Ultra Mobile is a

mobile virtual network operator A mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) is a wireless communications services provider that does not own the wireless network infrastructure over which it provides services to its customers. An MVNO enters into a business agreement with a mobile ...

(MVNO) that uses the

T-Mobile US T-Mobile US, Inc. is an American wireless network operator headquartered in Overland Park, Kansas and Bellevue, Washington, U.S. Its largest shareholder is a multinational telecommunications company Deutsche Telekom AG, which , holds 48.4 p ...

network. Customers can choose the number of minutes, text messages, or data that can be used via a

prepaid mobile phone A prepaid mobile device, also known as a, pay-as-you-go (PAYG), pay-as-you-talk, pay and go, go-phone, prepay or burner phone, is a mobile device such as a phone for which credit is purchased in advance of service use. The purchased credit is ...

plan.

History

Ultra Mobile was co-founded by CEO David Glickman, who had previously founded

TelePacific Communications TPx (also known as TPx Communications, U.S. TelePacific Corp; formerly TelePacific Communications) is a privately held leading national provider of managed services. Founded in 1998, TPx delivers managed IT, unified communications as a service (UCa ...

, Justice Technology, and Primo Connect. By 2016, Ultra Mobile products were available in over 25,000 retail stores in the US, including

Target Target may refer to: Physical items * Shooting target, used in marksmanship training and various shooting sports ** Bullseye (target), the goal one for which one aims in many of these sports ** Aiming point, in field artillery, fi ...

and

7-Eleven 7-Eleven, Inc., stylized as 7-ELEVE, is a multinational chain of retail convenience stores, headquartered in Dallas, Texas. The chain was founded in 1927 as an ice house storefront in Dallas. It was named Tote'm Stores between 1928 and 1946. ...

. In January 2016, the company acquired rights from

Univision Communications TelevisaUnivision (formerly known as Univision Communications) is a Mexican-American media company headquartered in New York and Mexico City, which owns the American Spanish language broadcast network Univision. 45% of the company is held by ...

to manage the Univision Mobile brand, another T-Mobile

which specializes in US SIM-based international calling plans for calls to Latin American countries. In May 2017, Ultra Mobile announced that it was closing down the Univision Mobile brand and that it would automatically transfer all Univision Mobile subscribers to Ultra Mobile. In August 2016, Ultra Mobile launched

Mint Mobile Mint Mobile, LLC is a mobile virtual network operator in the United States on the T-Mobile network. It requires the purchase of a physical SIM card or eSIM online and, except for a trial period, prepayment for at least three months of service. ...

, formerly Mint SIM, an online-only MVNO specializing in prepaid mobile plans on the T-Mobile cellular network, which provides discounted pricing based on monthly, quarterly, or yearly terms paid in advance. In 2017, the company had approximately 150 employees in the US, Europe, and Asia, and had focused on hiring

millennials Millennials, also known as Generation Y or Gen Y, are the Western demographic cohort following Generation X and preceding Generation Z. Researchers and popular media use the early 1980s as starting birth years and the mid-1990s to early 2 ...

. In November 2019, the

corporate spin-off A corporate spin-off, also known as a spin-out, or starburst or hive-off, is a type of corporate action where a company "splits off" a section as a separate business or creates a second incarnation, even if the first is still active. Charact ...

from Ultra Mobile was completed and

Ryan Reynolds Ryan Rodney Reynolds (born October 23, 1976) is a Canadian-American actor. He is one of the highest-grossing film actors of all time, with a worldwide box-office gross of over billion. He began his career starring in the Canadian teen ...

acquired a 20%-25% ownership stake in Mint Mobile. Reynolds and founder Glickman both served on the board of directors for

The Michael J. Fox Foundation The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research is dedicated to finding a cure for Parkinson's disease (PD) established in 2000 by Michael J. Fox. It concentrates on funding research and ensuring the development of improved therapies for ...

and Glickman was impressed with how Reynolds handled marketing for ''

Deadpool Deadpool is an antihero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Fabian Nicieza and artist/writer Rob Liefeld, the character first appeared in '' New Mutants'' #98 (cover-dated Feb. 1991). Initially, De ...

''. In March 2023,

agreed to acquire

and Ultra Mobile for up to $1.35 billion.

Awards and recognition

In 2015, Ultra Mobile was ranked number 1 in Inc. magazine's list of the 5,000 fastest growing private companies in the United States, with a year-over-year growth rate of 100,849% and revenues of

US$ The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...

118 million in 2014, up from less than a million in 2012. The company was rated 3.0 or 3.5 out of 5 stars by WhistleOut.

References

{{Reflist Internet service providers of the United States Mobile virtual network operators Privately held companies based in California Telecommunications companies of the United States T-Mobile US