President Donald Trump’s commercial organization generated a lot of free publicity on Monday when the company announced a new wireless phone offering that resells access to at least one of the three major networks.
The service, called Trump Mobile, will charge the novelty price of $47.45 per month — a nod to Trump’s position as the 45th and 47th President of the United States — for access to the 5G wireless networks of “all three major cellular carriers,” which are AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon.
The cornerstone of Trump Mobile is a gold-colored handset called “T1,” which features a 6.8-inch screen, 12 gigabytes of RAM and 256 gigabytes of internal storage that is upgradable via a micro SD card.
As designed, and based on renderings provided by the company, the T1 phone appears to be a rebranded version of T-Mobile’s REVVL 5G phone. Trump Mobile plans to charge $500 for the device — or nearly three times more than what the handset costs at T-Mobile.
A disclosure on the Trump Mobile website said the company’s products, including the T1 phones, are “not designed, developed, manufactured, distributed or sold by the Trump Organization” or any of its affiliates.
Nonetheless, Trump Mobile is making some big claims, chief among them that its network, customer support and devices are all made or otherwise rooted in the United States. (The T1 phone has parts made in China, and it is almost certainly assembled there, too.)
Trump Mobile is also not operating its own network. Instead, it is reselling access to AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile’s networks — and may actually be buying access to those networks from another company.
Few virtual wireless operators can claim access to all three networks. One of the biggest is U.S. Mobile, which allows customers to pick which of the three networks they want to use, based on any number of factors. U.S. Mobile recently updated its plans to allow customers to switch among all three networks. It isn’t clear if Trump Mobile is simply operating as a U.S. Mobile affiliate.
On the service end, the $48 per month price promises a number of benefits, including “telehealth services” and roadside assistance through a company called Drive America. The same company offers roadside assistance through other services, including Costco and USAA Federal Savings Bank. Telehealth services are offered through a company called “Doctegrity,” and a page outlining member benefits strongly suggests that Trump Mobile customers will have to pay for virtual doctor’s visits and care, separate from their wireless plan.
Fringe benefits aside, the base plan allows for unlimited talking and texting, as well as 20 gigabytes of high-speed wireless data, after which data speeds are slowed. By comparison, Verizon-owned Visible Wireless and T-Mobile’s Mint Mobile offer comparable or better service perks for less money.
Trump Mobile is the latest venture to be concocted by the president, his family and close associates. Other businesses launched over time include a line of watches, shoes and coloring books.
“I’m incredibly excited to step into this new digital space, hard-working Americans deserve a wireless service that’s affordable, reflects their values, and delivers reliable quality they can count on,” Eric Trump, the Executive Vice President of the Trump Organization, said in a statement.
