By Philip Michaels
Mint Mobile would like to be known for two things: those ubiquitous ads starring Ryan Reynolds that routinely pop up on the internet and streaming services, and its low monthly rates for wireless service. It's probably less interested in being known as the discount carrier that's in the process of getting snapped up by T-Mobile, particularly if that purchase puts an end to its run as one of the better values among phone carriers.
Both Mint and T-Mobile have said that's not going to happen. When the $1.35 billion acquisition was announced, the companies took great pains to stress that little was changing with Mint's wireless offerings. In fact, since Mint already used T-Mobile's network to provide its service — Mint's a mobile virtual network operator, or MVNO — the transition figured to be a lot smoother than the T-Mobile-Sprint merger from a few years back.