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I've climbed a cellphone tower
http://blog.t-mobile.com/2012/05/18/...-all-approach/By Andrew Sherrard, senior vice president of marketing, T-Mobile
It’s an undisputed fact that mobile data adoption is on the rise. For example, in just the last five years, we have 146 times more data crossing our network. However, what is still up for debate is how we, as an industry, should evolve our rate plans in a world where people carry more than one wireless device and where tablets are becoming the new family computer.
Some of our competitors are backing away from simple, unlimited data and moving to family shared data plans. But would this approach actually deliver a better value to consumers? Do families really want to keep track of each others’ data consumption? We don’t think so. Just imagine mom’s email is suddenly unavailable because her teenage son watched an HD movie on his phone, consuming the family’s data allotment.
T-Mobile believes that consumers today do not want a ‘one size fits all’ approach to shared family data plans, nor would they benefit from that model. So, what is the right way to price data for customers who want affordable, unlimited access to what, unfortunately, is a limited resource?
Here’s how we see it:
Data plans should be flexible and affordable. At T-Mobile, customers have the option of only paying for the amount of data each member of the family believes they will need. Customers can choose affordable, no-annual-contract data for tablets and other data-only products they share – paying every month or buying in daily or weekly installments.
Data should be worry-free. With our unlimited data plans, there is no surprise data cap or bill shock. Customers simply pay each month for the amount of high-speed data they select and (in contrast to our competitors) T-Mobile customers can continue to use mobile data on their device at reduced speeds after they reach their limit without incurring overage charges.
Customers who pay more, should get more. T-Mobile smartphone customers with 5GB or 10GB data plans also get our Smartphone Mobile Hotspot feature included. This means, with a capable T-Mobile smartphone (most are), customers can power up to five Wi-Fi enabled devices with fast, 4G data. So rather than needing to account for each device on a shared family data plan, customers can use their existing data plan to power multiple devices, while still saving hundreds of dollars annually.
While some in the wireless industry explore potentially complicated and expensive shared data plans, T-Mobile will continue to deliver affordable 4G data with flexible pricing on America’s Largest 4G Network.
This entry was posted in Company News, Featured, Industry, Network, Products & Services and tagged 4G, data plans, family plans, MBB, Mobile Broadband, rate plans, shared data, sherrard.
I have a blue tooth
Good for T-Mobile!
I have both T-Mobile and Verizon, and I have to tell you, Verizon's future plans to rudely yank unlimited $30 plans from subsidy upgrades really upset me, to the point where I may leave if I cannot keep my legacy plan and get a discounted price.
Verizon is banking on the usage model, for families to rack up more overages and move to >$100 limited data plans.
I've climbed a cellphone tower
Im glad they're putting thought into what they are doing and not trying to piss their customers off and make billions of dollars in revenue over something that shouldn't be.Originally Posted by 100South
I have a blue tooth
But I still think T-Mobile should offer family data plan as an option though.
I have a blue tooth
Time will tell which business model wins in the end.
I have to see the new family plans first, offered by the competition; but I don't expect them to be generous.
Danny
Sent from my HTC One™ X using the Howardforums app.
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Family shared internet isn't an option for me because two lines in my family plan don't use internet at all even wifi.
I have a blue tooth
This is just another example of T-Mobile being behind in innovation instead of in front as they used to be. How would they know how many customers would want this unless they offered it. And what would it hurt to offer it? If people didn't like it, what is the harm done?
Instead people are jumping away from T-Mobile's postpaid service in droves and they are busy issuing press releases about how their current plans are exactly what people want. It makes no sense. Obviously people don't want their current plans because they aren't attracting new customers. A good business executive would see that and innovate something that would attract customers.
I have a blue tooth
Yes let's abandon our unlimited plans when our users want to upgrade.....any takers? Care to ditch your $30 unlimited data tzones talk and text plan ?
Sent from my DROID RAZR
Why yes, that is a bag phone
Honestly, I don't.
I work for a large dealer and have 10 years at corporate stores with other national carriers. When I started, the amount of plans blew my mind. I was a little confused at first. I can only imagine what goes on for customers.
I've seen how sales reps sell at corp and dealers and they don't qualify and recommend. The customer is left to sell sell themselves most of the time. lol. This probably causes a lot of people to walk when they see the 20+ plans they can sign up for. They get confused and go home to "think about it". I'm all for choice, but T-Mobile needs to invest in the development of their sales team so they can capitalize on that variety of choice.
I have a blue tooth
T-Mobile didn't even wait for a customer upgrade to abandon unlimited. All of those people who were on unlimited plans after the release of the G1 (which was the vast majority) were slapped with a 5GB throttle that slows their speeds so it's unusable. Even though their plans were still called "unlimited".
In addition, T-Mobile did the same thing as Verizon is planning on doing except T-Mobile did it years earlier. They took people on pre G1 plans like Total Internet and forced them off their data plan to a plan that was eventually capped when they upgraded to an Android phone. Did you forget that?
You complain about what Verizon plans on doing. Yet you completely forget that T-Mobile did the same thing and did it FIRST. Why does T-Mobile get a pass from you?
I have a blue tooth
Please try to get a subsidy upgrade to any Android device on your line with tzones or Total Internet and see how quickly you are forced off of your unlimited plan. T-Mobile has been doing this since the October 22, 2008 when the G1 was released.
Oh but it is. Why did you have to pay full price for an Incredible S? Because T-Mobile would have taken away your unlimited data plan if you did not.its not the same.
There's no need for you to re-write history of T-Mobile's unsavory acts.
I've got more phones than fingers
I asked in the other thread but I think it might have been missed...
Where in SoCal does VZW have 3G that AT&T doesn't?
Verizon's 3G network. ............................................ AT&T's 3G network.
Verizon's 4G network.
I have a blue tooth
Please don't derail this thread any further. Move on.
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Wirelessly posted (Samsung Galaxy Nexus: Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; U; Intel Mac OS X 10_6_3; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.16 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0 Safari/533.16)
T-Mobile should offer more flexible option:
Specify which line is involved with family plan, and the quota will be added to pooled quota.
That can be 5GB shared among three lines, fourth line has separate 2GB, and fifth line doesn't have internet.
This is the best setup.
6GB data plan works on one APN but not the other
need data plan but what one to buy?? reps keep lying!!
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