Ting to offer service on a GSM network

Andrew Moore-Crispin • December 9, 2014

We hope you find some of the information in this article helpful – but we should point out that information about GSM/CDMA is outdated. Ting Mobile customers know they’ll continue receiving great coverage and service as Ting is currently on three nationwide LTE networks, including the nation’s largest and most reliable.

Early in 2015, Ting mobile service will come online on a GSM network. We’re targeting February, for the launch.

This is not us announcing we’re moving away from offering service on Sprint’s CDMA network. Rather, this is us announcing that we’re adding GSM network access to Ting.

If you don’t know what either of these initialisms mean, don’t worry about that right now. Just know that when someone says “unlocked” in reference to a smartphone, they’re probably talking about a GSM device.

If that’s all you need to know for right now, jump down to the email list signup form at the bottom of the page for all the news as it happens and for a chance at securing a spot in the early beta.

On Ting, your CDMA and GSM devices will be able to coexist under a single account and will share a single pool of minutes, messages and megabytes. At the end of the billing cycle, they will appear on a single monthly bill. As far as we can tell, this is a North American first and we’re pretty sure it’s a worldwide first too.

So yes, GSM can mean more coverage in more places and an answer for people that love Ting but not necessarily the CDMA network. See the Ting GSM network coverage map. More to the point though, the Ting GSM SIM card will unlock a whole new world of phone possibilities.

In short, when Ting on GSM is live in February 2015, there will be no more waiting for the latest iPhone or Android device to be allowed on Ting. If it can be purchased unlocked, or if it can be carrier unlocked, it can come. What’s more, better than 80% of smartphones made in the last couple of years will be compatible with Ting. That will include the unlocked iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus.

The Ting compatibility checker has been updated: Rather than just telling potential switchers if their device is compatible with Ting today, it will tell if a device will be compatible in the future, when Ting service comes online on a GSM network.

Ting customers have seen huge improvements in the CDMA network just in the few years we’ve been around, and the roadmap for future improvements has been made pretty clear. Public perception hasn’t yet caught up with the reality of the improved Sprint network, but we believe it will.

The choice of which network a Ting customer uses will be driven primarily by the type of device they have (or want). By offering services on both the GSM and CDMA networks across the US, we’ll also be able to guide customers toward the network that works best in their stomping grounds.

When our GSM service comes online, trying Ting will be as simple as grabbing an inexpensive SIM card and slipping it into your compatible phone.

We’ve always endeavored to make it easy to come to or go from Ting. Our thought has been and remains that you earn your customer’s business every day. That if you offer great service at a fair price, you pick up the phone when it rings, you build smart, simple tools that put customers in control… basically if you treat people like people as opposed to as data points on a spreadsheet, you’ll do OK.

Ultimately, we want to see a mobile industry that gives the end user the choice and the control. It sounds high-minded but the truth is, when you stack what we do (and what our customers pay) against any other mobile phone service offering out there, we tend to fare pretty well.

Want to be among the first to hear all the Ting GSM network news that’s fit to print? Maybe even secure a spot in our early beta? That’s what the form below is for.

Online Form – Ting Stay Tuned