T-Mobile's new Uncarrier move is a total flop for consumers. The new One Plan is nothing short of a disaster for consumers that don’t need unlimited data and it will force users that don’t need it on to a plan that features it. While we appreciate the effort to keep things simple, if there is one thing the industry has taught us, it's that one size does NOT fit all...
Highlights: All plans include unlimited mobile data (throttled at 26GB), SD Video via Binge On, Streaming Music via Music Freedom and 2G tethering for external devices.
Costs: $70 for line one, $50 for line two and $20 for all other lines - up to 8 total.
Add Ons: $15 for 5GB of LTE tethering (per line), $25 HD Video streaming (per line), $5 for non-use of Auto Pay services (per account)
What this amounts to is T-Mobile pulling a major rate hike when most consumers won't need the additional services. Look for Magenta to start bleeding a few subscribers back to Sprint's truly unlimited deals before too long.
How does it measure up for a two line consumer?
AT&T – 5GB $100 - 15GB $130 - 25GB $205
Verizon Wireless – 4GB $90 - 12GB $110 - 28GB $150
Sprint – 3GB $70 - 12GB $100 - Unlimited (possible dep. at 20GB) $160
T-Mobile SIMPLE CHOICE (old) – 4GB $80 - 12GB $110 - Unlimited (possible dep. at 26GB) $170
T-Mobile One (new) – Unlimited (dep. at 26GB – top 3%) $120
Loosely translated, the big boys are catching up with T-Mobile’s lower pricing, so they are trying something dramatic to shake things up with their “unlimited” option. The questions that remain after today’s announcement are if this will roll over to their prepaid offerings as well, and what does this mean to the plethora of MVNO’s that operate under the T-Mobile network. Will Republic Wireless be able to offer their super low cost data plans going forward? Is one plan going to be enough choice for the average consumer and will all the add on fees deter too many users? What does this mean for the lower cost branding, MetroPCS? Will their model also change with their ownership’s?
There’s far too many questions and possible answers to even start a dialog on that topic, but for now, The new T-Mobile One plan options just look to be another way for T-Mobile to add-on a few more fees to your bill to let you really enjoy your service. We’d recommend a pass on this one and say take a look at Republic Wireless or Net10 Wireless if you want to keep your bill under $100 for two lines.
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