GIV Mobile was a prepaid phone service on T-Mobile’s network that donated 8 percent of its revenue to a charity each customer chose. It was a brand of PTel Mobile. Both GIV and Ptel shut down at the end of January 2016, and customers were urged to port their numbers out first.
GIV Mobile is gone
GIV Mobile closed at the end of January 2016, alongside its sister brand Ptel. BestMVNO reported the shutdown on January 21, 2016. Ptel’s notice set January 31, 2016 as the last day of service and asked customers to request port-outs by January 26. GIV was a brand of PTel Mobile, an MVNO that launched in 2001 and moved from Sprint to T-Mobile in 2013.
If you had a GIV Mobile line
No single successor carrier took GIV Mobile customers. Customers had to start a port-out with a new provider before service ended. Ptel’s notice suggested options including T-Mobile, MetroPCS, Ultra Mobile, Simple Mobile, Ting and Lycamobile. A number ported out in January 2016 lives with that carrier today.
How GIV Mobile ended
- 2001: PTel Mobile, GIV Mobile’s parent brand, launches.
- 2013: PTel Mobile moves its service from Sprint to T-Mobile.
- June 27, 2014: Fierce reports GIV Mobile, a T-Mobile MVNO, donates 8 percent of revenue to charity.
- January 21, 2016: BestMVNO reports GIV Mobile and Ptel are shutting down.
- January 26, 2016: Recommended last day to request a port-out.
- January 31, 2016: GIV Mobile and Ptel service ends.
Why GIV Mobile ended
The sources do not give a reason for the shutdown. They show that GIV Mobile and Ptel closed together at the end of January 2016, so the decision was made at the parent level. BestMVNO notes that closures are common among small MVNOs, which depend on wholesale network deals. GIV’s model gave away 8 percent of revenue to charity, a thin margin for a small prepaid brand.
How to find who holds an old number now
- Check an old bill or payment record. It names the company that billed you last.
- Run the number through a carrier lookup tool. It shows the carrier that holds the number today.
- Call that carrier and ask for the account number and transfer PIN.
- Start the port from the new carrier. Never cancel the old line first.
Your right to keep a number
Number portability is federal law, not a carrier policy. The rule is the FCC’s: Portability: Keeping Your Phone Number When Changing Service Providers.
How we verified GIV Mobile
BestCellular.com tracks active carriers and defunct ones. We keep both, because people still search for brands that no longer exist. Every fact on this page comes from the sources listed below, and we leave a detail out when no source states it. Where sources disagree, this page says so. If you can document a correction, tell us and we will check it against the sources.
Tracked and active are different counts on this site. GIV Mobile counts in our tracked total, not in our active total, so it does not appear in tools built for live carriers.
Questions about GIV Mobile
Is GIV Mobile still available?
No. GIV Mobile shut down at the end of January 2016, together with its sister brand Ptel. The Wikipedia list of US MVNOs gives January 31, 2016 as its end date.
Which network did GIV Mobile use?
GIV Mobile ran on T-Mobile’s network. Its parent, PTel Mobile, switched from Sprint to T-Mobile in 2013, and Fierce described GIV as a T-Mobile MVNO in 2014.
What happened to GIV Mobile customers?
Customers had to port their numbers to a new carrier before service ended. The shutdown notice asked for port-out requests by January 26, 2016, and kept accounts active through January 31, 2016 for transfers.
How did GIV Mobile give to charity?
GIV Mobile donated 8 percent of its revenue to a charity chosen by each customer. Fierce reported the model in June 2014. The giving model ended when the service shut down in January 2016.
Sources
Checked October 13, 2026.
- BestMVNO: GIV Mobile and Ptel shutting down: Shutdown at end of January 2016, port-out by January 26, service ends January 31 (January 21, 2016)
- Fierce Network: MVNO Giv Mobile makes Alcatel OneTouch smartphone free: T-Mobile MVNO, 8 percent charity model, PTel launched 2001 (June 27, 2014)
- Wikipedia: List of mobile virtual network operators in the United States: Lists GIV Mobile on T-Mobile, ended January 31, 2016
Best Cellular. “GIV Mobile: What Happened,” BestCellular.com. https://bestcellular.com/giv-mobile/
Free to reuse with credit. Licence, sources and the full dataset. All defunct carriers are listed on carriers that shut down.
Live carriers to look at instead
No carrier took over GIV Mobile’s customers. These carriers publish their network and run today.