UVA Mobile was a no-contract prepaid carrier from San Diego that ran on T-Mobile. It launched in April 2015 with a $50 plan shared across two lines. Wikipedia’s list of defunct US virtual carriers records its end in 2017. The sources do not give a month, a reason or a successor.
UVA Mobile is gone
UVA Mobile was founded in 2014 out of the EvoNexus startup incubator in San Diego and launched a beta in April 2015 on T-Mobile‘s GSM and LTE networks. Wikipedia’s table of defunct US mobile virtual network operators lists it as ending in 2017. No month is given. BestCellular.com found no official shutdown notice.
If you had a UVA Mobile line
No source names a carrier that took over UVA Mobile customers. Its SIM cards ran on T-Mobile, but that does not mean accounts moved there. If your old number still works, it sits with the carrier you moved it to. Ask that carrier for your account number and port-out PIN before you switch again.
The 2017 end year comes from a single source, Wikipedia’s defunct MVNO table, which gives no month.
How UVA Mobile ended
- 2014: UVA Mobile is founded in San Diego and joins the EvoNexus incubator.
- April 29, 2015: UVA Mobile launches its T-Mobile-powered two-line Companion Plan in beta at $50 per 30 days.
- June 2015: Beta period set to end, with a nationwide commercial launch planned after it.
- 2017: Service ends, per Wikipedia’s defunct MVNO table. No month is listed.
Why UVA Mobile ended
The sources do not say. UVA Mobile entered a crowded prepaid market with one product: a $50 plan split across two lines, with five mixes of data and minutes. Launch coverage named CEO and founder Mehul Merchant and former executives from Cricket, Simple Mobile and Qualcomm. Wikipedia lists the 2017 end with no notes on cause, and BestCellular.com found no closure announcement.
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 UVA 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. UVA Mobile counts in our tracked total, not in our active total, so it does not appear in tools built for live carriers.
Questions about UVA Mobile
Is UVA Mobile still available?
No. Wikipedia’s list of defunct US mobile virtual network operators shows UVA Mobile ending in 2017. BestCellular.com found no sign that it relaunched under that name.
Which network did UVA Mobile use?
T-Mobile. Launch coverage from April 2015 and Wikipedia both place UVA Mobile on T-Mobile’s GSM, UMTS and LTE networks. Its plans worked with most unlocked GSM phones.
What happened to UVA Mobile customers?
The sources do not say. No successor carrier is named and no transfer of accounts is documented. Customers who kept their numbers would have ported them to a carrier of their choice.
What was the UVA Mobile Companion Plan?
A contract-free plan launched in April 2015 that let two lines share one bucket for $50 per 30 days. Five options ranged from 500MB with 4,000 minutes to 3.5GB with 1,000 minutes, plus 5,000 texts and a $5 international credit.
Sources
Checked October 13, 2026.
- Wikipedia: List of mobile virtual network operators in the United States: Lists UVA Mobile as defunct: personal market, T-Mobile host, GSM, UMTS and LTE, ended 2017. Checked October 13, 2026.
- RCR Wireless News: UVA Mobile enters domestic MVNO ring across T-Mobile US LTE network: April 30, 2015. Launch as a San Diego MVNO on T-Mobile GSM/LTE; five $50 two-line plans; CEO and founder Mehul Merchant; came out of EvoNexus.
- EvoNexus: Downtown Company UVA Mobile Launches T-Mobile-Powered Two-Line Companion Plan: Release dated April 29, 2015. Founded 2014; Companion Plan beta at $50 per 30 days; nationwide launch planned after the June 2015 beta.
Best Cellular. “UVA Mobile: What Happened,” BestCellular.com. https://bestcellular.com/uva-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 UVA Mobile’s customers. These carriers publish their network and run today.