Back in November, Tello announced that it would start activating new customers exclusively on its GSM partner network, T-Mobile, by the end of that month. Unfortunately, that planned transition ended up getting delayed by quite a bit. Tello opted to push back the timeline as the company found it needed to do more testing of its system to work out and fix bugs.
Yesterday, Tello announced that it was able to finally launch service on T-Mobile, but only for new customers. The company also stated to BestMVNO and in a blog post that current customers will begin to transition to the new network by the end of March. Customers will be migrated over to the new network in batches. They'll be notified of their eligibility to transition by email, through the Tello app (available on Android & iOS), and through their online account dashboard. Customers will be guided through the migration process with "personalized information, tools, and dedicated support."
Not everyone that is eligible will have to immediately migrate over to the T-Mobile network. For now, it will be optional. Support for Sprint's network will continue until at least June of 2021. Customers will have the ability to compare their coverage under Sprint vs the T-Mobile network. Customers that do wish to migrate will have to order a new GSM SIM card that will be issued free of charge. Tello has not specified if customers will still have to pay for the shipping of the SIM card. (Update 01/20/2021: A Tello representative confirms that shipping will be free.) For subscribers that don't have a T-Mobile compatible phone, Tello says that it will provide its subscribers with "multiple opportunities to upgrade their phone and change gears." Tello does have an online phone store, but most phones currently sold are older models and are refurbished. BestMVNO is waiting to hear from the company if a more diverse selection of phones will become available in the coming months. (Update 01/20/21: A Tello representative confirms that a larger selection of phones is on the way.)Of course, subscribers unhappy with Tello's phone selection can elect to purchase an unlocked T-Mobile compatible phone from elsewhere to bring it over to the network.
Tello does have a great selection of phone plans that are competitively priced. The company says that its plans and pricing will remain the same once the full transition of customers over to the T-Mobile network completes. Some popular Tello phone plans include the following:
- $10/month - 1GB high-speed data
- $14/month - 2GB high-speed data
- $19/month - 4GB high-speed data
- $24/month - 6GB high-speed data
- $29/month - 8GB high-speed data
- $39/month - 25GB high-speed data
All plans listed include unlimited talk, text, and data with the specified amount of data available at up to 5g data speeds before throttling to 2g data speeds once the plan's high-speed allotment gets used up. The plans also include mobile hotspot, and unlimited calling to Canada, Mexico, China, and Romania. Taxes and fees cost extra.