Ting Inc.

Ting Inc.
Private wholly owned by Tucows Inc.
Industry Wireless communications
Founded February 2, 2012 (2012-02-02)
Headquarters

Toronto, Ontario[1]

Starkville, Mississippi[2]
Parent Tucows
Website ting.com

Ting is a mobile virtual network operator and internet service provider launched in February 2012 by Tucows Inc. Ting provides cellular service in the United States using Sprint's CDMA, EV-DO 3G, and 4G LTE nationwide network as well as GSM service via the T-Mobile network.[3] In 2014, they also launched fiber-to-the-home symmetrical gigabit internet in certain cities.

Ting Mobile

Ting's cellular 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 from each customer in order to create loyal relationships with their consumers.[4] For Ting smartphones with hotspot capabilities, no tethering charges are imposed 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.

Ting supports devices that run on Sprint (CDMA), AT&T (GSM), T-Mobile (GSM) and Verizon's (CDMA) cellular networks depending on the frequencies of the device. Devices can be purchased through Ting's website (some devices listed redirect to Apple or Motorola) or other sellers. The customer then enters the device's electronic serial number on Ting's website to activate the device. Ting provides a device checker to advise what level of compatibility the device will have on their CDMA and GSM networks.

The company first announced support for devices that functioned on Sprint or its MVNOs (with the exception of Boost Mobile or Virgin Mobile) in August 2012.[5] 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.[6]

On December 9th, 2014, Ting announced GSM services going live in February 2015 using "a major US network provider", being the T-Mobile network. Ting customers can have phones on either network within the same account.[7] The GSM service allows the majority of US cellphones to be brought to Ting. On February 24, 2015, Ting offered public beta access to their GSM network[8] with the official product launched a few months later. As of March 2017, the service has approximately 250,000 subscribers.[9]

Ting Internet

On December 15, 2014, Ting announced it was buying ISP Blue Ridge InternetWorks of Charlottesville, Virginia, which was already building fiber Internet.[10] They began offering symmetrical gigabit fiber internet without bandwidth caps. Since expanding the existing fiber network in Charlottesville, Ting has also launched a similar service in Westminster, Maryland and Holly Springs, North Carolina. Ting also announced plans to expand into Sandpoint, Idaho and Centennial, Colorado in 2017.

In May 2016, Ting Internet launched the Bring Your Own Router option, allowing customers to borrow Ting's optical network terminal (ONT) free of charge while pairing it with their own wired or wireless networking equipment.

Early Termination Fee Reimbursement

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 came in the form of a non-expiring account credit equal to the customer's termination fee. Ting specified a maximum payout of $100,000.[11] The promotion ended within hours on the first day it was offered.

In September 2013 Ting restarted the ETF reimbursement program, paying 25% of the fee up to a limit of $75.[12] Ting stated the new program is not a one-time campaign, but a new feature intended to remain permanently.

In December 2014, Ting doubled the ETF offer paying 50% of the fee up to a limit of $150 for a short time.[13]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Gary Ng (August 2, 2013). "Toronto-based Ting Successful in US, But Can’t Buy Network from ‘Big 3′ in Canada". Ting. Retrieved Aug 29, 2013.
  2. ↑ TRUSTe (November 23, 2011). "Ting Privacy Policy". Ting. Retrieved December 1, 2014.
  3. ↑ Andrew Moore-Crispin (March 1, 2015). "Ting on a GSM network: Open beta is, well, open.". Ting.com. Retrieved 2015-04-30.
  4. ↑ "Why Ting?". Retrieved 21 November 2012.
  5. ↑ "BYOD — coming soon to Ting". Retrieved 15 January 2013.
  6. ↑ "Bring a Sprint device to Ting. You know you wanna.". Retrieved 15 January 2013.
  7. ↑ "Ting to Add Service on a GSM Network". tucows.com.
  8. ↑ "Ting on a GSM network: Open beta is, well, open. - Ting.com". ting.com.
  9. ↑ "Tucows emerges from decade-long slumber in deepening effort to win disgruntled U.S. mobile customers". Financial Post. Retrieved 2017-04-06.
  10. ↑ Reardon, Marguerite (2014-12-16). "Ting Mobile follows Google into gigabit-broadband biz". CNET. Retrieved 2016-06-23.
  11. ↑ "The Ting $100,000 ETF Payout". Retrieved 25 January 2013.
  12. ↑ "Ting pays out ETFs up to $75 per line". Retrieved 30 September 2013.
  13. ↑ "Get contract free and stay that way. We’ll help with your ETF.". Retrieved 2 December 2014.
  1. CNET, December 5, 2011, Coming next year: Ting the less evil mobile carrier
  2. Engaget, February 2, 2012, Tucows launches Ting, a contract-free mobile service on Sprint's network
  3. PCMAG, February 3, 2012, Tucows launches contract-free mobile provider Ting
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.