T-Mobile introduces cheaper, stripped-down unlimited plan
The plan is $10 less a month and launches Friday.
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T-Mobile CEO John Legere is pushing new, cheaper plans.
T-Mobile is zagging when everyone else is zigging.
The carrier on Monday introduced T-Mobile Essentials, a cheaper alternative to its T-Mobile One plan. While customers still get unlimited data, talk and text, there are no perks like free Netflix or international data or high-speed hotspot capabilities. The plans start at $60 for one line or $30 per line for four lines every month, a discount of $10 per line.
The Essentials plan will be available starting Aug. 10.
The new plan bucks the trend of more-expensive options from the other carriers. In just the last few weeks, Verizon introduced a higher tier plan for the especially data-hungry user, while Sprint and AT&T both relaunched their data offerings with new, pricier options. Some offer new features like video or hotspot capabilities, but they ultimately still mean you're paying more for your service. The moves underscore a slowdown in the aggressive bargains of the past.
But T-Mobile isn't playing that game. Chief Financial Officer Braxton Carter said in an interview that the company isn't looking to raise prices and would prefer to continue attracting customers. The carrier last week reported results in which it led the industry in the closely watched metric of post-paid phone customers.
"The Un-carrier wants to make it easy," CEO John Legere said in a release. "Give customers the options they want, but keep it simple, stupid!"
While T-Mobile Essentials won't include high-speed hotspot capabilities, a company spokeswoman said that it will get unlimited hotspot data on the 3G network.
Like the T-Mobile One plan, the company has the right to slow your connection down if you're in an area with high network demand. Customers have to blow through 50 gigabytes of data before the carrier will start to take action. It also streams video at 480p, or DVD quality.
The rates for T-Mobile Essentials assume you sign up for autopay. Like most plans in the industry, foregoing autopay means you pay $5 more a month.
T-Mobile also said that its One Plus plan, which includes HD streaming, twice the data speed abroad and more perks, will see its allotment of mobile hotspot data double to 20GB. The Plus plan costs $10 per line more when added to a family plan, or $15 more for a single line.
Updated, 10:18 a.m. PT: To include the addition of 3G mobile hotspot capability.
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