Your phone lists all available networks, including those your carrier has a roaming agreement with. This contract allows you to access another company’s network in areas where your carrier doesn’t have a presence.
Previously, all other available networks were simply called ‘Roaming’ on a phone on T-Mobile‘s network. Users had to dig deeper to uncover their identity.
That has now changed, with iPhones now displaying either the network’s name or its Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) identifier. Users will now be aware of the network they have connected to, instead of having to guess.
Keep in mind that not every network that shows up is necessarily T-Mobile‘s roaming partner. That’s why you won’t be able to connect to all of the options displayed in the ‘Network Selection’ menu.
This change comes just after T-Mobile acquired UScellular. Curious users can now easily tell if they are on UScellular’s network.
Interestingly, one user says that UScellular now appears as native T-Mobile coverage, but another user’s experience suggest otherwise. That’s because a deeper dive into settings shows that UScellular is still a roaming connection. T-Mobile may have relabelled it to assert its ownership.
This makes you wonder if users can now expect more than just an improved roaming experience. After all, T-Mobile said to expect an integrated network experience in the coming months.
Just happened to me. I was checking this morning for USC coverage and it still showed PLMN 311-580 and roaming. Now when selecting the second T-Mobile label it appears to be native coverage (not roaming)
—dentonb2000, Reddit user, August 2025
Its still not “native” If you look in settings it’ll still say its roaming with T-Mobile as the carrier name. Depending on the phone is weather you see “roaming” or T-Mobile when on US Cellular.
—HuntersPad, Reddit user, August 2025
Another change that’s now better reflected in the Network Selection menu is that the Starlink-powered T-Satellite service is now called ‘T-Sat+Starlink’ in Settings. Before that, it was known as ‘T-Mobile SpaceX’. T-Mobile started calling the service T-Satellite fairly recently, and is likely renaming it in Settings to avoid confusion.
For customers who want reliable service, it’s an exciting time to be with T-Mobile. By scooping up UScellular, it’s improving service in rural areas, and by offering satellite-powered texting and internet, it’s doing its best to keep you connected even in areas with no cellular infrastructure.
“Iconic Phones” is coming this Fall!
Good news everyone! Over the past year we’ve been working on an exciting passion project of ours and we’re thrilled to announce it will be ready to release in just a few short months.
