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T-Mobile's tweaked Simple Choice plans come with more data, unlimited international texting
T-Mobile's customer-friendly "Uncarrier" schtick seems to be changing people's minds about the country's 4th largest wireless provider, and it's not done fiddling with that formula just yet. The folks in magenta just announced a slew of tweaks to its Simple Choice plans that make them worth yet another look.
T-Mobile's UnCarrier plans are working, gains 4.4 million new customers in 2013
When John Legere jointed T-Mobile, the company had lost two million customers and was eating some substantial losses. The party-crashing CEO, however, seems to have turned things around with the UnCarrier, Jump and Simple Choice programs. In the company's annual report, T-Mobile has announced that 2013 saw the network add a whopping 4.4 million customers across the year. For Q4, while the company added 1.6 million customers, it also marked a loss of $20 million -- so perhaps some of the money spent baiting rival networks should have stayed in the bank.
Weekly Roundup: Facebook acquires WhatsApp, tablet buyer's guide and more!
You might say the week is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workweek, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Weekly Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past seven days -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Sprint abandons its 'One Up' early upgrade plan after just a few months (updated)
It appears Sprint's answer to T-Mobile's UnCarrier campaign hasn't been quite the success the company hoped it would be. Less than four months after it announced its "One Up" early upgrade plan, Big Yellow began phasing out the tariff from January 9th and is now directing online customers to its new "Framily" plan instead. With Framily, Sprint is attempting to drive down the cost of friends and family plans by rewarding customers with lower monthly fees for each additional person they add (up to 10) to a single account. The One Up plan, however, was specifically designed to reduce the cost of upgrading to a brand-new smartphone every year. Sprint has yet to indicate whether its Framily plan is a direct replacement for One Up or whether we can expect a reinvention of the early upgrade plan in the future -- we've asked Sprint what it plans to do next and will update you should we receive a response.
T-Mobile will pay your family plan's early termination fees to get you to switch
T-Mobile has just announced that it plans to end one of the last remaining barriers to get people to switch over to its network: those pesky early termination fees. At its fourth Uncarrier event at CES 2014, the carrier announced that starting tomorrow, customers from the three other competing national carriers -- Sprint, Verizon and AT&T -- can trade in eligible handsets to any T-Mobile location, switch over and get an instant credit of up to $300. You would then purchase a T-Mobile handset and then send your final bill from your previous carrier to T-Mobile -- either via mail or upload to T-Mobile's website -- as proof of your early termination fees. The magenta carrier will then send you an additional payment of up to $350 per line (for up to five lines) to pay those off, and both individual and family plans apply. Only those who are trading in phones, transferring their number and getting new handsets from T-Mobile are eligible to partake in the deal.
Leaked T-Mobile ad suggests it'll pay for families to leave its rivals
When T-Mobile USA CEO John Legere isn't busy getting himself kicked out of an AT&T party, he's likely putting the finishing touches to his own CES announcement. Rumors have suggested that T-Mobile will soon make it easier for consumers to switch to the UnCarrier from rival operators, and a banner ad spotted by Droid Life suggests it's willing to put its hand in its pocket to do so. The advertisement, which briefly appeared on T-Mobile's website before it was unceremoniously pulled, says the operator will "pay your family's termination fees when you trade in your devices," countering AT&T's promotion that gives T-Mobile customers up to $450 if they switch to its NEXT plan. T-Mobile's small print says it'll accept ports from AT&T, Verizon or Sprint customers and transfer up to five lines. While the initiative appears costly, the company will look to recoup its outgoings by requiring new customers to trade in their existing smartphones and choose new phones offered on its UnCarrier plans. Droid Life indicates that T-Mobile will likely limit the amount it is willing to pay -- we expect Legere and co. to confirm payment caps and all the other details at its UnCarrier 4.0 event when it kicks off at 12:30PM PT.
T-Mobile's UnCarrier plans help to attract a million more customers
It looks like T-Mo's efforts to stand out from the carrier crowd are continuing to have an impact. The US operator claims it attracted a million new customers in Q3, following the 1.1 million people who joined its network over the summer. The company attributes this success largely to its UnCarrier plans, including Simple Choice and Jump, which it says are starting to "resonate" with consumers. Then again, rivals AT&T and Verizon have reported similar lifts in popularity last quarter, so one could also argue that T-Mobile is just keeping pace with the rest of the pack -- with the notable exception of Sprint, whose subscriber base is shrinking.
T-Mobile details free global data and texting for Simple Choice customers
Phase one was abolishing traditional two-year contracts and subsidies, phase two was the Jump "anytime upgrade" program... so what does T-Mobile have in store for its third Uncarrier announcement? As a leak -- and the promised partnership with Shakira -- hinted, the news is unlimited data and texting worldwide. Tonight in New York City, CEO John Legere said that the network is expanding home data coverage for Simple Choice customers to include more than 100 countries -- from Anguilla to Vietnam-- at no additional charge. Voice calls, meanwhile, will cost 20 cents per minutes in those same countries. "Wherever, Whenever," right? The new global data offering will go into effect starting October 31st, and T-Mobile says customers with qualifying plans won't need to sign up or pay a fee to access basic service. Legere declined to detail free speeds, but we'd expect 2G performance -- enough to use text-based apps like Twitter and email, but insufficient for media consumption. Power users can boost speeds with any of three paid passes: one day and 100MB for $15, one week and 200MB for $25 or two weeks and 500MB for $50. Once your plan runs out, you can buy another, or revert to free service. To ensure that only travelers take advantage of free plans, each period abroad can be no longer than six weeks, and during a three-month period, six weeks must be spent in the US. For those folks at home, the carrier is offering a new Stateside International Talk and Text plan that lets Simple Choice customers call or text participating countries for no more than 20 cents a minute. (Calls to landlines will be free to over 70 of those countries.) That plan will cost $10 a month. As anyone who's been abroad with a smartphone knows, getting connected is expensive, complicated or both. As for other carriers following suit? Legere has some words for them, too. "What our competitors should do is wait a year to see if this hurts us. Let 'em go for another year and see what happens." Head past the break for an intro video, along with a full list of participating Simple Choice countries.
T-Mobile reportedly set to unveil global data plans with service in 100+ countries (updated)
Could this be the global data plan of our dreams? A fan site for Shakira, the artist set to perform at T-Mobile's UnCarrier event tonight, published a teaser on its Facebook page today. The image above suggests that the carrier will announce data plans that include global roaming in more than 100 countries, with no additional fees. That's all we have to report for now -- it's unclear whether or not data will be capped, which countries are included and what you'll need to pay for the plans -- but this Facebook post is consistent with a tweet from T-Mobile CEO John Legere this morning, declaring "Today is the day! The day we change the way the world uses their phones! You ready? #unleash." Update: It appears those rumors were spot on as T-Mobile's site is now showing a promo for free global coverage in over 100 countries, with plans to launch the service later this month. No other details are available just yet, but it does appear this will only apply to postpaid subs on the Simple Choice Plan.
Daily Roundup: Toshiba Excite Write review, Xbox One unboxed, Google's eventual downfall, and more!
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
T-Mobile's LTE network expanding faster than planned, now covers 116 metro areas
When T-Mobile threw the switch on its first LTE markets back in March, the company promised to cover 100 million people by mid year. Four months on, there are 157 million potential customers with access to the un-carrier's still fledgling 4G LTE network. With true 4G now launched in 116 metro areas the expansion is actually ahead of schedule, and could match its HSPA+ footprint within a year. By the end of 2013, Big Magenta plans to cover 200 markets, encompassing 200 million people -- which actually seems quite conservative seeing how quickly the network has expanded so far. In fact, the speedy deployment kinda puts AT&T and Sprint to shame. T-Mo might have waited the longest to get on the LTE train, but it's hasn't wasted any time getting those blazing speeds to its loyal customers.
T-Mobile raises iPhone 5 down payment by $50, device now costs $150
After a month of offering the iPhone 5 for $100 down, T-Mobile has quietly increased the upfront cost by $50. Even with the price hike, it's still less expensive than on most other carriers, but some type of warning would've certainly been appreciated. As for the rest of T-Mobile's new pricing scheme, its $20-a month, two-year amortization schedule remains intact. Consider us skeptical, but hopefully this is just a case of growing pains, and unannounced promotions won't be part of the UnCarrier's game plan going forward.
PSA: Pick up your T-Mobile iPhone 5 today
It's really happening. Starting today, you'll be able to pick up an iPhone 5 with that Magenta hue. T-Mobile's offering the device both in retail and online, starting at $100 plus 24 monthly installments of 20 bucks. You can pick from either of the two monochrome extremes and if you're looking to spend a little less, you can also choose an iPhone 4S or 4 instead. Remember; you won't get the same subsidized pricing from Apple directly, so scroll through the options at the Uncarrier source and ensure that you're ready for that Coachella stream this weekend.
PSA: T-Mobile's iPhone 5 pre-orders start rolling today
If T-Mobile's recent event cussed you into wanting one of its tweaked A1428 iPhone 5s with LTE, AWS HSPA+ and no contract strings attached, you can now order one up. Apple's flagship can be had through the carrier for $99 down and 24 payments of $20 for a total of $579 -- a snappy $70 savings over buying one directly from Cupertino. Meanwhile, T-Mo's Simple Choice plan starts at $50 per month for unlimited talk, text and 500MB of data, with an additional 2GB for $10 and unlimited 4G data for $20. Just remember that should you opt into an iPhone 5 through T-Mobile then decide to opt out of your contract, the device will stay carrier locked until you pay it off or trade it back -- unless you're willing to skirt the law, of course. Hit the source to make your reservation.
The Daily Roundup for 03.29.2013
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
The After Math: a million Z10s, the UnCarrier's new plan and a 16-button controller
Welcome to The After Math, where we attempt to summarize this week's tech news through numbers, decimal places and percentages This week, there's been a mixed bag of interesting news numbers, from T-Mobile's New York event and the company's new perspective on the phone network business, to San Francisco (again) for the Games Developers Conference. We also got to take a look at BlackBerry's first financial results since the name change and its BB10 launch.
The Daily Roundup for 03.26.2013
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Apple's updated iPhone 5 for T-Mobile goes through FCC testing
An iPhone native to T-Mobile USA has been the stuff of legend for so long that we still have a hard time believing it's real, even after the carrier confirmed it in no uncertain terms. We're a little more credulous now that Apple has run the iPhone 5 through some class permission changes at the FCC. True to the words of Apple and T-Mobile, the updated A1428 is now clear to use 42Mbps HSPA+ data on the AWS frequencies that the UnCarrier uses (along with smaller Canadian providers, we'd add). The refreshed iPhone doesn't have any surprises lurking underneath -- the LTE was already in place -- although that in itself isn't surprising. It's a mid-cycle tweak meant chiefly to expand Apple's market reach, and we wouldn't expect much more iPhone-related FCC action for awhile. Brad Molen contributed to this report.
T-Mobile's UnCarrier event roundup
The news (and the choice language) was hurled out at a rapid pace during today's T-Mobile UnCarrier event. In case you missed any of the proceedings, we've got you covered with a full rundown just past the break. From the initial LTE markets to handset launches and details surrounding Big Magenta's phone plans, all of the particulars on what the carrier looks to "unleash" are here for your perusal.
T-Mobile says its iPhone 5 has HSPA+ on AWS bands, HD Voice
We all know the iPhone is at last reaching T-Mobile -- but what you might not know is that it won't just be a one-for-one port of the existing hardware. Carrier CEO John Legere just stated that the T-Mobile iPhone 5 will support HSPA+ on AWS bands (1,700MHz and 2,100MHz) in addition to ready-made LTE support. If you wander outside of an LTE coverage area, you'll still have up to 42Mbps data on Magenta's network. There's more: it'll also support the same HD Voice calling that went nationwide in January.
