T-Mobile to offer unlimited high-speed data in Brazil for Olympic games
The Uncarrier is celebrating the games next month by throwing in unlimited LTE data as well as free calls and texting for subscribers who are in Brazil.
T-Mobile's latest deal tries to woo the many people expected to attend the Summer Olympics in Rio in August.
T-Mobile has cooked up another special deal for its customers.
The carrier will provide unlimited high-speed data, free calls and free texting for the month of August to any Simple Choice postpaid subscribers who travel to Brazil, CEO John Legere said in a blog item Thursday. Offered to honor the Summer Olympics, which take place in Rio de Janeiro next month, the deal eliminates roaming fees in Brazil. Calls within Brazil and to the US, as well as worldwide texting, are all free.
This deal is the latest aggressive move by T-Mobile to distinguish itself from the competition and shake up the US wireless market. The other US carriers have tried to follow T-Mobile's moves by cooking up promotions designed to lure you away from your existing carrier. But they tend to lack the sheer feistiness and value that Legere likes to offer to retain his existing customers and capture new ones.
Those who subscribe to T-Mobile's Simple Choice postpaid plans don't have to do anything to take advantage of the Rio deal. The benefits will automatically be available once those customers land in Brazil.
As further incentive, T-Mobile will give the families of US athletes competing in the games free mobile service, a free Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge phone and a free Samsung Gear 360 camera through October. Family members can get up to two free smartphones per athlete ahead of the start of the summer games.
T-Mobile's deal is also an attempt to top AT&T's own Olympics-based promotion, unveiled last month. Dubbed AT&T Passport, the package gives AT&T subscribers in Brazil 1 gigabyte of roaming data and access to more than 1,000 Wi-Fi hot spots with unlimited texting within the country and to more than 190 other nations. AT&T holds a special role, as it's one of the official sponsors of the games.