Safelink founded in 2008 is a brand of Tracfone a subsidiary of América Móvil, that is soon to be acquired by Verizon February 2021. Safelink is one of many companies that offers a no contract free phone service available to eligible low-income residents of the United States provided by US Government under the Lifeline phone program.
Eligibility is based on your gross income and how many people are living in your household. Also, some states have lower requirements such as California due to cost of living.
The process for applying for a free phone is filling in a form on their website and putting in details where required to check your eligibility, the form to apply can be found Safelink Application
| Free Smart Phone and service from Safelink |
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| Using your own phone (BYO) you are given a free simcard. |
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Can I use my own phone?
You can use your existing unlocked Cell/Smart phone provided that it is unlocked and works on one of the major networks which leads to the next question…
What networks does Safelink use?
Safelink operates as an MVNO using AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile networks.
What phones are available?
Safelink has free basic phones that can be found here, also they sell more powerful phones that work on their service as well, these can be found here.
Does Safelink use 5G?
This question is a common question, it appears that they do have 5G where it is available but they don’t advertise it. The fact they sell a number of 5G phones on their site indicates that 5G is available in some capacity, and most likely is using T-Mobile for network coverage.