Motorola On Verizon, AT&T Still Sucks, Stick to T-Mobile and Sprint - http://clapway.com/2016/01/14/motorola-on-verizon-and-att-still-sucks-stick-to-t-mobile-and-sprint-123/

Motorola announced that Android 6 Marshmallow will not be on Verizon or AT&T versions of the Moto X. Maybe it’s why T-Mobile and Sprint don’t sell it. Verizon, at least, is handing out codes that can unlock the phone to install custom ROMs, but other carriers are still on the same boat.

Why Does Motorola Not Have Android OS on Moto X?

Only owners of the ‘Pure Edition’ upgraded Moto X get access to newer OS support. Many people are suspecting that there is a problem among the carriers, but AT&T, Verizon of Motorola haven’t made any statements. If people really want the latest Android OS, you can unlock the phone. However, doing so will void the phone’s warranty and wipe it clean. The company is nevertheless giving users a guide to how to bootload their phones. T-Mobile and Sprint currently don’t carry these phones, but you’re better off with them than with an out of date OS.

Meanwhile, The Moto G and Moto E Are Still Alive!

A representative has declared that though Motorola is rebranding itself, it will not give up on the G and E phones. In addition, representatives announced that every handset released in 2016 will have a screen size minimum of 5″, which confused many, but these two specific series will remain on the market.

New phones will be dubbed as ‘Moto by Lenovo‘, and along with the Vibe series, will completely change the brand. The OEM wants to make things simpler, more elegant and more functional while still remaining fresh. There’s buzz saying that future Motorola phones are going to play with the big boys, featuring even fingerprint sensors, which is only featured by Samsung and the iPhone. Motorola also announced a new user interface that will be revealed in 2016.

What Does this Mean for Apple and Samsung?

Motorola makes parts for most electronics in the mainstream. If they’re serious about re-entering the market, Apple and Samsung can be prepared for a lot of fun competition. It’s been a while since Motorola was buzzing around in the media, and it’s safe to say it’s about time they made a comeback. Though Motorola has not confirmed any rumors, we can expect a great year in electronics thanks to them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5tgDB9e6LI

Motorola On Verizon, AT&T Still Sucks, Stick to T-Mobile and Sprint

AT&T Fights Back Against T-Mobile, Verizon and Sprint With Unlimited Data Plan - http://clapway.com/2016/01/11/att-fights-back-against-t-mobile-verizoin-and-sprint-123/

After years in hiding, AT&T’s Unlimited Data Plan is making a comeback. The carrier, number two in the country, is taking a stab at AT&T, Verizon and Sprint. This comes after Sprint announced the extension of their half-off offer.

AT&T Joins Hands with DirecTV and U-verse For New Unlimited Data Plan Offer

As part of the partnership with these two services, the offer gives users unlimited data for $100 per month for one smartphone. If users decide to bring in four smartphones on one plan, they get a credit that makes that fourth line free. That makes for $180 per month for unlimited data, talk, and text on four lines. There are a few catches, though. For starters, users still have to pay a full $220 for the first two months for the credit to come in.

The Unlimited Data Plan Isn’t Perfect

This offer is only applicable to DirecTV and U-verse subscribers that have AT&T plans. Otherwise, the best option would be the Mobile Share Plan. If users get DirecTV and U-verse after setting up aj AT&T plan, they can get an extra $10 off their bills.

The point is to promote AT&T’s acquisition of DirecTV. Streaming on the go is the latest trend, hence the partnership with U-verse. Since video streaming also eats up a lot of data, AT&T is encouraging the use of U-verse for people who stream video outside of their home or office.

Unlike Verizon and Sprint, T-Mobile and AT&T Offer Unlimited Plans

AT&T’s previous unlimited data plan capped at 5GB, and the new one allows access to 22GB to be shared between up to four lines. Connectivity might get slower if there’s heavy network congestion. Not Verizon nor Sprint offer any kind of unlimited plan. The only other carrier that offers a similar plan is T-Mobile, though at $95 for one smartphone. There’s also the BingeOn option, but it doesn’t support certain video streams for free data.

AT&T has big plans for 2016, apparently. The carrier declared that this Unlimited Data Plan offer is only ‘the first of many integrated video and mobility offers’ they have planned for the year. Naturally, the company is looking to keep their #2 as close as possible.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyz8fCERAGg

AT&T Fights Back Against T-Mobile, Verizon and Sprint With Unlimited Data Plan

Sprint Declares War Against T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon - http://clapway.com/2016/01/09/sprint-declares-war-against-t-mobile-att-and-verizon-123/

Sprint is extending the half-off rate plan offer to anyone wanting to switch out of T-Mobile, Verizon and AT&T. This is hopeful news after T-Mobile took its spot as 3rd most popular carrier.

T-Mobile is Destroying Its Competition

Sprint has a lot of catching up to do. T-Mobile added 1 million or more subscribers to their services even in the slower months of 2015. It’s subscriber count increased by 2.06 million from October through December. Although final quarter results aren’t out yet, T-Mobile likely excelled.

In fact, earnings on T-Mobile’s fourth quarter included 917,000 phone customers with higher credit standards. This means they got more customers that paid for service as opposed to getting a pre-paid plan. This kind of customer is highly valuable. They are often give companies the highest and safest revenue. T-Mobile subscribers grew by 8.3 million in 2015 in total, which means it has 63.28 million in total. That’s 23,000 new customers per day.

Verizon and AT&T have equally overwhelming numbers, but they have been getting these kinds of figures for years now. The fact that Sprint got kicked out of their spot is what is bringing on this competition.

Sprint’s Half-Off Offer Extended to February 11

Probably in an attempt at catching up, Sprint announced the extension of their half-off rate plan offer. The offer is now ending on February 11. Black Friday treated them awfully well, giving the carrier a record in most sales in a single day. They hope to improve performance even further. Sprint has even been getting more positive responses to their wireless network. Sprint may not have the crown yet, but it has the tools to get there.

Can This Carrier Catch Up to AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile?

Sprint didn’t release any subscriber totals on the fourth quarter, but details on customer count and financial statistics will be coming in the next few weeks. Although gains are coming primarily from AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile, analysts expect good results from Sprint. The company sported a great 58.58 million subscribers by the end of September.

The truth is, they are not doing terribly. The company is facing many losses, and it is struggling to keep up. Analysts still have faith in the company, and they will surely step their game up to get back what T-Mobile has taken from them.

Sprint Declares War Against T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon

Google Project Fi Will Replace T-Mobile, Verizon and AT&T - http://clapway.com/2015/12/16/google-project-fi-will-replace-t-mobile-verizon-and-att/

Google Project Fi, which is the company’s affordable wireless service, is coming to tablets powered by AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile. On December 15, Google released a blog post that announced that all users need to get Project Fi on their tablets is an SIM card.

Google Project Fi Can Now Connect to Nexus 7 or Even the iPad Air 2

Project Fi works by using a combination of T-Mobile and Sprint’s cellular network as well as other local Wi-Fi networks. The fact that they now support tablets indicates that Google is looking to seriously infiltrate the wireless industry. Not only that but all Google Project Fi services are 100% free.

Google is even supporting Apple devices, which is a seriously gutsy move. Google Project Fi is a much cheaper alternative to pretty much any other network provider. Companies like AT&T and Verizon usually even charge an extra fee for connecting a tablet to any plan, so this is a huge advantage to people who want to stay connected while away from Wi-Fi hubs.

Google Project Fi Wants to Connect as Many Devices As Possible, Even if it Means Competing Against Verizon and AT&T

Project Fi subscribers won’t pay an extra cent to add tablets to their plans. Phones and tablets with the service will be able to connect to T-Mobile network when they’re out of range for any other network. Tablets won’t be able to access the voice network for obvious reasons, but this gives customers from any carrier the chance to get network connectivity at nearly no additional cost.

All users have to do is get a data-only SIM, and put it into their device. From then on, they can connect to Google Project Fi and go forth. Customers will pay $10 per gigabyte of data used every month after that. Other telecommunication companies charge $10 to add tablets to a plan, so this is a really great deal.

Project Fi Will Roll Out to Five Tablets At First

According to the blog post, the service will start out on the Nexus 7, Nexus 9, iPad Air 2, iPad Mini 4 and the Samsung Galaxy Tab S. This means that Google is going to be indirectly battling two of its greatest rivals: Samsung and Apple. Having connectivity to the Nexus is an obvious move, but heading for Apple and Samsung territory will certainly turn a few heads.

Google’s Project Has A Lot of Room to Grow

Naturally, the service isn’t perfect. Tablets connected to Project Fi can’t use their devices as mobile hotspots. The SIM cards that will be used with these devices can only be used by Project Fi subscribers. Subscription costs $20 per month and includes voice and text services. A data-only SIM will allow for up to 9 devices to connect to a single service.

Will Project Fi Replace Telecommunication Companies as We Know Them?

Google is attacking the wireless industry mercilessly. Project Loon is going to the most unconnected countries in the world and Project Ara bringing around the most versatile smartphone ever made. Project Fi is the next logical step in connecting the world in a more affordable and more efficient way.

Project Ara and Project Fi Can Be Expected to Collaborate

It’s likely that if and when Google Ara smartphone hits the market that it will be the first to feature Project Fi network connectivity. It’s not certain how much the technology may develop by then. Google may choose to end the partnership with Sprint and T-Mobile to form a network of its own, maybe even with the help of Project Loon.

Read: Project Ara Could Crush the iPhone 7

Read: Google Fiber is Far Behind Google Project Loon in India

The key to the equation is that Google isn’t outwardly looking to replace any telecommunication companies. They’re looking to collaborate until they can stand their own ground, in which case they only hope for friendly competition. At least, that’s what their press suggests.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfFHnBQ6nQg

Google Project Fi Will Replace T-Mobile, Verizon and AT&T

Verizon vs T-Mobile vs AT&T – Sponsored Data And Individual Plans - http://clapway.com/2015/12/11/verizon-vs-t-mobile-vs-att-sponsored-data-individual-plans/

The decision to decide what phone provider you want to have can be a difficult one. T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T are undoubtedly three of the most popular providers in the world. The cost of the provider is going to be the biggest factor. Plus, Verizon is pondering the idea of sponsored data which would add to their service. Let’s take a look at how these companies handle sponsored data and their individual plans.

BEFORE WE BEGIN, LET’S EXPLAIN SPONSERED DATA

For anyone who does not know, sponsored data allows users to be able to access certain apps and services without losing data. Basically, the provider will “sponsor” the data for their users so they do not have to pay for it. This makes life more convenient for users given that they can access these services without losing data.

VERIZON: SPONSERED DATA AND INDIVIDUAL PLANS

As of right now, Verizon executive vice president, Marni Walded, stated that they could begin to set up sponsorship’s for some of their data. That is all that is known now, but he did say that their customers could expect this to be seen in the first half of 2016. As far as their individual plans go, they list their prices on their website. This is also just the cost for the data size itself. According to Verizon’s website, 1GB per month of data is $30, 3GB per month is $45, 6GB per month is $60, 12GB per month is $80, and 18GB per month is $100.

T-MOBILE: SPONSERED DATA AND INDIVIDUAL PLANS

T-Mobile has very cool and well received, by the FCC, sponsored data. According to T-Mobile, they do not data charge on music or video streaming services. This would include services such as Spotify and Netflix. FCC’s Tom Wheeler mentions how this is a tremendous aspect that they provide. He stated how he thought it was highly innovative and competitive. T-Mobile’s individual plans are a little different than Verizon’s. According to T-Mobile’s website, 2 GB per month of data is $50, 6 GB per month is $65, 10 GB per month is $80, and unlimited GB per month is $95 a month.

AT&T: SPONSERED DATA AND INDIVIDUAL PLANS

Over a year ago, AT&T announced that they had a solution to sponsored data. The company stated that they would offer companies a way to pre-pay for the data that their customers use. The mobile chief, Ralph de la Vega, recently announced that this is still in production. AT&T offers a little more variety of data size than the other two companies. According to AT&T’s website, 2 GB per month of data is $30, 5 GB per month is $50, 15 GB per month is $100, 20 GB per month is $140, 25GB per month is $175, and 30 GB per month is $225.

HOW AT&T, VERIZON, AND T-MOBILE COMPARE

As can be seen, all of these phone providers do offer different data plans. It really depends on how much data you plan to use to which one you prefer. If you are one who uses a lot of data, then T-Mobile’s unlimited data per month plan would be perfect for you. However, if you are one who rarely uses data, then AT&T’s 2 GB per month plan of only $30 would be the way to go. Again, that is just the price of the data itself. Also, T-Mobile offers data free video-streaming and music. However, Verizon and AT&T sound like they are going to be adding some sponsored data.

THE OVERALL VERDICT ON T-MOBILE, VERIZON, AND AT&T

The overall verdict I would say for these three phone companies is that they are all good. Any way you go should be beneficial for you. The one big factor to keep in mind is if you want unlimited data, because if you do then get a plan by T-Mobile.

Verizon vs T-Mobile vs AT&T – Sponsored Data And Individual Plans

T-Mobile Is Trying Hard To Destroy AT&T - http://clapway.com/2015/12/08/t-mobile-trying-hard-destroy-att/

Don’t worry AT&T it is not personal for T-Mobile, it is just business. It seems that this holiday season T-Mobile is trying to steal all of AT&T’s customers. Albeit a little aggressive, it is a great business strategy for them. Let’s take a look at how they are planning on converting all of AT&T’s customers.

T-MOBILE STEALING AT&T CUSTOMERS

T-Mobile has announced some amazing deals for all AT&T customers. The first big one is a 128 GB iPhone 6s, for only $649.99, for them. To put this in perspective, the 16 GB version of the same phone is the same price. This is over 100 GB more of internal storage for the same price. It does not end there though as they will also be getting 50 percent off all accessories over $70. They said that the limit will be $125, but 50 percent off is a huge chunk of money. If there was ever a time for AT&T users to officially switch to T-Mobile, it would be now!

T-MOBILE RUINING AT&T

All of these recent sales for AT&T users is coming off of T-Mobile already having much more postpaid money from subscribers. Before this, they had five times the amount of postpaid subscribers last year. There should be no doubt that this number will continue to grow. It seems as if T-Mobile is set to make it their goal to officially end them. This would certainly get rid of another obstacle for them and make it so they could officially stop caring about them.

TIME WILL TELL IF T-MOBILE BURIES AT&T

This will end up being a very interesting revelation. All of these promotions should allow T-Mobile to steal some AT&T customers, but how many can they? Will they steal enough to completely annihilate and finish AT&T? Only time will end up answering these questions, but as of right now it would appear that they are set to convert a lot of AT&T users.

 

T-Mobile Is Trying Hard To Destroy AT&T

AT&T Takes Advantages off of Their Faithful Customers - http://clapway.com/2015/12/01/att-takes-advantages-off-of-their-faithful-customers123/

AT&T has many faithful customers, and it seems like they are going to take advantage of that fact. It was officially announced by AT&T that they are going to be raising the price of their unlimited wireless data plans by $5. AT&T announced that in February of 2016 their plan will rise from $30 to $35.

AT&T IS GOING TO MAKE AS MUCH MONEY AS THEY CAN

So, is this a jerk move or a smart move by AT&T. Well, the first thing that should be said is companies raise the price on their devices all of the time, so AT&T is certainly not the first. Many people who use AT&T’s unlimited data are probably not going to be happy about this increase of price, but it better be believed that AT&T will take advantage of all of the customers that they have garnered over the years. They have also announced that any customers who are not happy with this news can cancel their subscription with them anytime. This makes it so AT&T is not forcing this on their customers, but if they want it they will have to pay the extra $5.

WAS THIS REALLY NECESSARY FOR AT&T?

Even though AT&T is not the first company to do this, the question remains if this was a necessary move. Customers probably do not want to pay an extra $5 a month, so it will be interesting to see if AT&T loses a lot of their customers. On the other side, AT&T is a company that always needs to make a lot of money, so getting an extra $5 a month from all of their users would be a pretty penny. This move can be summed up as good for the company, but probably irritating for all of their customers. Depending on how well AT&T thinks they will do in 2016, could have very well been the reason why they chose to raise the price of their unlimited storage.

AT&T Takes Advantages off of Their Faithful Customers

AT&T Samsung Smart Watch to Compete with Apple - http://clapway.com/2015/11/04/att-samsung-smart-watch-to-compete-with-apple123/

For all smart watch users that just have to part with their phone, AT&T is now offering the Samsung Gear S2 Smart Watch with 4G coverage. You can now answer the phone directly from the watch as well as send texts, receive texts and get all notifications that go to your phone to your smart watch.

The Samsung Gear S2, which has garnered positive reviews since its release, is now teaming up with AT&T to bring customers a wider network coverage, and a way to compete against Apple. In reviews, the two smart watches are very different and both very efficient: where the Apple Watch has a square dial, the Samsung has a round one, where the Samsung Gear S2 carries 8 apps, the Apple Watch can hold up to 3 times that amount. The collaboration with AT&T takes the competition one step further: while the Apple Watch only connects to your phone via Bluetooth or WiFi, the Samsung Gear S2 has its own network, so it can work completely separately from your phone.

att.com

This will give users a time to unwind from their handheld device, but will not disconnect them so they’d miss the most important notifications. Samsung, being Apple’s main competition, is sure to retaliate eventually, given that the newest Apple watch is not yet tied to any mobile networks. It’s yet to be seen what the exact response will be.

AT&T will start to take orders for the Samsung Gear S2 and the LG Watch Urbane 2nd Edition on November 13th and 6th respectively, at $15 per month on a 20 month plan and $200 on contract.

AT&T Samsung Smart Watch to Compete with Apple

On Sept. 11, #AT&T will release the #ZTEMobley, which is the company’s first plug-and-play Wi-Fi #hotspot that works with your car. - http://clapway.com/2015/09/09/atts-zte-mobley-wi-fi213/

On Sept. 11, AT&T will release the ZTE Mobley, which is the company’s first plug-and-play Wi-Fi hotspot that works with your car.

AT&T’s ZTE Mobley

Most cars nowadays don’t really have immediate access to the internet, and drivers certainly do not need another form of distraction while they’re driving. But if you’re someone with a family, or someone who is frequently on the go, then you have probably found yourself in a position where you wished you could just give someone a tablet with Wi-Fi in an effort to get some peace and quiet.

SEE ALSO: T-MOBILE TO WAGE WAR ON UNLIMITED DATA ‘THIEVES’

AT&T has partnered with ZTE to bring a device that will offer 4G LTE high-speed internet for up to five mobile devices. It’s powered by a Qualcomm MDM9215 processor, and will plug directly into the vehicle’s diagnostic (OBD II) port. That means that most cars (1996 and newer) should be able to run the device.

HOW IT WORKS

When you plug in AT&T’s new hotspot device, it will turn itself on and off in relation to the vehicle’s ignition and engine. In other words, it starts and stops with your vehicle, so you’ll never run the risk of finding someone parked outside your car trying to grab some free Wi-Fi. According to CNET, AT&T states that the device doesn’t conduct any type of shady remote vehicle monitoring, although that certainly doesn’t mean we won’t see a headline about it a few months from now.

AVAILABILITY OF ZTE Mobley

Now for the good stuff: how much is this going to cost you? Well, not surprisingly, it’s pretty expensive. And AT&T isn’t even offering enough data to allow you to use your mobile device outside of light browsing for an entire month.

AT&T customers can grab one of these devices for free if they sign a two-year service agreement, but otherwise, it will cost $100. Now get this: $20 only gets you 1GB of data, though 3GB can be purchased for $30. If you have a family share plan, then you can add the device to the shared data pool for an extra $10, and that’s probably what families will want to do since 1GB probably won’t get you through a full trip.

While it’s cool to see a company like AT&T offering a device like this, simply adding a tethering feature to your plan when you need to make a trip will be much cheaper in the long run.

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Enjoyed this article on ZTE Mobley? For more technology related news and product reviews, check out Clapway Trends:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTCwx6CgWBI

ZTE Mobley Will Finally Put Wi-Fi in Your Car

No more two year #mobile contracts on #Sprint - http://clapway.com/2015/08/18/are-two-year-contracts-a-thing-of-the-past-sprint-to-replace-outdated-system-234/

In a sign of the changing times, Sprint has just announced that they will be putting an end to their two-year contracts and replacing that system with better options that do not require customers to be committed to a binding contract. This makes Sprint the third of the four major mobile phone networks (Verizon, Sprint, AT&T, and T-Mobile) to do away with the outdated system.

The Last Survivor

Earlier this month, Verizon announced that it was getting rid of its two-year contracts and replacing them with more user-friendly month-to-month payment plan options. T-Mobile did away with its two-year contracts over two years ago, leading the charge against the unfriendly and often frustrating system.

Sprint’s announcement that it, too, is getting rid of contracts means that AT&T is now the sole major mobile phone network to still have two-year contract plans for their phones. However, the sole survivor has shown signs that it, too, could eventually be getting rid of the outdated system eventually. Many AT&T users are now opting to buy their phones outright in a payment system rather than be locked down by the two-year contract process.

Two-Year Contracts Face Extinction

With Sprint bidding farewell to the two-year contract process of phone ownership, and AT&T customers preferring to pay for their phone directly instead of going the contract route, one has to wonder just how much longer two-year contracts will still be around. Someday, the notion of the two-year contract system will become just another thing that separates the generations, as parents will have to tell their phone-seeking kids something along the lines of, “When I was your age and I wanted a new phone, we had to sign a contract that bound us to that carrier for two whole years!”

What is Replacing Sprint’s Two-Year Contracts?

Instead of having to sign a contract, Sprint customers will now have to buy their phone at full price on the spot, set up a payment plan that spans two years, or lease their phone from the company. This makes it easier for customers to know exactly how much they are paying every month for their phone and for their service. Abandoning contracts enables customers to compare prices across the networks much easier, making the whole experience of shopping around for a new phone a much less complicated process.

In light of this growing trend of abandoning two-year contracts, carriers are now trying to outdo each other on the deals they offer to potential customers. For instance, Sprint currently offers the cheapest plan for iPhones out of the top four mobile phone networks, and it has offered to cut customers’ bills in half if they switch to Sprint from AT&T or Verizon. When the new iPhone comes out, Sprint has said that customers will be able to grab one with unlimited data for just $75 a month after they trade in an old smartphone.

With this latest announcement from Sprint, it’s only a matter of time before AT&T also does away with two-year contracts altogether and the outdated system goes the way of the dinosaur.

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Get more of your tech bites now at Clapway Trends:

Are Two-Year Contracts a Thing of the Past? Sprint to Replace Outdated System

#Data plans on #AT&T are undergoing adjustments - http://clapway.com/2015/08/16/att-next-in-line-to-adjust-its-data-plans-224/

AT&T has decided to join the club and change up the way it handles its data plans in an effort to keep up with the now rapidly changing wireless industry.

Introducing New Data Plans

On Friday AT&T announced a new set of Mobile Share Value plans which went into effect on Aug. 15. A lot of the changes are mostly positive. The company is giving more data for the same amount customers were paying before, and it’s adding free calling and texting to our neighbors on our borders (Canada and Mexico), but only for customers who are on higher tiered plans.

Details on the New Plans

AT&T’s new data plans aren’t quite as big a change as some of the other carrier’s. The best deal seems to be the $100 package: originally this offered 10GB of data, but now AT&T is offering 15GB of data for the same price. The $70 (6GB)plan has been nixed and a new $50(5GB) tier has replaced it. The last two changes are for power users or business owners. The 20GB data plan received a $10 price cut, so it now only costs $140, and a new 25GB tier has been introduced that will run $170. Here is a full rundown of all their plans:

$20 – 300MB

$30 – 2GB

$50 – 5GB

$100 – 15GB

$140 – 20GB

$170 – 25GB

For T-Mobile users, these prices might still seem a bit much, but AT&T has slightly undercut Verizon on just about every tier level they now offer.

Why AT&T is Changing Their Data Plans

Now these changes don’t really come as any surprise since it seems like every other mobile carrier has recently made major changes to their data plans, but there may be more here than meets the eye.

Previously AT&T offered 1GB and 3GB plans, so its 2GB plan is new. According to a report by analytics firm Mobidia, most users only use about 1.8GB of data. Now, that’s on average, so there are certainly times when a user may go over that amount, and for $20 more, AT&T is allowing users to purchase 150% more data, which seems like a great deal for the consumer, even if they never hit that amount. They’re purchasing a safety net, but AT&T is making that extra $20 off potentially millions of customers.

What AT&T has done is simply instilled a safety net feature into all of its plans that tries to convince users to upgrade to the next highest tier because it’s only that much more. Family plans also have a tendency to be difficult to move away from because they can be complicated since there are so many moving parts.

Either way you cut it, AT&T’s new plans are a good change for consumers.

Take a read of or watch Clapway’s week in review:

AT&T Next in Line to Adjust Its Data Plans

You"ll want to know this if your #mobile service provider happens to be #AT&T. - http://clapway.com/2015/08/16/att-has-been-helping-the-nsa-spy-on-internet-traffic-333/

Some newly disclosed documents, dating from 2003 to 2013, cite that the telecom company, AT&T, has been helping the U.S. NSA to spy on the Internet traffic passing across the United States. The topic was first brought to light by the former NSA contractor, Edward Snowden and started a huge debate about individuals’ privacy.

WHAT’S NEW?

The New York Times reported on Saturday that AT&T gave technical support to the National Security Agency, after carrying out an undercover court order, which gave permission to the government of the United States to intercept all web communications of the company’s customers in the United Nations.

HOW DID THAT HELP THE NSA?

Also, the telecom giant helped the spy agency with a series of classified activities, and the documents describe the connection between the NSA and AT&T as “a partnership and not a contractual relationship.” The telecom company helped the NSA to organize and carry out surveillance of international web communications that weathered through junction networks in the United States, and according to the NSA document, AT&T has been providing access to other telecoms and Internet Service Providers as well.

The reason why this access provided is extremely important is because a huge amount of the world’s web communication is transmitted through U.S. cables. The surveillance equipment that AT&T installed in, at least, 17 of its Internet hubs in America is located far away from Verizon’s equipment, and the first who tried the new technology were the company’s engineers.

AT&T’S COMMENTS

The Times report that in 2011 AT&T started giving the agency access to more than 1.1 billion private cellphone calls on a daily basis, in order to prepare for the 9/11 10th anniversary, as the document cites.

AT&T spokesman, Brad Burns, was asked to comment on the New York Times report and he chose to respond by an email to Reuters, saying that the company provides selected information to investigating authorities, only when a person’s life is in danger and time is valuable: “For example, in a kidnapping situation we could provide help tracking down called numbers to assist law enforcement,” he continued.

Burns added that the company has nothing more to report.

AT&T Has Been Helping the NSA Spy on Internet Traffic

T-Mobile Denied Reserved Spectrum By FCC - http://clapway.com/2015/08/07/t-mobile-shot-down-by-fcc-101/

T-Mobile lost a significant bid with the FCC to increase the amount of reserved spectrum to be set aside for the smaller cellular providers in next year’s FCC spectrum auction this week.

The auction, to begin on March 29th of 2016, will distribute the spectrum equally in order to provide valuable broadband for both big and small providers to compete with on equal footing. This comes years after smaller providers have repeatedly requested that the FCC set aside a section of spectrum prohibited to major businesses (e.g., Verizon and AT&T). These restrictions are necessary for for smaller companies like T-Mobile and Sprint to have a shot at outbidding the larger and wealthier rival companies.

FCC ALLOTTED FOR THE 30 MHZ SPECTRUM ALREADY, T-MOBILE SHAFTED

The FCC agreed to save 30 megahertz of spectrum per market for the purposes of giving smaller businesses that necessary shot at sustained competition. T-Mobile had previously been lobbying for 40 megahertz, but this week the commission denied that request, arguing that T-Mobile should be satisfied with 30 MHz.

In a recent statement, FCC chairmen explained that 30 MHz is a happy medium for all parties. This seems to be more of a statistical mean than matter of fact. Some parties are lobbying for the Commission to increase the size of the allotted spectrum, while others are lobbying for it to be eliminated completely, but the FCC is going to leave the reserve right where it already is.

THE 30MHZ ALLOTMENT ALLOWS FOR PROTECTION

The 30 MHz option guarantees protection for bidders who’ve thus far gone without good portions of low-band spectrum access. To be allowed to bid on the 30 MHz, the entity or company will need to hold at least one-third less of the available high quality, low-band spectrum in any given license area.

T-MOBILE WANTED THE RESERVE IN ORDER TO OWN MARKET BETTER

T-Mobile wanted to increase the low-band reserve because the 30 MHz plan would only let carriers that are bidding on that spectrum to get one 10×10 configuration. This is technically a way of predicting how much bandwidth that spectrum will also actually provide for other, higher quality options (e.g. higher-bandwidth).

Many of the other rival companies, like AT&T, believe the FCC was right to deny T-Mobile’s request. The carriers, however, still have concerns as to the details of the auction. Last year, AT&T threatened non-participation in the auction if the FCC enforced restrictions deemed to be onerous or logistically uncouth.

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Regardless of your plan, your phone should always stay safe:

T-Mobile Denied Reserved Spectrum By FCC

AT&T buys DirecTV - http://clapway.com/2015/07/25/att-buys-directv678/

AT&T, the number two wireless carrier, has just become the biggest traditional television provider in the United States with its $48.5 billion purchase of DirecTV, the biggest satellite-TV provider. This is all after winning clearance from the Federal Communications Commission. This deal was sealed on Friday.

JUSTICE DEPARTMENT CLEARED DEAL TUESDAY

The Justice Department had already cleared the deal on Tuesday of this past week, which creates the largest provider of cable or satellite TV in the United States, with 26.4 million cable and satellite TV subscribers. That is more than Comcast, the United States’ biggest cable company, as well as Charter, which is also seeking government approval to buy Time Warner Cable. This company said that it will serve more than 26 million United States customers and more than 19 million in Latin America.

FCC REVIEWS FOR THE PUBLIC’S INTEREST

The requirements from the FCC, which ensures that deals are in the interest of the public, include protections for rival video and pledges to expand high-speed Internet services to low-income Americans, schools and other customers. After more than a year of review, the Federal Communications Commission finalized its vote to approve the deal with conditions that will be imposed for four years and enforced by an internal and external compliance officers. The conditions imposed by the FCC address potential harms presented by the combination. This conditionals also ensure that the benefits of the merger will also be realized.

Suppliers of TV are buying one another as video from Internet competitors like Netflix gets more popular and costs rise for channels. Adding TV customers gives AT&T more room to negotiate with big media companies over price for those same channels.

AT&T WILL BE RELEASING NEW TV, INTERNET, AND MOBILE DEALS SOON

The deals also combine as a nationwide satellite TV service with a nationwide wireless network as the amount of time that is spent on mobile devices increases. AT&T says that it will also launch new TV, Internet, and mobile phone bundles in the next coming weeks.

With this merger, DirecTV receives the broadband product it previously didn’t have and AT&T gets new avenues of growth beyond the maturing wireless service. AT&T’s shares were up 1.1 percent and DirecTV shares were up 1.5 percent at the market close.

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AT&T buys DirecTV

Will astronauts soon have to share their Internet from space? - http://clapway.com/2015/06/10/spacex-internet-from-space-means-internet-to-all-123/

Will Astronauts Soon Have To Share Their Internet From Space?

Astronauts may have to share their rapid-fire interconnectivity. Elon Musk, the founder of SpaceX plans to bring high-speed Internet from space to the rest of the world. In his project to bring internet from space to all parts of the globe — even the most remote of them — Internet might be an equal opportunity feature.

Internet Would Be Equal Access

In order to steep this ambitious project in reality, a web of satellites would have to wrap around the world to provide Internet from space to areas all across the globe. If this works out, Internet would be more cost efficient and higher speed than the Internet we get from existing satellites today.

This is an unusual project for SpaceX as it is primarily a rocket company. But it could put SpaceX on the map as a huge high-speed Internet provider that gives equal access to Internet. Why is this worthwhile? Upon project success, SpaceX could be responsible for helping billions of people access Internet for the first time! The only entities that may not be too happy about this might be AT&T and Comcast as SpaceX’s success would put these companies in direct competition with one another.

How SpaceX Will Test This Project

U.S. government must permit federal approval in order to begin testing on this project. Once this is approved, what awaits is still quite a long journey. They submitted their proposal to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) late last month.

The proposal submitted to the the U.S. government requesting for approval describes the testing phase. There would be a web of about 4,000 smaller, cheaper satellite prototypes that would beam high-speed Internet from space to all regions of the world. The web of satellite prototypes would launch from SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket. It would orbit the Earth and connect to three ground stations located on the West Coast. The goal of the testing is to figure out if their technology is capable of beaming reliable, efficient Internet from space to the ground.

Space Internet Has A Future

If not Musk, it may have been someone else. Richard Brandon, Virgin Group’s founder had similar ambitions. The same goes for Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates also wanted to bring Internet to all. It’s possible that Musk will take from any roadblocks these businessmen encountered, and become the one who is able to persist and find success. According to the Washington Post’s reports, Google and Fidelity have invested $1 billion into funding for SpaceX’s–part of the investment was specifically for this groundbreaking Internet project.

If all goes well, SpaceX would begin testing phase for their ambitious Internet project starting 2016. We could be seeing this service publicly available as soon as within the next five years. While this is a branch out from Musk’s usual ambitions of space travel and exploration, it’s not entirely unrelated. Musk describes his vision as “rebuilding the Internet in space.”

With so many reasons to get excited about space technology, why not share the fun with your youngsters with Space Scouts Summer Adventure?:

SpaceX: Internet from Space Means Internet to All