US Mobile launched its new Dark Star network on August 1, 2024. This is a major upgrade that will bring AT&T coverage to US Mobile’s customers. Since it already has access to Verizon and T-Mobile, the carrier is becoming one of the few MVNOs with access to all three major wireless networks in the United States.
That said, Dark Star is not the only story here. US Mobile is also making its coverage even more dominant through the TelePortal feature, allowing customers to port between any of the three networks during their plan period.
These two features working together mean that US Mobile will be the only carrier on the market that lets customers pick any major network they want, whenever they want it.
All of this puts US Mobile in the running to be one of the best carriers in the nation in terms of coverage, but don’t rush to switch just yet. Dark Star is a new network for US Mobile and will likely have some bugs. The TelePortal system, while active, is also a bit quirky.
Read on to learn all the details on these new features and what they mean for US Mobile’s coverage.
Editor's note: Information updated as of August 2, 2024.
What is the US Mobile Dark Star network?
Dark Star is US Mobile’s name for the AT&T network. The carrier has always created unique names for its network options:
- Dark Star is the AT&T network
- Light Speed is the T-Mobile network
- Warp is the Verizon network
Typically, MVNOs only have one coverage option or use your address to pick a network for you. US Mobile allows customers to pick their own. With the addition of Dark Star, its customers will have access to better coverage options than almost every other carrier.
I participated in the Dark Star beta and saw speeds as fast as 488Mbps on the AT&T 5G network. It generally worked well, but there were times when I lost my signal and people around me on AT&T plans did not. That said, remember Dark Star is a new network for US Mobile, so there was always the potential for some hiccups. I expect the experience will only get better as time passes.
Dark Star defaults to AT&T's QCI9 service tier, but customers can upgrade to QCI8 for $4/month on shared data plans and $12/month on unlimited plans. QCI stands for Quality of Service Class Identifier, which is a fancy way of gauging service reliability. QCI9 offers decent speeds and is the level AT&T's prepaid plans and most MVNOs use. It's fine for regular smartphone tasks like browsing social media. QCI8 is the level AT&T's postpaid plans operate on and offers high-priority access (less deprioritization), faster speeds, and lower latency. It's better for data-heavy tasks like HD streaming or mobile gaming.
The Dark Star network officially launched for all customers on August 1, 2024.
TelePortal
The key to US Mobile’s coverage dominance is TelePortal. It’s a feature that allows you to port between networks whenever you want. It doesn’t interrupt your current service and you don’t have to wait till your plan ends to switch. It’s a great perk, but you do need to understand how it works and the potential pitfalls.
TelePortal ports your number between networks through eSIM. It’s not a seamless transition and can take a little time (in my testing almost two hours). You must also manually initiate transfers on your US Mobile dashboard and install an eSIM for each new network. Plus, only US Mobile’s Unlimited Premium plan has unlimited free transfers. Other data plans give two free switches with additional transfers costing $2/each.
TelePortal is still a new feature and will probably improve with time. You can check out my experience with it in our US Mobile review and find out more about the Unlimited Premium plan below:
US Mobile Unlimited Premium Plan
| Carrier | US Mobile |
|---|---|
| Data | Unlimited Data |
| Type | No Contract |
| Current Deal | Get this monthly plan for only $39 for 6 months of service using promo code ONLY39 OR $5 off per month for 6 months OR 30 Days FREE Trial |
| Total Price |
$39 per month
|
| View Plan |
What does this mean for US Mobile's coverage?
The additions of the Dark Star network and TelePortal could make US Mobile one of the most impressive carriers on the market when it comes to coverage. They look promising, but we have to wait and see how everything ultimately rolls out.
These kinds of features are hard to do well and US Mobile is not the first carrier to try them. There are other carriers—like Red Pocket—that offer access to all three major networks. Some carriers also switch customers between their networks during their plan period. Boost Infinite offered the Smart Switching feature that bounces its customers among the AT&T, T-Mobile, and DISH networks.
The potential advantage of US Mobile’s system is how its features promise to work together. No other carrier has access to all three major networks AND will let you switch between them whenever you want.
Red Pocket may have access to the same networks, but trying to switch among them will cancel your plan and start a new one. Boost Infinite automatically moved its customers to the strongest coverage it offers, but it did not have access to Verizon’s network.
If US Mobile’s system allows its users to quickly and painlessly switch among the largest networks for free, it will be a game-changer and could give US Mobile some of the best coverage options in the nation.
Switch to US Mobile
Remember, TelePortal and Dark Star are currently live, but these are new features. Both will certainly have bugs in the first few months of their release. That said, there’s no reason you can’t join US Mobile now if you’re interested in switching. Coverage aside, the carrier also offers affordable unlimited plans, massive mobile hotspot allotments, and even streaming perks with certain family plans.
Check out our guide on switching to US Mobile or pick one of the plans below to get started.
US Mobile plan options
| Plan | Premium data | Price | Shop plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unlimited Premium | 100GB | $44/month | View Plan |
| Unlimited Starter | 35GB | $25/month | View Plan |
| 10GB By the Gig Plan | 10GB | $20/month | View Plan |
| 2GB By the Gig Plan | 2GB | $10/month | View Plan |
| Light Plan | 2GB | $10/month | View Plan |
Max McCaskill
Sr. Staff Writer
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