News is circulating that long time T-Mobile MVNOs Giv Mobile and Ptel are closing down at the end of the month. Customers of both of those providers will have until January 26th to port out.
It's a sad day to see the two sister MVNOs shut down after being in service for over 15 years, but that's the nature of the game with new providers periodically launching and the landscape becoming more competitive and cut throat.
In recent years we've also seen the parent networks push their own prepaid MVNO brands harder such as AT&T's Cricket Brand and Sprint's Boost Mobile, thus making the in house brands more competitive in the market while pushing the smaller companies aside.
PrepaidPhoneNews reports the following from customer support of the soon to be defunct brands.
I regret to inform Ptel Mobile will be discontinuing wireless service as of January 31, 2016. We urge subscribers to process their requested Port Outs by January 26, 2016 to ensure successful port outs. Additionally, all wireless accounts will remain active until 1/31/2016 to ensure carrier transfers. At this time we are working to supply details via the site. Currently an SMS has been sent in batches to subscribers to inform of service update. Please note- the next step to take will consist of porting out of Ptel Mobile in order to retain your same number. Here are the following suggested companies for service: Ultra Mobile- 888-777-0446/Simple Mobile-877-878-7908/Metro PCS- 888-863-8768/Ting- 855 846 4389/ LycaMobile- 866-277-3221/T-Mobile- 877-413-5903. To initiate a port request, please contact the new selected service provider. Please supply the new service provider with the phone number as the account number. The 4-digit PIN on the account is 0000. We appreciate your patience and cooperation in this matter.
If you need help choosing a new MVNO or provider I suggest you have a look at the BestMVNO Cheapest Cell Phone Plan and T-Mobile MVNO tables.