A new rumor says many T-Mobile third-party authorized retailer (TPR) locations could close as soon as July 1, as the carrier accelerates its “digital native” strategy and pushes customers into the T-Life app. Corporate-owned retail (COR) stores may be spared this round, and one dealer is reportedly closing 100+ locations with financial incentives from T-Mobile. Dealers should prepare for customer confusion, increased foot traffic at remaining stores, and a bigger shift toward

Verizon is being removed from the Dow Jones Industrial Average and replaced by Google parent Alphabet at the opening bell Monday, June 29. Because the Dow is price-weighted, Alphabet’s higher share price gives it more influence, and Dow-tracking funds will sell Verizon and buy Alphabet. For dealers, this isn’t about day-to-day network performance—it’s a headline signal that Wall Street is prioritizing AI, cloud computing, and mobile advertising over legacy telecom in “market

A customer says Verizon AI customer service made it hard to reach a human after a $500 billing mistake disconnected service. Dealer save-play inside.

T-Mobile addressed concerns about “AI cameras” in its retail stores, saying it does not use facial recognition, microphone-enabled cameras, or Flock products. The carrier says it’s simply upgrading to modern cameras comparable to consumer doorbell cams as part of standard lifecycle management to improve safety and security. Dealers should be ready with a simple privacy-first explanation and a calm in-store script.

A new report highlights T-Mobile’s 5G advantage, pointing to bandwidth/spectrum strategy that’s delivering much faster downloads—about 485 Mbps vs under 300 Mbps for AT&T and Verizon. A poll tied to the report suggests nearly 40% of respondents are now considering switching to T-Mobile. Dealers should use this as a “speed proof” opener, but still run a location-based coverage check and set expectations that speeds vary by market.

Verizon is rolling out a new Simplicity plan that’s designed to be clear, cheap, and competitive: unlimited talk/text/data with 5G Ultra Wideband, roaming, satellite texting, and 10GB hotspot starting at $30/month with port-in ($45 otherwise). Verizon is also removing activation and upgrade fees if customers join its Loyalty program, plus adding “Verizon Dollars” and new Shine perks to rival T-Mobile Tuesdays.

AT&T Unlimited Day Pass for iPad offers $3 per day on-demand cellular connectivity with first day free