At CES 2017 in Las Vegas, this Thursday, T-Mobile CEO John Legere announced significant changes were underway for the company’s mobile platform and services, as part of the Un-carrier Next movement.
The next phase of this initiative will kick off this January 22, with T-Mobile slashing all other plans for new customers in favor of its T-Mobile One plan, which offers unlimited calling, texting, and 4G LTE data.
On top of that, the company is introducing a refund model in customer bills called KickBack. Existing T-Mobile users who don’t use a lot of data will receive credit for the equivalent they didn’t spend.
Legere also promised straightforward bills that include tax and fees in the total as part of the Un-carrier Next policies, as well as customer control over plan payments.
T-Mobile One will become the Plan to rule them all
Starting this January 22, T-Mobile’s One plan will be the only option for new clients of the popular U.S. carrier.
T-Mobile One starts at $70 for a single user, but the cost decreases drastically if a group or family of four all sign up for it: around $40 per line for a $160 monthly total.
The plan, as previously said, includes unlimited data, texts, and calls, and it is T-Mobile’s way to push the industry forward to do away with old notions such as caps and byte-based rates.
“The Internet was meant to be unlimited, and at T-Mobile, we believe that everyone should have unlimited mobile Internet. With the moves we’re making today, T-Mobile ONE is now the one plan that works for everyone,” said Leger at the CES showroom.
Taxes and fees will also be reflected in customer bills starting in February, the month following the kickoff of the new policy.
T-Mobile will pay back users for the data they do not use
Another move in favor of industry transparency came with the announcement of KickBack, a new program for T-Mobile One users that use 2GB or less of their data.
Customers will receive as much as $10 credit on their monthly bills, which they can either trade for money or use to get an extra line for half the price, as additional lines start at $20.
This incentive is a limited time offer, and along with the inclusion of taxes and fees in T-Mobile One bills, it is a move in the right direction for an industry shrouded in controversy for questionable practices.
Carriers like AT&T and Sprint offer similar ‘unlimited’ services, but they cap data use if users cross certain GB threshold without their knowledge. These plans are also more expensive than T-Mobile’s proposal, and with fewer side-benefits.
T-Mobile wants to slam the competition
In addition to all these new changes, T-Mobile One customers can also hold even more power over their wireless plan with the Un-contract model posed by the company.
Upon signing up for T-Mobile One, users declare to maintain their fees untouched forever and the carrier vows to abide by that decision. That means no sudden price hikes on your next monthly bill or surprise fees added to the tab.
CEO John Legere has expressed he is excited for the future of the telecom industry in 2017 and the years to come and has shown openness to embrace the Trump administration and the changes it may bring.
T-Mobile is rumored to be eyeing Sprint, one of its U.S. competitors owned by the Japanese group SoftBank, for a merger deal if the conditions become favorable.
Source: T-Mobile