T-Mobile announces new 'Data Stash' rollover mobile data plans starting with 10GB for free
U.S. wireless provider T-Mobile held its latest "Un-carrier" event on Tuesday, announcing new "Data Stash" plans that will roll over unused data from month to month, rather than resetting the cap for each billing cycle.
Each Data Stash plan will start with 10 gigabytes of 4G LTE data for free, T-Mobile revealed. The new plans are included at no extra charge starting in January 2015 for every new and existing T-Mobile customer on an eligible postpaid Simple Choice plan, including individuals, families or businesses.
"Can you imagine your gas station siphoning unused gas from your car each month? The US wireless industry is even worse," said John Legere, president and CEO for T-Mobile. "Americans have been gamed by the carriers into buying huge data plans - all to avoid getting screwed with overage penalties. Only to find out they bought more than they need which is then confiscated by the carrier. For the consumer it's lose, lose.
"That data is rightfully yours. And we're putting an end to this appalling industry practice today. With Data Stash, when you buy additional high-speed data, there's no need to lose what you don't use."
Data Stash will apply to Simple Choice plans with 3 gigabytes of data or more for smartphones, and 1 gigabyte of data or more for tablets. Each month, any unused high-speed data, rounded up to the nearest megabyte, will roll into their Data Stash automatically.
There's also no limit to how much data users can collect in their Data Stash over a 12-month period. Users who go over on their monthly allotment will automatically start tapping into their data deposits.
In the fine print, T-Mobile notes that data does not begin carrying over until the free 10 gigabyte allotment runs out. The free data promotion is available until Dec. 31, 2015.
"Like every Un-carrier move we make, Data Stash also came from listening to customers," added Legere. "This year on Twitter, customers asked the carriers to create a program to roll data forward more than 40,000 times. So this isn't rocket science. It's just that we seem to be the only company in this industry that cares enough to listen. That's fine by me."
T-Mobile also revealed on Tuesday that its LTE footprint has expanded to reach 260 million Americans, with another 10 million added in just the last 60 days. The carrier's ultra-fast Wideband LTE has also been rolled out in 121 metropolitan areas, with speeds of up to 100 megabits per second reported in the New York City metro area.
In an effort to shake up the U.S. wireless industry, T-Mobile has made a series of so-called "Un-carrier" announcements, with Tuesday's Data Stash reveal being the eighth. This year alone, T-Mobile revealed Wi-Fi calling on compatible handsets, including Apple's iPhone, as well as free streaming from music services like iTunes Radio.
Each Data Stash plan will start with 10 gigabytes of 4G LTE data for free, T-Mobile revealed. The new plans are included at no extra charge starting in January 2015 for every new and existing T-Mobile customer on an eligible postpaid Simple Choice plan, including individuals, families or businesses.
"Can you imagine your gas station siphoning unused gas from your car each month? The US wireless industry is even worse," said John Legere, president and CEO for T-Mobile. "Americans have been gamed by the carriers into buying huge data plans - all to avoid getting screwed with overage penalties. Only to find out they bought more than they need which is then confiscated by the carrier. For the consumer it's lose, lose.
"That data is rightfully yours. And we're putting an end to this appalling industry practice today. With Data Stash, when you buy additional high-speed data, there's no need to lose what you don't use."
Data Stash will apply to Simple Choice plans with 3 gigabytes of data or more for smartphones, and 1 gigabyte of data or more for tablets. Each month, any unused high-speed data, rounded up to the nearest megabyte, will roll into their Data Stash automatically.
There's also no limit to how much data users can collect in their Data Stash over a 12-month period. Users who go over on their monthly allotment will automatically start tapping into their data deposits.
In the fine print, T-Mobile notes that data does not begin carrying over until the free 10 gigabyte allotment runs out. The free data promotion is available until Dec. 31, 2015.
"Like every Un-carrier move we make, Data Stash also came from listening to customers," added Legere. "This year on Twitter, customers asked the carriers to create a program to roll data forward more than 40,000 times. So this isn't rocket science. It's just that we seem to be the only company in this industry that cares enough to listen. That's fine by me."
T-Mobile also revealed on Tuesday that its LTE footprint has expanded to reach 260 million Americans, with another 10 million added in just the last 60 days. The carrier's ultra-fast Wideband LTE has also been rolled out in 121 metropolitan areas, with speeds of up to 100 megabits per second reported in the New York City metro area.
In an effort to shake up the U.S. wireless industry, T-Mobile has made a series of so-called "Un-carrier" announcements, with Tuesday's Data Stash reveal being the eighth. This year alone, T-Mobile revealed Wi-Fi calling on compatible handsets, including Apple's iPhone, as well as free streaming from music services like iTunes Radio.
Comments
This only took NEARLY A DECADE. Finally. Now everyone will do it.
I can’t wait to have a terabyte backed up.
This is what real competition looks like. The mobile industry is great for consumers right now.
Comcast on the other hand just keeps ramming the stick further in.
Don't count on Rogers or Bell in Canada doing this sort of thing anytime soon.
The extra data for which you are paying rolls over. If you’re getting a free monthly gig or something, that doesn’t. Anything you pay for as part of the plan will.
It’s just vague enough that the above will hold up in court, so that’s probably what they’re after.
I won't hesitate to port my number to T-Mobile and pay the early termination fee if AT&T fails to follow suit. The data robbery must come to an end.
I really like seeing how competitive T-Mobile has been lately. It's just too bad their LTE coverage is terrible compared to AT&T and Verizon, otherwise I would switch.
I don't know what T-mobiles plans are but My current AT&T plan is 6GB/mo. Would this mean if I didn't use up all my 6GB in a month they'd roll over what I didn't use? I'd love it if a carrier gave you the option to either roll over unused data or get a refund for the portion not used.
If that’s the amount for which you’re paying, yep. My plan with Verizon, for example, has me pay for 3GB, but I get an extra 2GB free per month. So when Verizon does this, if they use the same terms, I could only roll over anything left from the 3GB, even if I still had the extra 2 unused.
I can only imagine that we’ll see all of the Big Four do this by the end of Q1 2015.
I don't know what T-mobiles plans are but My current AT&T plan is 6GB/mo. Would this mean if I didn't use up all my 6GB in a month they'd roll over what I didn't use? I'd love it if a carrier gave you the option to either roll over unused data or get a refund for the portion not used.
AT&T does this with minutes so maybe they'll do it for data.
Very nice, didn't see this one coming. Rather than bumping up the monthly data allotments, they're getting creative with how they count the data. Rolling over unused data is just the latest move that adds value to T-Mobile's lower priced plans. With unlimited music streaming and speed testing, and now rollover data, a 1 or 3 GB plan on T-Mobile goes further than competing plans, even though they might now look similar pricewise. Even though T-Mobile doesn't charge overage fees, it doesn't hurt to help customers avoid throttling.
So far, T-Mobile has also made their most recent "Uncarrier" offerings available to prepaid customers as well. Would be nice to have an extra pool of data available just in case I need more than the 5 GB on my current prepaid plan. But, with postpaid plans getting 10 GB of data up front, I somehow doubt that prepaid plans will get the rollover data.
Even without rollover data, T-Mobile had already stretched out my data when they went to unlimited music streaming. Before, the average monthly usage counted against my cap was 3-4 GB. Now, it's closer to 1-2 GB per month.
Overage charges were one reason (among many) why I chose not to go with AT&T or Verizon. Superior network or not, I never liked their anti-consumer practices.
I'm on prepaid because I hate contracts. I only pay $40 for 500MB data, unlimited text and minutes. I never use up all my data and always thought that it was shady to not rollover the data used that I *paid* for. I'm surprised a class action suit hasn't been brought up over this.
Because no other carrier does it.
You missed the free ASUS router you can also get from them. I picked one up a couple weeks ago and it didn't cost me a penny.
It is sort of odd that you would say that. they did a study last year with Sprint, AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile. T-Mobile on average was second only to AT&T and only slightly. It really just depends on where you're located.