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It’s tempting to grab the biggest cell phone plan you can find so you can stream to your heart’s content without worry. But sometimes, this isn’t practical, nor within your budget. What’s more, for some, you might be willing to sacrifice some services you might not need to save a few bucks on your monthly plan.
Tello Mobile is a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) that runs on the T-Mobile network and offers ultra-affordable plans with unlimited, well, everything, and no contracts—all for just $25 a month.
If you’re intrigued, we took a deep dive into the service to find out exactly what you get when you sign up for Tello Mobile—and whether you should.
Unlimited talk and data for a very low price.
The facts about Tello Mobile
Tello Mobile is a phone provider that claims users only need to pay for what they actually use. Plans are inexpensive, contract-free, and feature no hidden fees—but there are a few things to note.
Tello Mobile is inexpensive
Tello Mobile has plans that start as low as $5 a month for 1 GB of data ($9 a month if you want unlimited talk and text with it), up to $25 a month for unlimited data. All plans include talk and text, some with limited minutes and others with unlimited.
You can get unlimited data—but it may slow down after 35GB of use
If you only use your mobile internet for things like social media and YouTube, you shouldn't have to worry so much.
If you have the plan with unlimited data, only the first 35GB will be at 4G LTE/5G speeds (the latter requires a phone that supports 5G). Once you exceed that, the speed will be throttled, or downgraded, to 2G, which is a much slower network. The same will happen if you exceed your allotted data minutes in other plans.
But the good news is that you can still access data and you won’t be charged overage fees. At 2G speeds, you can do things like visit a website, send and receive e-mails, and use instant messaging. But streaming will become more challenging. With unlimited data, you’re unlikely to go over 35GB in a month anyway, unless you are a heavy user who is constantly streaming, accessing bandwidth-intensive website, gaming, and more. Even then, 35GB is a lot. As a heavy user myself with a 35GB plan, I rarely go over 10GB a month.
You get hotspot access
The plans also include hotspot capabilities, which allows you to use your phone to connect a secondary device, like another phone, tablet, or even computer, to the cellular network. This is ideal if you’re traveling or need to connect your laptop in a coffee shop, for example, that doesn’t have free Wi-Fi. Speeds are slowed after 5GB of tethering. But that’s more than enough to look up something quickly on your computer or allow your child to play online games on their tablet in the backseat of a car during a road trip.
Plans feature unlimited calling
The unlimited calling doesn’t just apply to within the U.S.: You can also make calls to more than 60 countries with every plan, including China, India, and Mexico. You would still have to remain within your talk minutes balance if you choose a plan with a limited number of minutes. But if you have an unlimited talk and text plan, you can go wild calling family, friends, and colleagues who are just about anywhere.
Family plans offer up to four lines while staying relatively inexpensive
Your kids can join in with all kinds of customizable plans.
Tello offers family plan options, too, so you can save by adding up to 10 lines. There are custom plans for grandparents, teens, students, and parents featuring the services they’d likely most need. But you can customize them and upgrade or downgrade at any time, with the remaining balance rolled over to the next monthly period. There are no contracts or locked in fees: You can not only change, but also cancel at any time.
How much does Tello cost?
There are four popular plans, though you can customize to make your own.
- Economy plan: Offers 1GB data, unlimited talk minutes and unlimited texting for $5 a month.
- Value plan: If you think you might need a bit more, you can get 2GB data and unlimited text and talk for $10 a month with the Value plan.
- Smart plan: Arguably the best value plan, aptly called the Smart plan, has 5GB data along with unlimited talk and text for $14 a month.
- Data plan: Unlimited everything for $25 a month.
If you find you use data more than talk, consider unlimited data. Flip through plan customization options using the handy slider menu on the homepage to select your combination of data and talk and text minutes until you find the right fit for the right price. For example, 10GB data and 300 free talk minutes with free texting is $17 a month. You’ll find the best overall value, however, with the four aforementioned most popular plans.
Who owns Tello Mobile?
Tello is a private company that operates using T-Mobile's network (previously the company used Sprint's network) to provide users with talk, text, and data. The company is based in Georgia, and is one of a growing number of mobile virtual network operators.
How to sign up for Tello
To sign up for Tello, visit the website, go to Plans, and review the options. When you see one you want, select Get This Plan. You can set up the plan with your existing phone or purchase a phone from Tello Mobile: they’ll ship it right to you!
Note that Tello Mobile doesn’t work with every phone, so you’ll have to enter the phone’s IMEI/ESN number to confirm first. But the service works with most unlocked GSM or GSM-compatible phones, dating back to the Apple iPhone 6, Google Pixel 3a, and Samsung Galaxy S8 and newer.
Is Tello Mobile worth it?
If you only care about the basics, then Tello is for you.
Yes, if you’re looking for one of the cheapest plans around, you can’t go wrong with Tello
You’d be hard-pressed to find a cheap cell-phone service that offers the same value for dollar as Tello. You do need to be mindful of the data speed throttling, especially if you rely on your phone for heavy streaming. But for most users who only go online occasionally while outside of a Wi-Fi network and who are on a tight budget, Tello Mobile offers great bang for the buck.
The customizable plans that you can move around as needed, upgrading and downgrading to meet your changing needs, make Tello Mobile one of the most versatile and personalized cellular service plans around.
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