a nearly 100% pink coverage map. This isn't to say that the coverage is always good, though.

Our global editor-in-chief, Mark Spoonauer, recently switched from Verizon to T-Mobile; in his words, it's been a total disaster. 

Based out of New York, the T-Mobile network consistently had problems staying connected or getting connected for him.

"Overall, I’ve not been satisfied with T-Mobile’s network based on my experience so far. It has simply not been reliable enough for calls. Even while writing this story and talking to my wife on the way home, she cut out every few sentences or so, and I kept having to ask her to repeat herself. That's not sustainable."

Is one man's anecdotal evidence enough to say you shouldn't try it?

Not necessarily, but it is something to consider if the speed tests made your eyes go wide with network envy. 

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At first I can’t get through at all. I try redialing three times. No dice. I thought there was something wrong with my iPhone 14 Pro Max at first. Then I finally get through to my wife, but she says I’m going in and out as I’m talking. Then I get a Call Failed message seconds later. 

I call back once more and quickly say we’ll just talk when I get home. I didn’t want to get cut off again.

Welcome to T-Mobile, where you’ll likely pay less, but you’ll really make up the difference in frustration. I recently switched from Verizon to T-Mobile and so far it’s been a very frustrating experience.

Not so hotspot 

To be fair, I’m just reporting about usage in a couple of states in specific locations, but one of them is one of the most crowded and densely populated corridors in the Northeast U.S.

Three days a week. I get on the bus, open my laptop and connect to my iPhone to use as a hotspot. This starts in Freehold, NJ, and goes all the way up to Manhattan. It’s about a 1.5-hour commute, and I travel through several towns on Route 9, then the Garden State Parkway followed by the New Jersey Turnpike.

Yes, it’s a long haul in both directions, but the time goes fast normally because I’m generally connected the whole way on Verizon. Not so with T-Mobile. During my morning commute one day this week, I got disconnected a few times and several other times, the connection was just too slow to load web pages fast enough.

At one point, I couldn’t even send and receive messages in Slack. This does not take much bandwidth. A few times, I took my iPhone out of my pocket just to see the signal strength, and it either showed one bar or that my phone was switching between 5G and 4G LTE.

Granted, Verizon wasn’t perfect during my time with the network. There were times when I had a slow connection for a few seconds while passing through a dead zone, but it always bounced back to normal quickly. More significantly, I can count on one hand how many times I’ve experienced failed calls over the last few years on Verizon. I had more of them on one day on T-Mobile.

I also experienced situations where my iPhone simply won’t make calls while on the road home from the hospital. I kept trying to call my son only for the call not to connect. So I waited a couple of minutes, and then it went through. Not exactly a confidence boost.

On the plus side, T-Mobile’s network was pretty reliable to and from Virginia Beach. I had my iPhone connected to CarPlay and used it with Waze for navigation, and I didn’t experience many hiccups. I stopped for gas halfway through and it took a little bit for Waze to reconnect.

I also listened to a bunch of episodes of SmartLess on Spotify during my drive and those played without a hitch. Only a couple times while listening to music was my iPhone a bit slow to skip to the next track on T-Mobile. Not terrible.

Bottom line 

Overall, I’ve not been satisfied with T-Mobile’s network based on my experience so far. It has simply not been reliable enough for calls. Even while writing this story and talking to my wife on the way home, she cut out every few sentences or so, and I kept having to ask her to repeat herself. That's not sustainable. 

And while I can get work done on this T-Mobile 5G connection, it’s simply not as consistent as what I’ve experienced on Verizon on the same route.

Even on the way home from my recent trip from Apple's WWDC event I noticed a very stark difference between T-Mobile and Verizon. Usually after landing at Newark I can connect to Verizon's network within 30 seconds. It took several minutes to get a signal on T-Mobile under similar circumstances.

The bottom line is that I’m willing to give T-Mobile a bit more time before I switch back. But I may be heading back to Verizon. 

Tell us what you think: Have you switched from Verizon to T-Mobile or do you use T-Mobile and want to share your experience? Please leave your feedback in the comments. 

But what if money is not just a concern, but the only concern? What if you're looking for the cheapest plan available, regardless of any perks it contains.

Well, I can help you there, too.

When the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) expired in 2024, I started compiling the absolute cheapest data plan options out there. I figured that without an ACP subsidy helping defray the costs of wireless phone service, low-income households might be desperate to find ways to keep recurring costs as low as possible.

Prices haven't abated since then. In fact, I'm sure that even if you've never heard of the ACP before this, you've been going over your budget, looking for ways to cut costs.

I've kept my list of the lowest-priced options at the best phone carriers updated, even adding some lesser-known services I've since evaluated. If you've decided that your monthly wireless bill is the place to start cutting, use this list of low-cost data plans as your reference point.

Cheap unlimited data plans

We've focused on tiered data plans because they tend to be the more affordable option. But as our research into the best unlimited data plans has found, you don't need to pay big bucks to enjoy unlimited data.

One way to keep the cost of unlimited data down is to pay for service up front. Just like Mint Mobile's 5GB plan gives you the best rate when you pay for a year in advance, so does the unlimited data plan at the carrier. A full year of service costs $360, which breaks down to $30 a month, though Mint runs promtions that can lower the upfront cost.

AT&T has a lower ceiling to its prepaid unlimited plan — just 16GB — but its upfront cost is lower than Mint's too. You'll pay $240 for a year of AT&T's service, which translates to $20/month for unlimited data.

Not everyone can swing that big upfront cost. Here are the three lowest monthly rates we've seen for unlimited data.

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According to a report by Android Authority, users on T-Mobile’s Reddit community report that the “Satellite Messaging” feature has gone live for them. Erichola, a Reddit user on T-Mobile's Magenta plan, shared a screenshot from their Pixel 7 that showed satellite messaging was now included with their account. Another Redditor, Jonathan3579, also reported the same on their Pixel 8 Pro that was subscribed to a "converted SWAC (Sprint Wireless Advantage Club)" plan.

Satellite communication has been rumored to be part of Android 15 for a while, with lines of code found in Google Messages hinting at the feature. T-Mobile also announced that it was working with Space X to release satellite communication to LTE-capable phones and we would see connectivity later this year.

Why don't more phones have satellite connections?

Satellite communication is difficult to implement on phones, partially due to requiring specialized hardware to function. While there are options, they are an added cost that hardware developers can't always afford. Part of this increased cost is due lack of an industry standard for connection, which has led to hardware vendors creating their own proprietary solutions. 

However, the feature is still being worked on with a particular focus on SOS services. For instance, Apple released its SOS satellite service for the iPhone 14 which aims to help people in areas with no signal reception, and Google was working on a similar feature. Android 15 will also allow users to share their location on Google Maps via Satellite instead of over WiFi.

T-Mobile's version is less specific, and will reportedly allow users to text anyone. While this is a great idea it should be noted that the feature has not been officially released yet, so it is unlikely anyone can send any messages.

For more news on what is coming with the next Android update check our Android 15 hub which we update with all the news and rumors as we hear them.

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The wireless carrier announced on Wednesday (May 1) that it's officially completed its acquisition of Ka'ena Corporation, the parent company of direct-to-consumer prepaid wireless carrier Mint Mobile, international-focused carrier Ultra Mobile, and wholesale wireless company Plum. 

T-Mobile said that it plans to keep the existing leadership team in place, including Mint co-founders David Glickman and Rizwan Kassim at Ka'ena Corporation. It will retain actor and Mint Mobile spokesperson Ryan Reynolds in his existing role.

Last year, the company revealed that it was planning to acquire Mint Mobile and its parent company Ka'ena Corporation. The company said at the time that it would acquire Ka'ena with a combination of cash and stock, and would pay up to $1.4 billion for the company. 

Needless to say, it was a major move for T-Mobile, which has been trying to build out its broader wireless business in competition with AT&T and Verizon. While there are plenty of prepaid wireless carriers in the market, Mint Mobile's alignment with Ryan Reynolds, along with its unique marketing efforts, has made it a standout in the space.

Indeed, T-Mobile said on Wednesday that it doesn't plan to change much at Mint Mobile and will follow Reynolds' lead in marketing the brand going forward. It also said it hopes to integrate some of Mint's marketing tactics into its own efforts.

Looking ahead, however, T-Mobile said it plans to enhance its offerings to customers. It said it will make a $15 "Commitmint" starting today that all Mint Mobile customers will continue to have access to its $15-a-month plan through the end of the year.

In the coming months, T-Mobile will add a feature to both Mint and Ultra that will help customers identify if a call is spam. It also said that it will soon add unlimited talk and text, along with 3GB of high-speed data, while roaming in Canada for free. It'll also allow Ultra customers in Mexico to get enhanced data roaming options.

For now, then, don't expect much to change if you're using Mint Mobile or Ultra. But as we've seen with a countless number of acquisitions over the years, over time, as leadership changes occur and parent companies want to find ways to get more out of their investments, changes become inevitable. And while it doesn't appear too many changes will be happening this year, keep a close eye on T-Mobile next year as it potentially eyes changes.

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AT&T customers woke up Thursday morning to realize they couldn’t make any phone calls. More than 70,000 customers were without cellular service and internet, according to outrage report website Downdetector — and it continued well on throughout most of the late morning on the east coast. Most of the outages were reported by customers located in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, and Los Angeles.

In am earlier message on its site, AT&T said that “some customers in your area are having trouble making or receiving calls. As a result, we are experiencing long hold times. We apologize for this inconvenience and we are working to resolve this issue.”

It was also believed that Verizon and T-Mobile customers were reporting service outages as well through Downdetector, but it appears as though it wasn't because of their service. Rather, their customers were trying to reach those on AT&T. 

Fortunately, AT&T's network outage wasn't an extended one. By the late afternoon, the company released a statement saying that its service was fully restored. Here's what happened.

Now that people are turning their attention to the best Cyber Monday deals, I hope any search for a discount on a phone includes checking out the offers that wireless carriers are making this weekend. Because if you want a top Cyber Monday phone deal, chances are you'll find it with the company that provides wireless service for that device.

This time of year, all of the best phone carriers are looking to bring in new customers, and they figure the best way to do that is by offering phones at a very low cost — and in some instances, no cost at all.

Wireless providers aren't letting you have the latest iPhone, Samsung device or other handset at considerable discounts out of the kindess of their hearts — they want something in return. Namely, by distributing credits for your free phones over 24 to 36 months, phone carriers can ensure a couple of years of you paying for their wireless service.

Which is not to say you should turn your nose up at any of these offers — getting a free flagship phone is almost always a winning proposition. You should just know the terms of these deals heading into your shopping spree, so that you know what's required of you, whether it's a device trade-in, committing to an unlimited data plan or both.

I lead the coverage for wireless carriers here at Tom's Guide, so I'm always keeping an eye out for the deals they're offering on smartphones and monthly service. If your holiday wishlist includes a new phone, these are the best offers on phones I've found this weekend. I've also included a few deals that look to reduce what you spend on your monthly cell phone bill instead of your next phone.

Black Friday phone deals at wireless carriers — Quick links

• Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus: was $999 now free with Galaxy Watch 6 @ Verizon
• iPhone 15 Pro: was $999 now free with trade-in + unlimited plan @ AT&T
• Google Pixel 8 Pro: was $999 now free with trade-in + unlimited plan @ T-Mobile
• iPhone 15 Pro: was $999 now $60/month @ Boost Infinite
• Buy 3 months of wireless service, get 3 months free @ Mint Mobile
• Buy an iPhone or Pixel, save up to $240 on service @ Visible
• Sign up for 1 line of unlimited data, get a 2nd line free for 12 months @ Xfinity Mobile

Best Black Friday deals available at wireless carriers right now

There's one other deal I want to call your attention to, though since it only runs through Sunday (November 26), it may be gone by the time Cyber Monday rolls around. Still, if you want one of the better midrange phones to come out this year, you can pick up a Samsung Galaxy A54 for $139 @ Straight Talk. When I reviewed the Samsung Galaxy A54, the phone cost $449, so that's a considerable discount, especially when you consider that the A54 features the same 50MP main camera used by the pricier Galaxy S23.

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• Black Friday iPhone deals live — 15 best sales to shop now
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Of course, if you go shopping for devices as much as I do, then you probably know getting a “free” phone often means trading in an old one. Oftentimes, the trade-in never gets you the full amount that the deal advertises, which is why you’ll be thrilled by this Cyber Monday deal on the Samsung Galaxy S23.

Right now you can get a free Galaxy S23 at T-Mobile for Cyber Monday. And the best part? This offer doesn’t require a trade-in of any kind. You simply need to add the phone to your cart, activate it on a new line on either T-Mobile's Go5G Next or Go5G Plus unlimited data plans, and commit to that service for 24 months.

This phone costs $799 normally, so getting it for free at checkout makes it better knowing you don’t have to part ways with your current phone — which you could use as a backup or hand-me-down.

You might think that these cell phone plans have to be obnoxiously expensive for T-Mobile to hand over the Galaxy S23 for free to buyers. You’ll need to choose the $90/month Go5G Plus or $100/month Go5G Next plans to activate the Galaxy S23, which do seem costly, even for an unlimited data plan, but it does come with some perks. For example, subscriptions to Netflix and Apple TV+ are included with both plans. And yes, you’ll have video stream quality up to 4K UHD.

Beyond the cell phone plan, the Galaxy S23 is still a formidable phone packed with rich features. Its specialty is in being great at capturing photos and video with its triple camera, along with the muscle power of its Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for graphically intensive gaming. Over on the productivity side, it’s one of the few phones to offer a desktop-like experience courtesy of its Samsung DeX experience — so you can connect a monitor to it and access an interface similar to a Windows 11 desktop PC.

If these reasons aren’t enough, knowing that you won't have to pay a single penny to pick up the phone is worth it. Add that to the fact that this deal doesn’t force you to trade-in your old phone to get a discount on it is even better. Be sure to check out our Cyber Monday phone deals page for more discounts. 

These days, wireless carriers want to steer you toward unlimited data, and it’s a tempting argument. The best unlimited data plans give you more than enough data to stream all your favorite shows and music on the go — not to mention handle all your gaming, browsing and app use. But more often than not, unlimited data is the most expensive option available at a wireless carrier — hey, there’s a reason they’re pushing you in that direction — and for some people, all that data can be overkill.

Unfortunately, there’s no definitive answer on what the best cell phone plan is — it really depends on how you use your mobile device. Some people use their phones as their primary device throughout the day, making unlimited data a more practical choice. Others may only use their phones sparingly, making them a better fit for low- or tiered-data plans. And there’s plenty of smartphone owners between those two extremes.

Add to that the differences in what kind of streaming content you consume. If you’re watching movies in HD and playing online games, you’ll undoubtedly need more data than the person who just streams some music and visits the occasional website.

If you struggle to know just how much data you should be paying for each month, consider this a guide on how to determine your data needs when you’re searching for a new data plan.

Knowing your data plan options

Depending on who your carrier of choice is — or who you might be switching to — you’re going to find a host of data usage options. The Big Three carriers — AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon — emphasize unlimited data for their postpaid plans, but if you consider their best prepaid phone plans, you’ll find tiered data geared toward people who don’t want or need unlimited data. T-Mobile, for example, lets you spend as little as $15/month for 3.5GB of data. (The disadvantage with that low-cost plan is that once you’ve used those 3.5GB, you’re out of data for the remainder of the monthly billing cycle.)

As you might expect, the more data you plan to use with one of the Big Three carriers’ plans, the more your plans will cost. Take Verizon, which has a $35/month prepaid plan offering 15GB of data. Switch over to the carrier’s postpaid unlimited plans, and you’re looking at a nearly twice that for the entry-level Unlimited Welcome plan.

Unlimited data doesn’t have to be expensive — provided you’re willing to look beyond the major carriers’ offerings. At discount providers like Mint Mobile, Visible and Tello, for instance, you can find unlimited data plans for $30 or less. And those plans all use the networks of more established carriers (T-Mobile in the case of Mint and Tello, Verizon for Visible). The catch is you won’t find as many perks, and your traffic will get deprioritized if the network your own is congested. (Mint also requires you to pay for a year of service upfront for its $30/monthly unlimited plan pricing.)

Just remember that even unlimited data plans aren’t entirely unlimited. Many carriers set limits on just how much data you can consume in a given month before your speeds are slowed, especially on lower-cost unlimited plans. Visible’s cheapest $25 unlimited plan will slow your speeds whenever there’s heavy traffic, while you get 50GB of data on Visible’s $45 unlimited plan before your speeds are slowed. Mint Mobile can start slowing things down once you hit 40GB. At the larger carriers, caps on high-speed data vary from plan to plan.

You can consult our assorted guides to cell phone plans for more information on different pricing options, including a look at the best cheap cell phone plans under $40 a month.

Determining your data usage

In addition to pinpointing how much you might have to pay, it’s helpful to figure out how much data you’re using. Fortunately, that calculation is a lot more straightforward than figuring out what different carriers charge for data.

Instead of evaluating your daily habits, you can instead head over to your phone’s settings to see how much data you’ve used over a period of time. On an iPhone, you can find that by tapping to Settings > Cellular, Cellular Data, or Mobile Data (depending on your version of iOS) and see your data usage. Android users can find their usage by tapping Settings > Network & Internet > SIMs > App Data Usage.

Armed with that data, you can then get a sense of which plans may be best based on how you currently use your devices.

Data usage by mobile activity

Maybe you’re wondering what’s taking up all that data. Or maybe you’re new to mobile hones and haven’t really developed a steady history of usage. In either case, consider how you plan to use your device and how much data that’s going to require.

Determining data usage is a decidedly more difficult task, but companies like Verizon and AT&T have tried to provide general estimates so you can get a sense of your data usage. Here’s a rundown of common tasks based on that data to give you a better sense of where all the data goes.

That info from AT&T isn’t based on specific apps, but it still provides a framework around how the apps you use will greatly affect your data consumption. For instance, if you spend most of your time in Netflix and YouTube streaming video, you’re more likely to hit a lower data cap than if you spend your time listening to music or podcasts. Indeed, just streaming a one-hour video in 4K on Netflix will cost you nearly 6GB of data, compared to an hour on Spotify, where your music streaming will account for roughly 4MB of usage.

Useful data usage calculators

Since everyone’s phone usage differs, there’s a handful of reliable data usage calculators available for you to calculate your own expected consumption. 

AT&T’s calculator offers sliders that let you see how data usage changes based on the amount of time you watch video or how many emails you send. T-Mobile and Verizon both offer sliders and filters so you can check on data usage based on time. All of the calculators keep a tally as you go, so you can see just how much data you may use.

Tips for saving data

No discussion on data usage is complete without looking into ways to conserve the data you have. After all, if you want to consume content on your device, finding ways to do that without hammering your pool of data can save you in the long run.

For one, consider using your phone’s settings to turn off the ability for certain apps that use a lot of data to work on a cellular network. You may also find some apps that come with data-saving features that you can turn on in-app.

Background refresh in apps running on your device, along with GPS tracking can also put a hit on data usage. Follow our guides on how to turn off background app refreshes on your iPhone and restrict background data on Android. 

When it’s time to download files like podcasts or videos, doing so over a Wi-Fi connection instead of cellular can keep your data count low, too. In fact, whenever you can safely  jump on a wireless network instead of using your data network, do it. You’ll use less data over time.

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• How to activate an eSIM on an iPhone
• What is RCS messaging — and what it means for Android and iPhone users

Some people may not be ready for that kind of commitment, and if that includes you, you should try Visible, which not only offers month-to-month payments but unlimited data at an unbelievably low rate.

That's the appeal of prepaid plans, where you can set up your cellular service without a credit check and get a fixed rate each month that's not subject to overage fees and other surprise payments. In most case, you've also got the flexibility to switch carriers if a better option comes along. You'll sacrifice perks with prepaid service, but you'll usually wind up paying less than you would with a post-paid plan while enjoying the same coverage and performance.

Let's dive into my best prepaid phone plan backs, including a look at who's the best fit for each plan and why you should turn to prepaid service.

Let's dive into the best prepaid phone plan picks, including a look at who's the best fit for each plan and why you should turn to prepaid service.

The best prepaid phone plans available right now

The best prepaid phone plan overall

Note: Mint's decision to increase its plans' data limits for no extra cost means what used to be the 15GB plan is now a 17GB plan. All other plans have gained extra data too, or hotspot data in the unlimited plan's case.

Who should get Mint Mobile's plan: Anyone who can swing a big upfront payment and who doesn't need a lot of hands-on customer support. Students and young adults who want to make one annual payment and not worry about monthly due dates will also appreciate Mint.

What you need to know about Mint: Mint Mobile has a good range of plans, with the carrier's 17GB option providing a nice chunk of data at a low monthly price. You pay $20/month for the first three months of service — an initial $60 upfront cost. After those three months are up, you would need to commit to a full year of service to keep your $20 rate — that means a $240 one-time payment, but that's the only bill you have to worry about for the next 12 months.

Looking at Mint Mobile's best plans, you can go cheaper if you want — a 6GB plan costs $15/month ($180 for the full year) — or ramp things up to a $30/month unlimited data plan. When I set up service with the carrier for my Mint Mobile review, I really appreciated the way you can look at the different data options and get a recommendation for a plan that fits your needs.

Mint relies on the network of parent company T-Mobile for its wireless coverage. Having used Mint's service for three months, I found that speeds generally matched what I get from a post-paid plan. I never experienced the slowdowns on T-Mobile 's network that Mint customers can be subject to in times of heavy traffic.

You can use your Mint data plan to provide hotspot data for other devices — an invaluable perk in my opinion — and you're able to make calls for free to Canada and Mexico.

Read our full Mint Mobile review.

The best prepaid unlimited data plan

Who should get Visible's plan: Anyone who needs a lot of data for less than $40/month and lives in an area with strong Verizon coverage. You'll also appreciate the high-resolution streaming if you watch lots of video on your phone.

What you need to know about Visible: At $35/month, the Visible Plus plan I'm recommending isn't your cheapest option for unlimited data — not even at Visible, which offers a $25 starter plan. What's more, Mint Mobile and AT&T both charge less if you pay for a year of service in advance, while Boost Mobile also has a lower monthly rate without that annual commitment. But I think Visible offers the best mix of price and perks with Visible Plus.

You get unlimited high-speed data with Visible Plus, and video streaming resolution can get as high as 1080p. You also get one Global Pass day per month that allows you to use your plan overseas; you can bank up to 12 of those passes to cover future trips. (The more expensive Visible Plus Pro plan offers two Global Passes.)

We tested out Visible's service and found that it usually matches Verizon's coverage. Although that's not surprising — Verizon owns Visible.

Read our full Visible review.

Best prepaid plan value

Who should get AT&T's plan: People who want a fixed monthly rate but aren't comfortable with less well-known carriers will find AT&T to be a more reassuring choice — especially if they can make a one-time payment to cover the full year of service.

What you need to know about AT&T: Mint Mobile isn't the only carrier to offer lower rates in exchange for a full-year commitment. Pay AT&T $240 up front, and you can get unlimited data for the next 12 months — a price that works out to $20/month. That's $10 cheaper than Mint's regular price.

AT&T's plan comes with some limitations. Unlike the unlimited plan at Mint or the Visible Plus Plan where you can use up to 50GB of high-speed data, AT&T puts a 16GB cap; after that your speeds slow down for the rest of the month. While many people won't hit that limit, it's a trade-off to be aware of when deciding which plan to use.

Testing firm Rootmetrics says AT&T had the best performing network in the first half of 2025, though, and prepaid customers should benefit from that reliability and speed — provided they don't hit that 16GB data cap.

The best tiered plan from a big carrier