T-Mobile Uncarrier 9.0 is all about business
Like many rumors that said as much, T-Mobile’s Uncarrier 9.0 today had its main focus on business, namely enterprise customers who often find it impossible to get straightforward pricing from AT&T, Sprint, or Verizon. According to CEO John Legere, going forward, “The best price is the only price.” In other words, at least at T-Mobile, gone are the days of haggling.
Here’s how business pricing will work going forward:
- 10-19 lines will cost $16/each
- 20 lines or more will cost $15
- 1000 lines and above will cost $10
- All lines will get unlimited talk, text, and 1GB of high speed data.
- $10 for mobile internet devices (tablets and modems) will cost $10 each regardless of lines, and include 1GB of data each.
T-Mobile says that these prices are 42% lower than AT&T and Verizon. But even more interesting, business will be able to buy more data either pooled or by the line, with no overages ever. Those who add data per line will pay $10 for 2 extra gigs of data (3GB total), or $20 for unlimited. Those who want to pool data will pay $4.75/GB for under 500GB, and $4.50/GB for over 500GB. Those who get at least 1TB of data will pay just $4.25?GB.
Additionally, T-Mobile wants to help businesses develop their online presences more, so T-Mobile will give anyone who purchases additional data for at least one line a free .com domain from GoDaddy, along with a mobile optimized website. Only one line needs to purchase additional data to get this. Additionally, T-Mobile will through in a free custom domain email address, along with Microsoft Office 365, courtesy of a new partnership with Microsoft.
Families of employees will also benefit, as an individual employee’s business line will act as the first line in a family plan, in effect netting customers a $50 discount, since they will no longer have to pay for that line. The second line will still be $30, and all subsequent lines will be $10. According to T-Mobile, employees’ families can save up 50% with this new discount.
One the consumer front, T-Mobile is revising its contract freedom to include equipment installment plans and carrier leases. In other words, T-Mobile will cover all costs for switching to the carrier, regardless of the financial obligation that is keeping you making the switch. In total, the carrier will pay up to $650 per phone, up to 10 lines.
Finally, Legere introduced the “Uncontract,” or the promise that customer rates may go down, but will never go up. Customers who are on current promotions will get to keep their pricing forever, as long as it’s on a fixed data plan. So, for example, customers who signed up for the 4-line 2.5GB/line family plan for $100 will get to keep it forever. It won’t expire at the end of 2015, as previously stated.
For customers on unlimited plans, the situation is a bit more bleak. Legere is only planning on keeping unlimited untouched for up to two years. After that is a big unknown.
[UStream]
