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T-Mobile CEO: “This industry blows,” biggest carriers offer “horseshit”

254 points by coloneltcb 13y ago

andrewjsledge 13y ago
As a long time TMo subscriber, what is he willing to do for me and my loyalty? Sure, offering ETF payoffs for new customers is great, but shouldn't you treat your loyal customers even better?
- jrockway 13y ago
  Why would they incentivize you to do something you already do?
  - allsystemsgo 13y ago
    Because the other companies will pay you to leave?
    - jrockway 13y ago
      "All"? I thought it was just AT&T. Verizon is the only network in the US that's compelling, but they don't have unlimited plans, so T-Mobile is the only reasonable carrier for people that don't want to count every bit they transfer.
- toomuchtodo 13y ago
  Is not having the lowest prices and highest customer service ratings in the industry enough? If not, you can always try your luck with Verizon (expensive), Sprint (horrible network), or AT&T (expensive, pathetic customer service, predatory behavior). Disclaimer: 12 year T-Mobile customer.
- LandoCalrissian 13y ago
  Not having to deal with the other providers? Seriously, the other guys charge more and offer less.
- geetee 13y ago
  Your incentive to stay is good service at a fair price.
- swombat 13y ago
  Yes and no. I guess you're a long-time T-mobile customer because you like being with them, and find them better than the alternatives. So what you're getting is, hopefully, already the best they can offer in terms of service, contract terms, etc. Telcos are a game of scale. In order for T-mobile to be able to give you even better terms, or an even better infrastructure with even better services, they need to grab a larger slice of the market. So really, what they're doing does help you in the end, just indirectly and more slowly. As their market share grows, it justifies even greater investments in infrastructure and services, and so you benefit.
adamkittelson 13y ago
I'd be on T-Mobile in a heartbeat if they had, like, any coverage.
- poopsintub 13y ago
  I'd leave T-Mobile in a heartbeat if I had, like, poor coverage.
  - LandoCalrissian 13y ago
    It's interesting to me because people always say this is a huge issue with T-Mobile. I've been with them for a decade now, and have had very little coverage problems. I've been across a lot of the country and the two places I can actively remember where I got zero coverage was in northern Minnesota and Death Valley. Their data does get a little flaky the when out of fairly populated areas, but I have seen this improving very quickly and can make many long drives with full data coverage. I don't know, I think it might just be marketing.
    - was_hellbanned 13y ago
      It's been my experience that there's not much difference between AT&T and T-Mobile overall. Which one is better just depends on where you spend most of your time. People with Verizon seem to get a signal virtually everywhere.
    - pessimizer 13y ago
      >the two places I can actively remember where I got zero coverage was in northern Minnesota I took the Empire Builder recently, which basically skitters along the Northern border from Chicago to Seattle/Portland, and T-Mo coverage was nil for the bulk of the trip. Can't say I really minded, though. Usually coverage is fine.
    - anonymoushn 13y ago
      There's a hole in their network that contains my apartment and office in downtown Austin.
tomp 13y ago
> start with one line at $50 per month for unlimited talk, text, and Web with up to 500MB of 4G LTE data Thank god I live in Europe (in the UK, the equivalent costs about 20GBP per month).
- StavrosK 13y ago
  I think 3's unlimited plan is 10 pounds or something?
- flixic 13y ago
  In Lithuania, Europe, I spend about $9 for this (even more, with 1GB of data). Very happy about the competition between carriers in our country - it is constantly making everything better and cheeper.
  - adventured 13y ago
    I'm curious what happens if you drive to Germany (Italy, Romania etc)? How do your local carriers handle that kind of coverage?
    - tomp 13y ago
      They don't. You pay for roaming. However, in summer 2014 there will be no more roaming charges for the EU (forced by the EU commission on the carriers - the carriers were playing dirty all along, e.g. TMobile and Vodafone have companies in many EU countries, but customers still pay roaming charges in "different" networks provided by different subcompanies). This still won't mean free mobile for the whole EU, as most networks only offer free calls/texts/data in their local networks, while you have to pay a little if you're in another operator's network (in the same country).
  - sjf 13y ago
    In India you can get 1GB for 173Rs or $2.80, and the service is surprisingly good, better than what I get back in Ireland.
- rogerbinns 13y ago
pkulak 13y ago
Well, the talk is nice, but with AT&T's $15 off per phone if you own it, T-Mobile isn't really cheaper anymore, especially with family plans. And with AT&T you can get coverage between cities, not just in them. I'm thankful to T-Mobile for forcing AT&T to keep up, but since they have, I'm going with the better network. EDIT: My cost comparison for two people who own their phones: 4 Gigs shared on AT&T: $120 2.5 gigs each on T-Mobile: $100 So I guess T-Mobile is still cheaper. But, for me, T-Mobile data does not work at all outside of my home city. Data coverage everywhere is worth 20 bucks to me.
- anonymoushn 13y ago
  Paying $~90/mo for the cheapest iPhone plan that included tethering was an awful deal, but I don't think that AT&T had introduced the $15 off thing at the time. The family plan cut on top of that seems to makt AT&T's prices actually competitive. Airvoice, an AT&T MVNO, will sell you two plans with 3GB each for $120 or 2 plans with 1GB each for $80.
- r00fus 13y ago
  Horses for courses, but AT&T's other anti-consmer polices and missed deadlines are what got me to move. When I went over data allotment on AT&T, I got charged extra for that month (especially infuriating late in the cycle). Here on Tmobile, I just get bumped down to 2G (acceptable - esp. if it happens 27 days into the cycle). When TMobile launched the iPhone5 with HDVoice, AT&T and VZ loudly proclaimed that HDVoice was coming "late 2013". Still no news. How long does it take for them to support an additional codec that improves voice and lowers their bandwidth? I'm only waiting for them b/c I have a relative that is still on AT&T, and I'd love the calls to be HDVoice. TMobile's coverage outside of metros sucks. And I doubt it will get better soon (likely they'll double-down on becoming better than ATT/VZ in-city than worry about low-density areas). If you really need coverage in exurban and rural areas, then yeah, go with one of the two biggies - but you'll definitely pay more.
  - alttab 13y ago
    This is a great strategy for gobbling up marketshare. Definitely an 80/20 move by T Mobile. Couple that with a customer centric product that isn't offered anywhere else and most people will realize they travel in between cities by plane. Once t mobile establishes a foothold, it will have enough agency and capital to gain access to wider coverage. The biggies will be bleeding revenue and will have to license out their network to T Mobile to compensate. Sure, their network is not a blanket. But that is temporary. T mobiles approach is likely possible due to differences in their operations which provides a competitive advantage that the biggies can't easily replicate. Mobile networks will evolve faster than backbone. I'm excited to see what lies ahead.
themckman 13y ago
I bought the iPhone 5 outright, unlocked and switch to T-Mobile after doing so. In the city (Chicago) the service can't be better. Really like that tethering is just included. LTE tethering has come in handy at a few coffee shops that don't have WiFi. I also recently went to Europe and took advantage of the free worldwide data; was fantastic. Phone calls while roaming in Europe were reasonable, too. Something like 10 cents a minute back to the States. All for ~$70/month. Beats the pants off AT&T.
- nardi 13y ago
  For the past year or two, AT&T and Verizon have also offered free LTE tethering.
  - rybosome 13y ago
    That does not appear to be true in my case.
  - tunap 13y ago
    To be precise, since the FCC told Big Red to stop back in July 2012. http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2012/07/tethering-apps-must-be-allowed-fcc-tells-verizon/ http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2012/07/tethering-apps-must-b...
    - varelse 13y ago
      Not if you had one of the pre-existing unlimited data plans... Just switched to T-Mobile last month: much better experience than what I had with Verizon so far.
      - tunap 13y ago
        I drank Red's 4G flavor-aid early and gave up my unlimited plan. The map said I was in 4G range but my pricey modem disagreed. I switched to Tmo two years ago and love it...better than expected coverage in metro areas, 1/2 price and unlimited everything.
  - 13y ago
jsnk 13y ago
T-mobile is awesome. I am not sure if this plan is still available, but I am on $30/month no contract plan. This has unlim. data, text and 100 voice minutes. It works perfectly with unlocked Nexus 4 which I got in Jan 2012. I'm never going back to contracts anymore.
- byoung2 13y ago
  My wife lost her T-Mobile G Slate tablet and she was going to replace it with a WiFi only one, so she called T-Mobile to cancel the data plan. Even though it was not covered by insurance, they sent her a replacement (upgraded to Samsung Galaxy Tab) and they converted the plan to a 200MB 4G/month plan for no monthly charge. That is great customer service.
- n00j 13y ago
  This plan is still available I believe as I got this plan at the beginning of December. All you need to do is get a new sim card from T-mobile.com which is usually close to free. And then activate the sim card online. Going through the steps you get to select your prepaid plan, and the $30 a month plan is one of the options.
larrys 13y ago
Separately the CEO comes across as a total wack job using language like that in a business setting. Especially given his age.
- rubyn00bie 13y ago
  I personally like the language, but I've never been one to adjust my vernacular to desires/expectations of others.
- wyclif 13y ago
  I actually found it refreshing, especially that remark about how much the mobile telecom industry blows.
  - larrys 13y ago
    I use language like that in certain settings as well. But not in business. And not in a college interview. Now if I was going to hire you for a big freelance project and you used language like that over the phone while I was asking you some questions it would definitely change my confidence in hiring you.
    - BlackDeath3 13y ago
      >Now if I was going to hire you for a big freelance project and you used language like that over the phone while I was asking you some questions it would definitely change my confidence in hiring you. And that would make rethink working for you. What's the problem with the language?
    - unclebucknasty 13y ago
      That's a bit circular. You care because you've decided that it's important and believe others should believe the same. But, it doesn't materially have anything to do with anything. A candidate is not inherently less capable of doing the job simply because of their language unless, of course, their job is to please people who care about language. Personally, I appreciate a person who says what he thinks, and I think we see painfully little of this in the business world.
timo614 13y ago
I'm on some Walmart T-Mobile plan. I heard about the plan after getting my Nexus 4 so went to a local T-Mobile store and asked them if they could give it to me as a new customer and they did. $30 monthly, 100 minutes, unlimited texts, unlimited data with the first 5 GB at 4G speeds. I mean the 100 minutes bit is a bit nasty as all minutes are rounded up so even a 1 second incoming call I pick up counts against a whole minute. I rarely go over the limit though and usually just throw an extra $10 in the account to deal with it if I go over. My fiance has the same plan and uses her tethering for her Apple TV Projector setup in the art class she teaches since her school wifi is pretty bad. You get a small amount of free tethering with the plan but it's only $15 for unlimited tethering in addition.
- blacksmith_tb 13y ago
  This is (or was) available to anyone signing up online (I bought my Nexus 4 from the Play store and then signed up for it about a year ago).
  - rogerbinns 13y ago
    You can't get it directly from tmo any more, but you can get it from Walmart http://see.walmart.com/t-mobile/ http://see.walmart.com/t-mobile/ (jump to plans)
    - dangrossman 13y ago
      No? It's still advertised by T-Mobile, same page it's always been on (halfway down): http://prepaid-phones.t-mobile.com/prepaid-plans http://prepaid-phones.t-mobile.com/prepaid-plans It should be in the plan list when you activate a SIM at http://prepaid-phones.t-mobile.com/prepaid-activate http://prepaid-phones.t-mobile.com/prepaid-activate. It was never advertised available in-store, only online.
    - jtuente 13y ago
      I was just on the T-Mobile website earlier today, it's still there, but it's not at all convenient to get to.
lqdc13 13y ago
I live in San Francisco and there is no coverage when walking around the city with T-mobile. Verizon has coverage everywhere. I'm not even talking about elevators. Just sidewalks of major central pedestrian roads like Bay St and Hyde St. I also have no coverage in my apartment with them or at work. Coupled with the cancelation of Cel-Fi, it is impossible to use their service in many densely populated areas.
- simoncion 13y ago
  I live in San Francisco and have T-mobile service, and don't see what you're seeing. I'll hop on up to Bay and Hyde tomorrow to double-check, but in the past I've gotten adequate coverage everywhere aboveground I've been in the city. Also, you are aware that ATT and TMO have a roaming agreement? http://www.theverge.com/2011/12/20/2649023/t-mobile-to-get-seven-year-3g-roaming-deal-128-markets-of-aws http://www.theverge.com/2011/12/20/2649023/t-mobile-to-get-s...
  - lqdc13 13y ago
    The voice calls were cutting out on a Nexus 4 on those streets when walking on the right side of the sidewalk North from Broadway to Bay and walking East on Bay from there. I also never used ATT so I don't know how their service is. Basically, the only time I've ever gotten good quality calls from T-mobile was when I was calling the emergency number from an area I normally have no service in.
- equalarrow 13y ago
  I'm considering T-Mo as they seem the less douchy of the bunch. Right now I have Sprint and the service pretty much sucks everywhere in the city. I don't use the phone much and the data blows. I can get LTE in a few places, but it's no where near AT&T that my wife has. I usually have to drop down to 3G as LTE seems to stall a lot (on a 5s). A lot of the time there's the 1x business goin on my connection, which I feel is like iPhone 1 days (or worse). I switched to Sprint because I felt like I wasn't going to be nickle and dimed (and despised as a 'data hog') like I was on AT&T. I'll never got back to AT&T. For the most part my plan on Sprint is great - unlimited data, phone, and text and 5GB hotspot for little bit less than what I was paying for AT&T. But the network in SF just sucks. Ya know, it's 2014 and I'd just like decent LTE. I'm shelling out a lot of money for sub-par service. So, I'm gonna ask around about T-Mo and if it has good service, I'll switch over. Now they seem least douchy of the bunch.
memset 13y ago
Can someone help me understand the economics of these incentive plans (where these companies subsidize your early termination fees, etc, to attract customers?) Is this along the lines of what all these other companies (Amazon, Netflix, etc) are doing where they bring you in at low rates, sell to you at unsustainable prices, and then plan to increase prices over time (or do what they have to do to start turning a profit?) Or is there a chance that, even after these incentives, prices will remain competitive?
- s3r3nity 13y ago
  I am not an industry expert, but it seems like a lifetime value play: even if a customer only stays with T-Mobile for one contract term @ 2 years, and assume the cost per month is $50, the total value gained would be the 24 * $50 = $1,200. No matter how much it costs for early termination of another contract, there's no way it matches $1,200 (or maybe for a VERY VERY select set of customers.) Then, assuming people warm up to T-Mobile and say "hey - this is a good company!" , then you lock them in longer. The cost of paying for an early termination fee could be considered equivalent to a Marketing and/or Distribution fixed cost.
  - zanny 13y ago
    Also consider the margin costs of cell service are almost non-existent. The overhead is covering huge expenses like towers and wireless spectrum, or leasing them from another major player. After that, you just want as many people on your network as possible so long as they don't largely degrade the service for each other. And if you dominate a market you don't even care about that part because your customers have no choice.
- apayan 13y ago
  They also require you to give them your old phone, so presumably T-Mobile will be getting some money out of re-selling your old phone. For most smartphones that's at least a couple hundred dollars.
rubyn00bie 13y ago
Not to troll, but how is this newsworthy? Everyone knows telecoms blow and offer horseshit-- from CEO to customer. Maybe if good ol' Señior Stevenson said this it'd mean something, but coming from the T-Mob CEO it ain't nothin' He even goes to create some horeshit when he says "T-Mobile's network is fastest." I call bullshit, and ask "where is it faster, asshat?" T-Mobile has always had pretty good customer service, but their network isn't nearly as large as other providers... For those who don't know, providers have different licenses in each area, more licenses = more spectrum = better reception. T-Mobile, in general, as the least amount of spectrum available (by a huge margin). They also operate at a much higher frequency than their competition so their building penetration is worse (especially over 3G/4G). This same thing goes with network speed; some areas have more spectrum and thus can offer better speeds. Some can't. So any measurement of "we're faster" is very, very geographically specific. Note: I worked in the wireless industry for 5 years (with a few of those at T-Mobile).
- e28eta 13y ago
  Where's the cable company exec who's willing to admit their industry blows? I think it's refreshing to hear him acknowledge how crappy telecoms are. I think it's even better that they're shaking things up.
justanotheratom 13y ago
I have been a loyal AT&T customer for over 5 years. Currently I have a Nokia Lumia 920 for a contract that is 1 year old. I am going on a one month vacation out of the country. So I requested AT&T to unlock my phone so I could use it overseas. Customer service said go fill out an online form. A day after filling the form, received email saying I am not eligible for an unlock. Went to the store. Same thing. Now, I am wondering, is AT&T afraid that I am not going to finish my contract if they unlock the phone? If they think I was lying about the trip abroad, I could show them my tickets. But this kind of behavior just seems outright sadistic. I just bought an unlocked Nexus 5 to use overseas and I am definitely switching to T-Mobile after I return. Fuck you AT&T.
- mikestew 13y ago
  Do not get me started. Dude, I was an AT&T wireless customer back when they were AT&T, still a customer when they were Cingular, and then when they switched back to being AT&T again. Probably ten years, maybe more? But every time I bought a new iPhone I had to call them and tell them I wasn't paying their $36 upgrade fee. They would then waive it after acting like it was a huge favor. The last time the rep said she'd do it "just this once". I told her that I would have to then reconsider my options for mobile service when my contract was up. I didn't wait until my contract was up. 14 months later I paid the ETF on two phones and switched to Tmo. I think we'll come out about even versus just waiting until the contract ended. I grew weary of AT&T's nickel-and-dime bullshit, and the lack of signal at my house. Though I will credit AT&T with quickly unlocking the phones after the ETF was paid.
pikachu_is_cool 13y ago
Am I the only one here who just doesn't have a phone plan? Seriously, unless if you're a cab driver or something, WiFi hotspots are more than enough. Actually, even if you are a cab driver, GPS + offline maps are completely free.
- HowardJ 13y ago
  If I planned my life around it, I could live without voice and texting, and rely on instant messaging and Email instead, however I must have LTE. I can't rely on WI-FI everywhere. So, I would be paying some cellular service for LTE, and then I might as well get voice/text. That said, I just noticed T-Mobile $30/month 100 minute voice, and unlimited data (4G up until 5GB) plan. That's pretty amazing and I will probably jump ship from Verizon.
ewang1 13y ago
I was just overseas for 2 weeks and used the free international data and text roaming. Worked flawlessly.
notdrunkatall 13y ago
I've been resisting getting a smartphone for years because I didn't want to either pay $300+ for a phone or $80+ per month with one of the big carriers. Then a couple of weeks ago, someone on an HN thread told me about the Nokia Lumia 520. I checked it out, decided to buy one, and I'm damn glad I did! Windows Phone is frankly amazing - it does everything I need it to do, it's beautiful, and it just works. I ordered a sim card from Straight Talk for their Bring Your Own Phone program for $7, and voila, I have unlimited everything on ATT's network for $45 a month.
- zanny 13y ago
  The other service I advocate for people is Ting, since its only $6 per phone, though you have to buy the device. But the Nexus 5 is such good value for hardware it isn't even that expensive, and they have that same early termination relief deal. I have around a dozen people on one Ting plan, and since the monthly bills adjust for usage I usually only owe around $120 total, and literally $60 of that is from the few people that use 1k+ minutes / texts a month. By comparison I know a family of 4 on Verizon with iphones and such that pay $400 a month for not even unlimited service.
  - seoguru 13y ago
    +1 for ting.com. We have 6 phones on it, including the nexus 5 which rocks. bill is $74 this month. I love the web interface that enables me to turn off voice/sms/data on a per phone basis if they hit thresholds or if my kids don't get their homework done :-)
  - e28eta 13y ago
    I love Ting's 'pay for what you use' model, but their pricing wasn't competitive enough for someone who primarily uses data.
Bahamut 13y ago
While the deal sounds good, I have heard multiple bad things about T-Mobile's support of the military. I have multiple friends who T-Mobile tried to prevent from being allowed to abrogate their contracts due to poor coverage surrounding military bases, as allowed by law.
the-kenny 13y ago
The funny thing is that the biggest operator in Germany, T-Mobile, offers the biggest horseshit there.
Touche 13y ago
This guy reminds me of the Poochie character from the The Simpsons. Poochie was a dog on the Itchy and Scratchy show that they created to try and make the show more edgy and cool. Poochie wore sunglasses, a backwards hat, and carried around a surfboard saying hip things.
- fatjokes 13y ago
  Nice try AT&T rep. Seriously though, Poochie had no substance---that was the joke. This guy has brought on some real change at T-Mobile, and consequently the US wireless industry. Unlocked phones? Free roaming? I never dared hope!
  - TulliusCicero 13y ago
    "Poochie had no substance" You take that back about Poochie!
digitalpacman 13y ago
T-Mobile user here. Worst coverage ever in a state's capitol, Austin TX. Just sayin'.
dakrisht 13y ago
You have to hand it Legere. He's bold. Provocative. And speaks his mind. In the best interests of the company of course, but with a direct emphasis on making customers happy. What's important to note is that T-Mobile is quickly becoming a company that delivers a great product and is customer-centric. And when the incumbents start playing catch up (AT&T in particular) you know they're making the right moves. I've been with Verizon for a few years and I can't say their service is what it's marketed to be. Data is fast but the inability to simultaneously do data and voice is just idiotic. The monthly fees are also totally insane. I pay $140 / month for a single data line (iPhone). In contrast to Verizon, with T-Mobile you get unlimited voice and data for a little over $70, no contract and stellar customer service. I called T-Mobile to switch last month and with a little negotiating, they sent me a _free_ iPhone 5S. No contract. No bullshit. T-Mobile's latest announcement of up to $650 in credits for switching over will increase their subscriber base by millions of new users, no question. It's bold, aggressive and customer-centric. I can't personally speak on AT&T's network but we all know it's one of the worst companies in the world to deal with. Their service is spotty for many, many users. Their customer service is non-existent. Their data practices are borderline unethical (with hidden data caps, throttling, etc). AT&T is just an awful company. I'm stuck with their uVerse Internet service and it's just a disaster. Unfortunately, many of us have no other choice but their lousy broadband product. Let's not even talk about Time Warner. T-Mobile's coverage, from what I have experienced, is stellar. Up and down the California coast. Mexico. Europe. NYC. Seattle. I'm always at 4+ bars. Data is fast (~18Mbps downstream). International roaming is perhaps one of the most impressive features of TMO. I remember paying $20 / MB with Verizon and that's just absolutely criminal. And they can get away with it because many customers aren't even aware of this until they get the bill. Legere is right - the mobile landscape is just horrendous and it's mainly because of AT&T and Verizon. I hope T-Mobile continues this push towards making customers happy and simply offering better products. Their bottom line will be the ultimate proof of how this is working out for them - and from what I'm seeing, their new subscriber numbers are growing exponentially. You could say they're disrupting the industry. And that's rare from these monoliths.
- jcdavis 13y ago
  T-mo's coverage in California at least is noticeably worse than Verizon's. In SF its absolutely slower, and elsewhere it is non-existent where Verizon has LTE. I'm overall quite happy though. I switched from paying Verizon $100/mo to $30/month with T-Mobile ($250 etf paid for itself in 4 months). Its also worth mentioning that since I moved over my CDMA iPhone 5, I am using HSPDA+ (on 1900mhz where it exists) not LTE
brianbreslin 13y ago
has anyone signed up for the global unlimited roaming deal yet? What is the service like overseas?
- andrewpi 13y ago
  There's nothing to specifically signup for. Any post-paid Simple Choice plan now has unlimited global data in most countries. Service is capped at 128k up/down speeds. Everything I've read has been positive.
sparkzilla 13y ago
I tried to move my family from AT&T to T-Mobile. I have to say first that AT&T has IMHO excellent customer service. They have worked with me many times to reduce the bill. Anyway, I liked the look of the $100 family plan, but the problem with switching to T-Mobile is that they only support LTE so families like mine with out-of-contract iPhone 4s have to upgrade the phones too, which is a major expense.
- Aloha 13y ago
  with the 1900 mhz refarm, HSDPA should also work.
- mikestew 13y ago
  Hmm? When we switched to Tmo my wife used an unlocked 4S I had lying around while we waited for AT&T to unlock our iPhone 5s. I heard no complaints from her. As part of my job I run plenty of phones on Tmo's network, and non-LTE phones work fine for both data and voice. Your current phones will work fine. Is it possible you misunderstood something?
Aloha 13y ago
Have you noticed that ever carrier claims to have the biggest, best, fastest or most reliable network? To reuse a famous quote "The nice thing about standards is, there are so many of them"
tn13 13y ago
As person who travels very little by road I like T-Mobile. They have good coverage in cities and way more cost effective than AT&T or Verizon.
linuxhansl 13y ago
And he's right. In the past I have bought a Nexus S outright and used their no-contract plan. Recently I upgraded to the Nexus 5, went to a T-Mobile store, they just switched me and suggested a better plan for the same price. Coverage and bandwidth is great (where I am), and the no-contract plans are certainly great.
shmerl 13y ago
I hope T-Mobile will remain independent and DT won't ruin the little innovation we are seeing in the carriers market by selling it to some other company (especially some content related).
jtchang 13y ago
Anyone else have a Nexus 4 on tmobile in SF? I barely get coverage sometimes. I must be missing some setting.
dangayle 13y ago
I was on Verizon for a decade and I just switched to T-Mobile a few months ago. You cannot imagine how surprised I was at just how easy they made it for me to switch. I purposely switched because I wanted a GSM phone because I've been toying with Arduino cell phone kits, but when it came down to the decision between AT&T and T-Mobile, it quickly became clear that T-Mobile offered a better product. What I hadn't expected was that I wasn't going to miss Verizon one iota.
jessedhillon 13y ago
Unsolicited advice as a former T-Mobile customer: offer a real microcell and lose those shitty boosters, integrate Wifi calling with stock Android phones as it is currently unavailable for the Nexus phones, and move your call centers back from the Philippines. I normally am not one of these America-centric culture warriors, and I have no problem understanding even very thick accents. But the specific form of ingratiating behavior that their call center employees are trained in is egregious. They are trained to, apparently, wrap every sentence front-and-back with terms of politeness and overt demonstrations of respect. A conversation can follow like this: Rep: Please may I place you on hold sir as I look up your account so that I can better be able to serve you and fulfill your request? Me: Sure Rep: Thank you so much and please hold I will return shortly to further assist you. ... Rep: Yes, hello thank you sir for waiting your patience is very much appreciated and I was able to access your account so that I can provide you now with an adequate resolution to your request. I really hate to pick on the reps this way because this is very good work for them and they try hard to accomodate a foreign culture. They are just trained in the worst combination of verbosity and obsequiousness.
brianmcdonough 13y ago
I'm changing my service today: two lines at half the cost of Verizon. I have to support companies when they reach out like this. This is also why I quit Facebook. They don't listen to their users and I was tired of being a product. I encourage others to speak with their wallet and their choice of social media providers.
Osiris 13y ago
I've been using Republic Wireless for over a year. They've also tried really hard to provide disruptive options by integrating Wi-Fi calling/texting/data into the phones. I pay for the phone off contract ($299 for Moto X), then $5 to $40 / month for various service options (all unlimited, from WiFi calling only up to 4G LTE). The Sprint network isn't the fastest, but it's hard to beat $25 / month for unlimited talk/text/3G data. I even went a whole month on the $5 WiFi only plan (You can change your plan twice a month). I love not being locked into a contract and only paying < $50 / month for 2 unlimited phones.
phireph0x 13y ago
Anyone have experience with T-Mobile coverage around Tulsa, OK?
satyap 13y ago
It's true, the industry does "blow" and the biggest carriers offer... nothing good.

254 points by coloneltcb 13y ago

As a long time TMo subscriber, what is he willing to do for me and my loyalty? Sure, offering ETF payoffs for new customers is great, but shouldn't you treat your loyal customers even better?

jrockway 13y ago
Why would they incentivize you to do something you already do?
- allsystemsgo 13y ago
  Because the other companies will pay you to leave?
  - jrockway 13y ago
    "All"? I thought it was just AT&T. Verizon is the only network in the US that's compelling, but they don't have unlimited plans, so T-Mobile is the only reasonable carrier for people that don't want to count every bit they transfer.
toomuchtodo 13y ago
Is not having the lowest prices and highest customer service ratings in the industry enough? If not, you can always try your luck with Verizon (expensive), Sprint (horrible network), or AT&T (expensive, pathetic customer service, predatory behavior). Disclaimer: 12 year T-Mobile customer.
LandoCalrissian 13y ago
Not having to deal with the other providers? Seriously, the other guys charge more and offer less.
geetee 13y ago
Your incentive to stay is good service at a fair price.
swombat 13y ago
Yes and no. I guess you're a long-time T-mobile customer because you like being with them, and find them better than the alternatives. So what you're getting is, hopefully, already the best they can offer in terms of service, contract terms, etc. Telcos are a game of scale. In order for T-mobile to be able to give you even better terms, or an even better infrastructure with even better services, they need to grab a larger slice of the market. So really, what they're doing does help you in the end, just indirectly and more slowly. As their market share grows, it justifies even greater investments in infrastructure and services, and so you benefit.

adamkittelson 13y ago

I'd be on T-Mobile in a heartbeat if they had, like, any coverage.

poopsintub 13y ago
I'd leave T-Mobile in a heartbeat if I had, like, poor coverage.
- LandoCalrissian 13y ago
  It's interesting to me because people always say this is a huge issue with T-Mobile. I've been with them for a decade now, and have had very little coverage problems. I've been across a lot of the country and the two places I can actively remember where I got zero coverage was in northern Minnesota and Death Valley. Their data does get a little flaky the when out of fairly populated areas, but I have seen this improving very quickly and can make many long drives with full data coverage. I don't know, I think it might just be marketing.
  - was_hellbanned 13y ago
    It's been my experience that there's not much difference between AT&T and T-Mobile overall. Which one is better just depends on where you spend most of your time. People with Verizon seem to get a signal virtually everywhere.
  - pessimizer 13y ago
    >the two places I can actively remember where I got zero coverage was in northern Minnesota I took the Empire Builder recently, which basically skitters along the Northern border from Chicago to Seattle/Portland, and T-Mo coverage was nil for the bulk of the trip. Can't say I really minded, though. Usually coverage is fine.
  - anonymoushn 13y ago
    There's a hole in their network that contains my apartment and office in downtown Austin.

tomp 13y ago

> start with one line at $50 per month for unlimited talk, text, and Web with up to 500MB of 4G LTE data Thank god I live in Europe (in the UK, the equivalent costs about 20GBP per month).

StavrosK 13y ago
I think 3's unlimited plan is 10 pounds or something?
flixic 13y ago
In Lithuania, Europe, I spend about $9 for this (even more, with 1GB of data). Very happy about the competition between carriers in our country - it is constantly making everything better and cheeper.
- adventured 13y ago
  I'm curious what happens if you drive to Germany (Italy, Romania etc)? How do your local carriers handle that kind of coverage?
  - tomp 13y ago
    They don't. You pay for roaming. However, in summer 2014 there will be no more roaming charges for the EU (forced by the EU commission on the carriers - the carriers were playing dirty all along, e.g. TMobile and Vodafone have companies in many EU countries, but customers still pay roaming charges in "different" networks provided by different subcompanies). This still won't mean free mobile for the whole EU, as most networks only offer free calls/texts/data in their local networks, while you have to pay a little if you're in another operator's network (in the same country).
- sjf 13y ago
  In India you can get 1GB for 173Rs or $2.80, and the service is surprisingly good, better than what I get back in Ireland.
rogerbinns 13y ago

pkulak 13y ago

Well, the talk is nice, but with AT&T's $15 off per phone if you own it, T-Mobile isn't really cheaper anymore, especially with family plans. And with AT&T you can get coverage between cities, not just in them. I'm thankful to T-Mobile for forcing AT&T to keep up, but since they have, I'm going with the better network. EDIT: My cost comparison for two people who own their phones: 4 Gigs shared on AT&T: $120 2.5 gigs each on T-Mobile: $100 So I guess T-Mobile is still cheaper. But, for me, T-Mobile data does not work at all outside of my home city. Data coverage everywhere is worth 20 bucks to me.

anonymoushn 13y ago
Paying $~90/mo for the cheapest iPhone plan that included tethering was an awful deal, but I don't think that AT&T had introduced the $15 off thing at the time. The family plan cut on top of that seems to makt AT&T's prices actually competitive. Airvoice, an AT&T MVNO, will sell you two plans with 3GB each for $120 or 2 plans with 1GB each for $80.
r00fus 13y ago
Horses for courses, but AT&T's other anti-consmer polices and missed deadlines are what got me to move. When I went over data allotment on AT&T, I got charged extra for that month (especially infuriating late in the cycle). Here on Tmobile, I just get bumped down to 2G (acceptable - esp. if it happens 27 days into the cycle). When TMobile launched the iPhone5 with HDVoice, AT&T and VZ loudly proclaimed that HDVoice was coming "late 2013". Still no news. How long does it take for them to support an additional codec that improves voice and lowers their bandwidth? I'm only waiting for them b/c I have a relative that is still on AT&T, and I'd love the calls to be HDVoice. TMobile's coverage outside of metros sucks. And I doubt it will get better soon (likely they'll double-down on becoming better than ATT/VZ in-city than worry about low-density areas). If you really need coverage in exurban and rural areas, then yeah, go with one of the two biggies - but you'll definitely pay more.
- alttab 13y ago
  This is a great strategy for gobbling up marketshare. Definitely an 80/20 move by T Mobile. Couple that with a customer centric product that isn't offered anywhere else and most people will realize they travel in between cities by plane. Once t mobile establishes a foothold, it will have enough agency and capital to gain access to wider coverage. The biggies will be bleeding revenue and will have to license out their network to T Mobile to compensate. Sure, their network is not a blanket. But that is temporary. T mobiles approach is likely possible due to differences in their operations which provides a competitive advantage that the biggies can't easily replicate. Mobile networks will evolve faster than backbone. I'm excited to see what lies ahead.

themckman 13y ago

I bought the iPhone 5 outright, unlocked and switch to T-Mobile after doing so. In the city (Chicago) the service can't be better. Really like that tethering is just included. LTE tethering has come in handy at a few coffee shops that don't have WiFi. I also recently went to Europe and took advantage of the free worldwide data; was fantastic. Phone calls while roaming in Europe were reasonable, too. Something like 10 cents a minute back to the States. All for ~$70/month. Beats the pants off AT&T.

nardi 13y ago
For the past year or two, AT&T and Verizon have also offered free LTE tethering.
- rybosome 13y ago
  That does not appear to be true in my case.
- tunap 13y ago
  To be precise, since the FCC told Big Red to stop back in July 2012. http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2012/07/tethering-apps-must-be-allowed-fcc-tells-verizon/ http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2012/07/tethering-apps-must-b...
  - varelse 13y ago
    Not if you had one of the pre-existing unlimited data plans... Just switched to T-Mobile last month: much better experience than what I had with Verizon so far.
    - tunap 13y ago
      I drank Red's 4G flavor-aid early and gave up my unlimited plan. The map said I was in 4G range but my pricey modem disagreed. I switched to Tmo two years ago and love it...better than expected coverage in metro areas, 1/2 price and unlimited everything.
- 13y ago

jsnk 13y ago

T-mobile is awesome. I am not sure if this plan is still available, but I am on $30/month no contract plan. This has unlim. data, text and 100 voice minutes. It works perfectly with unlocked Nexus 4 which I got in Jan 2012. I'm never going back to contracts anymore.

byoung2 13y ago
My wife lost her T-Mobile G Slate tablet and she was going to replace it with a WiFi only one, so she called T-Mobile to cancel the data plan. Even though it was not covered by insurance, they sent her a replacement (upgraded to Samsung Galaxy Tab) and they converted the plan to a 200MB 4G/month plan for no monthly charge. That is great customer service.
n00j 13y ago
This plan is still available I believe as I got this plan at the beginning of December. All you need to do is get a new sim card from T-mobile.com which is usually close to free. And then activate the sim card online. Going through the steps you get to select your prepaid plan, and the $30 a month plan is one of the options.

larrys 13y ago

Separately the CEO comes across as a total wack job using language like that in a business setting. Especially given his age.

rubyn00bie 13y ago
I personally like the language, but I've never been one to adjust my vernacular to desires/expectations of others.
wyclif 13y ago
I actually found it refreshing, especially that remark about how much the mobile telecom industry blows.
- larrys 13y ago
  I use language like that in certain settings as well. But not in business. And not in a college interview. Now if I was going to hire you for a big freelance project and you used language like that over the phone while I was asking you some questions it would definitely change my confidence in hiring you.
  - BlackDeath3 13y ago
    >Now if I was going to hire you for a big freelance project and you used language like that over the phone while I was asking you some questions it would definitely change my confidence in hiring you. And that would make rethink working for you. What's the problem with the language?
  - unclebucknasty 13y ago
    That's a bit circular. You care because you've decided that it's important and believe others should believe the same. But, it doesn't materially have anything to do with anything. A candidate is not inherently less capable of doing the job simply because of their language unless, of course, their job is to please people who care about language. Personally, I appreciate a person who says what he thinks, and I think we see painfully little of this in the business world.

timo614 13y ago

I'm on some Walmart T-Mobile plan. I heard about the plan after getting my Nexus 4 so went to a local T-Mobile store and asked them if they could give it to me as a new customer and they did. $30 monthly, 100 minutes, unlimited texts, unlimited data with the first 5 GB at 4G speeds. I mean the 100 minutes bit is a bit nasty as all minutes are rounded up so even a 1 second incoming call I pick up counts against a whole minute. I rarely go over the limit though and usually just throw an extra $10 in the account to deal with it if I go over. My fiance has the same plan and uses her tethering for her Apple TV Projector setup in the art class she teaches since her school wifi is pretty bad. You get a small amount of free tethering with the plan but it's only $15 for unlimited tethering in addition.

blacksmith_tb 13y ago
This is (or was) available to anyone signing up online (I bought my Nexus 4 from the Play store and then signed up for it about a year ago).
- rogerbinns 13y ago
  You can't get it directly from tmo any more, but you can get it from Walmart http://see.walmart.com/t-mobile/ http://see.walmart.com/t-mobile/ (jump to plans)
  - dangrossman 13y ago
    No? It's still advertised by T-Mobile, same page it's always been on (halfway down): http://prepaid-phones.t-mobile.com/prepaid-plans http://prepaid-phones.t-mobile.com/prepaid-plans It should be in the plan list when you activate a SIM at http://prepaid-phones.t-mobile.com/prepaid-activate http://prepaid-phones.t-mobile.com/prepaid-activate. It was never advertised available in-store, only online.
  - jtuente 13y ago
    I was just on the T-Mobile website earlier today, it's still there, but it's not at all convenient to get to.

lqdc13 13y ago

I live in San Francisco and there is no coverage when walking around the city with T-mobile. Verizon has coverage everywhere. I'm not even talking about elevators. Just sidewalks of major central pedestrian roads like Bay St and Hyde St. I also have no coverage in my apartment with them or at work. Coupled with the cancelation of Cel-Fi, it is impossible to use their service in many densely populated areas.

simoncion 13y ago
I live in San Francisco and have T-mobile service, and don't see what you're seeing. I'll hop on up to Bay and Hyde tomorrow to double-check, but in the past I've gotten adequate coverage everywhere aboveground I've been in the city. Also, you are aware that ATT and TMO have a roaming agreement? http://www.theverge.com/2011/12/20/2649023/t-mobile-to-get-seven-year-3g-roaming-deal-128-markets-of-aws http://www.theverge.com/2011/12/20/2649023/t-mobile-to-get-s...
- lqdc13 13y ago
  The voice calls were cutting out on a Nexus 4 on those streets when walking on the right side of the sidewalk North from Broadway to Bay and walking East on Bay from there. I also never used ATT so I don't know how their service is. Basically, the only time I've ever gotten good quality calls from T-mobile was when I was calling the emergency number from an area I normally have no service in.
equalarrow 13y ago
I'm considering T-Mo as they seem the less douchy of the bunch. Right now I have Sprint and the service pretty much sucks everywhere in the city. I don't use the phone much and the data blows. I can get LTE in a few places, but it's no where near AT&T that my wife has. I usually have to drop down to 3G as LTE seems to stall a lot (on a 5s). A lot of the time there's the 1x business goin on my connection, which I feel is like iPhone 1 days (or worse). I switched to Sprint because I felt like I wasn't going to be nickle and dimed (and despised as a 'data hog') like I was on AT&T. I'll never got back to AT&T. For the most part my plan on Sprint is great - unlimited data, phone, and text and 5GB hotspot for little bit less than what I was paying for AT&T. But the network in SF just sucks. Ya know, it's 2014 and I'd just like decent LTE. I'm shelling out a lot of money for sub-par service. So, I'm gonna ask around about T-Mo and if it has good service, I'll switch over. Now they seem least douchy of the bunch.

memset 13y ago

Can someone help me understand the economics of these incentive plans (where these companies subsidize your early termination fees, etc, to attract customers?) Is this along the lines of what all these other companies (Amazon, Netflix, etc) are doing where they bring you in at low rates, sell to you at unsustainable prices, and then plan to increase prices over time (or do what they have to do to start turning a profit?) Or is there a chance that, even after these incentives, prices will remain competitive?

s3r3nity 13y ago
I am not an industry expert, but it seems like a lifetime value play: even if a customer only stays with T-Mobile for one contract term @ 2 years, and assume the cost per month is $50, the total value gained would be the 24 * $50 = $1,200. No matter how much it costs for early termination of another contract, there's no way it matches $1,200 (or maybe for a VERY VERY select set of customers.) Then, assuming people warm up to T-Mobile and say "hey - this is a good company!" , then you lock them in longer. The cost of paying for an early termination fee could be considered equivalent to a Marketing and/or Distribution fixed cost.
- zanny 13y ago
  Also consider the margin costs of cell service are almost non-existent. The overhead is covering huge expenses like towers and wireless spectrum, or leasing them from another major player. After that, you just want as many people on your network as possible so long as they don't largely degrade the service for each other. And if you dominate a market you don't even care about that part because your customers have no choice.
apayan 13y ago
They also require you to give them your old phone, so presumably T-Mobile will be getting some money out of re-selling your old phone. For most smartphones that's at least a couple hundred dollars.

rubyn00bie 13y ago

Not to troll, but how is this newsworthy? Everyone knows telecoms blow and offer horseshit-- from CEO to customer. Maybe if good ol' Señior Stevenson said this it'd mean something, but coming from the T-Mob CEO it ain't nothin' He even goes to create some horeshit when he says "T-Mobile's network is fastest." I call bullshit, and ask "where is it faster, asshat?" T-Mobile has always had pretty good customer service, but their network isn't nearly as large as other providers... For those who don't know, providers have different licenses in each area, more licenses = more spectrum = better reception. T-Mobile, in general, as the least amount of spectrum available (by a huge margin). They also operate at a much higher frequency than their competition so their building penetration is worse (especially over 3G/4G). This same thing goes with network speed; some areas have more spectrum and thus can offer better speeds. Some can't. So any measurement of "we're faster" is very, very geographically specific. Note: I worked in the wireless industry for 5 years (with a few of those at T-Mobile).

e28eta 13y ago
Where's the cable company exec who's willing to admit their industry blows? I think it's refreshing to hear him acknowledge how crappy telecoms are. I think it's even better that they're shaking things up.

justanotheratom 13y ago

I have been a loyal AT&T customer for over 5 years. Currently I have a Nokia Lumia 920 for a contract that is 1 year old. I am going on a one month vacation out of the country. So I requested AT&T to unlock my phone so I could use it overseas. Customer service said go fill out an online form. A day after filling the form, received email saying I am not eligible for an unlock. Went to the store. Same thing. Now, I am wondering, is AT&T afraid that I am not going to finish my contract if they unlock the phone? If they think I was lying about the trip abroad, I could show them my tickets. But this kind of behavior just seems outright sadistic. I just bought an unlocked Nexus 5 to use overseas and I am definitely switching to T-Mobile after I return. Fuck you AT&T.

mikestew 13y ago
Do not get me started. Dude, I was an AT&T wireless customer back when they were AT&T, still a customer when they were Cingular, and then when they switched back to being AT&T again. Probably ten years, maybe more? But every time I bought a new iPhone I had to call them and tell them I wasn't paying their $36 upgrade fee. They would then waive it after acting like it was a huge favor. The last time the rep said she'd do it "just this once". I told her that I would have to then reconsider my options for mobile service when my contract was up. I didn't wait until my contract was up. 14 months later I paid the ETF on two phones and switched to Tmo. I think we'll come out about even versus just waiting until the contract ended. I grew weary of AT&T's nickel-and-dime bullshit, and the lack of signal at my house. Though I will credit AT&T with quickly unlocking the phones after the ETF was paid.

pikachu_is_cool 13y ago

Am I the only one here who just doesn't have a phone plan? Seriously, unless if you're a cab driver or something, WiFi hotspots are more than enough. Actually, even if you are a cab driver, GPS + offline maps are completely free.

HowardJ 13y ago
If I planned my life around it, I could live without voice and texting, and rely on instant messaging and Email instead, however I must have LTE. I can't rely on WI-FI everywhere. So, I would be paying some cellular service for LTE, and then I might as well get voice/text. That said, I just noticed T-Mobile $30/month 100 minute voice, and unlimited data (4G up until 5GB) plan. That's pretty amazing and I will probably jump ship from Verizon.

ewang1 13y ago

I was just overseas for 2 weeks and used the free international data and text roaming. Worked flawlessly.

notdrunkatall 13y ago

I've been resisting getting a smartphone for years because I didn't want to either pay $300+ for a phone or $80+ per month with one of the big carriers. Then a couple of weeks ago, someone on an HN thread told me about the Nokia Lumia 520. I checked it out, decided to buy one, and I'm damn glad I did! Windows Phone is frankly amazing - it does everything I need it to do, it's beautiful, and it just works. I ordered a sim card from Straight Talk for their Bring Your Own Phone program for $7, and voila, I have unlimited everything on ATT's network for $45 a month.

zanny 13y ago
The other service I advocate for people is Ting, since its only $6 per phone, though you have to buy the device. But the Nexus 5 is such good value for hardware it isn't even that expensive, and they have that same early termination relief deal. I have around a dozen people on one Ting plan, and since the monthly bills adjust for usage I usually only owe around $120 total, and literally $60 of that is from the few people that use 1k+ minutes / texts a month. By comparison I know a family of 4 on Verizon with iphones and such that pay $400 a month for not even unlimited service.
- seoguru 13y ago
  +1 for ting.com. We have 6 phones on it, including the nexus 5 which rocks. bill is $74 this month. I love the web interface that enables me to turn off voice/sms/data on a per phone basis if they hit thresholds or if my kids don't get their homework done :-)
- e28eta 13y ago
  I love Ting's 'pay for what you use' model, but their pricing wasn't competitive enough for someone who primarily uses data.

Bahamut 13y ago

While the deal sounds good, I have heard multiple bad things about T-Mobile's support of the military. I have multiple friends who T-Mobile tried to prevent from being allowed to abrogate their contracts due to poor coverage surrounding military bases, as allowed by law.

the-kenny 13y ago

The funny thing is that the biggest operator in Germany, T-Mobile, offers the biggest horseshit there.

Touche 13y ago

This guy reminds me of the Poochie character from the The Simpsons. Poochie was a dog on the Itchy and Scratchy show that they created to try and make the show more edgy and cool. Poochie wore sunglasses, a backwards hat, and carried around a surfboard saying hip things.

fatjokes 13y ago
Nice try AT&T rep. Seriously though, Poochie had no substance---that was the joke. This guy has brought on some real change at T-Mobile, and consequently the US wireless industry. Unlocked phones? Free roaming? I never dared hope!
- TulliusCicero 13y ago
  "Poochie had no substance" You take that back about Poochie!

digitalpacman 13y ago

T-Mobile user here. Worst coverage ever in a state's capitol, Austin TX. Just sayin'.

dakrisht 13y ago

You have to hand it Legere. He's bold. Provocative. And speaks his mind. In the best interests of the company of course, but with a direct emphasis on making customers happy. What's important to note is that T-Mobile is quickly becoming a company that delivers a great product and is customer-centric. And when the incumbents start playing catch up (AT&T in particular) you know they're making the right moves. I've been with Verizon for a few years and I can't say their service is what it's marketed to be. Data is fast but the inability to simultaneously do data and voice is just idiotic. The monthly fees are also totally insane. I pay $140 / month for a single data line (iPhone). In contrast to Verizon, with T-Mobile you get unlimited voice and data for a little over $70, no contract and stellar customer service. I called T-Mobile to switch last month and with a little negotiating, they sent me a _free_ iPhone 5S. No contract. No bullshit. T-Mobile's latest announcement of up to $650 in credits for switching over will increase their subscriber base by millions of new users, no question. It's bold, aggressive and customer-centric. I can't personally speak on AT&T's network but we all know it's one of the worst companies in the world to deal with. Their service is spotty for many, many users. Their customer service is non-existent. Their data practices are borderline unethical (with hidden data caps, throttling, etc). AT&T is just an awful company. I'm stuck with their uVerse Internet service and it's just a disaster. Unfortunately, many of us have no other choice but their lousy broadband product. Let's not even talk about Time Warner. T-Mobile's coverage, from what I have experienced, is stellar. Up and down the California coast. Mexico. Europe. NYC. Seattle. I'm always at 4+ bars. Data is fast (~18Mbps downstream). International roaming is perhaps one of the most impressive features of TMO. I remember paying $20 / MB with Verizon and that's just absolutely criminal. And they can get away with it because many customers aren't even aware of this until they get the bill. Legere is right - the mobile landscape is just horrendous and it's mainly because of AT&T and Verizon. I hope T-Mobile continues this push towards making customers happy and simply offering better products. Their bottom line will be the ultimate proof of how this is working out for them - and from what I'm seeing, their new subscriber numbers are growing exponentially. You could say they're disrupting the industry. And that's rare from these monoliths.

jcdavis 13y ago
T-mo's coverage in California at least is noticeably worse than Verizon's. In SF its absolutely slower, and elsewhere it is non-existent where Verizon has LTE. I'm overall quite happy though. I switched from paying Verizon $100/mo to $30/month with T-Mobile ($250 etf paid for itself in 4 months). Its also worth mentioning that since I moved over my CDMA iPhone 5, I am using HSPDA+ (on 1900mhz where it exists) not LTE

brianbreslin 13y ago

has anyone signed up for the global unlimited roaming deal yet? What is the service like overseas?

andrewpi 13y ago
There's nothing to specifically signup for. Any post-paid Simple Choice plan now has unlimited global data in most countries. Service is capped at 128k up/down speeds. Everything I've read has been positive.

sparkzilla 13y ago

I tried to move my family from AT&T to T-Mobile. I have to say first that AT&T has IMHO excellent customer service. They have worked with me many times to reduce the bill. Anyway, I liked the look of the $100 family plan, but the problem with switching to T-Mobile is that they only support LTE so families like mine with out-of-contract iPhone 4s have to upgrade the phones too, which is a major expense.

Aloha 13y ago
with the 1900 mhz refarm, HSDPA should also work.
mikestew 13y ago
Hmm? When we switched to Tmo my wife used an unlocked 4S I had lying around while we waited for AT&T to unlock our iPhone 5s. I heard no complaints from her. As part of my job I run plenty of phones on Tmo's network, and non-LTE phones work fine for both data and voice. Your current phones will work fine. Is it possible you misunderstood something?

Aloha 13y ago

Have you noticed that ever carrier claims to have the biggest, best, fastest or most reliable network? To reuse a famous quote "The nice thing about standards is, there are so many of them"

tn13 13y ago

As person who travels very little by road I like T-Mobile. They have good coverage in cities and way more cost effective than AT&T or Verizon.

linuxhansl 13y ago

And he's right. In the past I have bought a Nexus S outright and used their no-contract plan. Recently I upgraded to the Nexus 5, went to a T-Mobile store, they just switched me and suggested a better plan for the same price. Coverage and bandwidth is great (where I am), and the no-contract plans are certainly great.

shmerl 13y ago

I hope T-Mobile will remain independent and DT won't ruin the little innovation we are seeing in the carriers market by selling it to some other company (especially some content related).

jtchang 13y ago

Anyone else have a Nexus 4 on tmobile in SF? I barely get coverage sometimes. I must be missing some setting.

dangayle 13y ago

I was on Verizon for a decade and I just switched to T-Mobile a few months ago. You cannot imagine how surprised I was at just how easy they made it for me to switch. I purposely switched because I wanted a GSM phone because I've been toying with Arduino cell phone kits, but when it came down to the decision between AT&T and T-Mobile, it quickly became clear that T-Mobile offered a better product. What I hadn't expected was that I wasn't going to miss Verizon one iota.

jessedhillon 13y ago

Unsolicited advice as a former T-Mobile customer: offer a real microcell and lose those shitty boosters, integrate Wifi calling with stock Android phones as it is currently unavailable for the Nexus phones, and move your call centers back from the Philippines. I normally am not one of these America-centric culture warriors, and I have no problem understanding even very thick accents. But the specific form of ingratiating behavior that their call center employees are trained in is egregious. They are trained to, apparently, wrap every sentence front-and-back with terms of politeness and overt demonstrations of respect. A conversation can follow like this: Rep: Please may I place you on hold sir as I look up your account so that I can better be able to serve you and fulfill your request? Me: Sure Rep: Thank you so much and please hold I will return shortly to further assist you. ... Rep: Yes, hello thank you sir for waiting your patience is very much appreciated and I was able to access your account so that I can provide you now with an adequate resolution to your request. I really hate to pick on the reps this way because this is very good work for them and they try hard to accomodate a foreign culture. They are just trained in the worst combination of verbosity and obsequiousness.

brianmcdonough 13y ago

I'm changing my service today: two lines at half the cost of Verizon. I have to support companies when they reach out like this. This is also why I quit Facebook. They don't listen to their users and I was tired of being a product. I encourage others to speak with their wallet and their choice of social media providers.

Osiris 13y ago

I've been using Republic Wireless for over a year. They've also tried really hard to provide disruptive options by integrating Wi-Fi calling/texting/data into the phones. I pay for the phone off contract ($299 for Moto X), then $5 to $40 / month for various service options (all unlimited, from WiFi calling only up to 4G LTE). The Sprint network isn't the fastest, but it's hard to beat $25 / month for unlimited talk/text/3G data. I even went a whole month on the $5 WiFi only plan (You can change your plan twice a month). I love not being locked into a contract and only paying < $50 / month for 2 unlimited phones.

phireph0x 13y ago

Anyone have experience with T-Mobile coverage around Tulsa, OK?

satyap 13y ago

It's true, the industry does "blow" and the biggest carriers offer... nothing good.