T-Mobile closes acquisition of Mint owner

T-Mobile has completed its acquisition of Ka’ena Corporation, the parent company of the direct-to-consumer prepaid wireless brands Mint Mobile and Ultra Mobile, as well as the wholesale wireless provider Plum.

The Un-carrier announced the completion of the transaction on Thursday, stating that the combination creates a “win-win” situation by pairing the complementary brands with T-Mobile’s industry-leading 5G network. T-Mobile plans to maintain the distinct brands’ entrepreneurial approach while leveraging its scale to supercharge their growth.

“This combination is a win-win all around – a perfect pairing of highly complementary brands coming together on our industry-best 5G network to continue shaking things up for the benefit of customers,” said Mike Katz, President of Marketing, Strategy and Products at T-Mobile. 

The deal secures long-term access to T-Mobile’s network for Mint and Ultra while allowing the carriers to tap into T-Mobile’s resources and relationships. In return, T-Mobile gains insights from Mint’s success with direct-to-consumer marketing that could be applied to other segments of its business.

Ka’ena’s leadership team, including Mint founders David Glickman and Rizwan Kassim, will join T-Mobile alongside their employees. The brands will operate autonomously but in close alignment with the broader T-Mobile business, similar to the company’s acquisition of MetroPCS in 2013.

“In partnership with T-Mobile we have delivered the best value in wireless to our customers,” said Glickman, who served as CEO of Mint, Ultra, and Plum. “From day-one, we have been committed to putting the customer first and T-Mobile deeply shares that commitment.”

Celebrity investor Ryan Reynolds, who has served in a creative role at Mint, will continue that involvement following the acquisition. The focus remains delivering affordable prepaid options and digital-first customer experiences.

“I am so proud of the entire Mint Mobile team…We’ve been able to rapidly grow this brand by putting customers and value first while being unafraid to act quickly and take chances,” said Reynolds. “T-Mobile is the best partner to help us supercharge Mint.”

To welcome Mint and Ultra customers, T-Mobile is rolling out a series of upgraded perks and benefits:

• $15 ‘commitmint’ plan: Mint will continue to offer a $15 per month unlimited plan for new and existing customers. It is also extending an introductory offer of 3 months of unlimited premium service for $15 per month through the end of 2024.

• Scam protection: Soon Mint and Ultra users will get T-Mobile’s Scam Screener service to flag suspected scam calls.

• Free Canada roaming: Mint customers will get unlimited talk/text and 3GB of high-speed data while roaming in Canada at no extra cost.  

• Enhanced Mexico roaming: Ultra users travelling to Mexico will gain an enhanced data roaming option in addition to included talk and text on most plans.

T-Mobile states it will continue to enhance the customer experience for the Mint and Ultra brands over time while providing access to its leading 5G network.

The deal allows T-Mobile to expand its prepaid offerings with popular direct-to-consumer brands. Meanwhile, Mint and Ultra gain strategic backing and additional resources to fuel their future growth as part of the Un-carrier’s portfolio.

(Image Credit: T-Mobile)

See also: FCC fines major telcos for selling users’ location data

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Tags: 5G, acquisition, ka’ena corporation, mint mobile, mobile, Networks, Operators, t-mobile, telecoms, usa