T-Mobile announced Thursday it will offer ScamShield, a free scam-blocking service to all T-Mobile, Metro and Sprint customers.
Why it matters: Robocalls remain the scourge of the industry, with billions of unwanted calls pummeling customers last year.
"This industry shouldn’t be profiting from this phenomenon," CEO Mike Sievert said on a call with reporters on Thursday, saying that Verizon charges many customers $7.99 per month for spam call protection.
T-Mobile's moves are a mix of industry-wide efforts as well as things it is doing on its own, including
- Using network patterns to identify spam calls and allowing users to get a warning or, if they choose, block such calls from ringing.
- Offering customers a free second phone number they can give out to businesses and save their main number for their close friends. (or vice versa).
- Allowing customers to change their number if they are getting too many spam calls.
- Free ID monitoring and alerts from McAfee
"This is no easy task, but we're making real headway," network head Neville Ray said on the call.
Meanwhile: Sievert and Ray said the company is ahead of schedule on its 5G rollout, including turning on the mid-band spectrum it acquired as part of its Sprint deal.
T-Mobile already uses low-band spectrum to cover much of the country with 5G service, but the mid-band spectrum allows for faster speeds than are possible with low-band 5G.
