• Flying Squid@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    116
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    6 months ago

    And the market shrinks again… soon we’ll be back where we started, with one telecom company.

    • ChicoSuave@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      6
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      6 months ago

      The challenge is the startup costs and retaining skilled help. The only folks with the resources to cover these costs do so with the expectation of selling the company for more money, a long term investment for the investor. Gathering these resources without the expectation of selling or being the one buying others is probably untried and hugely difficult.

  • Monument@lemmy.sdf.org
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    31
    ·
    6 months ago

    Good thing T-Mobile just upped my bill, so they can afford to buy up their competitors!
    Can’t wait until it’s only 3 companies that just charge the most they can possibly charge.

    • skuzz@discuss.tchncs.de
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      6
      ·
      6 months ago

      Hey, this is America. Why stop at 3? With Verizon purposely not spending the capex to build out their 4G/5G networks to match what their old 3G network could do, they and T-Mobile can merge to “compete against AT&T (now the largest network by square miles in the US thanks to the FirstNet spend) on some made up reason” before you know it.

      Why not one carrier? For national security or some other flim flam excuse.

    • 🔰Hurling⚜️Durling🔱@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      2
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      6 months ago

      Same, since when is it ok for phone carriers to just raise the mobile bills? Oh wait it’s 2024, and now it’s normal for this shit. Seriously going to start looking at another carrier now. Don’t want their Go5G bs plan, so they will now jack my rates to force me to move to it? Fucking leaches

    • dhork@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      9
      ·
      edit-2
      6 months ago

      As a Google Fi customer, I have noticed this. I bought into Fi because in my neck of the woods, T-Mo tended to cover Sprint’s gaps, and vice versa, and Fi used both. So while the process of switching between them was sometimes glitchy, I could get coverage anywhere in town. Now, it seems they might have turned off Sprint’s towers here, believing that T-Mo has them covered, so I am out of signal in some places.

      I also bought into Fi for the free international roaming, and it’s still the cheapest plan for that if you don’t mind being billed by the Gb. But I don’t travel as much internationally now as before the Pandemic. But if Fi continues to not work in many places they might force me out.

      • sparky1337@ttrpg.network
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        6
        ·
        6 months ago

        T-Mobile never intended to use Sprints infrastructure. They wanted the rights to their 5g midrange spectrum. As a previous sprint user, post acquisition I lost signal everywhere in my county because t mobile isn’t there. Had to switch to Verizon as AT&T had zero coverage too.

        The coverage maps say there is coverage, but there isn’t. Hell, even Verizon is spotty there but it’s better than it was on the other two.

      • YerbaYerba@lemm.ee
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        3
        ·
        6 months ago

        I’ve had issues with fi, like having strong 5G signal but extremely slow data rates. Only thing that keeps me from switching is the $50 month for 2 lines.

        I’m also concerned that dialing 911 may not work. Once I tried calling the state patrol hotline (*CSP in Colorado)to report an aggressive driver and the call would not connect. I contacted Fi support and they were not helpful and suggested I try “testing” a call to 911.

    • ares35@kbin.social
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      5
      ·
      6 months ago

      tmobile (and sprint when it existed) and att suck around here. they are only built-up along the interstate. verizon (through acquisitions) and uscc were the legacy cellular providers. towers everywhere, in every small town and every other farm field in between. it’ll make tmobile better here, but at the expense of higher prices across-the-board with one less player in a game with far too few left.

  • fpslem@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    9
    ·
    6 months ago

    I don’t love the consolidation in this industry, but I know the big draw was the spectrum US Cellular holds.

  • Fredselfish@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    8
    arrow-down
    3
    ·
    6 months ago

    What the fuck! I am a US Cellular customer and hate T mobile after they fucked me over years ago. This bullshit. Us Cellular great for those who can’t always pay on the due date. They will give you extensions…T mobile does not fuck them.