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T-Mobile's 'Digits' Program Revamps the Phone Number (arstechnica.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the account-based dept.

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: T-Mobile has announced the launch of its "Digits" program, coming May 31. Digits is a revamp of how T-Mobile phone numbers work, virtualizing customer numbers so they can work across multiple devices. It sounds a lot like Google Voice -- rather than having a phone number tied to a single SIM card or a device, numbers are now account-based, and you can "log in" to your phone number on several devices. T-Mobile says the new phone number system will work "across virtually all connected devices," allowing multiple phones, tablets, and PCs to get texts and calls. This means T-Mobile needs apps across all those platforms, with the press release citing "native seamless integration" in Samsung Android phones, Android and iOS apps, and a browser interface for PCs. The new phone number system is free to all T-Mobile customers. Customers can also buy an extra phone number for $10 or by signing up to the $5-per-month "T-Mobile One Plus" package, which is a bundle of extra features like a mobile hotspot and in-flight Wi-Fi.

4 of 51 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Tracking by silverkniveshotmail. · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Your cell phone carrier was never having any trouble tracking you.

  2. Would rather by markdavis · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I would much rather the effort go into:

    1) Preventing phone number spoofing.

    2) Adding caller ID with name (really, we have had this on land lines for how many decades now?)

    3) Blocking spam callers with full end-user control (like settings for do NOT allow going to voicemail either, white lists, challenge suspected spam calls with voice prompts, etc)

    1. Re:Would rather by Mousit · · Score: 3, Informative
      The first one is certainly a widespread problem with the telephone system in general, and yeah they really need to fix that shit.

      2) Adding caller ID with name (really, we have had this on land lines for how many decades now?)

      This is, and has been, available for cellular, right from the start of Caller ID. It simply hasn't been used. I don't know why cell providers didn't default to using the Name, but it was always available for them to do so. Naturally, cellular companies eventually saw a chance at yet another money grab, so for some years now it's been readily available from the big companies (T-Mobile included) as "Caller ID Name" or similar. It is, of course, an optional add-on feature which costs an extra monthly fee, because of course it fucking is.

      3) Blocking spam callers with full end-user control..

      This is already partially available on T-Mobile, called Scam Blocker. It's free. It's only got two options though. Either you receive the call but it is marked in Caller ID (using Caller ID Name!) as "Scam Likely" or your other option is to turn on an outright block, and the scam call never goes through to you at all (not even to voicemail). T-Mobile's documentation about it says the caller does receive a message that they've been blocked. Unfortunately that's all the control you have over this scam/spam blocking feature.

  3. Security compromized by freeze128 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    This sounds like a convenience, but it may also have the added benefit of completely ruining two-factor authentication. If an attacker can add his device to your account, and receive texts that are intended for you, then he can use 2FA and really ruin your life!