Yesterday T-Mobile announced its new $40 Simple Starter plan, kicking off a three-day series of uncarrier announcements. For round 2, today T-Mobile unveiled that it will be introducing a new initiative called “Tablet Freedom”. Simply put, Tablet Freedom is about bringing cellular connections to your tablet as cheap as possible.
T-Mobile plans to do this is a few ways: First, it is now offering all of its 4G LTE capable tablets for the same price as you’ll find their Wi-Fi counterparts. Second, any newly purchased tablet will get an additional 1GB free data each month, combined with the 200MB free data you already get for tablet devices. T-Mobile’s press release also includes a few other points related to trading in your existing Wi-Fi tablet, participating in the Jump program and their commitment to paying off your ETFs.
T-Mobile’s Tablet Freedom program will officially go into effect the same day as its Starter plan, April 12th. Now we’re just left wondering what tomorrow’s announcement will bring. What do you think of the new Tablet Freedom initiative? Anyone tempted to pick up a tablet via T-Mobile?
“With this announcement, T-Mobile’s launching a full-on assault against the restrictions and pain points that keep tablet owners from experiencing life beyond the Wi-Fi zone,” said John Legere, president and CEO of T-Mobile. “The Un-carrier is all about solving pain points, and today we’re eliminating every reason to be stuck on an unconnected Wi-Fi-only tablet. There’s no longer any need to limit the use of your tablet because you’re intimidated by Big Blue, Bad Red or Bumbling Yellow.”
First, cellular-enabled 4G LTE tablets are more expensive than Wi-Fi-only models. Second, even if you’ve put down the extra money for that cellular-enabled tablet, committing to a long-term data plan for it can be pretty intimidating. And, finally, most people with tablets are stuck with their old Wi-Fi only model, and those who do have cellular models are often stuck in overpriced carrier contracts.
Today the vast majority of American tablet owners are stuck on Wi-Fi or stuck in carrier contracts. That’s about to change.
If you’re stuck on Wi-Fi, you can now come to T-Mobile and upgrade to a 4G LTE-enabled model for nothing down and pay no more than you’d pay for the cheaper Wi-Fi-only model, with any postpaid activation on a 1GB or more mobile internet plan with no annual service contract. For example, pay the Wi-Fi price of $499 instead of $630 for the 4G LTE-enabled 16GB iPad Air. Or pay the Wi-Fi price of $200 instead of $312 for the 4G LTE Samsung Tab 3. Voice customers adding the 1GB tablet plan for free for the rest of 2014 also fully qualify for these reduced prices.
If you’re stuck in a contract with your old carrier, the Un-carrier will pay every penny of your early termination fees (ETFs) when you make the switch to T-Mobile. Just bring in your tablets to receive an instant credit based on their value. Then purchase any tablet at the new lower same-as-Wi-Fi prices. Customers may even qualify for zero down financing with 24 monthly payments. After receiving the final bill from your old carrier showing your ETFs, just mail it in or upload it to www.switch2tmobile.com. T-Mobile then sends an additional payment covering every last penny of those fees.
And, for both new and existing customers, T-Mobile is offering $10 off its most popular internet data plans starting April 12th through the end of 2014. For voice customers, what that means is you can get up to 1GB of 4G LTE data free every month through the end of the year. Combined with the 200 MB of free data you already automatically get every month with T-Mobile’s previously announced “Free Data for Life” offer that comes to nearly 1.2GB of free 4G LTE data every month through the end of 2014. If you love living beyond the Wi-Fi zone – and want to keep enjoying that tablet freedom beyond 2014 – you can get it starting at just $10 a month with voice service next year.
And whether you are an individual or small business customer, you can take advantage of all of the above plus enjoy all the benefits of our Simple Choice plan with no annual service contracts, no overage charges while on T-Mobile’s lightning fast network, no upgrade hassles with T-Mobile’s revolutionary JUMP!™ program, and with “the world as your network at no extra charge”.
“Starting right now, you can live life beyond the Wi-Fi zone and stay connected. Use your tablet virtually anywhere, anytime you want without fear,” said Mike Sievert, Chief Marketing Officer for T-Mobile. “In an era when tablets are outselling PC’s, this new 4G LTE tablet offer at Wi-Fi only prices, coupled with nearly 1.2GB data for the rest of this year, we’re removing every reason that would keep you from getting your first tablet or trading in your old one right now at T-Mobile.”
