T-Mobile parries Verizon, adds HD video and 10GB mobile tethering to unlimited plan
Countering Verizon's recently resurrected unlimited plan, T-Mobile CEO John Legere on Monday announced the mobile telecom's One plan will on Friday include HD video streaming and 10GB of data for Mobile Hotspot use.
After years of pushing consumers away from unlimited data plans, then doing away with the service altogether, Verizon last week reintroduced its all-you-can-eat tier, offering single-line subscribers unlimited data, talk, and text for $80 per month.
With 720p video streaming and 10GB of 4G LTE tethering included, Verizon's plan was for heavy data users a better deal than what perennial upstart T-Mobile was offering.
Not to be outdone, Legere took to Twitter today to announce upgrades to T-Mobile's $70 per month One plan. Starting Friday, subscribers of the service will be able to activate HD video and 10GB high-speed Mobile Hotspot data at no extra charge. Previously, HD video was available to users as a $3 per day or $15 per month add-on, while 10GB of tethering data cost an extra $10.
In addition, new and existing T-Mobile customers can get two lines of One service for $100 per month as part of a limited time deal.
As usual, T-Mobile claims the upcoming changes were planned "to celebrate T-Mobile's wins in the OpenSignal report," not as a response to Verizon's unlimited plan reintroduction. Last week, OpenSignal ranked T-Mobile and Verizon "neck and neck" in terms of network speed and reliability, a result T-Mobile and Legere claim spurred Verizon's decision to reinstitute unlimited data.
"I don't blame Verizon for caving. They just lost their network advantage, and they know it ... and more importantly, more and more customers know it. Their back's against the wall," he said.
The latest changes to T-Mobile's constantly evolving One plan come a little over one month after the company announced it would include all taxes and fees into monthly bills without changing plan pricing, passing savings onto subscribers.
After years of pushing consumers away from unlimited data plans, then doing away with the service altogether, Verizon last week reintroduced its all-you-can-eat tier, offering single-line subscribers unlimited data, talk, and text for $80 per month.
With 720p video streaming and 10GB of 4G LTE tethering included, Verizon's plan was for heavy data users a better deal than what perennial upstart T-Mobile was offering.
Not to be outdone, Legere took to Twitter today to announce upgrades to T-Mobile's $70 per month One plan. Starting Friday, subscribers of the service will be able to activate HD video and 10GB high-speed Mobile Hotspot data at no extra charge. Previously, HD video was available to users as a $3 per day or $15 per month add-on, while 10GB of tethering data cost an extra $10.
In addition, new and existing T-Mobile customers can get two lines of One service for $100 per month as part of a limited time deal.
As usual, T-Mobile claims the upcoming changes were planned "to celebrate T-Mobile's wins in the OpenSignal report," not as a response to Verizon's unlimited plan reintroduction. Last week, OpenSignal ranked T-Mobile and Verizon "neck and neck" in terms of network speed and reliability, a result T-Mobile and Legere claim spurred Verizon's decision to reinstitute unlimited data.
"I don't blame Verizon for caving. They just lost their network advantage, and they know it ... and more importantly, more and more customers know it. Their back's against the wall," he said.
The latest changes to T-Mobile's constantly evolving One plan come a little over one month after the company announced it would include all taxes and fees into monthly bills without changing plan pricing, passing savings onto subscribers.
Comments
Trump is in bed with the cable companies. Don't expect any competition there... Cable only cares about bilking consumers...and finding out how deep their wallets are. When their profits go up in flames (as consumers bail) maybe Google will buy them all.
T-Mobile need to made a play on content. Some kind of deal with Amazon, Netflix, Sony? Whatever it is it will benefit consumers.
Sprint + Dish at the low end
Verizon also needs to do a deal. Consumers are wising up to their inflated prices.
Apple + Sony would be fun. Sony is not the company it used to be. But a paired down Sony could actually make it more attractive. Apple doesn't seem to care about the pipe consumers use...
I think the moral of the story is consolidation is coming. Underperforming assets like ESPN could be acquired, like Verizon buying Yahoo... but why anyone wants Yahoo is beyond me.
I appreciate the 10GB tethering, but it still bothers me that it's an "Unlimited" plan. I don't really see what the difference between using your phone to access the web, or as a modem to access the web. Shouldn't be a limit on tethering if there's no limit on other data.
Anyway, I'm paying much more for 12GB total (tethering, mobile web, etc).
I stuck with At&T, even though my phone never worked in my place at home until I first bought a nanotower thingie, and then, finally, Wifi calling. I'm set back from the street, so calls dropped at home.
But finally, it's going up. Again. I've trimmed everything from my account. The number of minutes I have rolled over unused is over 4000, because I never talk on the phone. A friend got an Android, so I didn't notice, but I exceeded my total Messages of 200. To get Unlimited Messages, it's another $10.
I save $25 a month going to T-Mobile. Done.
Legere is a funny crazy guy who seems to take joy at kicking ATT/VZ in the pants - as someone who got overaged $60+/yr by both other carriers, it brings me so much joy to see them hurt (I have paid literally $0 in overage to TMO since joining).