Carriers

Report Claims Steve Jobs Has Been Mysteriously Meeting With China Mobile Execs

Cody Lee ∙ August 18, 2011

If you're wondering what China Mobile is and why it's brought up so frequently, let me break it down for you. The Asian operator is the largest wireless provider on the planet, with more than 600 million subscribers. And they don't carry the iPhone... yet.

The potential of 600 million new iPhone prospects has investors and tech pundits foaming at the mouth, and it has led to countless rumors regarding the partnership. That said, the latest gossip claims that Steve Jobs himself has been heavily involved in the ongoing dealings...

AT&T Drops Lowest Cost SMS Plan, Goes Unlimited or Nothing

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated April 3, 2018

An interesting move is on the cards from U.S. carrier, AT&T, according to Engadget and a subsequent AT&T press release.

The blog claims that 'multiple sources' point to AT&T dropping its 1,000 message $10 bundle, which would leave just two options for new customers – stump up $20 for the still loving unlimited SMS plan, or pay per message....

UK Carrier O2 Already Getting Ready For iPhone 5 Launch

Guest Author ∙ August 16, 2011

Network provider O2 has notified its UK retail stores that they will be carrying out a three-week process to swap the old iPhone displays with new ones in order to get ready for the release of Apple's next iPhone.

The news was brought to light by several MacRumors readers, and this report confirms the rumor of an early-September iPhone 5 launch.

Continue reading for the notice sent by O2 to its UK retail stores...

Rogers Employees Begin Pre-Launch iPhone Training

Cody Lee ∙ August 12, 2011

As we slowly start to enter the expected timeframe for Apple's iPhone 5 announcement, expect the amount of leaks/rumors to grow substantially. Steve Jobs and company have done a good job guarding their secret thus far, but the weeks prior to launch can get tricky.

The closer we get to an official announcement, the more likely it is that more people have been told about the device. That seems to be the case here, as iPhoneinCanada is reporting that Canadian carrier Rogers employees are starting their "pre-launch" iPhone training...

Great News: iPhones Stolen During London Riots Are Unusable on Carriers

Oliver Haslam ∙ August 11, 2011

With so many companies as well as individuals now beginning to count the cost of the recent riots across the UK, it's impossible to overlook the one product that seemed to be most popular amongst those looting — smartphones.

Apple's iPhone was one of those to see huge numbers begin appearing on Cragislist and other online marketplaces. Macworld UK went to the major carriers and asked just what would become of the stolen handsets.

The answer? They're worthless...

Verizon Expected the iPhone 5 in June, Not this Fall

Alex Heath ∙ August 10, 2011

With a statement that only proves how thick Apple's iron curtain of secrecy really is, Verizon Communications CFO Fran Shammo made a comment today at the Oppenheimer Technology & Communications Conference that Verizon expected Apple to release the iPhone 5 this Summer.

Fran Shammo isn't exactly known for keeping a lid on Apple-related news, as he also said earlier this year that Apple's next smartphone would be a "global device."

Did a Support Rep Confirm a Sprint-Bound iPhone?

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

Alongside the iPhone 5 rumors we hear on a seemingly daily basis, there has also been a lot of speculation that Apple would be expanding its carrier partnerships this Fall. Although they've come a long way from 2007, there's still a huge opportunity for growth.

The gossip thus far has focused on a possible deal with China Mobile and their 600 million subscribers, but there has also been some chatter regarding the 2 major U.S. carriers left that don't carry Apple's smartphone...

Get Real-Time Data Usage Tracking on Your iPhone With DataMan Pro [Review and Giveaway] [Winners Announced]

Alex Heath ∙ Updated February 18, 2018

Keeping track of your data consumption is becoming an increasingly important habit for smartphone users. Carriers have started enforcing tiered data plans, and data consumption is becoming more expensive for those that use their devices heavily.

AT&T recently announced that it would begin throttling unlimited data customers in October, so everyone will need to be monitoring their data consumption soon. On the iPhone, there's an excellent app for real-time data tracking called DataMan Pro...

Apple to Unveil 4G TD-LTE iPhone 5, According to China Mobile

Alex Heath ∙ August 4, 2011

After months of "being in talks" with China's largest carrier, China Mobile, Apple seems to have closed a deal with the carrier that includes distribution for the upcoming iPhone 5. On top of that, China Mobile is now saying that it has reached an agreement with Apple to bring an iPhone 5 with 4G speeds to its network.

The report doesn't directly imply that a 4G-equipped iPhone would release on China Mobile this Fall, and recent reports have said that a 4G iPhone won't be seen until at least 2012...

Another “Spy Photo” of the iPhone 5

Cody Lee ∙ August 4, 2011

You know Apple is about to launch a new product when spy photos of the device start surfacing in bunches. Last week 9to5Mac posted a blurry snapshot of a purposed iPhone 5 in the wild, but most folks wrote it off as a 3GS.

Today, MacRumors posted another foggy photo of what could be Apple's next smartphone. The image depicts a device that seems to match up with some of the rumors we've heard regarding the iPhone 5's design, and is believed to have been taken in the office of a French carrier...

AT&T Confirms That It Will Throttle Top 5% of Unlimited Data Users Starting October 1st

Alex Heath ∙ July 29, 2011

Following the rumor that AT&T would beging throttling unlimited data customers for excessive use, AT&T has officially confirmed in a press release that such a procedure will fall into place this October. Starting October 1, AT&T will begin to implement data throttling for the top 5% of customers that remain on the unlimited data plan.

This move follows in the footsteps of Verizon, who is already throttling its unlimited customers in the same way.

AT&T to Start Throttling Unlimited Data Plans This Fall in Time for the iPhone 5

Alex Heath ∙ July 29, 2011

Customers that are still on AT&T's unlimited data plan may soon see some of their grandfathered privileges revoked, as AT&T will reportedly begin throttling data hogs on its network come October.

Verizon has already started throttling 'unlimited' data customers, and AT&T looks to be adopting the same practice— all in time for the iPhone 5's launch in September. AT&T will be implementing this throttling to help speed up its slow 3G network that has plagued iPhone users for years.