Ting (cell phone company)
| Type | Private wholly owned by Tucows Inc., Mobile virtual network operator |
|---|---|
| Industry | Wireless communications |
| Founded | February 2012 |
| Headquarters | United States |
| Parent | Tucows Inc. |
| Website | ting.com |
Ting is a wireless service provider launched in February 2012 by Tucows, selling its services in the United States using the Sprint CDMA, 3G, 4G WiMAX, and 4G LTE nationwide networks. Ting also offers free voice (but no data) roaming on compatible CDMA networks (Verizon and MetroPCS).
Ting's business model does not subsidize phone sales, or require contracts beyond month-to-month. Pricing is in separate tiers for voice minutes, text messages, and data, each of which is adjusted month-to-month to match actual usage. There are no "regulatory recapture" fees added to bills, in contrast to the practice of some of the large mobile companies. Ting also relies on referrals to gain customers, along with making less money for each customer in order to create loyal relationships with their consumers.[1] For Ting smartphones which have hotspot capabilities, there are no tethering charges to share the connection with laptops or other wi-fi capable devices, since users pay for their service based on their actual usage of data.
Contents |
BYOSD [edit]
In August 2012, Ting announced that by the end of the year customers would be able to use devices that had been designed for use on Sprint or its MVNOs, with the exception of Boost Mobile or Virgin Mobile.[2] A public beta was then launched on December 6, offering official support for seven Sprint-branded smartphones; the announcement also included links to a substantial list of other compatible devices and a new discussion area for users attempting to activate them.[3]
Home Phone Connect 2 [edit]
On November 20, 2012, Ting announced a new service called Home Phone Connect 2. It allows for a traditional home phone to work on Ting's cellular network. The device to enable the service will cost $100, with the actual service costing $6USD monthly (plus charges for actual usage), as any device is charged on Ting.[4]
Early Termination Fee Reimbursement [edit]
On January 16, 2013, Ting announced that it would reimburse the early termination fee of new customers during the month of February, up to $350 per line. The reimbursement will come in the form of a non-expiring account credit equal to the customer's termination fee. Ting has specified a maximum payout of $100,000.[5]
References [edit]
- ^ "Why Ting?". Retrieved 21 November 2012.
- ^ "BYOD — coming soon to Ting". Retrieved 15 January 2013.
- ^ "Bring a Sprint device to Ting. You know you wanna.". Retrieved 15 January 2013.
- ^ "Device Update – What’s coming through the end of 2012". Retrieved 21 November 2012.
- ^ "The Ting $100,000 ETF Payout". Retrieved 25 January 2013.
- CNET, December 5, 2011, Coming next year: Ting the less evil mobile carrier
- Engaget, February 2, 2012, Tucows launches Ting, a contract-free mobile service on Sprint's network
- PCMAG, February 3, 2012, Tucows launches contract-free mobile provider Ting
