Southwest and T-Mobile are rolling out free Wi-Fi on every flight.
Anyone with a free Southwest Rapid Rewards account can log on, no matter which wireless carrier they use.
The upgrade will reach Southwest’s full fleet of 800+ planes this year.
Southwest Airlines is partnering with T-Mobile to provide its travelers with free Wi-Fi during flights. While you might assume this benefit only applies to T-Mobile customers, the scope is broader. Anyone who signs up for a free Southwest Rapid Rewards account can access in-flight service powered by T-Mobile, regardless of their wireless provider.
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T-Mobile has long offered free in-flight texting and Wi-Fi options on select plans, but those relied on partnerships with providers like Hughesnet, EchoStar, and ViaSat. With the advent of T-Satellite, T-Mobile is now directly powering in-flight connectivity across entire airline fleets.
Another major difference is scale: while many airlines provide limited in-flight Wi-Fi support for T-Mobile, Southwest plans to roll out free Wi-Fi for all Rapid Rewards customers (including those with T-Mobile service) across its full fleet of more than 800 aircraft. Although T-Mobile’s press release doesn’t explicitly mention T-Satellite, it would obviously play a role in delivering service at cruising altitudes.
This leaves me a bit curious as to why Starlink would allow partnerships like this when they’ve also directly courted some flight providers. That said, if T-Mobile is providing all the upfront work here, Starlink still reaps the benefit of greater reach without direct effort on its end. Does anyone else have any thoughts on the matter? Let us know in the comments below.
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If you’re planning to travel internationally this year, you’ll want to have a solid game plan for phone coverage during your trip. There are several options available, including using a foreign SIM or eSIM, or even opting for a special travel SIM plan. For many, the most convenient method is simply using their carrier’s roaming solution, though not all carriers are created equal in this regard.
If your international roaming options are limited, you might be wondering if you can simply connect to an international Wi-Fi network to place phone calls instead. In most cases, the answer is yes, but whether you’re charged for it depends on your carrier’s policies.
Ensuring You Have Wi-Fi Calling
First, it’s important to ensure you have Wi-Fi calling in the first place. The good news is that every major US carrier now offers this feature, even most prepaid providers. However, some carriers may have device restrictions. For example, Cricket typically requires a Cricket-purchased device to use its Wi-Fi calling feature, with only a few exceptions. If you’re unsure whether your carrier supports Wi-Fi calling on your device, be sure to check their terms and conditions.
Will Wi-Fi calling be free internationally?
Once you’ve confirmed that you have Wi-Fi calling, you might be wondering if you can use it for free while traveling internationally. If you’re calling the US, the answer is almost always yes. However, if you’re calling other countries while on an international Wi-Fi connection, you can generally expect a charge.
A look around Reddit makes it clear some travelers have reported being charged for Wi-Fi calls to the US while abroad, and you may have experienced this yourself. While this can happen, in most cases, it can be prevented.
How to avoid charges for Wi-Fi calls to the US while abroad
No one likes unexpected charges. For many prepaid providers, if Wi-Fi calling fails, you simply won’t be able to place the call, which means you’re less likely to face an unexpected fee. However, some prepaid providers can and will charge extra fees to your default billing payment if it aligns with their terms.
Regardless of whether the charge is on a prepaid or postpaid account, the reason behind it is usually the same: If your Wi-Fi call drops without your knowledge, your phone may automatically switch to a roaming network, resulting in charges.
To prevent this, follow these steps:
Turn on Wi-Fi calling before leaving the US. This may seem simple, but if you don’t enable Wi-Fi calling before departure, you likely won’t be able to activate it once abroad. Additionally, avoid turning it off while traveling, as you may not be able to reenable it. Need help? Check out our guide to Wi-Fi calling for exact steps and more details.
Enable Airplane mode. Don’t just turn off your data; instead, activate Airplane mode and then connect to a Wi-Fi network. This ensures your phone won’t attempt to connect to a mobile network if there’s an issue with the Wi-Fi call.
I have an international calling plan; can I use that over Wi-Fi calling?
Let’s say you live in the US and are visiting France. You use Wi-Fi calling to contact a few French businesses. Will you be charged if you already pay for an international calling plan? For nearly every carrier, the answer is yes.
An international calling plan is designed to allow users in the US to call other countries without extra charges. However, if your Wi-Fi connection isn’t US-based, you will likely incur a roaming fee. Some users attempt to bypass this by connecting to a Wi-Fi network through a VPN, but there are no guarantees, and doing so could potentially violate your plan’s terms of service.
Some argue that it shouldn’t matter where you are when using Wi-Fi calling since the traffic is still routed to T-Mobile (or another carrier) the same way. In theory, this means there’s no extra cost to the carrier. However, there’s no real way around it; carriers like T-Mobile benefit from steering users toward purchasing international roaming add-ons.
It’s important to clarify that international calling plans and international roaming plans are not the same. An international calling plan allows you to call other countries from the US, while an international roaming plan enables you to place calls to and from other countries.
If you have an international roaming plan, you shouldn’t see additional charges for Wi-Fi calls, as long as both the numbers you’re calling and receiving calls from are covered under your plan. Of course, if you have an international roaming plan, you can also make calls using your mobile network directly.
What is the best alternative to Wi-Fi calling with your carrier?
Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
If you don’t have an international calling plan and are looking for a cheap way to make calls while abroad, here are some options:
Use a VoIP service. A Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) provider lets you make free Wi-Fi calls to the US from any country. Our top recommendation is Google Voice: it may be more lightweight than other VoIP solutions, but it works well for Wi-Fi calling and offers competitive international rates, some as low as just a few cents per minute.
Check your carrier for add-on roaming plans. Even if your carrier doesn’t offer free roaming, it likely has some kind of international package you can purchase. Many prepaid carriers, including Google Fi, Mint Mobile, and others, offer affordable international add-ons.
Get a local SIM or eSIM. While this requires a tad more effort, the cheapest way to get international roaming service is to use a local SIM or eSIM provider. Many airports sell these through kiosks or small storefronts.
Consider a travel SIM plan. Travel SIMs and eSIMs are typically more expensive than local SIMs but offer greater convenience. You pay a provider for international data, and they partner with local carriers to give you seamless service while you travel.
The best carrier for international travel
Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
Another option to consider is switching to a carrier where roaming isn’t an issue. For frequent international travelers, Google Fi is arguably the best option, even when compared to the big three carriers. Its Unlimited Plus plan costs just $65 per month or as low as $40 per line for four or more lines.
In addition to unlimited data, you get unlimited texts and data in over 200 countries, which activates instantly the moment you arrive — no changes or hassle required. You can learn more in our Google Fi plans guide or hit up the widget below to sign up for yourself.
Earlier this month, T-Mobile started testing messaging via Starlink satellites with select Samsung users.
The latest iOS 18.3 update brings the satellite texting feature to eligible iPhone users on T-Mobile.
Interested users can sign up for the beta on T-Mobile’s website.
In 2022, Apple partnered with Globalstar to enable its Emergency SOS via satellite tool on the iPhone 14 and newer models. With iOS 18, the firm expanded satellite texting beyond emergency services, letting iPhone users reach their friends and family when off the grid. To give users more options, iOS 18.3 introduces support for T-Mobile’s own version of the feature, which relies on SpaceX’s Starlink satellites.
A couple of weeks ago, T-Mobile started rolling out satellite messaging support to those using the latest Samsung phones. According to Bloomberg, the carrier has been working with Apple and SpaceX to implement the perk on iPhones, and the recently released iOS 18.3 update finally activates it. While T-Mobile’s satellite connectivity feature is initially limited to texting, a future update could allow iPhone users to make phone calls and access the web using Starlink’s service.
The most notable difference between the Globalstar and Starlink satellite connectivity tools is that the latter doesn’t require you to point your iPhone to the sky in a specific direction. Eligible users can receive texts in areas lacking network coverage without taking their phones out of their pockets. Unlike the former, though, the feature only works in the US.
To enable satellite texting on your iPhone, you must sign up for the beta on T-Mobile’s website. Once the carrier rolls out the feature to your account, you’ll find new options to manage it in the Settings app on iOS 18.3. Although the exact timing remains unclear, T-Mobile aims to launch the perk to all users in 2025.
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Back in October, the FBI and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) admitted that they were looking into “the unauthorized access to commercial telecommunications infrastructure by actors affiliated with the People’s Republic of China.” These bad actors, collectively called “Salt Typhoon,” allegedly targeted US officials and staffers for the recently concluded presidential elections. A few days later, though, The Wall Street Journal reported that the group had access to a lot more people than originally thought. Basically, the hackers could have accessed the data of any American who’s a customer of AT&T and Verizon. That list of carriers has grown just a bit longer, because according to a new report by The Journal and Reuters, Salt Typhoon had also infiltrated T-Mobile’s network.
The hackers are believed to have exploited various vulnerabilities, such as those plaguing Cisco Systems routers, to get inside the carriers’ network. They also used AI and machine learning, The Journal said, and stayed inside some of the systems they infiltrated for over eight months. That’s enough time to get away with a bunch of sensitive data — they were allegedly able to access the phone lines of US senior national security officials, as well as the call logs and unencrypted texts of their targets. The hackers were also reportedly able to access the information collected by carriers to comply with surveillance requests from the American authorities.
A company spokesperson told The Journal that T-Mobile is “closely monitoring” the attacks and said that its systems and data “have not been impacted in any significant way.” They also said that the carrier didn’t find evidence that its customers’ information has been compromised in the security breach.
T-Mobile has now implemented address verification for its unlimited Home Internet service.
People were taking their home gateway devices with them to get 5G internet when traveling.
Affected users will now need to return their gateways to the original address or verify their new address.
T-Mobile previously announced that it would address a loophole that allowed customers to access its 5G Home Internet service while traveling. It looks like the company has finally closed this gap.
The Mobile Report uncovered a new document confirming that T-Mobile is now implementing address verification for its unlimited Home Internet service. This reportedly kicked off on June 20 (yesterday).
“Starting June 20, a small group of customers using T-Mobile Home Internet at different or ineligible locations will be notified to contact us or return to the store to re-verify eligibility,” reads an excerpt of the document.
Solutions for affected Home Internet users?
Affected customers will apparently need to return the gateway device to their originally listed address, check for and confirm eligibility for the service at their current address, switch to a different, capped home internet plan, or cancel their unlimited Home Internet plan and be added to a waitlist for their address.
Customers who opt to return the gateway device to their original address or confirm eligibility at a new address will have a so-called “HIGEOFENC” code added to their line. The Mobile Report suggests that this code stands for “home internet geofencing,” a technology that would allow T-Mobile to more accurately track address verification.
Limiting wireless home internet service to an actual address is nothing new in the telecoms world. But this will nevertheless be disappointing for frequent travelers or people who moved to a new address. The news also comes after T-Mobile came under fire for price hikes and for its controversial Price Lock claim.
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