T-Mobile to usher in Uncarrier 5.0 on June 18
What does CEO John Legere have up his sleeve? Find out at the event, to be held in Los Angeles.
T-Mobile is at it again.
The "Uncarrier" on Wednesday sent out invitations to an event to be held in Los Angeles on June 18.
The invite, titled, "We don't play it safe and sound," gives little idea of what T-Mobile is planning, but the company has been consistent in addressing the parts of the wireless business that annoy consumers.
Uncarrier 5.0 will mark the latest in a campaign that has allowed T-Mobile to roar back to not just simply customer growth, but also growth that actually outstripped the rest of the industry last quarter. Legere previously told CNET that the Uncarrier moves, which have ranged from the elimination of contracts to buying out the early termination fees of customers coming from rivals, are meant to be permanent changes to the carrier's offering.
The growth, however, has come at a cost. The company posted a loss in the first quarter even as its revenue surged. Its executives have argued that the promotional activity will pay off in the long term with improved earnings growth.
T-Mobile wasn't quiet these last few months either. In April, it kicked off a number of announcements, including a new budget $40 plan with extremely low data, an offer of 1GB of free data to tablet customers who sign up for a plan, and a campaign to get the industry to end overage fees. It also offered cellular tablets at the discounted wifi price, but discontinued that promotion.
While T-Mobile has been on the road to recovery, Sprint and parent company SoftBank have been insistent that the two carriers merge. In making the case for a deal, SoftBank CEO and Sprint Chairman Masayoshi Son admitted he admired Legere.
Legere, in an email to CNET, responded in kind: "That's amazing because I was just saying how much I admire him too."
Updated at 2:22 pm PT: To include a response from Legere.
Corrected at 2:37 pm PT: The 1GB of data for tablet users is still available, but the discounted price for cellular tablets is no longer in effect.