From businessman to politician, and now to wireless service provider? Coming way out of left field, it seems the Trump Organization is now looking to leverage the Trump name to bring phone service to its fan base.
According to the Trump Organization, the company won’t directly operate Trump Mobile and is instead licensing the rights to an unnamed third party. Trump Mobile will offer just one plan, dubbed the 47 Plan, as a not-so-subtle nod to Trump’s current presidential term. The company will also offer its Trump-themed T1 Phone, though you can also bring your own device — which we’d definitely recommend over buying this thing.
The 47 Plan claims to have the same coverage as the big three carriers, as well as unlimited talk, text, and data for $47.45 a month. There’s also reportedly around $15 in additional fees beyond that price tag. Of course, several other prepaid carriers offer the same general features for notably less. For example, Visible ranges from $25 to $45 a month with taxes and fees included. In order to stand out, Trump Mobile includes a few less common benefits, which we’ll focus on a bit later.
Would you consider Trump Mobile? 26 votes Yes, if the telehealth and other extra features proof useful. 12 % No, it's too expensive or gimmicky for me 88 % Undecided/Other (Tell us more in comments) 0 %
Marketing gimmicks aside, is Trump Mobile actually a decent alternative to other prepaid providers? Honestly, for most probably not, but let’s start by taking a look at what it actually offers.
What do you get with Trump Mobile?
Andrew Grush / Android Authority
Trump Mobile is a mobile virtual network operator, meaning it doesn’t run its own towers and instead partners with existing networks. While many prepaid carriers only provide service via one partner, Trump Mobile will reportedly offer coverage via all three major networks. This isn’t unheard of by any means; a few independent prepaid providers manage to offer coverage from all three networks, with US Mobile being one of the most well-known examples. In fact, US Mobile even lets you run two networks simultaneously, for an optional fee.
It’s still unclear how Trump Mobile’s multi-network support will function, but based on what I’ve been able to dig up, it’ll likely assign you to the carrier most compatible with your BYOD device or the Trump T1 Phone. You might be able to manually choose a network, though there are no official details yet. Either way, I wouldn’t count on being able to easily switch between networks on the fly—or use two simultaneously—as those features would almost certainly be highlighted if they were part of the offering.
Trump Mobile's unlimited talk, text, and 20GB data are pretty standard, but it's priced on the high side.
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