We just got a new reason to believe Trump’s phone is real


Where is Trump’s phone? We will continue to talk about it every week. We reached out as usual to ask about the whereabouts of Trump’s phone. This time we’ve discovered more evidence that the phone is on its way to release.

Trump Mobile’s T1 has crossed another milestone in its slow launch. The phone has received the little-known PTCRB certification, which is a first step towards being certified to work on major networks and issued with IMEI numbers.

You probably haven’t heard of PTCRB certification, nor did I until recently. It doesn’t come often. It’s a North American certification process for smartphones, tablets and IoT devices, run by trade association CTIA. So far, it’s pretty boring, but it’s basically a basic requirement for any phone launched in the US.

So the fact that Trump’s phone has been certified is another small sign that there may be a real phone at the end of all this. Or at least I am He thinks It has been ratified.

what It was actually ratified By PTCRB is the SGG-06, a smartphone from Smart Gadgets Global, LLC, with support for 5G, 4G, 3G and 2G networks. She received her degree on March 9, just over a month ago.

Screenshot of the PTCRB Approved Devices page showing a phone listing from Smart Gadgets Global, LLC

Screenshot: BTCRP

Regular readers may recognize this name. A month ago I mentioned A phone with the same model number, from the same company, received FCC authorization in January. It is listed with the FCC under the trade name “T1,” and Smart Gadgets Global’s CEO is Eric Thomas, one of Trump Mobile’s executives. I spoke in February.

Thomas actually mentioned PTCRB certification when I interviewed him, explaining that the phone was going through that process on its way to getting certified by T-Mobile.

“There are probably 30 different tests that need to be done on the new phone, as far as putting the phone in a car and driving it around the roads to test it from tower to tower. All of that stuff is done,” Thomas said. “Some of the internal components in that test, called the PTCRB, are what the process is going through now. We’ve gone through that as of today. We’re pretty much done with that and then we go through debugging, fixes, and then retesting.”

Thomas and I spoke on February 6, at which point he told me they aimed to complete the PTCRB tests by the end of the month, “and then everything goes to T-Mobile to sign off on.”

If PTCRB certification is issued in early March — shortly after Thomas guessed — the ball should now be in T-Mobile’s court. I’ve asked them repeatedly, but so far the network has refused to confirm whether the T1 is going through the certification process or not. After some polite responses, T-Mobile’s press office somewhat curtly asked me to stop sending them emails and to contact Trump Mobile instead.

In theory, T-Mobile is just the beginning. Thomas previously told me that the company was adopting one network at a time to avoid redundancy in testing. Once a T1 is certified with T-Mobile, it can send that certification to Verizon and AT&T, instead of going through each test again. I have contacted both of these networks for good measure, but have not received a response at the time of publication.

Between the FCC clearance and PTCRB certification, it’s starting to look like there might actually be a T1 phone built that’s on its way to release. Would it look like Latest phone models? Will it fit the new spec sheet? Will it be good value at all, or just a cheap piece of Android hardware with a splatter of gold paint? Those we’ll have to wait to find out. For now, it’s time to tentatively move the Trumpism scale higher toward reality.

Got inside info on Trump’s cell phone or Trump’s phone? You can securely access from a personal device to tips@theverge.comor see our How to guide us page.

Follow topics and authors From this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and receive email updates.


Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *