core/image

Throughout the year, communities across the country may face a number of natural disasters — hurricanes, tornados, wildfires and earthquakes — all of which can bring life-threatening conditions and cause devastation. In the face of any one of these natural events, major concerns center around the safety and well-being of people in impacted communities, from residents to first responders helping the community in the aftermath.

core/paragraph

<a href="https://www.t-mobile.com/">T-Mobile</a> knows how important maintaining connectivity is for evacuation coordination, rescue efforts, calling a loved one to check in and more. We are committed to doing as much as we can for our customers by ensuring our network is ready and our emergency teams are prepared with the tools, equipment and gear they need to keep our customers connected.

Preparing for a Natural Disaster T-Mobile works hard to prepare for emergencies and natural disasters that may impact our network, however in the lead up to North America’s 'disaster season,’ marked by the start of hurricane season around June 1, we make a number of <a href="https://www.t-mobile.com/news/community/preparing-for-the-2020-hurricane-season">preparations</a> to ready our network and emergency response. This includes moving our extensive fleet of equipment from warehouse locations and strategically placing them in U.S. regions that are traditionally most vulnerable to severe storm conditions.

Once in the thick of disaster season, the T-Mobile Emergency Management Team (EMT) partners closely with the <a href="https://www.weather.gov/">National Weather Service</a> and other partners, like <a href="https://www.stormgeo.com/">StormGeo</a>, to track storms’ paths and projected areas of impact. We use this information to inform preparations and decide if and where our equipment and teams are needed, and we proceed to proactively send people, supplies and equipment to locations close to the projected areas of impact so that we can quickly and conveniently deploy in the aftermath of a storm, as needed.

First Response After a storm passes through, our teams immediately get to work assessing the network remotely to determine any impacts to cell sites in the area. At the same time, field teams survey conditions on the ground and work with local authorities to ensure safe access into the area from their pre-event locations.

As our EMT assesses their response to best keep our customers connected, they also work very closely with local authorities to determine when it is safe to enter the impacted areas to carry out any repairs, or deploy a number of solutions that can keep cell sites operational, or provide coverage in the event sites are damaged in the storm.

Equipment The T-Mobile EMT utilizes a variety of high-end technology and devices because we know that having the right equipment is critical. To that effect, we’ve specially designed and built some of our equipment and resources to meet our unique response needs to keep our customers in the most vulnerable communities connected.

Here’s a look at the latest and greatest used by our EMT!

Generators All mobile networks rely on commercial power to operate. So, when a power grid is affected by a hurricane, storm, fire, earthquake, etc. as a result of damage caused by flooding or blown-over poles, the network will be interrupted and customers lose service.

When there is a power outage, generators are a key piece of portable equipment that our EMT utilizes to provide temporary power to cell sites connected to the affected power grid. After determining a cell site needs power, our team will set up and connect the generator to the site to restore service. Though there may be some instances, due to terrain, site access, resident restrictions or unsafe conditions that may prevent our teams from deploying generators to a site.

Our EMT utilize several of the highest-quality, best performing generator units available on the market. Plus, all new generators we have invested in meet Tier 4 emission standards, which allows our team to deploy them in every state in the country, including those with the strictest standards. Generator units are large, weighing approximately 4,000 pounds, and run on diesel fuel. So, once set up at a site, our teams will create a refueling schedule and return to the site to refuel the generator as needed until commercial power is back up in an affected area.

tmobile-blocks/wistia-embed

Satellites In instances where there is complete lack of service in an impacted area immediately following a hurricane or other natural event, satellites are a critical device for our teams to bring service into an area that might otherwise have no service.

When safe to do so, our teams drive vehicles outfitted with satellites into areas hit hardest or set up a portable satellite kit directly on the ground in areas with no power or backhaul. Satellites have the capacity to provide basic services like texting, call and limited data to an area in order to support the community. This is especially important for first responders who rely on connectivity for their recovery and rescue efforts.

core/gallery

COLTs and COWs Cells on Light Trucks (COLTs) and Cells on Wheels (COWs) are regularly utilized by our EMT as part of our recovery efforts. COLTs and COWs are unique to T-Mobile and specially designed to meet our EMT’s specific needs.

Once there is safe access into an area after a natural event, our teams drive COLTs and COWs to impacted areas. Using satellite, microwave or the existing circuit, if undamaged, at a site while towers undergo necessary repairs, COLTs and COWS bring coverage to a community that would otherwise have a coverage gap.

While both COWs and COLTs contain satellites and generators and have comparable technology capabilities, there are some physical distinctions. COWs look like a trailer and must be attached to a truck’s hitch in order to be transported, while a COLT’s satellite and generator are built directly into a truck. The advantage of a COLT is that our teams are able to drive them into some areas that may be too difficult or dangerous to tow a COW due to poor road or terrain conditions.

Vehicle Fleet We’ve built out a fleet of roughly 20 different types of vehicles to support our EMT’s specific needs. We deploy our fleet when a major natural event occurs to transport our teams and equipment to areas of impact. Our fleet of vehicles consist of COLTs, COWs, RVs, Jeeps and more. Plus, since our merger with Sprint, we have doubled the number of satellite capable vehicles.

Our RV serves as the Emergency Operation Center, outfitted with monitors, self-contained WIFI access, small kitchen, bed, restrooms and workspaces where our teams can monitor network recovery, check emails and conduct meetings while deployed to communities hit by a storm. Our teams also open the RV up to first responders to utilize the WIFI or take a break.

Our fleet also contains several Jeeps, one of which can provide WIFI and cell coverage, plus has a charging station mounted to the front of the vehicle. We utilize this Jeep when we make visits to evacuation shelters, allowing evacuees to use its services.

Community Support Vehicles It’s important to us that impacted communities have the support and connectivity they need during and immediately following a natural event. When communities are in need, we deploy our Community Support Vehicles to evacuation shelters to provide a range of supplies and services, including water bottles, pre-lit devices, charging stations, WIFI and more. Our team also utilizes Retail Support Trucks that are deployed to assist customers in areas where our local stores may be closed due to damage after a storm.

Click <a href="https://www.t-mobile.com/news/community/dealing-with-disaster-season-2020">here</a> to meet our community response team and learn more about how T-Mobile helps customers and communities in the aftermath of natural disasters.

tmobile-blocks/downloadable-assets

T-Mobile Newsroom

T-Mobile knows how important maintaining connectivity is for evacuation coordination, rescue efforts, calling a loved one to check in and more. We are committed to doing as much as we can for our customers by ensuring our network is ready and our emergency teams are prepared with the tools, equipment and gear they need to keep our customers connected.

Gearing Up: A Look at T-Mobile&#039;s Emergency Response Equipment | T-Mobile Newsroom

News

Posts

Community

Gearing Up: A Look at T-Mobile&#8217;s Emergency Response Equipment

AlexandraFidler

https://www.t-mobile.com/news/_admin/uploads/2020/10/nr-ArticleImage-Hurricane-Prep-5-18-20.desktop-.png

https://www.t-mobile.com/news/community/emergency-response-equipment

twitter:card

twitter:creator

twitter:description

https://www.t-mobile.com/news/_admin/uploads/2020/10/NTwitterCard-Hurricane-Prep-5-18-20.png

twitter:image

twitter:site

twitter:title

Parents and coaches share stories of how the T-Mobile Little League Call Up Grant Program helps kids in need.

tmobile-blocks/subhead

“As a single parent, I don’t get these opportunities very often for my son, but thanks to this program he was able to have the best summer of his life,” said Joanna Brown, a Little League parent from Ketchikan, Alaska.

For many parents like Joanna Brown, mother of former grant recipient Timothy Brown, Little League is something her family may not have been able to afford without financial assistance. In fact, it’s projected that <a href="https://www.t-mobile.com/news/_admin/?post_type=story&p=57815&preview=true">one in five kids</a> will not be able to play Little League in the upcoming season because of financial strains. For some families, missing out on the benefits of Little League is a sacrifice that proves this can be much more than just a game.

“My son has high-functioning autism, and it’s hard for him to be a part of teams and easily make friends … but he enjoyed being on that field, being up to bat and having friends in the dugout cheering him on,” explains Brown. “The camaraderie of his teammates and coaches was unbelievable, and this program made it all happen.”

core/pullquote

It’s one of the many reasons T-Mobile is doubling its <a href="https://www.t-mobile.com/news/un-carrier/mlb-postseason-2020">previous commitment</a> and donating $10,000 per home run hit during the Major League Baseball Postseason to the <a href="https://www.t-mobilecallupgrant.com/">T-Mobile Little League Call Up Grant Program</a> — a fund dedicated to helping thousands of children across America participate in their local Little League programs by covering registration fees.

“Because of the effects of COVID-19 during the 2020 season, some families were unable to allow their children to play,” laments Reggie Reinhardt, VP of Baseball for Ketchikan Little League. “Because of financial hardship, registration fees became a burden and leagues were unable to get the extra funds from local businesses to help with scholarships for local players.”

After giving more than $1 million to the T-Mobile Little League Call Up Grant Program in 2019, the Un-carrier made it possible for nearly 5,000 children from more than 700 leagues in almost every state across the country the ability to play ball. Coaches from Alaska all the way down to North Carolina say the funds help them give hope to families that might not even try to apply because they assume they simply will not be able to afford this activity for their children.

“About 30% of all kids in our area are in the low to no income area and we end up having to pay the majority if not all of their registration fees,” says Cedrick Collins, President of the NW Little League Charlotte North Carolina District 3. “When I got the information about T-Mobile that was a huge help because we are now able to offer free registration basically to kids who were unable to pay. Some families have three to four kids and if the registration is eighty-five or even one hundred twenty dollars and that number times three or four is a great deal, and it turned them away.”

Through the MLB World Series, everyone — T-Mobile customer or not — can continue to support the cause by simply texting “LittleLeague” to 313131. For every text, T-Mobile will donate $5 — up to an additional $2 million — to support grant recipients in the texters’ local community next season.

core/embed

Double Play: T-Mobile Increases Donations for MLB World Series Support for Little League | T-Mobile Newsroom

Double Play: T-Mobile Increases Donations for MLB World Series Support for Little League

Shawna Ryan

https://www.t-mobile.com/news/_admin/uploads/2020/10/nr-hero-CallUpGrant-10-20-20.png

https://www.t-mobile.com/news/community/mlb-world-series-donations-to-support-little-league-baseball-and-softball

https://www.t-mobile.com/news/_admin/uploads/2020/10/ntc-CallUpGrant-10-20-20.png

Identity theft protection pro Carrie Kerskie says tools like T-Mobile’s Scam Shield and other precautions can help stop fraudsters in their tracks.

When it comes to identity theft, fraud and cyber threats, Carrie Kerskie has seen it all — and then some.

“This stuff can be overwhelming to people,” she says. “In the almost 15 years of working with victims, I’ve actually had two victims commit suicide over it. When it comes to frauds and scams, I’ve seen people who’ve see their entire life savings gone overnight. It can be devastating to people.”

Based in Naples, Florida, Kerskie is president of leading identity theft restoration and consulting company the Kerskie Group, as well as author of the book Your Public Identity: Because Nothing is Private Anymore and the self-help guide Protect Your Identity. She is also the host of a new podcast, “<a href="https://carriekerskie.libsyn.com/">The Carrie Kerskie Show</a>,” which is aimed at further informing consumers on how to keep themselves — and their identity — safe from scammers.

“These types of crimes, it’s a ghost,” Kerskie adds. “You never know who did it. You don’t know how they got your information. You don’t know where they are.”

Thankfully, Kerskie is something of a ghostbuster when it comes to stopping these ghouls, and has practical advice on how to keep yourself and loved ones safe from scammers, especially during these challenging times when all of us are more reliant (if not straight-up dependent) on our mobile devices than ever before.

core-embed/youtube

Can you walk me through what it is you and the Kerskie Group do, and how your background as a private investigator led you to be a top identity theft expert? We are a full-service private investigation agency, and have been in Naples since 2001. We initially did all the traditional stuff, from cheating spouses to insurance fraud to … you name it, we investigated it. Around 2007 we started getting calls from identity theft victims. Back then there weren’t a lot of resources to help them. The FTC (Federal Trade Commission) was just starting to get some information on their website, but it was still a little bit difficult for people to navigate. We offered to help. We said, “We haven’t done this before. We’re not experts at this, but we’re happy to look into it for you.”

Then word of mouth just spread from there. We started getting more and more calls from victims, and then within my industry my peers wanted to learn how we were doing what we were doing. I started creating training programs and reaching out and warning people in my community — and people kept saying, “It’s too much information to remember, put it into a book!” I wasn’t a writer, so I went to the bookstore and I pulled out all the books on identity theft, and I couldn’t even figure out what they were trying to explain to people. I thought, “If I can’t understand this, how is the average person supposed to?” So I wrote Your Public Identity: Because Nothing is Private Anymore, which came out in 2011 and got a great response. Today Kerskie Group focuses exclusively on identity theft restoration and consulting.

Somewhat ironically, identity theft wasn’t anything I chose — it chose me.

How big of a piece of the puzzle are our mobile devices to this whole world of identity theft? Huge. Because what people often forget is that their smartphone is not just a phone — it’s a computer that can make calls. The technology has advanced so much that we can’t keep up with it. Most people don’t understand the flow of information in the digital age, yet we’re embracing this technology, we’re embracing things like apps without understanding the who, what, why, when and how behind them.

A lot of the elderly I work with, and even my own parents and in-laws, are afraid of things as simple as turning their phone on and off, because they think they’re going to break it. Which, of course, they’re not. It’s just a matter of helping people overcome that initial fear, the fear of the unknown. So familiarize yourself and be comfortable with these devices so you can use them properly. Play around with the phone. Turn things on, turn things off. Go into the privacy settings, make adjustments. If you don’t know how to do something, there’s always some YouTube video or tutorial on the internet that can walk you through things. And before you download an app to your phone, look at the terms of service privacy policy!

In your experience, are older adults particularly at risk, and if so, what can be done to protect them? People my age and a little older — I’ll turn 50 next year — we’re what is referred to as the “sandwich generation,” because we’re still raising children but also taking care of aging parents. We’re also still working and in the thick of our careers, so we have to use and embrace mobile technology.

There’s extra responsibility, and, like with anybody, the more responsibilities and tasks you have at hand, you try to get things done faster — so you don’t always stop and think at times, and things get rushed through. That’s one of the big things with scams: people are caught off guard, and often react instantly to things.

I always recommend an open line of communication, whether you’re talking to your aging parent or your child. People make mistakes, and if they fall for a scam it doesn’t mean that they’ve done something wrong. It’s just there was a really good conman on the phone.

Americans have already lost over $80 million to COVID-related scams this year. Losses due to coronavirus scams increased 70% in May and June alone. How have phone scams changed or accelerated in the last few months? Bad guys always use fear and intimidation. Those are the two big factors in their scams. Right now, everyone is on high alert. People are scared about COVID because there is a lot of unknown. We haven’t been dealing with COVID that long, and there’s a lot of confusion out there and people are scared.

We’re seeing so many smishing texts, which are quickly replacing phishing emails. I know for myself, not long ago I would get maybe one every six months. I’m getting two a day now.

Right now with COVID people are holed up in their homes, they may have a compromised immune system and oftentimes, especially with older folks, they’re lonely. They might get a text message, and the person’s like, “Oh, I’m sorry, I must have the wrong number” — and then they start a conversation. That is a new scam, where they just randomly text people, see who they can engage in conversation, hoping they’re going to get a lonely person on the phone. They befriend them and then the next thing you know, they’re asking for their personal information or money.

We’ve worked with people who’ve fallen for these sweetheart scams, and have lost everything. One woman, she took out a second mortgage on her house to send money to this guy, and of course, he was gone and she lost her house.

By the way, customers can <a href="https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-recognize-and-report-spam-text-messages">forward a suspicious text message to 7726</a>, and it helps screen out the smishing messages.

T-Mobile recently rolled out its new suite of free, network-level safeguards with <a href="https://www.t-mobile.com/news/un-carrier/scam-shield-protects-customers-from-scams-robocalls">Scam Shield</a>. In your view, how do these sorts of protections help keep people safe? Scam ID and Scam Block are great protections. Most times people have never even heard the term “spoofing.” The way we explain it to them is that I can call you and say that I’m calling from the IRS, and I can make the incoming number mimic the IRS number. It’s going to let you know that that is a spoofed call so you know you don’t need to answer it. That I think is a game-changer.

I also love the T-Mobile PROXY number that allows you to have a second number. I think that is brilliant. I think that is huge. Phone numbers now are becoming equivalent to your social security number, except everywhere you go now, they ask you for it.

By being able to put that second number in there, you’re protecting your core number which you would only give to close family, friends, doctors’ offices — or ascribe to your financial accounts, because the banks use that phone number as an ID verifier. We’ve worked a lot lately with victims who have had their phone numbers ported or who’ve been <a href="https://www.t-mobile.com/news/press/how-to-fight-account-takeover-fraud">SIM-swapped</a>.

As soon as the bad guys get control of your primary number, they could contact one of your credit card issuers. If they call their automated phone service, it will identify your account based on the spoofed number they’re calling from. It will tell you the last three transactions and it will give you additional information on that card. You don’t even have to prove who you are. That’s how much the phone number has become an ID verifier.

I also like the Free Number Change feature. With older women in particular, we find that when a scammer calls, they often try to be polite to them. But the bad guys become extremely aggressive, and they will be extremely vulgar on the phone. They will be extremely threatening to the point to where these women are terrified. They think that person is going to show up at their house and do physical harm to them. So having that ability to change their phone number if they need to because they’re being harassed by these people, that’s another benefit.

What are some other steps all of us can take to be vigilant against phone scammers? There are three easy ways to identify a scam. Every single phone scam we’ve seen has this:

core/list

In terms of beating phone scams and scammers and shutting this whole type of criminal enterprise down, where do you think we are and what do you think the future around this looks like, and are we on the right path? I think we’re on the right path. I don’t see this problem going away overnight. Bad guys are always finding new ways to get between you and your information and you and your money.

The more that we can do to give tools to consumers to help them identify the technology that we’re up against, like Scam Shield, I think that is a great step in the right direction.

Qualifying service & capable device required for some Scam Shield features.

When it comes to identity theft, fraud and cyber threats, Carrie Kerskie has seen it all — and then some. She is president of leading identity theft restoration and consulting company the Kerskie Group, and has practical advice on how to keep yourself and loved ones safe from scammers, especially during these challenging COVID-19 times when all of us are more reliant on our mobile devices than ever before.

A Security Expert Takes on Phone Scams and How to Avoid Them During COVID-19 | T-Mobile Newsroom

A Security Expert Takes on Phone Scams and How to Avoid Them During COVID-19

JasonAdams

https://www.t-mobile.com/news/_admin/uploads/2020/08/NR_Kerskie_08072020.png

https://www.t-mobile.com/news/network/how-to-avoid-phone-scams-during-covid-19

https://www.t-mobile.com/news/_admin/uploads/2020/08/NTC_Kerskie_08072020.png

This T-Mobile "Dynamic Duo" Battles Everything from Wildfires to the Pandemic. Here's How.

Among T-Mobile’s crisis-response specialists, this time of year is known as “disaster season” — the stressful weeks at the end of summer and beginning of fall when hurricanes threaten America’s Gulf and Atlantic states, and wildfires typically devastate communities across the American West. And though COVID-19 has changed the way the world operates at a fundamental level, it hasn’t stopped those disasters from coming. In fact, 2020 has turned out to be one of the most demanding disaster seasons in memory, with millions and millions of acres burning in California, Oregon and Washington, while multiple major storms wrecked the entirety of Louisiana … all as the pandemic has completely altered the way disaster relief can be deployed in troubled areas.

In the face of oncoming storms or wildfires, T-Mobile stores must sometimes be closed and alternative retail options must be established. In the aftermath, customers often need emergency connectivity solutions until permanent services and devices are restored. These assistance efforts are led by two T-Mobile superstars: Becky Romero, a senior disaster recovery manager, and Stephanie Kehoe, a senior manager of field operations. Between the two of them, they are the community response team, “small but mighty,” according to Stephanie, covering the preparation, adjustment and deployment — anything non-network-related — of disaster relief from the consumer markets standpoint. They’ve also been adapting to changing pandemic protocols to ensure the safety of their employees and their customers.

“We call each other Batman and Robin,” Becky says.

“One day I’m Batman and she’s Robin,” Stephanie adds. “The next day it’s the other way around. We just work it together.”

When Hurricanes Laura and Sally pummeled Louisiana within a couple weeks of each other from August to September, and wildfires ravaged the entire West Coast, they had (to put it mildly) a hectic month. But, like Becky says, “When we’re dealing with 2020, you gotta find that silver lining wherever you can!”

Stephanie’s key responsibility is managing a nationwide fleet of 15 trucks, 11 dedicated to community response and four mobile store replacements. Becky’s role is to keep the trucks stocked with connectivity supplies that her team hands out to communities for free use for up to 30 days. Both are working remotely right now, leading teams deployed across the U.S. — Stephanie from the greater Philadelphia area and Becky in Texas.

“I’m in Houston,” Becky says, “but my brain is in California, Oregon, Washington, Utah, Colorado, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, Florida.” She adds: “If you’re 30 miles from a fire, you’re not in a bad position, but if you get a knock on the door at 6 AM saying your house is in danger, you grab your children and dogs and run out of the house.”

So you might leave behind your phone, or maybe your charger or tablet. Those are the items — along with mobile hotspots for getting online — that her team provides. Normally that means setting up trucks within impacted communities, usually at local shelters or relief facilities, the moment the area is declared safe, and then staying as long as needed. But, of course, that strategy has had to adjust to rules banning crowds of more than a few people congregating in one place due to coronavirus concerns.

While Stephanie and Becky singlehandedly developed T-Mobile’s disaster relief program from the get go, they have also assembled a cohort of trusted teammates on the ground.

In Lake Charles, Louisiana, which was ravaged by Hurricane Laura, one of the worst storms in state history, their staff has been posted up for weeks and is planning to stay indefinitely. All the while, following socially distant measures due to COVID is top of mind. Rather than letting people come to them, they’ve been minimizing contact and mitigating crowds by distributing items to shelters in individual care packages. They’ve provided the same response in California since wildfires there took off in August.

“We’ve had to challenge ourselves to think, 'How do we still supply the community while minimizing risk?' It was not easy,” Stephanie says. “We came up with the drop-off supply solution. Instead of standing with a table or tent and trucks and going inside shelters to crowds gathered, we put pieces in place to have contactless support. We do prep work to determine needs at each shelter to provide care packages to them. Some people need WiFi; if power is out, they need more charging capabilities.”

The contactless solution has been a great success, she says, both in terms of direct benefit to customers and in keeping the process safe: “We developed processes to ensure trucks are regularly cleaned and employees are getting temperature checked and washing hands and sanitizing assets around them. We’re taking steps to keep everyone safe. We have a number of PPE supplies in the trucks and we take it one shelter and one support activity at a time.”

Along with relief trucks, Stephanie also has four retail replacement trucks at her disposal. When a brick-and-mortar store is damaged or destroyed by a natural disaster, she’ll roll out a retail truck-and-trailer combo into that community to ensure customers have access to the devices and services they need.

“If a store and a truck had a baby, that’s our trailers,” she says. “We can replace a structure with one of our replacement stores within a week.”

The only way she and Becky can accomplish so much work in so little time is by coordinating efforts on both the logistical and practical levels.

“We say it takes a special kind of person to do this job,” Becky says. “You gotta have the passion but you need to understand how to triage. Everyone thinks the world’s coming down but it’s not. Our job is to provide confirmation that we’re gonna get through this. And this is how, this is the process. It takes a person with drive to support but you can’t get frustrated and beat down.”

Says Stephanie, pointing out just how essential it’s been to collaborate with Becky for this disaster season’s relief effort, “It’s not a Stephanie effort, it’s a total team effort. I can’t give trucks to Becky’s group because it just wouldn’t work, she has her own mountains to lift. We’re in lockstep hourly it feels like.”

“I don’t think anyone was prepared for the amount of disaster we’re facing,” she continues. “Everyone supporting the disasters is tired. But the need doesn’t stop, and neither does the work.”

In the face of oncoming storms or wildfires, T-Mobile stores must sometimes be closed and alternative retail options must be established. In the aftermath, customers often need emergency connectivity solutions until permanent services and devices are restored. These assistance efforts are led by two T-Mobile superstars: Becky Romero, a senior disaster recovery manager, and Stephanie Kehoe, a senior manager of field operations.

Dealing with Disaster Season | T-Mobile Newsroom

Dealing with Disaster Season

https://www.t-mobile.com/news/_admin/uploads/2020/10/nr-article-Comm-Response-10-16-20-003.png

https://www.t-mobile.com/news/community/dealing-with-disaster-season-2020

https://www.t-mobile.com/news/_admin/uploads/2020/10/ntc-Comm-Response-10-16-20-002.png

T-Mobile’s External Diversity and Inclusion Council members say celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month on a companywide level is the right way to honor Latinx employees — past, present and future.

“Most people know about the Latino population in terms of statistics,” says T-Mobile External Diversity and Inclusion Council member Gilbert Casellas. “There are 58 million of us, with a GDP that’s equivalent to $2.3 trillion, and if we were a separate country we would be the eighth largest country in the world. Fortunately, we’re part of this great country and making it even greater.”

As a way to highlight Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from September 15 to October 15, T-Mobile announced it is honoring its Hispanic employees and customers through community giving, events and dialogues that promote Hispanic voices under the central theme of Orgullosos de Nuestro Pasado. Enfrentando el Presente. Impactando el Futuro. — Proud of our Past. Facing the Present. Impacting the Future.

Impacting the future is the keen focus of the company’s <a href="https://www.t-mobile.com/news/community/meet-the-civil-rights-leaders-joining-t-mobiles-external-diversity-and-inclusion-council">External D&I Council</a>, as their work to advise T-Mobile on its DE&I initiatives now begins.

Casellas, former chairman of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), has put that belief into action with his extensive legal and policy experience as a diversity, equity and inclusion advisor to several major corporations, governmental commissions and universities. He says Hispanic Heritage Month is a reminder to everyone the multifaceted role the Latinx population plays in the success of the country.

“Bring your whole selves to work,” urges Casellas. “Let your voices be heard. As our country and its institutions and businesses become increasingly more diverse, I believe we as Latinos will have a greater role in driving that success.”

For its part, T-Mobile has been recognized as a Best Employer for Latinos in the Nation by Latino Leaders Magazine and named 2018 Corporation of the Year by the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Throughout this year’s Hispanic Heritage Month, the company’s over 55 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Chapters across the country gave their members an opportunity to learn and have meaningful conversations with virtual panel discussions, cultural exchanges and guest speakers that explored the topics of culture, history, representation and equity.

Listening to these voices serves as motivation for fellow council member Sindy Benavides, the Chief Executive Officer of <a href="https://lulac.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">LULAC</a>. She says working with T-Mobile’s External D&I Council creates a gold standard for all companies when it comes to engaging their Latinx employees and is a way for her to pay homage to those who came before her.

“Hispanic Heritage Month is a special month to celebrate and honor our ancestors, especially for their mission, their courage, their sacrifice and their love,” says Benavides. “I hope that through the work I do every single day at the League of United Latin America Citizens, the oldest and largest national Latino civil rights organization in the country, that I honor their legacy, their sacrificio , because they gave everything for me.”

Both Casellas and Benavides say they are encouraged as they think about the Hispanic community’s impact at T-Mobile and in the U.S. 

“We have a proud legacy and our future is bright,” says Casellas.

T-Mobile has honored that legacy this Hispanic Heritage Month with donations to organizations that  provide resources for a bright future, including a $10,000 donation to the Latino Community Fund as part of the company’s Community Spotlight program with the Seattle Mariners and by doubling employee donations to <a href="http://www.elcentrodelaraza.org/">El Centro de la Raza</a>, an educational, cultural and social service agency that provides support centering around the Latinx community but not excluding others in need.

“We know that in 2050 we will be 130 million Latinos strong,” says Benavides. “My hope is we as a community understand our power, understand our heritage and understand we come from a united, strong, courageous community with leaders that make up who we are today.”

As a way to highlight Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from September 15 to October 15, T-Mobile announced it is honoring its Hispanic employees and customers through community giving, events and dialogues that promote Hispanic voices under the central theme of Orgullosos de Nuestro Pasado. Enfrentando el Presente. Impactando el Futuro. — Proud of our Past. Facing the Present. Impacting the Future.

&quot;We Have a Proud Legacy and Our Future Is Bright!&quot; | T-Mobile Newsroom

&#8220;We Have a Proud Legacy and Our Future Is Bright!&#8221;

https://www.t-mobile.com/news/_admin/uploads/2020/10/nr-article-HHM-9-18-20.png

https://www.t-mobile.com/news/community/we-have-a-proud-legacy-and-our-future-is-bright

https://www.t-mobile.com/news/_admin/uploads/2020/10/ntc-HHM-9-18-20.png

Today was a huge day for wireless customers. Every year consumers, including me, watch and wait to see what new technology and wizardry Apple will bring to market with their new devices!  But this year is different. This year is even bigger. This year the iPhone embraces 5G, and consumers who want the country’s best 5G will find that the new iPhones combined with T-Mobile’s 5G network … create the best experience in the market. In many ways, today can be seen as the day when 5G became relevant for consumers, as Apple’s launch makes our lineup of 5G devices nearly complete, which means the 5G Era is HERE!  From today forward, consumers will start caring, a LOT, about 5G - and it matters which network they are using right now, more than ever.  Because only one company is WAY ahead in the 5G race, and it’s T-Mobile.   

Now, you’d expect me to say that. Of course. But let me explain the facts and the reality. Because this isn’t just an excited CEO talking about new phones and the leading 5G network. This is a moment we have been working towards for years … and it is a truly pivotal opportunity to deliver a transformational connected experience to everyone!

After years of planning, investing and building, we launched the country’s first nationwide 5G network in December of last year, and we haven’t slowed down since. Our 5G network is still the largest by far, now covering 260 million people in more than 7,500 cities and towns across 1.3 million square miles.

But it’s not just bigger – it’s better. Built on dedicated – not shared – airwaves.  And thanks to our merger with Sprint, we’re now rolling out the best spectrum for 5G – mid-band 2.5 GHz 5G – across the country. It’s now live in 210 cities and towns across the country, with thousands more coming by the end of the year. And we have millimeter wave spectrum for 5G too. Much was made about millimeter wave in today’s Apple event by Verizon’s CEO. Because millimeter wave – or “Ultra Wideband” as they branded it – is the centerpiece of Verizon’s 5G strategy. They talked it up because, well, it’s all they have. And millimeter wave is great where you can connect to it, but the fact is that fewer than 1% of Americans can even find Verizon Ultra Wideband 5G … because it doesn’t scale. You read that right -only 1% of Americans can reach Verizon’s signal on dedicated 5G spectrum.  The bottom line is this:  they simply bet on the wrong technology.

Mid-band Is the Goldilocks 5G band.  It has massive, transformational capacity.  AND it can reach for miles.  T-Mobile is the ONLY one with big swaths of mid-band dedicated to 5G.  That’s why we’re so far ahead.  As I write this, our mid-band 5G signal reaches 25 million Americans (on top of the 260 million Americans reached by our low-band 5G foundation).  We’ll reach about 100 million people with dedicated 5G mid-band by year-end.  The other guys?  Almost nobody.  Where customers have both our low-band and mid-band 5G, we’re seeing transformational speeds that average 7.5X faster than LTE today. That’s 300 Mbps average, with peaks up to 1 Gbps. And across vast geography, not just certain street corners near a base station, like you-know-who. This “layered” approach of using multiple dedicated bands is just superior, and the other guys know it.

And now they’re scrambling to completely retool their 5G strategy and steal LTE spectrum from their existing customers to offer any coverage at all. And even then the results show that T-Mobile is WAY ahead. Here’s Verizon’s ‘nationwide’ 5G map from their own web site side-by-side with T-Mobile’s.

Which one is 5G Built Right? The answer is easy.  To be clear, this map gives Verizon credit for 5G that utilizes SHARED spectrum with LTE. It isn’t fully dedicated to 5G. The map showing their dedicated millimeter wave would just be a few tiny dots.

That’s because Verizon is totally dependent on a technology called Dynamic Spectrum Sharing, or DSS, to broaden their 5G coverage. That’s what they announced today. It allows both 4G and 5G to share the same spectrum, splitting up the capacity so each technology gets part of it. It’s an important technology … but not to provide your entire nationwide footprint, especially if your network is as congested as Verizon. Let’s be clear, DSS does not create new spectrum. It forces more traffic into the same number of lanes. They’re taking precious capacity from their LTE customers and making things more crowded and congested for everyone.  Good luck. But they have little choice, because again, their spectrum bet was on millimeter wave bands that don’t reach many people.

At T-Mobile, we bet on mid-band 5G through our Sprint merger, which added to a huge blanket of nationwide, dedicated low-band 5G. And of course we have millimeter wave too (more than AT&T), which is properly used as a complement to the other dedicated 5G bands, in very dense areas.  We call this our “layer cake strategy” and if you take a look at the graphic, you’ll see why!

That looks delicious to me! With all 3 major bands dedicated to 5G, we have wide open freeways ready to take on massive amounts of 5G traffic. We have separate dedicated lanes for LTE AND 5G. And we have more low and mid-band spectrum than anyone in wireless, so building a much wider and faster freeway. And where we deploy millimeter wave to the layer cake, it gets even faster.  The Un-carrier is way out in front, and we aren’t looking back.

I want to congratulate Apple on today’s exciting announcements. 5G just got real. At the end of the day, if you want a transformational 5G experience with massive coverage and performance, there’s only one choice … and it’s T-Mobile.

Today was a huge day for wireless customers. Every year consumers, including me, watch and wait to see what new technology and wizardry Apple will bring

ONLY T-Mobile’s Network Unlocks the Full Potential of 5G for All | T-Mobile Newsroom

ONLY T-Mobile’s Network Unlocks the Full Potential of 5G for All

Justin Paulsen

https://www.t-mobile.com/news/_admin/uploads/2020/09/Newsroom5G.png

https://www.t-mobile.com/news/network/only-t-mobiles-network-unlocks-the-full-potential-of-5g-for-all

Elaine Welteroth, former editor-in-chief at Teen Vogue, spoke to T-Mobile employees, offering a simple directive: leave roadmaps to help women follow the trails you’ve blazed.

“There was a whole new blueprint that I was going to be sort of writing for myself as I went along the way, and there were not a lot of role models or blueprints that I could refer to throughout my journey,” Elaine Welteroth reminisced while speaking virtually to some 5,200 employees logged in to T-Mobile’s fourth annual Women’s Summit, which recently took place. “I just remember how important it felt to connect with another black woman leader.”

Welteroth found her way to become the youngest editor-in-chief at a Conde Nast publication when she took the helm of <a href="https://www.teenvogue.com/">Teen Vogue</a> in 2017, as chronicled in her 2019 best-selling memoir More Than Enough: Claiming Space for Who You Are — but she said finding a mentor who looked like her and shared similar experiences in her career journey was one of the biggest challenges she faced. And as someone who identifies with the Shonda Rhimes-coined acronym F.O.D. (First. Only. Different.), she feels a responsibility to ensure the advice of a mentor who has been there before isn’t so elusive for those next in line.

“I thought, ‘We are doing a disservice to the next generation,’” she continued. “The goal is to be the first but not the last. The responsibility that comes with being a F.O.D. is to create more space for other folks who might not have an opportunity had it not been for you being there.” The summit, hosted by the Women & Allies Network, one of six Employee Resource Groups focused on the company’s <a href="https://www.t-mobile.com/news/community/building-a-long-lasting-and-impactful-diversity-equity-and-inclusion-plan">Diversity, Equality and Inclusion initiatives</a>, was held on Women’s Equality day, which this year marked 100 years since the 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote — even if that right was not immediately available to all women due to discriminatory local laws. The summit tackled subjects focused on understanding the meaning and importance of allyship, intersectionality and inclusionist thinking. The session with Welteroth also included T-Mobile’s Jon Freier, EVP of Consumer Markets, and was moderated by Women & Allies Network Co-Chair Lauren Hayes, Director of Signature Retail Consumer Markets for the company. “We need to be sharing our stories, our tools, in order to empower each other and feel less alone,” Welteroth said definitively when asked what’s next in the journey towards women’s equality. “I thought if I’m going to be held up as a trailblazer for being first then I have work to do beyond the scope of my job description. I have to make sure the work I’m doing lays the groundwork, paves a trail, but also leaves signposts along the way that make it less daunting, less alienating, less confusing and less disempowering for the next young black woman leader who comes behind me.”   But while Welteroth remarked on the importance of recognizing and leveraging women who identify with her experiences as a black female professional in white corporate America as key, she didn’t discount the power that comes along with inviting others without these shared stories and experiences into the dialogue. Her conversations were once relegated to a privately shared understanding, but Welteroth said the next necessary step towards change involves the uncloaking of these truths for public discussion.

“My coping mechanism throughout my career in media has been to find my tribe, find people who can relate to these experiences of micro-aggression and … what it means to be the only one like you in a room in a corporate environment. We have our off-line chats and we have our group chats … and we support and we hear each other … but I think now there is an opening in the matrix,” said Welteroth. “There is an opportunity for all of us to be a part of these conversations because Black people, women, whatever the marginalized group is, we cannot fix these problems on our own. We need to be working in concert with the majority and the folks in power to actually create the change that we all want to see.”

Armed with a newly created blueprint and ample signage to place along the way, Welteroth made it clear that she is determined to ensure her journey is a key part of that change.

Gold medal gymnast Aly Raisman also presented as one of T-Mobile’s Women’s Summit guest speakers. <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.t-mobile.com/news/community/gold-medalist-aly-raisman-on-courage-and-self-compassion" target="_blank">Watch her discuss</a> managing anxiety, believing in yourself and finding courage within.

Media Contacts

tmobile-blocks/media-contact

Best-selling author and journalist Elaine Welteroth spoke to T-Mobile employees why being the first Black editor in different, groundbreaking capacities at two Conde Nast publications was a problem, not an accolade.

&quot;Why Forge a New Path if No One Follows?&quot; | T-Mobile Newsroom

&#8220;Why Forge a New Path if No One Follows?&#8221;

https://www.t-mobile.com/news/_admin/uploads/2020/09/nr-article-Fourth-annual-womens-summit-Elaine-Welteroth-9-14-20.png

https://www.t-mobile.com/news/community/why-forge-a-new-path-if-no-one-follows

https://www.t-mobile.com/news/_admin/uploads/2020/09/ntc-Fourth-annual-womens-summit-Elaine-Welteroth-9-14-20.png

The founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative joined T-Mobile for its Talking with Trailblazers guest-speaker series

Recently, some 4,500 T-Mobile employees tuned in for a livestream conversation between EVP of T-Mobile for Business Mike Katz and Bryan Stevenson, the founder and executive director of the <a href="https://eji.org/" data-type="URL" data-id="https://eji.org/">Equal Justice Initiative</a> (EJI), an organization committed to challenging racial economic justice, ending mass incarceration and protecting basic human rights for the most vulnerable in our society. He is also notably the author of the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/19/books/review/just-mercy-by-bryan-stevenson.html" data-type="URL" data-id="https://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/19/books/review/just-mercy-by-bryan-stevenson.html">New York Times</a> bestselling memoir Just Mercy, which was adapted into a box office hit starring Michael B. Jordan as Stevenson.

The event was a part of T-Mobile’s ongoing <a href="https://www.t-mobile.com/news/community/trailblazer-takeaways-ibram-x-kendi-on-being-an-antiracist">Talking with Trailblazers</a> series and took a deep dive into the societal and justice reforms needed in this country.

“I really wanted to use the law to protect people who might not be protected by our political process, who might not be protected by majoritarian outcomes,” the Harvard Law School graduate said of choosing his legal career. “I ended up coming to the Deep South to represent people on death row because I was deeply troubled by the fact that we have a criminal justice system that treats you better if you're rich and guilty than if you're poor and innocent. I was deeply troubled by the fact that people on death row were literally dying for legal representation because there is no right to counsel for the condemned after the initial trial and appeal. It also brought my interest in racial justice and helping the poor together. That's really how I came to being this."

Here are other key takeaways that Stevenson offered during this trenchant, of the moment Talking with Trailblazers event.

If we want to make a difference in the world, we've got to get “proximate.” “I don’t think we should underestimate the power of getting proximate to people who have been mistreated, abused, knocked down, excluded and disfavored. If nothing else, in proximity we can wrap our arms around folks and we can affirm their humanity and affirm their dignity. For me and the staff at EJI, we are fully committed to that proximity even though when you're proximate to someone on death row and you’re standing next to someone who is going to be executed, that will be challenging for you. But we absolutely are persuaded that our ability to be effective is conditioned on our willingness to get proximate … to get close to the people who are directly impacted. If we're concerned about income inequality, we’ve got to get closer to the poor. We've got to get closer to the excluded. If we care about criminal justice reform, we've got to get closer to the incarcerated and the condemned.”

Hopelessness is the enemy of justice. “I often say this, that hopelessness is the enemy of justice and justice prevails where hopelessness persists. Hope is what will get some of us to stand up when others say sit down and will get some of us to speak when others say be quiet, and it becomes a relationship. I'm both worried about the moment we're in with the pandemic and the impact it's having on people in jails and prisons, the impact it's having on the poor and communities of color. But I'm also very hopeful about this moment because I am seeing an energy, I'm seeing a resolve. I'm seeing companies having conversations they haven't had before. That's very exciting to me.

"But ultimately, my hope really comes by looking back at the generations that come before me. I'm the heir of a generation of people in Montgomery, Alabama that did so much more with so much less. I know I'm standing on their shoulders and they found a way to lift people up like me but with half the capacity and resources that I have in terms of material things. I have hope because if we had the will and the determination to overcome chattel slavery and to overcome lynching and terror and overcome segregation, we have to have the will and resolve to overcome these problems of over-incarceration and police violence.”

You can't really be informed until you know history. “This problem of over-incarceration directly intersects with this legacy and history of racial inequality. That's why right now our work is really focusing on both of these areas, because we understand that we have to confront, we have to do something about this long history of bigotry and bias that has been sustained by silence and our collective indifference. The police throughout their history first were organized in communities and one of the primary tasks was catching people who might be runaway slaves. At the very outset, the police identity was aligned with sustaining and continuing and protecting the institution of slavery. After our reconstruction, it was the police who stepped back and allowed mob violence and lawlessness to terrorize black people for a century. When John Lewis and Dr. King and Amelia Boynton went to the Edmund Pettus Bridge dressed in their Sunday best, it was the uniformed police officers that beat and battered and bloodied them. That identity cannot be disconnected from these issues.”

If you want to help, you have to do your homework. “I think if people try to do racial justice and racial equity work, or even diversity and inclusion work, without doing the education, it's almost like saying, ‘I want to be a nurse without learning anything about anatomy or about medicine or about healthcare.’ You can have a passion to help people who are sick, but until you have the knowledge, you're not going to be effective and you may do more harm than good. That's why I really do see this moment as a moment where we have to prioritize the learning, the education, the kind of conversations that really reposition our own understanding about what has to happen.”

We can't ever advance equity and opportunity if we only do the things that are comfortable and convenient. “I’m not interested in talking about slavery and lynching and segregation because I want to punish America for this history. My interest is liberation. But to get there, we're going to have to be willing to do the uncomfortable truth-telling, to do the uncomfortable reimagining, rethinking — reevaluating systems and structures, to do the uncomfortable conversations that allow us to address these issues like they've never been addressed before.

"I've been working with folks in the NBA and I'm super proud of the players and the coaches that are using their platform to get people to see things and to hear things they wouldn't otherwise see. These coaches are actually opening their press conferences by reading from our calendar and I love it because what they're doing is taking advantage of the space they have to advance in understanding. Don't make it the burden of just people of color to address these issues, because that can be exhausting and overwhelming. But all of us have a role to play. I think when we all commit to that we create a better environment for everybody.”

Justice is a constant struggle. “If we are willing to struggle, if we are willing to fight, if we're willing to get proximate, if we're willing to stay hopeful, if we're willing to do uncomfortable things, we can prevail, we can make progress. But if we are not, we will see these problems that are all around us continue to grow and deepen and manifest themselves in even more tragic waves. I would invite everybody to go to our website<a href="http://eji.org/"> eji.org</a> and become a part of that community of active educators that are sharing this information and knowledge.”

Stay tuned for more takeaways from T-Mobile’s Talking with Trailblazers series.

T-Mobile employees tuned in for a livestream conversation with Bryan Stevenson, founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI), an organization committed to challenging racial economic justice, ending mass incarceration and protecting basic human rights for the most vulnerable in our society. He is also notably the author of the New York Times bestselling memoir Just Mercy, which was adapted into a box office hit starring Michael B. Jordan as Stevenson.

Stories & Blogs

Gearing Up: A Look at T‑Mobile’s Emergency Response Equipment

Double Play: T‑Mobile Increases Donations for MLB World Series Support for Little League

A Security Expert Takes on Phone Scams and How to Avoid Them During COVID‑19

Dealing with Disaster Season

“We Have a Proud Legacy and Our Future Is Bright!”

ONLY T‑Mobile’s Network Unlocks the Full Potential of 5G for All

“Why Forge a New Path if No One Follows?”

Trailblazer Takeaways: ‘Just Mercy’ Author Bryan Stevenson on Achieving Equal Justice

Get Your Very Own T‑Mobile Landmark Virtual Background!

Run, Don’t Walk! The Wireless Route to Boosting Your Running Workout

Building a Long‑Lasting and Impactful Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Plan

AT&T and Verizon Are Feeling the Heat of Real Competition