T-Mobile Announces New Unlimited 4G LTE Data Plan With 2 Lines for $100

[MacRumors]

T-Mobile today announced that it is planning to introduce a new Simple Choice family plan that offers 4G Unlimited Data at prices starting at $100 per month for two people. According to the carrier, additional lines can be added for $40 per month for each line.

T-Mobile currently offers an unlimited data option for its Simple Choice family plans, but pricing starts at $140 for two people, meaning the new plan will offer unlimited data at a much lower cost.

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T-Mobile's price comparison chart, click for larger version​

Currently, four people on an unlimited Simple Choice family plan would pay $220 per month, but with the new lower pricing, the same plan for four people will cost $180.

This holiday season, the traditional carriers are flooding the airwaves with a mishmash of confusing shared data promotions. Between them, AT&T, Sprint and Verizon have 24 different family and promotional rate plans, and, not surprisingly, 81 percent of people recently polled describe all the data promotions in the wireless industry as "somewhat confusing" or "very confusing." And a full 75 percent say they "hate" policing their own family members' data usage on the carrier's shared data plans, while more than 40 percent say they often worry about overage penalties on those plans.

T-Mobile said it's time to put a stop to the madness. It's time to free wireless customers from having to decipher confusing gigabyte promotions, from policing their own family's data usage and from punishing overage charges. The Un-carrier is cutting through the clutter and complexity with a radically simple idea: everyone on your family plan uses as much data as they want. And, you can do it at a better price without ever worrying about domestic overages.

In addition to offering a cheaper unlimited data plan for families, T-Mobile is also re-introducing a deal that offers 4 lines for $100 with 10GB of data. The plan provides 2.5GB of LTE data per line through 2016, dropping down to 1GB of data after that.

Both of T-Mobile's new family plan offers will be available for a limited time beginning on Wednesday, December 10.

Article Link: T-Mobile Announces New Unlimited 4G LTE Data Plan With 2 Lines for $100

 

[rpulfer]

T-mo articles like this always make me feel depressed as T-mo has no coverage in my metro-region.

 

[ZacNicholson]

Damn if they could just get better service they would be killing it

 

[anthonymoody]

Even though their network still lags behind generally, the ongoing trend of more data for more lines for lower prices is a good thing for us consumers.

Our (ATT) bill has only gone down in the last few years while our data pool has gone up.

 

[gretafour]

Better service is on the way! They acquired some of Verizon's "A-block" 700Mhz spectrum and are rolling it out as LTE Band 12 over the next year. They're also upgrading their rural 2G footprint to LTE. Once they do these two things, I'm switching!

(note that the iPhone 6 doesn't support Band 12 LTE)

 

[mnsportsgeek]

T-Mobile Announces New Unlimited 4G LTE Data Plan With 2 Lines for $100

Not that great of a deal when you factor in the $27 phone fee for each line unless you paid full price upfront.

So that would bring it to $154/month + taxes which brings it to like $160 we'll say since you only pay taxes on the $100 part.

I'm currently paying $140 a month after taxes for two lines under contract and 13 GBs of data on Verizon. It's not unlimited but it's plenty. I have the 10 GB more everything plan with a 20% employee discount and a $16 discount for 12 months that I got for just asking. Plus 2GB of free data for 24 months and 1 GB free for 12.

Not a chance I'll pay $30 more a month for crappy coverage just so I can say I have unlimited data I'll never use.

T-Mobile isn't changing the game. They're just throwing out things we've never seen before. Crunch the numbers yourself and you'll see that they aren't doing anything incredible.

If T-Mobile really wanted to do something revolutionary they'd give 2 lines of 3 GB of data each for $60 a month. Instead they trot out the word unlimited and can charge $40 more just because it's unlimited data that people won't use.

 

[KPOM]

Better service is on the way! They acquired some of Verizon's "A-block" 700Mhz spectrum and are rolling it out as LTE Band 12 over the next year. They're also upgrading their rural 2G footprint to LTE. Once they do these two things, I'm switching!

(note that the iPhone 6 doesn't support Band 12 LTE)

Not many phones do since it overlaps with Band 17 that AT&T uses, but is incompatible with it. Only T-Mobile and US Cellular have licenses for Band 12. Hopefully Qualcomm comes out with baseband chips that can support bands 12 and 17 so that it becomes more prevalent soon.

 

[C DM]

Where do they get $90/line for Verizon? Or even $180/month for 20 GB? It's at most $40/line and if we aren't talking about contract phones then it's $15/line (on plans that are 10 GB and above). And currently it's actually $150/month for 20 GB. At least they could try to get the actual prices correct if they are going to come up with some sort of a pretend comparison.

 

[mnsportsgeek]

T-Mobile Announces New Unlimited 4G LTE Data Plan With 2 Lines for $100

Where do they get $90/line for Verizon? Or even $180/month for 20 GB? It's at most $40/line and if we aren't talking about contract phones then it's $15/line (on plans that are 10 GB and above). And currently it's actually $150/month for 20 GB. At least they could try to get the actual prices correct if they are going to come up with some sort of a pretend comparison.

Ya the comparison is BS. I'm paying $140 after taxes and fees for two phones on contract with 13 GB of data on Verizon.

T-Mobiles plan they're advertising is really $160 with 2 phone payments and taxes factored in.

 

[drewcurley]

Not that great of a deal when you factor in the $27 phone fee for each line unless you paid full price upfront.

So that would bring it to $154/month + taxes which brings it to like $170 we'll say.

I'm currently paying $140 a month after taxes for two lines under contract and 13 GBs of data on Verizon. It's not unlimited but it's plenty. I have the 10 GB more everything plan with a 20% employee discount and a $16 discount for 12 months that I got for just asking. Plus 2GB of free data for 24 months and 1 GB free for 12.

Not a chance I'll pay $30 more a month for crappy coverage just so I can say I have unlimited data I'll never use.

T-Mobile isn't changing the game. They're just throwing out things we've never seen before. Crunch the numbers yourself and you'll see that they aren't doing anything incredible.

If T-Mobile really wanted to do something revolutionary they'd give 2 lines of 3 GB of data each for $60 a month. Instead they trot out the word unlimited and can charge $40 more just because it's unlimited data that people won't use.

I dunno about yall, but we have a sweet t-mobile deal. My family is on a plan with 2.5gigs, unlimited talk, unlimited text, on 4 phones for $110 a month.

 

[mnsportsgeek]

I dunno about yall, but we have a sweet t-mobile deal. My family is on a plan with 2.5gigs, unlimited talk, unlimited text, on 4 phones for $110 a month.

That's all fine and well right now.

But when those phones need to be replaced you're in for a rude awakening. You're either gonna pay $27 a month more per line.

Or a ton of money for full price phones.

 

[Michael Scrip]

I read an article elsewhere that said Verizon and AT&T are really feeling the pressure from low-cost carriers like T-Mobile and Sprint.

Why don't Verizon and AT&T just lower their prices?

Verizon has over 100 million subscriber lines.

If they offered 2 lines at $100 month... that would still be a couple BILLION dollars each month.

I suspect the reason they don't drop their prices is because they feel they have the better network and they can price accordingly.

But money is a HUGE factor with some consumers.

If they're really worried about the other guys... the gotta respond.

 

[shenan1982]

I read an article elsewhere that said Verizon and AT&T are really feeling the pressure from low-cost carriers like T-Mobile and Sprint.

Why don't Verizon and AT&T just lower their prices?

If they're really worried about the other guys... the gotta respond.

This has always been how the industry works... cable, cellular, satellite, etc... lure in new customers with good deals, then ignore the existing base and let them call in and retentions tries to save them. The problem is when someone becomes alienated from a company and feels their loyalty is no longer appreciated, many don't even bother calling in to cancel, they just make the move. This type of churn kills the carriers, because they lose a high value customer and it takes almost a year before they recoup the cost to acquire a new one.

You're right, it's bad business, but it's a prime example of how these big cable\phone companies are set in their ways.. there's no cutting edge ideas coming out of any of the legacy big carriers. Sprint and T-Mobile have all the right ideas, and they'll continue to bleed VZ and ATT of their subscriber base until ATT and VZ wake up and smell the reality.

 

[MrXiro]

Not that great of a deal when you factor in the $27 phone fee for each line unless you paid full price upfront.

So that would bring it to $154/month + taxes which brings it to like $160 we'll say since you only pay taxes on the $100 part.

I'm currently paying $140 a month after taxes for two lines under contract and 13 GBs of data on Verizon. It's not unlimited but it's plenty. I have the 10 GB more everything plan with a 20% employee discount and a $16 discount for 12 months that I got for just asking. Plus 2GB of free data for 24 months and 1 GB free for 12.

Not a chance I'll pay $30 more a month for crappy coverage just so I can say I have unlimited data I'll never use.

T-Mobile isn't changing the game. They're just throwing out things we've never seen before. Crunch the numbers yourself and you'll see that they aren't doing anything incredible.

If T-Mobile really wanted to do something revolutionary they'd give 2 lines of 3 GB of data each for $60 a month. Instead they trot out the word unlimited and can charge $40 more just because it's unlimited data that people won't use.

My wife uses 12-15gb a month on her phone... she watches a lot of Netflix during downtime at work, she has unlimited on Sprint for $56 a month after tax on a subsidized contract. Not a shabby deal... it used to be mine but I jumped over to T-Mobile and gave her my line.

Anyway with unlimited she definitely hits numbers that she normally wouldn't be hitting if she had a limit and at this point taking her off unlimited might ruin her life.

 

[shenan1982]

I'm on AT&T ... I have a mobile share plan. I have 8 users on my plan, and we each pay $29 and change each month to share 30GB, which we combined use about 10-15GB per month. Great deal.

However I have a line with T-Mobile used solely for international roaming. I pay $45 for that. It's only used for the free international roaming (as I travel 1-2 weeks a month all over the world). Combined for $75 a month it's a great combo... but in fairness here in the US (at least in San Francisco), T-Mobile's coverage is far lacking.

 

[octothorpe8]

Anybody in NYC using T-Mobile? Is it ok?

I'm paying ~$160/month to use two iPhones on Verizon. They tell me that when my contract runs out that will drop by $20/line, so I guess I'd be down to $120...

 

[oddnendz]

T-mobile is actually expanding their 4G LTE. I went to my parents' house for Thanksgiving and was surprised to find that T-mobile was LTE in their area (1 1/2 hours north of Wilmington --- Wilmington has had LTE for awhile). It had been Edge for a long time.

 

[cariacou]

If T-Mobile really wanted to do something revolutionary they'd give 2 lines of 3 GB of data each for $60 a month. Instead they trot out the word unlimited and can charge $40 more just because it's unlimited data that people won't use.

That's what I have. with T-mobile. Signed up last month.
2.5GB 4G (with unlimited music streaming)
2 lines @ $80
3 lines @ $90
4 lines @ $100

we have 4 lines, so it's actually comes down to even cheaper than 2 for $60.

 

[AeroUK]

Does anyone know if this is only for new customers or if existing customers can switch to it?

 

[mnsportsgeek]

That's what I have. with T-mobile. Signed up last month.

2.5GB 4G (with unlimited music streaming)

2 lines @ $80

3 lines @ $90

4 lines @ $100



we have 4 lines, so it's actually comes down to even cheaper than 2 for $60.

2 lines with 3gb each is $100. $60 for the first and $40 for the second.

 

[JoeyCloverfield]

Not that great of a deal when you factor in the $27 phone fee for each line unless you paid full price upfront.

So that would bring it to $154/month + taxes which brings it to like $160 we'll say since you only pay taxes on the $100 part.

I'm currently paying $140 a month after taxes for two lines under contract and 13 GBs of data on Verizon. It's not unlimited but it's plenty. I have the 10 GBs more everything plan with a 20% employee discount and a $16 discount for 12 months that I got for just asking. Plus 2GB of free data for 24 months and 1 GB free for 12.

Not a chance I'll pay $30 more a month for crappy coverage just so I can say I have unlimited data I'll never use.

T-Mobile isn't changing the game. They're just throwing out things we've never seen before. Crunch the numbers yourself and you'll see that they aren't doing anything incredible.

If T-Mobile really wanted to do something revolutionary they'd give 2 lines of 3 GB of data each for $60 a month. Instead they trot out the word unlimited and can charge $40 more just because it's unlimited data that people won't use.

As someone who used less than 2 GB on Verizon and now uses significantly more than 13 GB on T-Mobile, I can't imagine switching to a capped network. I live in an area with great T-Mobile coverage so that's not an issue.

Anyway, saying that T-Mobile isn't effecting the industry in a major way (what I consider "changing the game"). Seems very... inaccurate. Both Verizon and AT&T are better networks because T-Mobile decided to change the rules.

 

[Michael Scrip]

This has always been how the industry works... cable, cellular, satellite, etc... lure in new customers with good deals, then ignore the existing base and let them call in and retentions tries to save them. The problem is when someone becomes alienated from a company and feels their loyalty is no longer appreciated, many don't even bother calling in to cancel, they just make the move. This type of churn kills the carriers, because they lose a high value customer and it takes almost a year before they recoup the cost to acquire a new one.

You're right, it's bad business, but it's a prime example of how these big cable\phone companies are set in their ways.. there's no cutting edge ideas coming out of any of the legacy big carriers. Sprint and T-Mobile have all the right ideas, and they'll continue to bleed VZ and ATT of their subscriber base until ATT and VZ wake up and smell the reality.

You're right... Verizon would spend more money on getting a new customer than keeping an existing customer.

So why aren't they trying harder to keep their customers in the first place?

If the #1 reason people are leaving Verizon and going to T-Mobile is PRICE.... then Verizon should lower the price. (nobody goes to T-Mobile for coverage, right?)

We've heard this countless times on this forum and others. "I was paying too much for Verizon" or "My bill on T-Mobile is half what I was paying for Verizon"

It doesn't take a genius for Verizon to figure out what's going wrong.

 

[yeah]

And poor AT&T and Verizon are announcing higher churn and less profit, because of T-Mobile's rebellious actions.

*cue AutoUnion39 and the other T-Mobile haters to bash on this*

 

[MEHAMMONDS]

Total Cost of ownership matters

It doesn't matter if you pay for the phone up front or over 24 months. What matters is the total cost of ownership. I figure even paying full price for an unsubsidized iPhone, I will save $600 over a two year period with t-mobile over what I was paying at AT&T for an iphone and iPad. What I am not happy about is they do appear to be charging me almost 17% in taxes and govt fees on the hardware too. I wasn't expecting that. I will probably pay the phone off early as a result.

 

[C DM]

I read an article elsewhere that said Verizon and AT&T are really feeling the pressure from low-cost carriers like T-Mobile and Sprint.

Why don't Verizon and AT&T just lower their prices?

Verizon has over 100 million subscriber lines.

If they offered 2 lines at $100 month... that would still be a couple BILLION dollars each month.

I suspect the reason they don't drop their prices is because they feel they have the better network and they can price accordingly.

But money is a HUGE factor with some consumers.

If they're really worried about the other guys... the gotta respond.

They have been responding. They've been offering better prices and more data and improving those deals a number of times, especially in the past few months. They aren't really responding to the point of matching T-Mobile prices or beating them, but then again, it doesn't really happen when an overall better and larger player in the industry would be matching lower prices of a smaller player, pretty much no matter what the industry is.

----------

You're right... Verizon would spend more money on getting a new customer than keeping an existing customer.

So why aren't they trying harder to keep their customers in the first place?

If the #1 reason people are leaving Verizon and going to T-Mobile is PRICE.... then Verizon should lower the price. (nobody goes to T-Mobile for coverage, right?)

We've heard this countless times on this forum and others. "I was paying too much for Verizon" or "My bill on T-Mobile is half what I was paying for Verizon"

It doesn't take a genius for Verizon to figure out what's going wrong.

On the other hand some of those people will then find their phones not getting a signal inside their house or workplace and/or in various parts in between that they visit regularly and never even had to think about not having a connection.