Technologies

T-Mobile’s 3 Years With Sprint: What’s Changed Since the Merger

T-Mobile has expanded its 5G network and kept plan and phone prices down, but other premerger pledges are still unfulfilled.

Three years ago, T-Mobile’s merger with Sprint was finalized, and the nation’s list of top carriers shrank from four to three. At the time, T-Mobile made promises that the merger would be positive for consumers and the larger mobile industry — and though that’s been more true than not, there are still some pledges that haven’t been seen through.

But it also hasn’t led to a worse situation for consumers, at least not yet. Though having three major carriers to choose from instead of four is worrisome for the future (with Dish so far failing to pose a real challenge), competition has kept plan prices relatively stable and even led to big savings on top-tier phones. Carriers have continued to build out their respective 5G networks, leading to new 5G home internet options for people who aren’t connected to broadband (or are looking for an alternative to their traditional cable options). It isn’t the rosiest future, but it isn’t as bad as some critics had feared.

In an April 10 blog post, T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert trumpeted how far the carrier has come in three years, citing everything from better 5G service to the greater availability of home internet to lower prices for all, even people signing up with other carriers.

Indeed, folding in Sprint’s midband 5G towers has given T-Mobile a lead on 5G, letting it achieve nationwide coverage of more than 200 million Americans with faster 5G in 2021, years ahead of both Verizon and AT&T. T-Mobile has also improved 5G access for rural customers, Sievert said.

T-Mobile piggybacked off its larger 5G network to launch and grow its 5G home internet service. For a $50 monthly subscription fee (if they set up automatic payments), the service offers customers higher-speed connectivity compared with dial-up, costly satellite, or underdeveloped DSL or cable alternatives. Though the speeds aren’t as fast or reliable as those of a good cable or fiber connection, T-Mobile’s 5G service can reach consumers who aren’t hooked up to the highest-speed internet networks.

And as Sievert notes, competition between carriers has kept prices on par — for instance, Verizon’s comparable 5G Home service also starts at $50 per month.

Keeping phone plans low

As far as phone plan prices go, the carrier landscape after T-Mobile and Sprint’s merger has preserved competition in consumers’ favor, at least for the time being. Indeed, carrier discounts and deals have even led to a boom in premium phones, which climbed to up to 18% of the phone market early this year, according to IDC analyst Nabila Popal (up from 10% before the pandemic). Carriers have been desperate to get consumers signed to three-year contracts, so they’ve subsidized most or all of the price for phones like the iPhone 14 or Samsung Galaxy S23 series.

T-Mobile remains one the last of the big three providers to still offer two-year options on most of its devices, a more consumer-friendly deal. (A notable exception are pricey foldables like Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold line, which requires a three-year commitment to get an upgrade discount.) That said, the carrier has tied some of its best perks and promotions — like free Apple TV Plus and its best device trade-in deals — to a requirement to be on its priciest Magenta Max plans.

On the low end of the price spectrum, T-Mobile did fulfill a premerger promise to offer a $15 per month plan with unlimited talk and text as well as 2.5GB of data, which the carrier has since increased to 3.5GB in compliance with its proposal to increase this cheap plan’s data allowance by 500MB per year. It also has said it’ll keep Mint Mobile’s $15 per month plan should its planned $1.35 billion purchase of the Ryan Reynolds’ owned prepaid carrier go through.

Another major element in T-Mobile and Sprint’s merger proposal was offering low-cost or free data plans; discounted laptops and tablets; and mobile hotspot access to 10 million low-income households. What the carrier branded as Project 10 Million has so far followed through on providing $4.8 billion in services and supplying 5.3 million students with devices through the end of 2022, a T-Mobile spokesperson told CNET.

The carrier hadn’t proposed a deadline for hitting the 10 million marker, but it said the program, which launched in 2020, would last five years, meaning it will expire in 2025. T-Mobile hasn’t said what’ll happen after its commitment period ends.

Merger misses: jobs fall short of promises

T-Mobile doesn’t seem to have fulfilled other pledges made for the merger. The biggest involves jobs, with then-CEO John Legere saying the new combined company would create new jobs and hire 11,000 more workers by 2024. The new T-Mobile started with around 80,000 employees in 2020, according to regulatory filings, but after losing around 5,000 employees in 2021 due to layoffs, along with more jobs shed among network and engineering as well as retail employees, the carrier so far seems to have fallen short of its promise.

When reached for comment, T-Mobile pushed back on the idea that the carrier employs fewer people now than it did before the merger. But it didn’t share exact personnel numbers, saying only that thousands of jobs have been created. T-Mobile also didn’t address whether it’ll make the 11,000-person hiring goal set by Legere.

«Before we merged with Sprint, we said we’d have more employees as a combined company than the two standalone companies would have had on their own without the merger — and we have done just that,» said a T-Mobile spokesperson. In the years since the merger, the spokesperson said, the carrier has also «created thousands of jobs for vendors and partners.»

Granted, the jobs-related proposal was made by a different CEO and before a pandemic led to layoffs and challenging economic conditions across many industries. But the current situation is still gloomier than T-Mobile had originally proposed.

The merger also shifted the balance of power among carriers. In their premerger assurances, T-Mobile and Sprint said they’d divest some of their assets to Dish, turning the satellite TV provider into the nation’s de facto fourth-largest carrier and saving the merger. Dish acquired Sprint’s prepaid mobile brand Boost and has the option to pay $3.59 billion for 800MHz wireless spectrum to form its own 5G network, though it may end up passing on the offer to save money after finishing testing the spectrum. In the meantime, Dish has secured agreements with AT&T and T-Mobile to use their 5G networks while it builds its own.

Though Dish finally opened sign-ups for its 5G service back in August, and launched its own $25 prepaid service in December, progress has been slow to get the carrier in line with the far more established T-Mobile, Verizon and AT&T. For now, Dish isn’t a serious threat to its bigger siblings.

What comes after the merger timeline expires?

The US Department of Justice required a lot of assurances, like those listed above, to approve the T-Mobile and Sprint merger, but they all have expiration dates. This has implications for who’s helped by the new T-Mobile’s plans — like students aided by Project 10 Million, which lasts through 2025, as well as regular consumers through plan pricing.

As part of the merger, T-Mobile agreed to lock in pricing on its plans for three years, though it’s unclear what will happen after. Last year, the carrier introduced the similarly named Price Lock as a broad feature for most of its prepaid and postpaid mobile as well as broadband internet plans, but only new customers qualify.

There are still a few other merger pledges stretching into the years to come. By the end of 2023, T-Mobile must provide 5G service to 97% of the population, and within six years 99%. The carrier must cover 85% of the rural American population by the end of this year, and 90% within six years. But beyond that, it’s unclear what T-Mobile has in store for consumers.

Technologies

Connect Your iPhone or Android to Any TV: A Guide for AirPlay, Chromecast and HDMI

When visiting friends and family, you can likely share videos from your phone to your TV without needing to log in to any built-in apps.

When visiting your friends and family this holiday season, you may want to show off your latest photos or stream movies to their television while spending time together. However, it can be a pain to log in to your streaming service account on someone’s television.

Thankfully, with most recent televisions, you probably don’t need to log in at all to do this. In most cases, the phone you carry right now can connect directly to a TV, and you can share or cast your screen using your own accounts saved on your phone.

Many TVs now ship with built-in support for AirPlay, Chromecast or Miracast, all of which let you wirelessly connect your phone. The trickiest part isn’t whether you can connect your phone to your TV (because you probably can). Rather, you’ll need to know which wireless casting connection your phone supports and make sure the TV you want to connect to also supports it.

We’ll talk about how this works, based on whether you’re using an iPhone or an Android phone. We’ll also point out when you’ll be using AirPlay, Chromecast or Miracast to make the connection, depending on what device you have.

iPhone supports AirPlay and Chromecast

Apple’s iPhone devices have two ways of connecting wirelessly to a television. On a system level, an iPhone can use AirPlay to cast media from video and music apps to any device that also supports AirPlay. This originally was exclusive to the Apple TV, but AirPlay now supports many televisions made by Samsung, LG, TCL and Vizio, along with Roku’s streaming devices. Odds are if your device supports the Apple TV app, somewhere in its settings is also support for AirPlay.

You can access AirPlay in one of two ways. If you’re using a supported app like Paramount Plus, you’ll want to tap the AirPlay icon represented by a TV with a triangle. You can also access AirPlay from your phone’s Control Center by tapping the icon represented by two rectangles and then picking the device you’re casting to. Using the latter option, you can also mirror your phone’s screen to your TV to display apps like Instagram or TikTok that don’t include AirPlay from within.

If you are trying to connect with a television with the Google TV operating system or the Google TV Streamer, the iPhone also supports Chromecast. Similar to using AirPlay from a media app, you’ll tap the Chromecast icon represented by a rectangle with three wavy lines. You’ll then tap the device you want to cast to. The biggest difference between how AirPlay and Chromecast work on the iPhone is that you won’t be able to mirror your iPhone’s display over Chromecast.

Certain apps like YouTube will blend these casting options together for convenience. When tapping Google’s Chromecast button, a submenu will let you choose between using AirPlay or Chromecast or linking directly to your TV’s YouTube app using a code.

And if you want to connect your iPhone to your television using an HDMI cable, you can use either a USB-C to HDMI adapter if you have an iPhone 15 or newer or a Lightning-to-HDMI adapter for the iPhone 14 and earlier. That adapter will allow for screen mirroring without using AirPlay.

Android always supports Chromecast, sometimes supports Miracast

Android phones don’t support AirPlay, but they sometimes support two wireless casting options that connect to nearly any television.

First, all Android phones include Chromecast support. So if your TV has Chromecast built-in or has a Google TV streamer attached, you’ll be able to connect your phone by tapping the Cast icon from an app. You can also set up a screen cast shortcut in the quick settings drop-down panel, which will provide an even faster way to quickly cast to your TV. CNET’s Nelson Aguilar has put together a guide for this.

And while it’s not supported on every Android phone, Samsung and Motorola both make Android phones that support Miracast for screen mirroring. These features are labeled as Smart View and Ready For, respectively, and will let you connect your phone to televisions or displays that support a setting that’s often labeled Screen Mirroring. More recent Motorola phones, like the Razr Ultra, are calling this feature Smart Connect. What’s unique about Miracast is that many Windows PCs also support this style of casting, and during my recent trip, that came in handy in order to play some Jackbox Games.

An additional note about these features from Samsung and Motorola is that both support connecting your phone to a television or computer monitor using a USB-C to HDMI cable, should you have one on hand. This could be particularly helpful if you’re trying to do a more data-intensive activity on your phone, such as connecting to a bigger screen in order to use your phone more like a computer.

More tips about wirelessly connecting your phone to a TV

Even though many televisions and streaming devices support one or more of these methods, it’s still entirely possible that when traveling, you won’t have a perfect match. For instance, you might have an Android phone, but the TV in your hotel room supports only AirPlay or blocks access to the HDMI port. But for home use, now that many televisions support multiple connection options, you have a good chance to be able to set up a method that works for day-to-day viewing.

You’ll also want to keep in mind that much like with video streaming, your network could also affect how effective a wireless connection will be to your TV. With that in mind, you will want to have your phone as close to a router as possible, which will help with the connection. If your video quality degrades while streaming, you may also want to turn casting off and on again to reset the connection.

But as long as your phone and television can connect with one of the above methods, you should otherwise be free to stream any movie or music from your phone onto your TV.

You already know that your Amazon Prime membership is great for free two-day shipping. But what about all the other perks? Whether you’re prepping for New Year’s Eve festivities on a budget, or just trying to save some cash as the holidays wind down, this service has a ton of hidden benefits waiting for you.

From discounted gas to streaming extras, there’s a lot more value packed into your Prime membership than most people realize, and a lot of those discounts can be used beyond Amazon.

You can take advantage of limited-time deals with a 30-day free trial, but that only lets you scratch the surface of all that a membership has to offer. It might surprise you to learn what else you can get by being a Prime member. Below, we’ll break down some of the best perks you may not know about.

Spoiler: Some of them are bangers.

For more, check out the latest Amazon products and see how you can get great savings on Amazon right now with coupons.

1. Watch HBO or other premium TV channels without cable

You probably know about Prime Video and Amazon Music Prime but you might not know all the special details. Amazon Prime members have access to a large number of feature-length movies and hit original TV shows like The Boys and The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power, as well as an Amazon Music Prime library featuring 2 million songs and thousands of curated playlists.

Prime members can also download movies and TV shows for watching later offline.

If a show or movie you want to watch is not included as part of your basic Prime subscription, you can subscribe to premium channels such as HBO, Showtime and Starz for $5 to $15 a month, with no need for cable or satellite service.

Music lovers can upgrade to Amazon Music Unlimited to get a library of 90 million songs that can be streamed to multiple devices for $9 a month or $89 a year.

2. Get money back by choosing no-rush shipping

If you don’t need your purchase to be delivered quickly, you can opt out of two-day or shorter delivery options by selecting «no-rush shipping» and receive your package in about six days. In return for your patience, Amazon will give you rewards.

There’s no standard for no-rush shipping rewards — they vary from item to item — but they generally provide discounts on products and services that you might buy from Amazon.

Some common rewards are $1 credits for Amazon digital services like movies, music and ebooks, $3 coupons for Amazon’s Happy Belly-branded snacks, $10 to $20 off TV or furniture purchases and $10 to $20 off Amazon Home Services.

The value of no-rush shipping will depend on whether you’ll use any of the rewards. It might not seem like much, but a few no-rush shipping selections could easily earn you the $3 to $4 you need for a free movie rental from Prime Video.

3. Whole Foods grocery discounts

If you’re a frequent shopper at Whole Foods, an Amazon Prime membership can reap serious dividends. Prime Member Deals available in physical Whole Foods stores give members discounts of 10% to 20% on selected items marked with blue Amazon stickers.

Yellow tags indicate even further savings, usually at least another 10% off an already discounted price. Prime members who scan the Whole Foods Market or Amazon app at checkout get an extra 10% off storewide sales. Prime membership also gives you access to special online deals.

4. Exclusive access to Thursday night NFL football games

It’s the second year that Amazon Prime has had exclusive rights to air Thursday Night Football, and Prime seems to be killing the game. It received five Sports Emmys nominations for its 2022 coverage and boasts a stacked cast of experts, commentators and former players.

If you are a Prime subscriber, you can stream 2025-2026 Thursday Night Football games on Prime Video, NFL +, Amazon.com or Twitch. There is also a Spanish-language broadcast available on Prime Video. Pregame coverage begins at 7 p.m. EST each Thursday.

5. Free same-day Amazon Fresh delivery

Whole Foods isn’t the only grocery option available to Amazon Prime members. Subscribers also have access to the online grocery store Amazon Fresh, which provides free deliveries to some locations. Amazon Fresh has some similar products to Whole Foods but generally focuses on a broader range of groceries and home products at lower prices.

Anyone can purchase products from Amazon Fresh but only Prime members get free same-day delivery. Amazon Fresh also has 44 physical locations that offer special weekly deals for Prime members.

6. Free same-day delivery for perishable groceries

Similar to Amazon Fresh, a new service gives Amazon users access to perishable groceries with same-day delivery service. More than 1,000 cities and towns in the US can now get groceries delivered within hours and Amazon plans to expand the service to more than 2,300 locations by the end of 2025.

Same-day delivery is available to all Amazon customers for $12.99 but it’s free for Prime members who order at least $25 worth of groceries (it costs $2.99 if your order is less than $25). If you’re running low on milk and eggs and you don’t have time to make a trip to the grocery store, this is a great way to stock up without leaving the house.

7. Borrow unlimited books, magazines and comics

Amazon Prime members gain access to Prime Reading, a service similar to Kindle Unlimited with a different collection of materials. You can borrow as many books as you like, and many include audible narration, so you can switch back and forth between reading and listening. The electronic downloads don’t require a Kindle or Fire device.

Amazon First Reads gives Prime members access to editors’ selections of early book releases. Anyone with a Prime membership gets one free Kindle book a month, as well as regular discounts on selected titles.

8. Prime-exclusive deals and promos

Amazon offers Prime-exclusive deals all-year round on top products meaning you can make back the cost of your membership in savings. For big shopping seasons like Black Friday or Prime Day, there are even more member-only prices to shop.

Plus, Prime subscribers often get early access to Lightning Deals. These are sort of like Amazon’s version of a fire sale, featuring very low prices for a limited number of products that usually sell out very quickly. The good news for Amazon Prime members is that they get access to these deals earlier than everyone else. The bad news? There are a lot of Amazon Prime members.

9. Exclusive Zappos deals, faster shipping and a test month for running shoes

Amazon acquired the online shoe giant Zappos in 2009, and it now provides a number of benefits for Prime members who link their accounts on Zappos.com. Prime members get faster shipping, bonus reward points for shopping and exclusive deals on certain products.

Zappos also lets Prime members participate in Runlimited, a 30-day guarantee program for running shoes.

10. Save money on prescription drugs online

Prime members have exclusive access to Amazon RxPass. The subscription service provides all of your eligible medications for a single payment of $5 a month, regardless of how many prescriptions you have. More than 50 commonly prescribed medications are available.

Amazon says that the average member with an RxPass saves 38% on medications but it’s important to note that Amazon’s Prime Rx savings program does not work with health insurance. You’ll need to be sure that any savings you get from the program are more than you’d get from insurance coverage.

11. One Medical membership discounts

One Medical is a membership-based health service that provides primary in-person and virtual health care. Its concierge-like medical service is designed to allow members to easily schedule appointments and care using the company’s mobile app or website.

Amazon acquired One Medical in 2023 and is now offering a major discount for Prime members. Instead of the usual price of $199 a year, Amazon Prime members can subscribe for $99 a year, or $9 per month. To activate the discount, Prime members should visit this page. Existing One Medical subscribers who are Prime members can also take advantage of the discount starting with their next payment.

12. Access to Amazon Luna

Amazon Luna delivers access to a library of games that you can play without paying a dime since they’re included with Amazon Prime and Prime Video. There is a rotating library of games that you can claim, including super popular options like the Fallout Series and XCOM2.

Along with single-player games, Amazon has added a GameNight section. These games are all multiplayer games that can be controlled with a smartphone, making it a great way to spend time with friends or family playing games. There are more than 25 options in GameNight include Ticket to Ride, Jackbox and Exploding Kittens.

13. Unlimited photo storage with Amazon Photos

With a subscription to Amazon Prime, you can store unlimited photos and 5GB of video on Amazon Photos. Without Amazon Prime, you’re limited to a total of 5GB of videos and photos total.

You can view or share your photos and videos on Amazon Photos using the iOS or Android app, or on a computer with the desktop or web app. Your photo and video files are fully encrypted, so they’re only visible to people with whom you intentionally share them.

14. Get discounts on Shutterfly

Amazon has partnered with photography company Shutterfly to offer Prime members 45% off most regular-priced products. Shoppers also can get free shipping on orders of $35 or more. To get the discount, you’ll have to link your Shutterfly and Amazon accounts.

If you store your photos with Amazon, you can now access your Amazon Photos directly from Shutterfly. This makes it extra convenient for Prime members to share images from their extensive photo library.

15. Get a free Grubhub Plus membership

Don’t feel like cooking tonight? There’s a perk for that, too.

When Amazon announced it would offer Grubhub Plus free for a year in 2022, it was a solid, but temporary, perk added to Prime. In 2023, Prime members were treated to another free year. For 2024, instead of renewing the food delivery service’s premium membership again for another year, Grubhub Plus became a permanent Amazon Prime perk.

Grubhub Plus typically costs $9.99 a month and provides unlimited free delivery for all orders over $12 in more than 4,000 cities nationwide.

16. Save on Amazon Kids Plus

If you have Amazon Prime, you also get access to discounted Amazon Kids Plus. The subscription service features a range of ad-free content, including books, games and videos for children ages 3 to 12. Parents can limit the amount of screen time available to their children and manage up to four profiles on iOS and Android.

The Amazon Kids Plus subscription is normally $79 a year but Prime members can get it for $48 a year.

17. Get your package on the day you want it with Amazon Day

If none of the usual delivery dates work for you, you have one additional option as a Prime member. Amazon Day is a free perk that lets you schedule your packages to arrive on your day of choice. Next time you’re on vacation, you don’t have to arrange for the neighbors to help you bring in your boxes, and you won’t have to worry about porch pirates stealing your delivery on days when you’re not home.

Amazon Day is also a great option to cut down on the number of boxes for your packages, as you can schedule multiple purchases to arrive as a single delivery.

18. Save money on gas

Do you spend several hours each week driving to and from work? If you’re an Amazon Prime member living in the US, your dollar will now stretch a little farther at the gas pump. You can save 10 cents per gallon at BP, Amoco and AM/PM gas stations — there are about 7,000 locations across the 50 states. Amazon estimates that this perk will save the average American nearly $70 per year.

To get the full 10-cent-per-gallon discount, Prime members must create a free earnify™ account and link it to their Prime account. You can use the earnify™ app to find stations, then simply go to the pump and enter your phone number or linked payment method for instant savings. (Using the earnify™ app is optional — it just needs to be linked to your Prime account.)

For more about Amazon Prime and what to expect from this year’s back-to-school deals. Plus, check out these Amazon deals on tech and home goods and tips for getting the best Amazon deals.

Verum World

T-Mobile’s 3 Years With Sprint: What’s Changed Since the Merger

Technologies

T-Mobile’s 3 Years With Sprint: What’s Changed Since the Merger

Keeping phone plans low

Merger misses: jobs fall short of promises

What comes after the merger timeline expires?

Technologies

Connect Your iPhone or Android to Any TV: A Guide for AirPlay, Chromecast and HDMI

iPhone supports AirPlay and Chromecast

Android always supports Chromecast, sometimes supports Miracast

More tips about wirelessly connecting your phone to a TV

Technologies

Want to Save Some Cash After the Holidays? Check Out These 18 Hidden Amazon Prime Perks

1. Watch HBO or other premium TV channels without cable

2. Get money back by choosing no-rush shipping

3. Whole Foods grocery discounts

4. Exclusive access to Thursday night NFL football games

5. Free same-day Amazon Fresh delivery

6. Free same-day delivery for perishable groceries

7. Borrow unlimited books, magazines and comics

8. Prime-exclusive deals and promos

9. Exclusive Zappos deals, faster shipping and a test month for running shoes

10. Save money on prescription drugs online

11. One Medical membership discounts

12. Access to Amazon Luna

13. Unlimited photo storage with Amazon Photos

14. Get discounts on Shutterfly

15. Get a free Grubhub Plus membership

16. Save on Amazon Kids Plus

17. Get your package on the day you want it with Amazon Day

18. Save money on gas

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Friday, Dec. 26

Mini across clues and answers

Mini down clues and answers

Trending

Verum World

T-Mobile’s 3 Years With Sprint: What’s Changed Since the Merger

Keeping phone plans low

Merger misses: jobs fall short of promises

What comes after the merger timeline expires?

You may like

Technologies

Connect Your iPhone or Android to Any TV: A Guide for AirPlay, Chromecast and HDMI

iPhone supports AirPlay and Chromecast

Android always supports Chromecast, sometimes supports Miracast

More tips about wirelessly connecting your phone to a TV

Technologies

Want to Save Some Cash After the Holidays? Check Out These 18 Hidden Amazon Prime Perks

1. Watch HBO or other premium TV channels without cable

2. Get money back by choosing no-rush shipping

3. Whole Foods grocery discounts

4. Exclusive access to Thursday night NFL football games

5. Free same-day Amazon Fresh delivery

6. Free same-day delivery for perishable groceries

7. Borrow unlimited books, magazines and comics

8. Prime-exclusive deals and promos

9. Exclusive Zappos deals, faster shipping and a test month for running shoes

10. Save money on prescription drugs online

11. One Medical membership discounts

12. Access to Amazon Luna

13. Unlimited photo storage with Amazon Photos

14. Get discounts on Shutterfly

15. Get a free Grubhub Plus membership

16. Save on Amazon Kids Plus

17. Get your package on the day you want it with Amazon Day

18. Save money on gas

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Friday, Dec. 26

Mini across clues and answers

Mini down clues and answers

Trending