Joe Maring / Android Authority
TL;DR A new report from The Financial Times has revealed some concerning truths about Trump Mobile and its “Made in America” T1 Phone.
The company behind Trump Mobile’s network operations is registered to a luxury apartment and has a shaky public presence.
A Trump Mobile spokesperson told the publication that the T1 Phone is manufactured in Alabama, California, and Florida, but experts doubt these claims.
Trump Mobile came out of left field with a mobile network that promises telehealth and roadside perks and a “Proudly Made in America” smartphone. With bold claims of an Android device made entirely in the US and no clarity on who is really behind the venture, Trump Mobile raised eyebrows at launch, leading to more questions than answers. Now, a report from The Financial Times has attempted to answer some of those questions, adding more skepticism to the story, not just over whether Trump Mobile can deliver an American-made device, but over the credibility of the partner it has chosen to help do it.
Trump Mobile has hitched its wagon to Liberty Mobile Wireless, a network operator registered to a luxury apartment.
Trump Mobile, led by the US President’s sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, has hitched its wagon to Liberty Mobile Wireless, a tiny, little-known network operator registered to a luxury apartment in Trump Tower Miami. The company was founded in 2018 and lists fewer than 50 employees. As The Financial Times points out, its FAQ page is filled with placeholder text (“What is Lorem Ipsum?”). Public records link the founder of Liberty Mobile Wireless, Matt Lopatin, to multiple other dissolved ventures. Financial Times’ attempts to reach the company for comment went unanswered.
Although Liberty is only seven years old and not very well-established, it forms the backbone of Trump Mobile’s phone plans. The Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) essentially buys network access from major networks like Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile. While celebrity-backed MVNOs, like Ryan Reynolds’ Mint Mobile (now sold to T-Mobile), have seen some success, Liberty’s shaky public presence raises questions about its ability to shoulder another mobile network.
The T1 Phone's online order form crashed shortly after going live on Monday.
Meanwhile, if Trump Mobile employees are to be believed, the launch of the T1 Phone has been quite successful. The report notes that the phone’s online order form crashed shortly after going live on Monday, and a company employee attributed the crash to overwhelming demand for the device. We checked and the order form for the T1 Phone is now back online, allowing customers to pre-order the handset by authorizing a $100 payment up front and pre-authorizing a payment of $399 plus taxes when the device is shipped.
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