Trump Mobile's phone service actually exists and it works

Washington Post

18 hours ago

When President Donald Trump's family business announced its new wireless company early last week, I was stuck in customer purgatory that made me doubt it was real.
I now have personal proof that Trump Mobile's wireless service exists and it's fine. In my testing, it's basically T-Mobile with a Trump-branded sheen.
There are more questions about Trump Mobile's promised T1 smartphone. The company's website has altered its language about some phone details, including dropping that it's 'made in the USA.' A Trump Mobile spokesman told me that the company has facilities in the United States to put together the T1 phone, and that it's looking at a late summer launch.
Mostly, my Trump Mobile experience offers a guide to test-driving alternatives to America's big three mobile behemoths of AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon. A new analysis suggests that switching to an alternative — though maybe not Trump Mobile — could save you hundreds of dollars a year.
It's easier than ever to flirt with other phone carriers without divorcing your current one.
Many newer smartphones have the option of 'eSIMs,' or virtual instructions to communicate with a wireless carrier. With an eSIM, you can almost instantly turn on a mobile carrier's service in addition to the one you're already using. The secondary option will have a different phone number.
That's how I got started with Trump Mobile, but you can try it for most other carriers.
After three days of limbo when I couldn't turn on the Trump Mobile service I was charged for, I finally got a customer service email with a QR code and instructions to activate the mobile service via an eSIM on my iPhone 13 Mini.
(For iPhones, eSIMs are typically available for models from 2018 onward. Many Samsung and other Android phones let you use eSIMs, too.)
With a couple of taps, I turned on Trump Mobile and temporarily turned off the current Verizon service. For now, that means I would pay for both. Trump Mobile charged $64.70 a month including unspecified fees, which likely makes it among the most expensive alternative providers.
Next I used two apps, from Ookla and Opensignal, to track the wireless internet speeds I was getting from Trump Mobile at home, my office and around New York City. To compare, I tapped off the Trump Mobile service on my phone, turned Verizon back on and re-ran the speed tests.
The mobile data speeds were often as good or better than what I was seeing when my iPhone was connected to Verizon, though occasionally much worse. Your mileage may vary.
Based on my tests for the past week, Trump Mobile works fine for me.
That shouldn't be surprising. Alternative providers like Trump Mobile, Mint Mobile, U.S. Mobile and the cable-and-internet companies Xfinity and Spectrum pay to use the big three carriers' networks.
Trump Mobile appears to use the T-Mobile network. (The Trump Mobile spokesman said customers have a choice of the big three networks. I wasn't given that option.)
If you have a good experience with T-Mobile where you live, that suggests you could also have good coverage with Trump Mobile or other carriers that use T-Mobile's network like Mint, Google Fi and Ting.
Stephen Brodeur, a mobile industry expert with the wireless price comparison site Navi, told me that real-world test-drives of a mobile provider, as I'm doing with Trump Mobile, is the best way to know if it will work well for you.
Brodeur also said trying phone calls is essential to stress test a mobile provider.
If you decide to switch to an alternative wireless provider, you have the legal right to transfer your mobile number. You might need to pay off your smartphone if your current bill includes monthly device payments.
The cost savings of switching can be huge.
For example, if you have one phone line on Verizon's $72-a-month Unlimited Welcome plan and upgrade to a free iPhone 16, Navi calculates that you'd pay about $2,574 over three years. If you switched to a comparable Spectrum Mobile plan, you'd pay nearly full price for the iPhone 16 from the carrier, but your monthly bill would be $30 at most. Over three years, Navi calculates you'll save about $1,200.
Phone plans aren't directly comparable. They might have different perks like streaming subscriptions or Trump Mobile's promised telemedicine service. Ahmed Khattak, U.S. Mobile's CEO, also said some smaller alternative carriers might not have all the device features you expect such as visual voicemail.
James Gray from the telecom consulting firm Graystone Strategy said that you should also consider the ease of getting customer service from mobile providers. If you prefer to walk into a store for help, that might not be an option with all the non-big three providers.
In a recent survey of Consumer Reports members, though, alternative providers U.S. Mobile, Consumer Cellular and Ting were the only carriers that received top marks for customer support.