GoKawiil
Tech News
SpaceX is reportedly seeking regulatory approval to launch a mobile service division that would compete with Verizon and AT&T. Following Democratic gains in the 2026 midterm elections, the legislative and regulatory path for that plan has become less certain, according to the report.
T-Mobile will begin offering Fiber 5 Gig service on November 3 for $90 a month with AutoPay, undercutting AT&T's comparable 5Gbps offering. The plan includes symmetrical upload/download speeds, unlimited data, a router, free installation, and a mesh extender, with no annual contract required. T-Mobile is also pairing the launch with limited-time promotions across other fiber tiers, including discounted monthly rates and prepaid card incentives.
Elon Musk is said to be looking at buying an existing wireless carrier after proposals to partner with Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile were reportedly turned down. The move would give him a direct path into the $235 billion U.S. mobile phone market rather than relying on the major carriers' networks.
NATO ran a Digital Backbone Experimentation exercise called DiBaX 2026 in Latvia from October 19-30, testing whether existing 5G towers could passively detect and track drones using AI-designed systems. Separately in the U.S., AT&T and Ericsson demonstrated drone detection via advanced network sensing over a 5G network near a large sporting venue.
T-Mobile has introduced three new T-Mix plans—Standard, More, and Loaded—priced starting at $55, $75, and $95 respectively. The plans let subscribers select specific perks and subscriptions to include, with costs scaling as more lines are added, such as $115 per month for four lines on Standard or $240 for four lines on Loaded.
AT&T agreed to pay $177 million to settle a class-action lawsuit over 2019 and 2024 data breaches that exposed personal information of more than 110 million customers. More than 4.9 million people filed claims before the December deadline, and the company could still appeal the settlement until November 2.
On September 17, 1991, a routine Con Edison-requested power transfer led to a rectifier trip at AT&T's 33 Thomas Street facility in Manhattan, which went unnoticed as backup batteries silently kept DC power flowing to FAA telecom lines. Hours later the batteries drained, cutting radar feeds, radios, and flight-handoff links for New York's radar center and the Kennedy, LaGuardia, and Newark towers simultaneously, forcing controllers onto manual backups and resulting in 1,174 flights delayed or canceled.
T-Mobile increased its Regulatory Programs and Telco Recovery fees effective Oct. 12, adding $1.00 a month per voice line (from $4.49 to $5.49) and $0.50 per mobile internet line (from $2.10 to $2.60). This follows an earlier increase in April 2025, meaning voice line fees have risen $2 and internet line fees $1 over 18 months. AT&T and Verizon have also been raising similar fees separately from their advertised plan prices.
SpaceX has agreed to acquire a large tranche of low-band spectrum to expand Starlink, following its roughly $20 billion EchoStar spectrum purchase last year and the FCC's approval of 15,000 next-generation Starlink satellites. Analyst Walter Piecyk of LightShed Partners says these moves show SpaceX is now serious about competing directly with AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile for wireless customers.
Apple has pushed a new carrier settings update, version 72.0.3, to iPhone 18 Pro Max users running the iOS 27.2 beta on AT&T, following last week's fix for devices on the stable iOS 27.0 release. The update addresses the same issue in which some users lost cellular service entirely, with affected phones showing an 'SOS' status indicator.
Apple confirmed to 9to5Mac that a small number of iPhone 18 Pro Max units on AT&T have lost cellular service entirely, leaving affected users unable to make calls. The company released iOS 27.0.1 and a carrier settings update to prevent further occurrences, but says customers already affected will need a hardware replacement through Apple or AT&T support.
Apple confirmed a small number of iPhone 18 Pro Max users on AT&T have lost cellular service entirely, unable to call, text or use mobile data. The company has pushed a carrier settings update and iOS 27.0.1 to prevent further cases, but affected users must get a device replacement from Apple or AT&T to restore service.