Carriers

Apple Planning Big Things for the iPhone in China

Alex Heath ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

The iPhone's presence in China is about to get supercharged, thanks to an alleged agreement between the nation's largest carrier, China Mobile, and the folks at Cupertino. The Wall Street Journal reports that Apple and China Mobile are "getting closer" to an iPhone deal for the carrier's 600+ million wireless customers.

Once China Mobile joins China Telecom and China Unicom as the third carrier to offer the iPhone in the world's most populated nation, we're sure Apple will start bringing in international profit but the truckloads...

T-Mobile Now Selling Micro SIM Cards for iPhone 4

Guest Author ∙ July 22, 2011

Rumors are that Apple will come out with an iPhone capable of running on T-Mobile's 3G/4G network, and today T-Mobile took the first steps in the Apple/T-Mobile partnership. T-Mobile is now giving free Micro SIM cards to its customers.

This news comes after T-Mobile announced they have over one million unlocked iPhones on their network. It has been over a month since Apple started selling unlocked iPhone 4s in the US that work on T-Mobile's EDGE network.

AT&T Offers iPhone 3GS Refurb for $9

Alex Heath ∙ Updated March 18, 2019

A recent rumor is that Apple will start offering the iPhone 3GS as its "low-end" consumer device this Fall with a $350 off-contract price tag. Previously, it was speculated that Apple would introduce a second iPhone 'Nano' model in the coming months for the prepaid and cheaper phone markets.

AT&T has started offering the 8GB iPhone 3GS as a refurb for only $9. Usually, these types of price drops mean that a carrier is trying to get remaining units off the shelves, so we find it unlikely that the 3GS will be of any interest to Apple come this Fall.

China Telecom Will Offer iPhone Before Year’s End

Alex Heath ∙ July 13, 2011

China Telecom, a carrier in the world's largest mobile market, plans to offer the iPhone before the end of this year. Rumors are that Apple has been talking behind closed doors with China Telecom execs for months about bringing the iPhone to the Chinese market, and Apple's acting CEO, Tim Cook, was recently spotted at China Mobile HQ.

It's unclear as to when China Telecom will sell the iPhone exactly, but it's expected that we'll see Apple's flagship device on the carrier by at least December...

AT&T Memo Hints at an October 4th iPhone 5 Launch Date

Cody Lee ∙ July 13, 2011

If you think iPhone rumors are bad now, just wait until we get into August and September. Until Apple unveils its next smartphone, the entire tech industry is in a game of "guess what and when" for Apple's next announcement.

While the answer to the first question seems to vary depending on who you ask, most folks tend to agree that the device will launch sometime this Fall. Now the exact date is anybody's guess, but 9to5Mac just received an interesting tip that could suggest we'll see the new iPhone launch on October 4th...

iPhone to Get AT&T’s Standard Insurance on July 17th

Alex Heath ∙ July 5, 2011

AT&T has finally announced that it will be offering its standard Mobile Insurance program for the iPhone starting July 17th. All iPhone models will have the option of a $4.99/month fee that protects against theft, loss, physical injury, liquid damage and mechanical or electrical malfunction.

The main catch is that existing customers won't be able to update their current iPhone model with AT&T's new policy. The carrier's update only applies to new customers or upgrades within the last 30 days.

Existing Customers Will Be Able to Keep Unlimited Data Plans on Verizon

Alex Heath ∙ June 24, 2011

We recently told you about the nation's second largest carrier dropping its unlimited data plan for a tiered structure similar to that of AT&T. More details have surfaced, and the good news is that existing customers will be able to keep their coveted $29.99 unlimited data plans with an ongoing Verizon contract.

Like AT&T, Verizon will be grandfathering in existing customers for continued use of the unlimited data plan.

China Now the App Store’s Second Largest Market

Alex Heath ∙ June 23, 2011

Distimo has released a new study that focuses on the iPhone's App Store development in Asia. The analytics company examined data from 14 different countries, including China, to determine the App Store's influence in the Eastern hemisphere.

The report's findings placed China as the second largest market for Apple's App Store, next to the United States. Interestingly, while many European countries are seeing decreases in App Store activity, countries like China are seeing exponential growth in App Store download volume.

iPhone Top-Selling Handset on AT&T and Verizon

Alex Heath ∙ June 22, 2011

According to a recent study, after five months, the iPhone already dominates the Verizon network in the U.S. On AT&T, the numbers are even more impressive, with a 65% lead.

BITG Research surveyed 250 Verizon and AT&T stores across the United States over a period of three months and determined that the iPhone is the number one smartphone on both carriers.

Verizon Rolling LTE into Several New Areas by July 21

Cody Lee ∙ June 22, 2011

Verizon seems to be really motivated to hit their goal of 175 markets using LTE technology by the end of this year. The carrier announced 19 new markets and 2 new cities a little over a week ago, and is now announcing even more coverage.

Verizon issued a press release yesterday stating that they plan to add another 13 markets by July 21 of this year. Though there are still plenty of bugs to be ironed out, Big Red's LTE network is without a doubt leading the 4G race in the United States...

Verizon Ending Unlimited Data Plans Next Month?

Cody Lee ∙ June 21, 2011

We knew it was coming. Rumors of Verizon killing off the unlimited data plan have been running wild for several months now. Not to mention, most of the speculation has pointed to a summer deadline.

Well it appears the gossip is true. DroidLife recently outlined an all-to-likely scenario of Verizon's intent to roll out tiered data plans next month. Obviously, for that to happen, the $30 dollar unlimited plan must go...

DropCall Eliminator Routes Phone Calls to EDGE Network to Improve Call Quality

Cody Lee ∙ June 20, 2011

While most of its bad publicity has faded into the background, dropped calls are still an issue for AT&T customers (and all carriers) in certain areas. To remedy this problem, many AT&T customers have been directed to switch to the EDGE network when making phone calls.

Apparently, many dropped calls from AT&T iPhone handsets are caused by a 3G data conflict. The iPhone doesn't seem to experience that issue on EDGE networks. But wouldn't it be cumbersome to switch back and forth between EDGE and 3G all the time? Yes. But that's why we jailbreak. Meet DropCall Eliminator...