T Mobile Digits

Hi Everyone,

I am based in Canada and am very excited about TMobile Digits.

I hope this will come to Canada, likely Rogers will be 1st to market.

Based on comments from Brad and others like Windows Central, this makes lots of sense.

I think this should work well on LTE, however, if 5G has proiritiztion for voice, even better.

I am guessing most carriers are close to just selling data plans that voice calls can be made from.

My carrier TELUS now has VOLTE and VOWiFi. If voice now rides over an IP network, logical next step would be to make all voice just an app.

If you add Microsoft’s comments about form factor, your Surface Pro could be a voice device (with Bluetooth) headset.

Would this not allow Apple, Google and Microsoft own the MVNO carrier relationship vs Verizon, ATT, Bell, TMobile, NTT, Orange, BT and other carrier around the world, would this remove termination changes and allow global roaming with 1 number vs SIM swapping.

Microsoft is already a carrier in US, almost a carrier in UK and working on a carrier relationship in Canada and likely many other parts of the world.

Google has taken the MVNO approach.

Apple is only one left out, wonder when Tim Crook will see the light and put Apple between carriers and customers (provide better users expereince).

Microsoft needs to be a carrier to issue numbers for Skype and Skype for Business.

Maybe mobile and hardline carrier could compete on traffic shaping/QOS for their networks, provide sub 20ms pings to have awesome VOIP on all IP based networks.

If TMobile digits is the start, we have an exciting 36 months ahead.

Love to hear from engineer from carriers, this must scare the crap out of carriers, I am guesssing this is reason for content play!

Conversation 2 comments

  • offTheRecord

    29 May, 2017 - 4:03 am

    <p>Google's Project Fi is an MVNO. Google Voice is Google's "voice as an app" product (US-only, of course). I've been using Google Voice with data-only plans pretty much since they've both been available (and for a time, I was using a T-Mobile data-only SIM). One way to think about it is that Project Fi and Google Voice are similar services, except that Project Fi supplies the network (for various fees); with Google Voice you have to provide your own network (e.g., WiFi and/or cellular data — which means you don't have to be tied to a specific provider), but Google Voice itself is free.</p><p>Reading the description of T-Mobile Digits, it sounds almost exactly line what I've been doing with Google Voice (using cheap data-only SIMs) for years. In fact, this Chicago Tribune article about T-Mobile Digits even says that Google Voice has provided this capability since 2009(!):</p><p>http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-tmobile-digits-phone-number-20170526-story.html</p><p>I think Google has pulled a Microsoft with Google Voice. It's a great product that they've mishandled and failed to market effectively. I've been quite happy with Google Voice for years, but I constantly worry that Google will do something to ruin it. </p>

  • Darmok N Jalad

    29 May, 2017 - 10:27 am

    <p>Apple seems to have the best situation against the carriers already. They seem to be the only company capable of putting out updates to everyone, regardless of carrier. Plus, You already have the option to take calls and texts on another Apple device under the same iCloud account via Continuity. It works even better if you have a carrier that supports wifi calling.</p>

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