T-Mobile could intro 'anytime upgrade' club today
The carrier already made headlines this year by moving to no-contract plans. A new model could do the same for buying new phones.
T-Mobile could introduce an aggressive new phone-buying model on Wednesday that would let its no-contract customers upgrade to a new handset at subsidized pricing anytime they want, according to reports.
The upgrade program, which could be called Jump, would make it easier for people to pay a lower upgrade fee when replacing their current phones, rather than paying the full, retail price to switch.
CNET first learned of this concept in March, where CEO John Legere said it was still an idea that the carrier was tossing around.
Catch our live coverage of T-Mobile's 'Boldest' news, Wednesday at 11 a.m. PT
At the time, it was conceived of as a kind of a club, in which members would pay a small fee in exchange for phone insurance and the chance to upgrade phones at a cheaper rate twice per year.
"We're going to innovate in this space," Legere told CNET in March. "This model will allow us to do that."
An upgrade program of this nature launches a further attack on traditional contract carriers Verizon and AT&T, which give subscribers a pricing break on phone upgrades only every two years.
Lowering the barrier to eligibility would not only give T-Mobile an edge to lure away customers from the U.S.' most dominating wireless providers; it would also encourage phone sales for gadget fans seeking the next new thing.
Join CNET live today at 11am PT to see what T-Mobile is calling its boldest move yet.