LTE

Sprint to fix an issue preventing iPhone users from connecting to LTE cellular data

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 1, 2016

Sprint customers took to Reddit to complain about the inability to connect to Sprint's LTE cellular data network after upgrading to Apple's iOS 9.3 software update last week. The most recent iOS 9.3.1 update does not appear to have fixed the issue.

Sprint has acknowledged the issue in a text message to affected users and promised a fix, which will likely be delivered in the form of an over-the-air carrier settings update. “Your iPhone may be having data connection issues with the recent software update,” reads Sprint's message. “We're working quickly to fix. We apologize for the inconvenience”.

How to disable cellular data for specific iPhone apps

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated January 19, 2023

Many carriers impose caps on your cellular data. For this reason, iOS includes a feature that lets you limit what apps are allowed to access the internet using cellular data. This is particularly useful for limiting those data-hungry apps from causing you unwanted cellular bill overages each month.

In this tutorial, we'll be showing you how you can disable cellular data for specific apps on your iPhone or iPad.

How to see how much data your iPhone apps are using

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated December 7, 2022

With the imposing data caps cellular carriers like to put on their users, it's important to be able to keep track of your data, so you don't hit expensive data overages each month.

In this tutorial, we'll walk you through the steps to find out how much mobile data your iPhone apps and services are using individually.

T-Mobile is offering 4 lines of unlimited LTE for $150

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 30, 2016

T-Mobile has just made its existing Family Match promotion a little more tempting. As was announced this morning, the carrier is offering data-hungry families up to four lines of unlimited LTE data for just $150 per month for the entire family, which works out to $37.5 per line.

“Now get 2 or more lines of Unlimited 4G LTE for the price of a 10GB plan, or 10GB for the price of 6GB,“ teases the carrier. And for a limited time, T-Mobile's customers on a Simple Choice Family plan can get a fourth line at no additional charge.

Some AT&T customers can now make VoLTE calls to people on other carrier networks

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 31, 2015

United States carrier AT&T said yesterday that some of its customers in select areas can now make Voice-over-LTE (VoLTE) calls to users on other carrier networks. Cross-network VoLTE calls are currently supported for just one unnamed carrier, but AT&T will eventually implement support for multiple carriers.

Unlike traditional calls that use a carrier's voice network (which is separate from a 3G/4G data network), VoLTE calls use a 4G Long-Term Evolution (LTE) network, resulting in crisp sound quality and optimized bandwidth use.

Sprint launches LTE Plus network in 77 markets with speeds up to 100Mbps

Cody Lee ∙ Updated June 13, 2018

Sprint on Wednesday announced that it has flipped on the switch for its LTE Plus network in 77 major markets. The next-generation network is now available in several big cities across the United States, including Los Angeles, Dallas-Fort Worth, Orlando and Boston.

In a press release, Sprint CTO Dr. John Saw explains the benefits of LTE Plus over standard LTE, such as stronger and more reliable service, and of course faster speeds. Saw says the new technology is capable of peak speeds in excess of 100Mbps on compatible devices.

T-Mobile’s new 4G LTE CellSpot launches Wednesday, free for Simple Choice customers

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated September 6, 2017

Wireless carrier T-Mobile today introduced a new home device designed to provide a strong, reliable wireless 4G LTE signal for customers with or without an indoor cellular signal.

Dubbed the LTE CellSpot, the device requires availability of T-Mobile's wireless spectrum, but can also work in certain areas without cellular signal.

The CellSpot is launching Wednesday, November 4, and will be provided at no charge to T-Mobile's Simple Choice postpaid customers for as long as they’re with T-Mobile.

Intel has 1,000 engineers working on integrated LTE modem for iPhone 7

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 28, 2016

According to a report this weekend from VentureBeat, chip giant Intel has assembled a team of 1,000 engineers who are working hard on adapting its LTE modem for an 'iPhone 7.'

The move potentially indicates a major loss for Qualcomm, which supplied LTE modems for the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus and previous iPhones. Intel's lauded 7360 LTE modem chip is being reworked for an iPhone, the story asserts.

Moreover, VentureBeat claims that Apple could, for the first time ever, embed the modem chip into its in-house designed A-series system-on-a-chip, resulting in an even tighter component integration.

Breaking down the iPhone 6s model numbers and LTE band capabilities

Jeff Benjamin ∙ September 13, 2015

Apple is shipping four different models of iPhone for its yearly refresh. The iPhone 6s sports two models—A1633 and A1688, while the iPhone 6s Plus feature models A1634 and A1687.

Although both iPhones in the 6s and 6s Plus lines are virtually the same, the model numbers differentiate the cellular LTE band capabilities of each phone. Thus, by familiarizing yourself with each model number, you can learn what networks each phone will support.

Why is this important? Say you wanted to order a new iPhone 6s in rose gold. As you might have heard, rose gold is proving to be very popular, and is selling out quicker than some of the other iPhone color options. Rose gold 64GB iPhones designated for T-Mobile and Verizon are now on backorder for 2-3 weeks.

But some rose gold models remain available—for example, some Sprint-designated rose gold models are still shipping on 9/25. By using our knowledge of iPhone model numbers, we might still be able to obtain a rose gold iPhone 6s to use with a provider like T-Mobile or Verizon by purchasing the Sprint model...

T-Mobile starts punishing data-hungry customers who conceal their tethering

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 31, 2015

T-Mobile announced today that it will throttle LTE data and speeds for users on unlimited plans who illegally use more data than they bought by concealing their tethering.

A small percentage of T-Mobile customers on unlimited 4G LTE plans have been discovered to be gaming the system in order to make their tethering look like smartphone usage.

T-Mobile's Simple Choice plans offer a set amount of mobile hotspot data (up to seven gigabytes) and include tethering at no extra charge. Making tethering look like smartphone usage allows data-hungry customers to use significantly more 4G LTE tethering than their plan includes, with some people consuming up to two terabytes a month.

Their activities have a “disproportionately negative impact” on other users as these rule-breakers “can compromise the network experience for other T-Mobile customers.” The carrier will now clamp down on those people by starting to throttle their data speeds, especially if the carrier determines that they're misusing their data to access peer-to-peer file sharing networks.

AT&T cutting prices of shared data plans and unveiling new ones tomorrow

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 14, 2015

U.S. wireless carrier AT&T announced this morning a few notable changes coming to its shared-data plans beginning tomorrow. For starters, customers on existing Mobile Share Value Plans with fifteen and twenty gigabytes of cellular data will now pay less for their high-speed 4G LTE data: the 15GB plan will drop from $130 to $100 per month while the 20GB tier will go from $150 down to $140 per month.

T-Mobile unveils 10GB per person family plan

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 30, 2016

T-Mobile's Un-Carrier Amped initiative continues unabated with Tuesday's announcement of a brand new plan which offers families of four a cool ten gigabytes of high-speed 4G LTE data each, in exchange for an average monthly fee of $30 per person.

The way it works is this: two lines get ten gigabytes of data per line for a total of $100 per month ($50 per line), with a third line getting the same 10GB allowance in exchange for $20 per month and a fourth line being offered at no additional charge.

If you do the math quickly in your head, that's a total of $120 per month for four lines, each with 10GB data allowance.